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

Seeing that she didn't react, Wang Chao took another half step forward:

"That guy in our class, she has a boyfriend, but he's always flirting with her and sending her messages. Seriously, I have photos and videos of it on my phone."

He paused, his tone carrying a hint of provocation:

"I'm not trying to cause trouble, I just can't stand him. He acts all high and mighty during the day, but then he's chatting with girls in the dorm at night. I'm worried you'll be fooled if you know him."

Shen Zhiyi raised her eyes and looked at him.

That gaze was so cold it sent chills down your spine.

It wasn't anger, nor disgust, but a complete indifference, as if looking at something that didn't exist.

Wang Chao's words caught in his throat, and he couldn't continue.

Shen Zhiyi said nothing and walked away.

Her steps were slow and deliberate, yet she possessed an aura that made people afraid to follow her.

Wang Chao stood there, watching her disappear into the night.

After a while, he kicked a pebble on the side of the road.

Shen Zhiyi returned to the laboratory and sat down at the table.

The circuit board, half-finished, lay in front of her; the soldering station was still warm, but she didn't want to touch it at all.

My mind is a mess.

The scene I saw from the computer room window that afternoon: the girl sitting next to Ye Ming, smiling brightly. The curve of Ye Ming's lips.

The guy I ran into on the road earlier, with his thuggish manner, caught up with me and said those things.

She doesn't believe it.

She remembered that afternoon on Zhujiang Road when he rushed out to stand in front of her, protecting her as they waited for the police to arrive.

How could someone like that be that kind of person?

but……

She suddenly thought of something.

If he really does like chatting with girls and flirting, as that person said.

Why doesn't he flirt with her?

Since they met, he has never taken the initiative to contact her, never sent her any unnecessary messages, and never said anything inappropriate.

The only time I took the initiative was when I invited her to lunch.

But during that meal, he ate very properly, without even glancing at her.

She lowered her head and looked at her hands; her pale skin gleamed faintly under the fluorescent light.

She then thought of her face in the mirror: light eyebrows and eyes, and skin so white it seemed to glow.

She knows what she looks like; people often take a second look when she walks down the street.

If he really likes flirting with girls, why doesn't he flirt with himself?

The moment the thought crossed her mind, her face suddenly flushed.

She raised her hand and touched her cheek; it was indeed burning hot.

Her shadow was faintly reflected in the windowpane; her eyes and brows were calm, just as usual, and her skin was fair with a rosy glow, a very beautiful color.

In an instant, her heart pounded so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of her chest.

Taking a deep breath, Shen Zhiyi suppressed the thought.

Why think about these things?

She didn't believe those bad things anyway, as for the rest...

She bit her lip, stopping herself from thinking about it any further.

It was completely dark outside the window. She was the only one in the laboratory. The pale light of the fluorescent lamp fell on the table, making the surroundings seem even quieter.

She took out her phone and opened her chat window with Ye Ming.

I typed a few words, then deleted them.

It happened several times, over and over again.

Finally, she only sent one message: "Is your injury... feeling better? Remember to apply the ointment."

After sending the message, she placed her phone face down on the table, her heart pounding.

A few minutes later, my phone vibrated.

She picked it up and looked at it. Ye Ming replied, "Hmm."

Just one word.

But she stared at that word for a long time, and the corners of her mouth slowly curved up.

After thinking for a moment, he sent another message: "Apply that ointment twice a day."

This time, Ye Ming replied more quickly: "Okay."

Shen Zhiyi placed her phone on the table and stared at the circuit board for a while.

Moonlight streamed in through the window and fell onto the table.

She exhaled softly, picked up the soldering iron, and continued adjusting it.

The solder melted and solidified, and her hand became a little steadyer than before.

After receiving Shen Zhiyi's message, Ye Ming's phone vibrated a few more times.

He has returned to his dormitory, washed up, and is now sitting at his desk.

The white Apple 3GS was right next to me, the screen lit up, the wallpaper still the same photo: Xu Wei standing in the sunlight, her eyes crinkling with laughter.

He picked it up and glanced at it.

Xu Wei sent a message: "Is your phone working well?"

Ye Ming paused for a moment, glancing at the smiling face on the screen.

If I reply too much, I'll just end up looking like a clown again.

He replied with a single word: "Mm".

Xu Wei lay on the bed, staring at that "hmm" for a long time.

That's it?

She went through all the trouble of making a trip to Zhujiang Road, spending several thousand yuan, and then spent the whole afternoon filling out his event database, and all he replied with was an "um"?

"That bastard!" She slammed her phone onto the pillow and cursed.

Two seconds later, I picked it up again and looked at the dialog box several times.

There was only one "hmm".

But as she stared at that word, the corners of her mouth still curved into a smile.

She hugged her phone to her chest, turned over, and stared at the ceiling.

I remember the way he looked down at the code that afternoon.

I remember the slight curve of his lips when he said "okay".

He paused for a moment when he remembered her handing him the phone.

That stunned look was actually quite cute.

She smiled and hugged her phone even tighter.

News of Ruan Xing also arrived.

"Ye Ming! Ye Ming! That team is asking me to pay again, this time three thousand... saying it's operating fees. I'm starting to have doubts, what should I do?"

This girl is so carefree.

Ye Ming frowned as he looked at the words on the screen.

He quickly typed and sent: "Don't send any money! Don't give me a single cent. Go back to school first, we'll talk about it when you get back."

Ruan Xing quickly replied with a single word: "Okay."

Ye Ming did not reply.

He put his phone aside and continued staring at the questions he had jotted down in his notebook during the day.

The dormitory was quiet; the roommates were already asleep, and only Chen Mo turned over, his even breathing filling the room.

As night deepened outside the window, moonlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains and fell onto the edge of the bed.

He took a deep breath, recalling his failed marriage in his past life that had shattered into pieces, and suppressed all the distracting thoughts in his mind.

Code doesn't lie, it doesn't test, and it doesn't make him guess.

This is the foundation of one's character.

After turning off the lights, Ye Ming lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

The new phone sat on the bedside table, its screen occasionally lighting up with a "Goodnight" message from Xu Wei.

He didn't reply.

My mind was still racing with what had happened during the day.

The game will be available soon.

But he knew that going live was only the first step.

He recalled the game "Life Restart Simulator" from his previous life, which went viral online within days with zero promotion.

But then what? A month later, how many people are still playing?

The problem lies in two places.

First, it's plagiarism.

Once the gameplay became popular, a reskinned version immediately followed.

You can't do anything about them. Intellectual property law protects "expression" rather than "thought," and the way they operate makes it difficult to protect your rights.

Second, the content is exhausted.

The core of word games is the event library.

Players will experience all the events in a few days, and once the novelty wears off, they'll leave and never come back.

He stared at the ceiling, pondering these thoughts over and over for a long time.

Moonlight streamed in through the window and fell on the edge of the bed.

He rolled over and faced the wall.

He has figured out how to solve these two problems.