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

After seeing Shen Zhiyi off, Ye Ming returned to the computer room alone.

The afternoon sun was warmer than the morning sun, shining obliquely through the window and landing on the computer desk, casting a soft light on the keyboard.

He sat down and opened the code file.

Li Yue and Zhang Yuan didn't come back after dinner; they said in the group chat that they had something to do in the afternoon.

Perfect timing! He can now calm down and go over the code he wrote this morning again.

My gaze fell on the screen, where Li Yue and Zhang Yuan had finished writing the code that morning.

PHP's logic is embedded in HTML tags, which are scattered throughout the HTML.

He read line by line, occasionally swiping his finger to turn the pages, and when he encountered something he didn't understand, he would make a note in his notebook.

"I don't understand the scope of JS functions here."

"Ask Zhang Yuan about how to use LEFT JOIN later."

The sound of keyboard clicks occasionally rang out. He tried changing a line of SQL query conditions, saved it, refreshed the page, and got an error.

He stared at the error message for a few seconds, then made a note in his notebook: "The syntax of the WHERE clause. Ask Zhang Yuan again."

Most of the time, there is only silence, and the occasional birdsong coming from outside the window.

Occasionally, the image of Shen Zhiyi looking back at him for the last time flashed through his mind, along with the sparkling light in her eyes when she spoke.

But he shook his head, suppressing his thoughts.

Look at the code first, and make a note of anything you don't understand.

The sunlight outside the window moved quietly, slowly creeping from the keyboard to the back of my hand, and then from the back of my hand to the edge of the laptop.

Ye Ming turned the page and continued reading.

Footsteps suddenly came from outside the door.

It's a light, cheerful rhythm.

The footsteps grew closer.

Ye Ming paused for a moment.

The next second, the door was pushed open.

Light streamed in, casting a soft outline on the figure.

Xu Wei stood at the door.

A beige fitted knit cardigan over a light gray crew-neck T-shirt. She wore her familiar dark pleated mini skirt and white canvas shoes, revealing a glimpse of her smooth, shapely calves.

Her long hair cascaded over her shoulders, the ends slightly curled, and the afternoon sunlight slanted in from behind, bathing her in a light golden glow.

She was carrying a bag, and when she saw Ye Ming, her eyes immediately curved into crescent moons.

"Ye Ming, you really are here!"

Why is this girl here again?

Ye Ming was taken aback.

"Why are you here?" he asked.

Xu Wei walked in, put the bag on the corner of the table, then walked around to him and looked at him.

"How's your hand?" she asked, staring at his elbow.

Ye Ming glanced down and said, "It's nothing."

Xu Wei didn't believe her and looked down: "What about your back? You bumped into something like that yesterday, doesn't it hurt anymore?"

"It doesn't hurt."

"Where are your knees?"

Ye Ming paused for a moment: "It's just a minor cut, nothing serious."

What about interrogating the criminals? I won't say.

Xu Wei stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly sighed.

"You really are..." She didn't finish her sentence, but her tone betrayed her heartache.

She reached out to touch his elbow, then stopped, her fingers hovering in mid-air.

Looking at her expression of wanting to touch but not daring to, Ye Ming remembered that she had done the same thing last night, extending her finger halfway before pulling it back.

"I'm really fine," he said.

Xu Wei stared at him for two seconds, then didn't ask any more questions and sat down on the chair next to him.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, falling on the table between the two people, and dust motes floated slowly in the air.

After a moment of silence, Xu Wei pointed to the bag on the table: "Here, this is for you."

Ye Ming glanced at it and asked, "What?"

"Open it and take a look."

Ye Ming opened the bag, revealing a brand new white Apple 3GS with its screen lit up.

The wallpaper is a photograph.

The photo shows a girl standing in the sunlight, wearing a beige cardigan, a pleated skirt, canvas shoes, and with her long hair draped over her shoulders.

She turned slightly to the side, gently holding the hem of her skirt with one hand, her eyes crinkling with a smile, bright and gentle.

It was Xu Wei herself.

Is this her?

Are you trying to set me up again?

Beautiful women are indeed cunning!

Be vigilant!

Ye Ming was stunned for a moment, then looked up at her.

Xu Wei turned her face away, avoiding his eyes, her ears burning red, her voice stiff:

"Didn't you break your phone yesterday? I'll replace it. It's brand new, just activated, and it works right away with the SIM card."

Ye Ming remained silent for two seconds.

"It's too expensive, I can't accept it."

Xu Wei whirled around, glaring at him. "Why didn't you say it was too expensive when you saved me? Why didn't you say it was too expensive when you were injured like this? Now you're being polite with me?"

Is this what you call moral blackmail?

Ye Ming was speechless, overwhelmed by her string of words.

Xu Wei stared at him, her eyes a little red.

"Please accept it," she said, her voice softening, "otherwise I won't be able to live with myself."

Ye Ming looked at her and remained silent for a few seconds.

"Let's leave it for now," he said.

Xu Wei didn't say anything more, but just pushed the bag towards him again.

Sunlight fell on the table between the two of them, and everything was so quiet it was as if nothing had happened.

After a while, Xu Wei's gaze fell on the screen.

"Is this your game?" she asked.

Ye Ming nodded.

"Can I play just one game?"

Ye Ming stepped aside to make room for her.

Xu Wei took the mouse, stared at the attribute allocation interface on the screen, thought for a moment, and then casually clicked on a few values.

"How do we begin?"

Ye Ming reached out and tapped the button at the bottom of the screen.

The first game ended quickly.

Xu Wei stared at the ending of her life on the screen, paused for a moment, and then burst out laughing.

"What?! I chose the highest level of attractiveness and the lowest level of intelligence, and the result is, 'You marry into a wealthy family because of your outstanding looks, but after marriage you discover that your husband has violent tendencies, you divorce at the age of thirty-five, and struggle to live a difficult life with your child'?"

She turned and glared at Ye Ming: "You did this on purpose, didn't you?"

Ye Ming glanced at the screen and said calmly, "Attribute point allocation will affect the course of events. Your high looks increase the probability of triggering the 'marrying into a wealthy family' event, but your low intelligence limits your subsequent choices and makes you more prone to negative outcomes."

Xu Wei retorted, "Let's play another round! This time I'll increase my intelligence."

In the second round, she distributed her points evenly and made careful choices throughout, eventually living to the age of eighty-two with a large family.

Xu Wei stared at the "Overall Review: Happy Old Age" on the screen and suddenly fell silent for a few seconds.

"This game...makes you think a lot," she said softly. "It's like experiencing another life."

Ye Ming didn't speak, he just nodded.

Xu Wei started a third and a fourth game... Before she knew it, she had been playing for more than an hour.

The sunlight outside the window shifted from noon to a position around 2 PM, and the light spots falling on the computer desk slowly retreated eastward.

Ye Ming continued flipping through the code beside her, occasionally answering her questions.

What are the conditions that trigger this event?

"Only those with sufficient intelligence and family background can choose to pursue further education abroad."

"Why did he die so young in this ending?"

"The stress level was too high; he died suddenly at the age of fifty."

Is this girl really addicted to it?

Thinking of this, Ye Ming gained even more confidence in the game.

Xu Wei said "Oh" and continued clicking the mouse.

Suddenly, she stopped and turned to look at Ye Ming.

Ye Ming was staring at the screen and didn't notice her gaze.

Xu Wei looked at his profile. When he was focused, his brows would furrow slightly and his lips would be pursed into a line. Occasionally, he would turn a page of code or write a few words in his notebook.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, falling on him and making his silhouette exceptionally clear.

She suddenly felt as if her heartbeat had skipped a beat.

This person is quite handsome when they get serious.