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

Sunlight filtered through the sycamore leaves, falling on her face, making it dazzlingly bright.

Her long hair was draped over her shoulders, with a few strands hanging down beside her neckline, swaying gently with her breath.

Ye Ming glanced at her.

Then he looked away and continued walking forward.

I did watch it, and I watched it again, but I just won't admit it, so what?

"No," he said casually, as if he really didn't.

But Xu Wei knew that the answer was the glance he gave her.

Xu Wei caught up with him and walked beside him, her voice tinged with amusement: "Really?"

Ye Ming didn't say anything.

Xu Wei didn't press the matter, and just kept smiling to herself.

Sunlight filtered through the sycamore leaves, dappling the two of them.

She glanced at him secretly.

His profile remained calm, without any expression.

But she knew that his knuckles had tightened slightly in the car just now.

She saw it.

That's enough.

The school bus came to a stop, and the two got off.

Before me is an old campus with a Republican-era style, gray brick walls, bluish-gray roof tiles, arched doors and windows, and ivy that has turned half of the walls a deep green.

"It's completely different from Longhu," Xu Wei said.

Ye Ming nodded: "Let's get it stamped first."

The student ID was stamped quickly, and it was done in less than ten minutes.

When they came out, Xu Wei said that since it was a rare opportunity to come here, she wanted to do some shopping, and Ye Ming did not object.

The two walked slowly along the old street near the school gate.

The road is lined with old-fashioned shops, bicycle repair shops, stationery shops, and book rental shops. The signs are all made of wood, with peeling paint.

Occasionally, students would ride by on bicycles, their bells ringing crisply.

Xu Wei walked beside him, her steps light and quick.

As she walked, the hem of her skirt swayed gently, and the boots encased her calves, outlining a slender and graceful silhouette.

It looks soft.

The waistline of the knitted sweater was perfectly cinched, and the hem of the skirt swayed with each step, occasionally brushing against the waist before moving away again.

Ye Ming glanced at it out of the corner of his eye, then looked away.

Is this girl exceptionally gifted, or has she mastered the art of seduction?

Xu Wei suddenly turned her head to look at him: "Do you come to Sipailou often?"

"not much."

"So you don't know the way?"

Ye Ming paused for a moment: "I know the general direction."

Xu Wei smiled and said, "Okay, then I'll show you around."

After saying that, she took two quick steps forward, then looked back at him, "Let me tell you, I came here to sketch during junior high school, I know this place very well."

As she spoke, a hint of smugness flashed in her eyes.

As she turned around, the neckline of her knitwear opened slightly, revealing a section of her collarbone.

The sunlight fell on it, making that patch of skin dazzlingly white.

Ye Ming grunted in agreement and followed.

I passed by a used bookstore, and there were several cardboard boxes at the entrance, filled with discounted used books.

The spines of the books were whitened by the sun, and the air was filled with the smell of paper and mildew.

Xu Wei stopped and bent down to look through the pages.

As he bent over, the hem of his pleated skirt rose slightly, revealing a section of smooth thigh skin between the top of his boots and the bottom edge of the skirt.

Not too long, not too short, just the right length.

Sunlight filtered through the sycamore leaves, falling on them and giving them a delicate sheen.

It's not the kind of skinny, dry lines; it's full and fleshy.

Ye Ming stood to the side, glanced around casually, and his gaze fell on the spine of the book.

Xu Wei picked up a book casually, flipped through a couple of pages, and asked him, "Have you read this one before?"

Ye Ming glanced at the cover, "To Live".

"I've seen it."

Xu Wei blinked: "What are you talking about?"

Ye Ming thought for a moment: "A person, whose acquaintances have all died, is still alive."

Xu Wei was stunned for a moment, and waited for a while, but didn't hear anything more.

"that's all?"

"that's all."

Xu Wei glared at him: "Why do you tell stories like that?"

Ye Ming didn't say anything.

It's so much easier to just say it in one sentence; you can't charge money for saying so much.

Xu Wei flipped through the book again and suddenly said, "But I think I understand now. Living itself is the whole meaning."

Ye Ming glanced at her.

This girl, so young, yet she thinks so deeply.

Sunlight shone from her side, illuminating her bright and beautiful face.

Her eyes were lowered, and the shadow of her eyelashes fell on her cheek, trembling slightly.

From this angle, the arrogance on her face faded, revealing a quietness rarely seen on her face.

In that instant, Ye Ming suddenly felt that she wasn't as boisterous as usual.

But it only lasted for a moment.

Xu Wei looked up and met his gaze.

She paused for a moment, then laughed: "What are you looking at?"

They got caught.

calm.

As long as I don't admit it, it's the same as not catching them in the act.

Ye Ming looked away: "It's nothing."

Xu Wei smiled slightly, put the book back, and stood up.

"Let's go."

The two continued walking forward.

As Xu Wei walked beside him, she suddenly remembered that glance from earlier.

The way he looked at her was different than before.

It wasn't the kind of look that "looks at a classmate," nor was it the kind that was completely indifferent.

It seems... there's something else going on.

She felt a little itchy inside and secretly turned her head to look at him.

Ye Ming stared straight ahead, his face expressionless.

But when the sunlight fell on his profile, the outline was quite handsome.

He's not exactly handsome; his features are ordinary, the kind you wouldn't notice in a crowd.

But he was tall, over 1.8 meters, with a straight posture, and walked with a steady, unhurried gait, exuding an indescribable sense of composure.

Add to that the way he talked about those technical things in the car earlier, and that line earlier, "A person, everyone around him is dead, yet he is still alive"...

Xu Wei suddenly felt that this person seemed to have a strange attraction to her.

It's not the kind of thing that's stunning at first glance, but the more you look at it, the more comfortable, reassuring, and inviting you to get closer.

She quickly looked away.

I passed by a record store with a poster of Jay Chou's "I'm Busy" on the door and "Rice Fragrance" playing in the store's speakers.

The guitar intro is languid, drifting in the afternoon air.

"Do you remember? In our senior year of high school, the whole class listened to this song," Xu Wei said.

Ye Ming thought for a moment and said, "Hmm."

Do you like Jay Chou?

Ye Ming paused for a second, then said, "It's alright."

I've heard it too many times in my past life.

Xu Wei pouted: "You, even when you say you like someone, it sounds so forced."

As she spoke, she tossed her hair, a few strands brushing lightly against his arm, tickling him.

Ye Ming didn't move.

Ordinary people cannot easily say "I like" something.

Xu Wei didn't say anything, but the corners of her mouth curved slightly.

After walking for a while, Xu Wei said she was thirsty.

Ye Ming saw a milk tea shop ahead and pointed at it, asking, "Want some?"

Xu Wei nodded.

The two walked over, and Ye Ming bought two cups of original flavor bubble tea.

Xu Wei took it, took a sip, bit the straw, and squinted her eyes.

"It tastes good."

Ye Ming hummed in agreement and lowered his head to drink his own beverage.

Xu Wei watched him drink the milk tea with a blank expression, as if he were holding plain water instead of milk tea.

She couldn't help but laugh.

"What are you laughing at?" Ye Ming turned his head to look at her.

"It's nothing," Xu Wei said, biting her straw and smiling. "It's just that the way you drink milk tea makes you look... like an old-fashioned cadre."

She remembered that some of her classmates had said the same thing in private before.

So be it, he's an old cadre.

I am no longer the nineteen-year-old me.

Ye Ming ignored her and continued drinking.

Xu Wei looked at his profile. How could this person be so interesting even when drinking milk tea?

She didn't notice that her gaze towards him was growing brighter and brighter.

As the two walked back, the setting sun began to sink, bathing the entire old street in a warm orange hue.

Xu Wei walked beside him, holding a milk tea in her hands, occasionally stealing a glance at him.

Sunlight filtered through the sycamore leaves, dappling the two of them.

A gentle breeze blew by, carrying a few fallen leaves that swirled past my feet.

Xu Wei suddenly felt that walking next to him like this was actually quite nice.

She didn't say anything, she just followed him slowly.

Ye Ming didn't say anything either.

The two walked side by side, their arms almost touching occasionally, but they tacitly kept a little distance between them.

The shadows were stretched long by the setting sun, overlapping and then separating, then overlapping again.

"Buzz...buzz..."

Ye Ming's Nokia phone vibrated slightly; it was a message from Li Yue.

The event library integration is complete. Come back and test it.

Ye Ming glanced at his phone and quickened his pace.

The game progresses, revealing the protagonist's grand plan to make money as a reborn individual!

"Let's go, we need to go back."

Xu Wei was stunned for a moment, feeling a little disappointed, but she didn't say anything and just followed in his footsteps.