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

Chapter Seventy-Two Sandwich Position

On Monday morning, the classroom for the Introduction to Political Science class was filled with a peculiar sense of weariness.

Ye Ming stood at the back door, his gaze fixed on the empty seat between Xu Wei and Ruan Xing.

Xu Wei sat on the side closest to the aisle, her head down, her long hair falling down and covering half of her face.

She was wearing a light gray knitted cardigan and was much quieter than usual.

Ye Ming immediately noticed that her earlobes, which were exposed outside her hair, had a faint red tinge.

Ruan Xing was sitting by the window, turning her head to chat and laugh with Lin Zhixia.

The hood of her pale yellow sweatshirt draped softly over her shoulder, and she smiled with her eyes crinkling, seemingly completely unaware of the special meaning behind the empty space.

Ye Ming paused almost imperceptibly.

You cannot sit in the middle.

The thoughtless "good partner" I uttered by Longhu Lake last night still echoed in my ears, and Xu Wei's amused yet reproachful look when she let go of my hand lingered in my mind.

Sitting down at this moment would be like walking into a trap.

Just take the last seat in the same row.

He strode over.

Three steps.

Two steps.

Xu Wei was right in front of me; I could smell the faint scent of citrus mixed with sunshine on her.

My gaze swept across her profile, only to meet her raised eyes.

She raised her head without anyone noticing.

Those always bright eyes were now quietly watching him, their light almost piercing.

Ye Ming noticed the faint dark circles under her eyes and felt a sudden pang of guilt for no apparent reason.

He looked away, but didn't stop walking.

"Classmate!" Ruan Xing's clear voice rang out.

She turned around, raised one hand high and waved, then slapped the empty seat in the middle with the other: "Here! You can have this!"

Ye Ming froze. He could feel Xu Wei's gaze still on him, like a silent fence.

Ruan Xing was still waving, her smile bright: "Hurry up, class is about to start!"

Several classmates in the rows in front and behind looked over. Ye Ming took a deep breath, braced himself, turned around, and sat down.

The chair was slightly cool, and my body felt a little stiff.

On the left, Xu Wei's citrus scent is more pronounced.

She didn't look at him, but looked down at her textbook again. She didn't move to the side either, and the distance between their arms was so close that they could feel each other's body temperature.

A silent, oppressive atmosphere permeated the air.

On the right, Ruan Xing naturally leaned over and handed over a small bag of biscuits: "I overslept this morning and didn't have breakfast, here you go."

"Thank you." Ye Ming accepted it.

Ruan Xing was wearing a light yellow sweatshirt with a slightly large neckline today, and her collarbone was faintly visible when she leaned closer.

When Ye Ming took the cookie, his fingertips touched her fingers. The warm touch made him pause for a moment, but he quickly resumed his normal movements.

This girl is completely unguarded.

"Don't mention it." Ruan Xing tore off a piece herself and ate it in small bites.

The lecturer began the lesson, and Ye Ming sat up straight, looking straight ahead.

But the senses are amplified.

On the left, the soft sound of Xu Wei turning the pages of her book could be clearly heard.

She maintained a slightly turned-to-the-side posture, her jaw clenched, and a blush spreading from her earlobe to her cheek.

On her right, Ruan Xing listened intently, her arm occasionally brushing against him, the touch warm and fleeting. She showed absolutely no sign of anything amiss.

Time passed slowly.

Ye Ming stared at the blackboard, replaying the scene by the lake last night in his mind.

She wasn't entirely angry about her stupid remark; it was more like a mixture of shame, resentment, and stubborn, silent resistance.

He dared not look to the left or the right, staring straight ahead like a stone caught in the middle of a force field.

When the bell rang, Ye Ming felt it was heavenly music.

He immediately packed up his books. To his left, Xu Wei also closed her book, her movements unhurried as she put down her pen, picked up her water glass, and didn't look at him the entire time.

As she stood up, the hem of her knitted cardigan fluttered slightly with the movement, while her dark long skirt draped gracefully, accentuating her slender waist.

Ye Ming caught a fleeting glimpse of the waistline out of the corner of his eye, and immediately fixed his gaze on the textbook on the table.

But that one glance is already etched in my mind.

Just as he was about to get up—

"Ding." Ruan Xing's phone rang.

She took out her phone, glanced at it, and her eyes lit up. She turned and held the screen up to Ye Ming's face: "Classmate! Notification of the school competition defense!"

The screen displays the schedule for the supplementary defense of the Challenge Cup school competition.

Ye Ming's attention was drawn to the phone, and he took it to examine it closely: "Time is tight, we need to prepare immediately."

"Yes, I..." Ruan Xing hadn't finished speaking when Ye Ming's phone vibrated.

Not all at once, but continuously.

Swipe open the screen.

Dean Li Guoqiang: "The filing has passed the expedited review. Congratulations, go ahead and do it."

My heart skipped a beat.

Almost simultaneously, a QQ notification sounded. Xu Wei sent a message with only three words and a period: "The filing is complete."

No expression, no small talk, calm, direct.

Before I could even process it, a call came in from an unfamiliar number in Huijing.

The call connected, and Wang, the manager of Nanxia Data, spoke up in a cheerful voice: "Xiao Ye, this is Lao Wang from Nanxia Data. The registration number has been approved! Congratulations! The server is ready to go live anytime!"

"That's great, thank you Manager Wang!"

"You're welcome. Feel free to contact me anytime if you need anything!"

The call ended. Within a mere ten seconds, three confirmation messages came crashing down.

A surge of solid warmth rushed into my chest, clearing away my tangled emotions; the path was open.

Ye Ming took a deep breath, opened the "Core Team" QQ group, and quickly typed: "All members, the ICP filing has been officially approved. Everything is ready, let's begin the sprint."

send.

The group chat instantly erupted. "!!!" "Congratulations!" flooded the screen.

Li Yue sent a firework emoji, Zhang Yuan replied "Roger, let's get to work," Chen Mo clenched his fist, and Zhao Kai and Sun Cheng spammed "Boss is awesome!"

Ye Ming looked at the buzzing group messages, a smile appearing on his lips, and turned to the side.

Xu Wei had stood up, carrying her schoolbag and holding her water bottle, seemingly about to leave.

The afternoon sunlight gilded the contours of her profile, and the blush faded slightly, but it was still there upon closer inspection.

"I saw it," Ye Ming said clearly, looking at her. "Thank you."

He paused, then spoke with even greater seriousness, "...Thank you for your hard work."

Xu Wei paused slightly, without turning around, and only let out a soft "hmm" from her nose, as light as a feather brushing past.

Ye Ming noticed a slight twitch in her jawline.

She didn't say anything more and walked towards the back door.

The hem of the dark long dress swayed gently with her steps, revealing a section of shapely calves with smooth lines.

Ye Ming's gaze followed the message for half a second before he looked away, cursing himself inwardly.

This girl is so toxic, she's ruining my career!

She quickly disappeared into the crowd at the doorway.

Ye Ming withdrew his gaze, and the tension that had been building up inside him all morning eased slightly.

"Fantastic! We finally passed!" Ruan Xing cheered happily in a low voice. "Now we're going to be swamped! UI design, testing, optimization, and the defense!"

She suddenly stood up, the hem of her hoodie billowing up with the movement, revealing a glimpse of her slender waist between the waistband of her jeans and the hem of her hoodie.

Her waist and abdomen were flat and firm, and her skin glowed delicately in the light, with a deep and thin vertical line faintly visible at the deepest part.

Ye Ming's gaze lingered on that bright white for a very brief moment, so brief as to be almost negligible, before he immediately looked away and turned to her face.

This little Ruan... really doesn't avoid me at all?

"Hmm." A thought popped into Ye Ming's mind, but his expression remained unchanged as he walked out alongside her. "Regarding UI, Lin Ting's design drafts..."

"I'll go urge her!" Ruan Xing's eyes curved into crescents, her hem already back in place. "I'll tell her about the defense at the same time, two things at once! I guarantee I'll get the job done!" She waved her phone, her expression lively.

Seeing her energetic appearance, Ye Ming felt a little better: "Okay, thank you for your hard work. Tell her we're in a hurry, but quality is our top priority."

"Got it! Let's go!" Ruan Xing waved and ran away.

A pale yellow figure moved nimbly through the corridor, shoulder-length bangs flying behind her head.

Ye Ming watched her back as she ran, her waistline appearing and disappearing in the distance.

He looked away, refusing to look again, as it would be impolite.

She ran a dozen steps, turned the corner of the corridor, and disappeared.

Ye Ming turned to the server room alone, quickening his pace. The excitement of the successful filing was heating up in his blood, dispelling the last bit of stiffness.

About ten minutes later, the half-closed door to the server room was pushed open.

Xu Wei was already seated in her usual spot, with her laptop open, the screen displaying the event library folder.

She wore a pair of frameless glasses that she didn't usually wear, her brows slightly furrowed, her expression focused, and her fingers slid across the touchpad.

The lenses of those glasses were very thin, probably for blocking blue light, giving her an intellectual beauty that she didn't usually have, a beauty that carried a sense of distance.

Ye Ming couldn't help but take another look.

...Wearing glasses, he can be quite intimidating.

Hearing the door open, Xu Wei didn't lift her eyelids, but her fingers paused slightly.

Li Yue peeked out from behind the snack fortress: "Oh, President Ye is here. Just in time, Lin Ting sent me her draft; the page structure and page-turning effects are being integrated."

"Okay." Ye Ming walked to his seat and put down his bag. "Then I'll contact her now and pay the first installment of the payment."

He took out a prepared envelope from the inner pocket of his backpack, went back to find Zhang Yuan, and handed him the notebook containing Professor Zhang Bingwen's suggestions on high-concurrency architecture optimization.

Zhang Yuan quickly understood after a quick glance: "Teacher Zhang's approach is correct. Leave this to me."

Ye Ming nodded: "Leave the optimization of the MOD system to me, Yuan Ge, you focus on high-concurrency optimization."

After giving his instructions, Ye Ming contacted Lin Ting and went straight to the teaching building. During a break between classes, he handed her an envelope: "First payment for the manuscript: five hundred. The design is excellent. Thank you for your hard work."

Lin Ting put the bag in her bag: "Thank you for your trust. I will finish the rest as soon as possible."

"Please sign this receipt."

After Lin Ting signed the receipt, Ye Ming left the teaching building and walked alone back to the tree-lined path of the computer room, where sunlight filtered through the trees, casting dappled patterns of light.

Paying what is due is never delayed; credit is the cornerstone of success.

The unease I felt because of holding hands yesterday was largely washed away by the sense of steadiness I felt as my career progressed step by step.

When we returned to the server room, the atmosphere was noticeably different.

Li Yue's keyboard clicks were rapid and heavy, interspersed with muffled complaints about a certain CSS property.

Zhang Yuan stared at the black command line window, his brow slightly furrowed, as green code continued to flow down.

Xu Wei opened her thick notebook to write and draw, occasionally checking the screen, but still didn't look up, as if she were immersed in another world.

Ye Ming sat down gently and turned on his computer. The QQ icon in the lower right corner was flashing.

It's Xu Wei.

I opened it. There were no pleasantries, just a compressed file with the note: Please check.

Download and extract. "Event Library Categorization Optimization Suggestions V1.0". It's extremely well-organized, with clear categorization, detailed annotations, and logical flow; it's obvious that a great deal of thought and effort was put into it.

Ye Ming quickly browsed through the document, the subtle ripples in his heart gradually replaced by pure professional admiration. He turned to look in Xu Wei's direction.

She seemed to have just finished a paragraph; she put down her pen, picked up her water glass, and took a sip.

Her profile was quiet and focused under the screen light, and her frameless glasses gave her a scholarly and aloof air.

The water glass was held to her lips, and her neck arched gently upwards.

Ye Ming paused for a moment, then looked away and stared at his screen.

It's dying.

Ye Ming withdrew his gaze and replied: Received, saved. His thinking was very clear.

Almost simultaneously, a very faint clattering sound came from behind, almost drowned out by the sound of keyboard clicks, as a cup was placed back on the table.

He did not look back.

On the other side of the screen, Li Yue's QQ window popped up: "The new UI integration is almost complete. We can start internal testing of the first version after dinner. @Zhang Yuan, your optimization of the underlying layer shouldn't affect the testing, right?"

Zhang Yuan replied with a single word: "Okay."

Ye Ming typed in reply: "Okay. Let's conduct the internal testing together after dinner."