Reborn not to be a beast of burden, I set the rules.

The last Sunday of September was quieter on campus than usual.

Ye Ming came out of the library, holding the draft of the working prototype of "Rebirth Simulator" that he had just prepared, and sat down on a sunny bench.

The sycamore leaves swirled gently in the wind, and a few fell onto his shoulder.

The sun was warm and inviting, making people feel a bit lazy.

He opened the book, his fingertips tracing the pages, completely absorbed.

My phone suddenly vibrated.

Ye Ming took it out and saw two words flashing on the screen: Wu Ning.

Ye Ming stared at the screen, and those memories flooded back to him.

In high school, Wu Ning was the class monitor. She had pigtails and dimples when she smiled. Her grades were always one or two places behind his, and her gaze towards him held a mix of defiance, competitiveness, and something else he couldn't quite put his finger on. He liked that indomitable spirit of hers.

On the day of the graduation party, he called her to the end of the corridor and handed her the love letter he had been writing for a week.

She glanced down at it, a slight smile playing on her lips. Then she returned to the private room and threw it into the trash can in front of everyone.

"You? You're just average-looking. What makes you think I'd like you?"

The letter fell to the ground, hitting him and making his heart ache.

It was my first time playing the clown, and it left a deep impression on me.

During his four years of university, she would occasionally send him messages, exchanging only a few lukewarm words. Just when he thought there was hope, she would become distant again. Later, she started dating a boyfriend from a wealthy family and completely cut off contact.

Later, she suddenly came to his door again to borrow money for her boyfriend.

A tool, remembered when useful, discarded when not. At this point, completely blocked.

Since then, he has never taken the initiative again.

The bell kept ringing persistently, once, twice, three times.

He neither answered nor hung up.

There's no need to accept it, nor is it worth hanging up on. Whoever takes the initiative is just being a fool.

I put my phone aside and continued flipping through the book.

The ringing stopped, and everything fell silent.

A moment later, my phone vibrated again—it was a text message.

Ye Ming picked it up and glanced at it.

"Ye Ming, this is Wu Ning. Long time no see. I heard you got into Dongda University, that's amazing. I repeated a year and am now studying at Anhui University. Let's keep in touch when you have time."

After he finished reading, he turned off the screen and put his phone back in his pocket.

There was no anger, no resentment, and not even much emotion.

For some things in the past, not responding is the best response.

In the evening, Ye Ming returned to Room 204, Dormitory 7, Taoyuan.

Pushing open the door, Chen Mo was reading a book, Zhou Lei was playing games as usual, and Lin Hao was lying on the upper bunk chatting on his phone.

Everything was the same as usual.

Ye Ming sat down at his desk, opened his notebook, and continued to work through the material he hadn't finished reading during the day.

My phone suddenly rang again.

The annoyance from that afternoon's phone call hadn't completely subsided. Thinking it was a spam call, he answered without checking the caller ID: "Hey?"

"It's Mingming, it's me!"

The voice coming through the receiver was my mother's familiar voice, tinged with a hint of nagging urgency.

Ye Ming was stunned, a warmth spreading through his heart.

He held the phone up to his eyes and glanced at the screen—"Mom".

"Mom..." he began, his voice slightly hoarse.

"Oh, I got a new phone, I almost forgot to save your number," Mom naggled on. "Are you coming home for National Day? How's the food at school? Do you have enough money? It's getting cold, remember to wear more clothes..."

A barrage of questions came crashing down on him. Holding his phone, Ye Ming listened to those familiar ramblings, and a warm feeling welled up in his heart.

"Mom, I'm doing fine." He softened his tone. "I have enough money, I eat well, and I have clothes. Don't worry about me."

"Just enough to get by, if not, just tell your family." Mom paused, then asked, "By the way, how's that... programming thing you mentioned in that text message you sent last time going?"

Ye Ming hesitated for a moment before saying, "It's not bad, Mom. I want to buy a laptop."

"Buy a computer? How much?" There was a pause on the other end of the phone before the father's voice came through, steady and decisive.

"Probably five or six thousand," Ye Ming said. "I have enough for school expenses, New Year's money, and a two thousand yuan reward from your hospital, which adds up to about nine thousand five. That's enough to buy a machine that's sufficient."

The father paused for two seconds, then said, "Okay, I'll transfer the money to you tomorrow. Buy something good, don't settle for anything less."

Ye Ming was taken aback, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly: "No need, I have enough money..."

"Enough? Keep that money for food." The father's tone left no room for negotiation. "Your studies are the important thing, and the family should support you. Remember to check the money tomorrow."

My mom picked up the phone again and continued her rambling, detailed questioning...

For a long time, Ye Ming held his phone, remaining motionless.

On the other end of the phone, Ye Ming could faintly hear his mother's voice. He heard—

"His dad, do you think Mingming has lost weight at school? He seems so listless when he talks..."

The father replied in a low voice, "Boys will always have a tough time out there. It's good that he's willing to learn, don't worry about it."

As Ye Ming listened, his nose suddenly felt a little sore.

That's how parents were in their past lives—they never asked many questions, just silently supported them.

He had been used to it for many years.

Only after experiencing it all again did I understand the weight of this feeling.

In this life, I have to make something of myself.

After hanging up the phone, he opened his phone's notes app and solemnly typed a line.

I call my parents every Sunday evening.

The next morning, Ye Ming went to the ATM to check.

There was an extra sum of money in my card, plus what I brought with me when school started, so I had a total of over 15,000 yuan on hand.

He stood in front of the machine, looking at the numbers on the screen, silently calculating in his mind: buy a laptop for five or six thousand, the rest would be enough to rent a server for a few months, and he could still save some living expenses.

The data flow diagram for the game prototype has been drawn, and the draft has been prepared. But relying solely on studying books is too slow.

Li Yue and Zhang Yuan are technically proficient and reliable. Asking them for help, we built the framework and defined the core logic ourselves, learning as we went, which tripled our efficiency.

We can't let people work for nothing.

Each person will receive two thousand, and if things go well, an even bigger red envelope will be given.

In the afternoon, Ye Ming went to the computer room as usual.

Li Yue and Zhang Yuan were both there. Ye Ming sat in a corner, opened a book, but the thought from that morning kept swirling in his mind.

As evening approached and fewer people were in the server room, he took a deep breath and called the two men to the corridor.

"Seniors, I'd like to discuss something with you."

Seeing his serious expression, the two waited curiously.

Ye Ming went straight to the point: "I want to create a personal website and host a small game. I'll build the framework and define the core logic myself. I hope you can help me make it. I'll learn and work alongside you. I want to move things forward quickly."

Zhang Yuan nodded: "Sure, I've got nothing to do during the National Day holiday anyway, I'll help you with that."

Li Yue agreed: "No problem. We live far apart, so we won't go during the National Day holiday. I'll teach you regularly, so consider it a practical project experience."

Ye Ming paused for a moment, then said, "I can't let you work for nothing. I have some money on hand, and I'd like to give each of you two thousand as a reward for your hard work."

Li Yue was taken aback, then waved her hand: "No need! Teaching you is just a matter of convenience."

Zhang Yuan also shook his head: "Just treat us to a few meals, let's not talk about money."

Ye Ming insisted, "Your time is also time; I can't take advantage of you for nothing."

Li Yue chuckled: "Why are you so stubborn?"

Zhang Yuan thought for a moment and said, "How about this, don't pay me yet. Once the product is made and can be sold, you can give me a big bonus."

Ye Ming conceded, "Then let's give each of you a thousand as a token of our goodwill. I won't feel right if you don't accept it. We'll make a bigger deal later when things are settled."

Li Yue and Zhang Yuan exchanged a glance and finally nodded.

Li Yue laughed and said, "Alright, alright, I give up. A thousand it is, but let's make it clear, this is what you forced on us, not what we wanted."

Ye Ming nodded, a weight lifted from his heart.