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

The two walked into the corridor one after the other.

The corridor was quiet.

Sunlight streamed in through the window at the far end, falling warmly on the floor and casting long shadows of the two people.

Ruan Xing walked to the window and stopped, turning her back to him.

She stood there, her shoulders slightly tense, like a taut string.

She turned around and handed him the phone.

Ye Ming saw her face, which was bright white, her lips were pursed, and her brows were slightly furrowed, like an unresolved knot.

It wasn't her usual cheerful demeanor; it was something else entirely, like a flower that had been blown by the wind, wilted but not yet faded.

There was a little redness at the corner of her eyes, as if she had been holding it in for a long time.

"They've sent me another text message." Her voice trembled slightly. "There's a briefing tomorrow, what should we do?"

Ye Ming took it and glanced at it, but didn't say anything. He lowered his eyes, as if he was thinking about something.

"Wait a moment." He turned and went back to the server room, walked to his seat, took the envelope out of the drawer, put it in his pocket, and then came out again.

Ruan Xing stood in the corridor, wondering what he was going to get. Sunlight shone on her, making her pale yellow hoodie gleam, and her wispy hair clung to her chin.

She held her phone, waiting.

The corridor was quiet, but you could hear the clattering of keyboards from the computer room.

Ye Ming walked back, took the envelope out of his pocket, and handed it to her.

Ruan Xing paused for a moment, then didn't answer.

She looked at the envelope, then at him.

A flood of thoughts rushed through her mind: Did he go to ask for the money back himself? Did he fail to get it back? Did he pay for it himself?

She remembered that he had gone out that morning, that he had no expression on his face when he came back, and that he had just taken this envelope out of the drawer.

She suddenly felt a lump in her throat. She was afraid it was his money.

She was afraid that he would take out five thousand yuan himself so as not to upset her.

"We got the money back," Ye Ming said.

She didn't take it. She stared at the envelope, her voice soft and trembling slightly: "Did you cover it yourself?"

Ye Ming looked at her without saying a word. He took a piece of paper out of his pocket and unfolded it.

The words on the paper were printed, and the title was "Refund Statement".

The following text states: Huasheng Network Technology Co., Ltd. received RMB 10 from student Ruan Xing on October 2, 2009. After negotiation between both parties, the full amount will be refunded.

The signature at the bottom was Wang Deming's, dated October 9, 2009. The handwriting was messy, but still legible.

Ruan Xing stared at the signature for a long time.

She recalled that day in Shanghai when the other party pushed the agreement towards her, and she felt like a fool.

She thought that was the end of it.

Now that Wang Deming has signed the document, he acknowledges it and has refunded the money.

Her mind went blank, as if something had exploded.

It wasn't the same sourness as before; it was something else, she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

All she knew was that the money was really coming back.

Ye Ming went to find Wang Deming; he went alone.

He did it.

She reached out and took the envelope, but didn't open it; she just held it in her hand.

The envelope was thick and heavy, pressing down on my palm.

She lowered her head and stared at the envelope for a long time, her stray hairs falling down to cover half of her face.

She remembered how she had saved up those five thousand yuan.

The New Year's money her maternal grandparents gave her was a thick wad of cash. Her mother said, "I'll save it for you and give it to you after you graduate from university."

The red envelope her aunt gave her for her birthday was taken away by her father before she could even enjoy it, saying, "What's a child like you going to do with so much money?"

She was unconvinced and said, "I'm already eighteen."

Her father said that eighteen is still a child.

When her parents take her shopping for clothes, they swipe their cards without batting an eye.

Traveling to Europe, business class, staying in five-star hotels, spending money like water.

But when it comes to giving each other pocket money, the two of them are more stingy than anyone else when it comes to calculating.

She saw a lipstick she liked, but her mother said she'd wait until after her exams.

She wanted to change her phone, but her dad said she should wait until she earned the money herself.

So this five thousand yuan was painstakingly saved from her living expenses.

Buy two fewer lipsticks, get your nails done twice less, and go shopping a few less times.

It's not that I can't afford it, it's just that I only have this much on hand.

She thought that was the end of it, but now the envelope was in her hand.

She looked up at Ye Ming. Her eyes were red, her nose was red, and the red at the corners of her eyes spread out like rouge blurred by water.

She opened her mouth as if to ask something, but then swallowed it back.

After a while, she finally spoke, "Then... I won't go tomorrow, okay?"

Ye Ming looked at her and said, "Go."

Ruan Xing was stunned for a moment.

"We'll go see him tomorrow," Ye Ming said, "to see him get arrested."

Ruan Xing stared at him for two seconds, then smiled.

It wasn't the usual cheerful smile; it was a different kind of smile. Her eyes were crescent-shaped, the corners of her mouth were upturned, her nose was sore, and her eyes were red.

She suddenly took a step forward, very close, close enough to smell the laundry detergent on his clothes.

"My deskmate," she called out softly, her voice slightly nasal.

Ye Ming didn't move.

She reached out and grabbed his sleeve.

He clenched his fist so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

She lowered her head, and tears finally fell, landing on the back of her hand with a soft thud.

She cried very softly, her shoulders trembling slightly, without making a sound.

It wasn't sadness, it wasn't feeling wronged, it was something else entirely.

She couldn't explain it. She just felt that with this person standing there, she was no longer afraid of anything.

The corridor was quiet, and sunlight streamed in through the window, falling warmly at their feet.

She clutched his sleeve and cried for a long time.

He stood there, motionless, and did not break free.

In a daze, he recalled that night in his past life when Ruan Xing called him for help in tears, and when he and the police broke down the door and Ruan Xing broke down crying.

In this life, he got there first.

After a long while, she let go, took a step back, and wiped her face with the back of her hand.

Her eyes were red, her nose was red, but the corners of her mouth were turned up, and she couldn't suppress it.

"Okay," she said. "Let's go see him get arrested."

Ye Ming's lips twitched slightly, and he nodded.

Ruan Xing put the envelope in her pocket and turned to walk back.

She took two steps, then stopped and glanced back at him. Sunlight streamed in through the window, falling on the two of them, their shadows stretching out on the ground, overlapping.

She didn't say anything, just smiled, pushed open the door to the server room, and went inside.

I sat back down, deleted the Iceland post, and rewrote it.

When she wrote "Mom hugged you and said," she paused and changed "There are some things in this world that are more important than money" to "There are some things in this world that are more important than money, such as trusting someone."

After you finish writing, continue writing.

The sound of her fingers typing on the keyboard was a little faster than before, and the corners of her mouth were turned up, not down.

After writing the last line, Ruan Xing saved the document and leaned back in his chair.

She glanced at the bottom right corner of the screen; it was almost six o'clock. Only she and Ye Ming remained in the server room, the fluorescent lights humming softly.

She turned to look at Ye Ming. He was sitting in front of the computer, staring at the screen, his fingers resting on the keyboard, not moving for a long time.

She stood up, and the chair leg scraped against the floor with a slight thud.

Ye Ming didn't move.

She walked around the table to his side, hesitated for a moment, then bent down and said softly, "Classmate, shall we go?"