My girlfriend was reborn.

Chapter 15, Act 1: A Bad Future

As it turns out, senior year of high school is ultimately stressful.

Even if the incident involving Cheng Shuangjiang and Zhou Heming is completely unexpected, once the school turns a blind eye, the students' enthusiasm for discussion will cool down.

By Thursday morning, when the two walked into the campus, no one was staring at them or whispering anymore. Instead, people were talking more about the sports meet next week and the National Day holiday that followed.

"Good morning."

Even when he encountered girls from the top classes, they would casually greet Zhou Heming.

Then he quickly left, a barely suppressed smile still lingering on his lips.

"Am I the subject of some strange rumors in your class?"

Zhou Heming watched the short girl's hurried departure with a hint of curiosity.

"They say you're a gentle kind of melancholy."

"What?"

Upon hearing the word "sad," Zhou Heming thought it was a joke about his part-time job.

"They look gloomy, as if they don't connect with anyone equally, but in reality they are very gentle and always daydreaming, like a mushroom growing in a corner."

"What a wonderful metaphor."

Zhou Heming thought about it and realized it really did have a certain relevance. He quietly took out his phone and quickly typed, writing this down as material. Cheng Shuangjiang patiently waited for him to put his phone away before continuing her explanation.

"It's a joke from the couple they ship."

"What couple?"

"What else could it be, just you and me?"

Even the usually composed young woman couldn't hide her shyness when the topic came up.

"Oh"

Zhou Heming touched his ears; they were a little hot, and he couldn't rule out the possibility that he had caught a cold and developed a fever.

The two said goodbye at the top of the stairs and went to opposite ends of the corridor.

Xu Youyou was already working on her homework, occasionally adjusting her glasses, focused and serious.

Qiao Jinchen was absent.

He took out his phone and sent a message to Qiao Jinchen.

[Zhou Heming]: Are you transferring to a school abroad?

[Qiao Jinchen]: How come you're so well-informed?
[Qiao Jinchen]: I'm still telling my family, please don't tell Xu Youyou about this.

The messages, replied to instantly, carried a barely perceptible sense of helplessness.

“It’s true.”

Zhou Heming muttered something to himself, confirming the future Cheng Shuangjiang had mentioned. He sat down and quickly went through his own "script" in his mind.

"This guy said he had an upset stomach last night and probably can't come today."

Just then, Xu Youyou's voice came from behind, carrying a hint of disappointment.

Zhou Heming remained silent for a moment before speaking.

"Sister Youyou, there's something I feel I need to tell you."

"What? You broke up with Cheng Shuangjiang?"

Seeing the serious expression on the desk in front of her, Xu Youyou's heart skipped a beat, and she had a bad feeling.

"Actually, I am Zhou Heming, reborn~"

Zhou Heming smiled and made a weighty statement as if chatting casually.

"what?"

“I was reborn at the age of thirty-five to change our future, especially yours and Qiao Jinchen’s.”

"."

"Don't you want to ask anything?"

"I want to ask you when you're going to bring up Crazy Thursday V50 today."

Xu Youyou chuckled and prepared to lower her head and continue working on her problems.

"You like Qiao Jinchen."

Snapped--

The girl with glasses almost snapped the pen in her hand when she squeezed it too hard.

"What nonsense are you talking about? I like him???"

Her voice trembled slightly as Xu Youyou vehemently denied it.

"You fell for him when he stood up for you in your first year of high school."

"funny!"

"But he told those people that they could work their whole lives and still not earn enough to buy a house for their own family. You remembered that sentence and felt that it was talking about you, so you didn't dare to tell him that you liked him."

"I don't"

"When you were thirty-five, Qiao Jinchen's mother still remembered your name."

"."

"Qiao Jinchen actually likes you too."

Xu Youyou's movements stopped.

She stared blankly at Zhou Heming, who was somewhat different from before, with a gentle smile on his face. The girl's lips trembled slightly; she wanted to say something, but didn't know what to say.

At that moment, she felt a tsunami in her heart, but she just sat there quietly, not letting anyone know.

“You two didn’t end up together because of your mutual inferiority complex. Qiao Jinchen went abroad, married a woman she had no feelings for, and then divorced her. You continued to study and work. The three of us never reunited. I was reborn to change this future.”

Zhou Heming then spoke in a serious tone.

"Who did you say he married?"

After a long pause, Xu Youyou finally managed to squeeze out a question.

I never thought I'd see my sister Youyou so love-obsessed in this lifetime.

Zhou Heming cleared his throat.

"Don't worry about it, it hasn't happened yet. Anyway, you two have been regretting it ever since, and it makes me sad to see you like this. So, the first thing I want to do after being reborn is to change this future."

"Are you sure you and Qiao Jinchen aren't kidding me? Did you hide a camera?" After calming down a bit, even though her heart was still pounding, Xu Youyou looked around and thought it was a prank.

"Don't worry, Sister Youyou. Xiao Ding will ask you to bring Qiao Jinchen his notes after school. Take your time to calm down, and we'll go see him tonight."

Turning around, Zhou Heming took out his workbook as if nothing had happened.

Xu Youyou looked away with a suspicious expression, her mind racing with thoughts that she couldn't focus on the question.

After morning self-study ended, the homeroom teacher, Ding Kai, found Xu Youyou and asked her to bring Qiao Jinchen today's class notes.

"You live close by and have a good relationship, so I'll trouble you to make this trip."

Xiao Ding said with a somewhat serious expression.

Xu Youyou nodded hesitantly, then glanced back at Zhou Heming, who was casually writing his exercises. Noticing her gaze, he even gave her a bright and cheerful smile.

Not right.

Ten or even nine points are wrong.

Xu Youyou began a one-day observation of Zhou Heming.

However, in just the first class, when she saw Zhou Heming raise his hand to answer questions in physics class, Xu Youyou felt that her worldview had been turned upside down.

No, this is Zhou Heming. The mushroom who wishes he could disappear in class is actually raising his hand to answer questions and calmly dealing with the jeers.

Not to mention Zhou Heming in the past, even many outgoing and cheerful students couldn't do it.

It's almost like...
It's like someone who has experienced a lot and is already a mature adult.

Can love really change a person so much?

Xu Youyou thought it was impossible.

Is rebirth really possible?

and many more.

So, judging from Zhou Heming's previous appearance, it's hard to see how he could win the heart of the school beauty, let alone the aloof Cheng Shuangjiang. But now, our unattainable beauty is like a clingy little girlfriend by his side. So, is it possible that because Zhou Heming was reborn and became an adult, he was able to handle Cheng Shuangjiang and successfully win her over?
Anyway, that's how it's written in rebirth novels.

The more Xu Youyou thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

Of course, upon closer examination, she might discover many bugs, but Zhou Heming's words still echoed in her mind.

"Qiao Jinchen actually likes you too."

So, he was one too.

I originally thought it was just wishful thinking on my part, a chaotic mess on my own, a secret love that ended without a trace in my youth.

But now.

It's as if I suddenly have a weakness, or as if I've suddenly gained armor.

When she came to her senses, Xu Youyou realized that she had written two whole pages of draft paper on a single math problem.

A sense of urgency, like that of the eve of a primary school field trip, lingered in the girl's mind. She just wanted to get out of school as soon as possible, but she couldn't control the passage of time, so she could only focus all her energy on her notebook.

The bell rang for the last class, and Zhou Heming had just closed his book when he heard the sound of a chair being pushed aside behind him.

Xu Youyou is all set to go.

"Wait for Cheng Shuangjiang, let's go together."

Zhou Heming told Xu Youyou not to rush.

The honors class didn't run overtime today, so the three of them were able to meet up quickly.

Xu Youyou realized today that the No. 25 bus, which she used to take every day, was actually moving so slowly.

"Qiao Jinchen isn't sick today. His family wants to send him abroad because his grades aren't improving. If nothing unexpected happens, they'll make a decision in the next few days."

"In the car," Zhou Heming said in a deep voice.

"You parted ways because of this, missed each other, and regretted it for the rest of your lives. I was reborn to change this ending and let him stay in Jiangcheng."

"what?"

Xu Youyou suddenly felt a soreness in her throat, and a certain emotion immediately welled up in her heart. Almost instantly, she felt a heavy sense of oppression, like the sea, covering the entire world around her.

This is a monster that is almost tangible, called reality.

For students of this age, transferring schools is almost like saying goodbye forever, let alone going abroad.

She suddenly felt a little regretful. If she hadn't known Qiao Jinchen's thoughts, she could have kept this regret to herself.

But now, knowing the other's feelings, this sudden farewell has turned into a sharp knife, plunging into her chest.

Xu Youyou didn't know what to do. She was only eighteen years old and had no power to change this separation that even adults couldn't control.

All sounds faded away until Zhou Heming, who had been typing with his head down since the beginning, finally put away his phone and spoke.

"Believe first."

He put away his phone and looked at Xu Youyou.

"Believe in him, believe in us, believe in yourself. I said I was reborn to make up for my regrets, and this time, there will be no regrets."

His confident and spirited demeanor surprised Cheng Shuangjiang, who glanced at him with a touch of nostalgia before extending her hand.

A soft yet slightly rough touch came from the back of Xu Youyou's hand.

Cheng Shuangjiang was looking at her with a smile, gently touching her right hand with her left hand, which was still wrapped in bandages.

"Youyou, believe in yourself, because cute girls can do anything!"

Looking into her sincere eyes, Xu Youyou felt the suffocating sense of oppression from before suddenly disappear.

A more intense, fiery, and uncontrollable emotion enveloped her.

As her heart pounded faster, Xu Youyou saw the back door of the bus open.

"Arrived."

Zhou Heming was about to help Cheng Shuang get off the car.

"Wait, there's one more stop."

Xu Youyou looked at the Jiangqiao Station sign and reminded her.

But Zhou Heming had already gotten off the bus.

"Qiao Jinchen's home is near Jiangqiao Station."

He said it so casually.

The moment she understood the meaning of those words, the sound of her own heartbeat filled Xu Youyou's ears.

　Thank you to [Qidian Dushu Yidian Niang] for the 233-coin reward!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)