How come you're also my ex-girlfriend?

On the second day of school, Jiang Yiyao no longer needed Xu Yan's protection; she seemed to have always been someone who didn't need her parents' worry.

Besides, the neighborhood wasn't particularly far from the school, so Xu Yan was happy to relax.

Riding her bicycle leisurely, it felt much easier with one less person behind her... Well, actually, Jiang Yiyao isn't heavy. She clearly has a big appetite, but I don't know why she doesn't show any signs of gaining weight.

Perhaps it's because of the vigorous metabolism during puberty, and also because studying is a very energy-consuming activity. Thinking about this principle, Xu Yan felt that even the bright sunshine wasn't so appealing anymore.

Soon, Xu Yan rode his bike to an intersection very close to the school. Just as he was crossing the traffic light and preparing to turn onto the street leading to the school, a car came from the opposite direction. There was no risk of an accident, and Xu Yan wasn't riding fast.

However, Xu Yan still paid attention to the very familiar icon that almost everyone would recognize and the unique two-tone paint.

It doesn't matter what people are paying attention to, but that car just happened to be parked across the street, some distance from the school.

Xu Yan couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "Whose young master is this now? A Maybach for chauffeured around, huh? Damn, sometimes I really want to compete with these rich people!"

The car door opened quickly. Xu Yan wouldn't have bothered to pay attention to who it was, but a strikingly fair complexion caught his eye. Bathed in the morning sun, it shone like a mirror, and it was just an arm.

White isn't important; what's important is why Xu Yan feels inexplicably familiar with it.

In that brief moment of hesitation, Xu Yan made eye contact with the person getting off the bus.

"Huh?"

From a short distance, Xu Yan could clearly hear the surprised sound from the other person, as well as the panic in their eyes.

Why is she panicking? In this situation, she should be the one scrambling to hide like a sewer rat!

But Xu Yan stopped the car, put one foot on the pedal and the other on the ground, and squinted his eyes.

Then I saw that incredibly fair-skinned and delicate girl calmly say something to the people in the car. The car slowly drove away, and then she walked back towards me, looking around nervously.

Her behavior was extremely bizarre, as if she had stolen the Maybach and had an accomplice in it.

She walked up to him, the girl with the backpack holding the straps with both hands, and tried to put on a seemingly normal smile. "Good morning, Xu Yan."

Xu Yan nodded. "Good morning, cod burger."

"It's Wen Xueyu!"

Wen Xueyu blushed instantly and glared fiercely at Xu Yan.

She just couldn't understand how such a handsome young man could be so annoying when he spoke.

Just kidding, good morning.

"Um..."

She seemed a little reserved and didn't know what to say. Xu Yan didn't know why she was so nervous, so the boy, who wasn't good at starting conversations, took the initiative to speak.

"Did you just go steal a dog?"

Wen Xueyu: ?

"Who stole the dog!"

"Then why are you rushing around like a thief? In broad daylight."

"It's not related to this... Um, can I ask you for a favor?" she suddenly said.

Xu Yan almost had a stress reaction when he heard this, mainly because he had heard it too many times from Lin Jia, and he usually wouldn't refuse in the past.

"Don't bother me with trivial matters, I don't care. Don't bother me with big matters, I can't help."

"...It's just a very, very small thing!"

In her eagerness, Wen Xueyu even reached out and made that slightly jarring gesture.

Xu Yan immediately warned the other party righteously, "If you insult our male compatriots again, I will put you on pornographic websites."

"...Excuse me, can you be a little more serious?"

It's clear they're in a bit of a rush; they only have classmates but no names.

Xu Yan also dropped his nonchalant expression. "Just tell me directly what it is. Whether you can help is another matter."

"Um... could you please not tell anyone that I take this bus to school?"

Xu Yan: ?

Looking into the other person's rather serious eyes and smelling their distinctive and memorable fragrance, I began to question my existence.

What's wrong with this world? Did I hear that right, buddy?

"What's wrong? Is this difficult for you...?"

Xu Yan snapped out of his daze and looked at Wen Xueyu. "No, it's not that... I was just curious. While flaunting wealth isn't exactly something people like, does it have to be done like a thief who needs to keep it a secret?"

If the two were in the same situation, what would Xu Yan do? Xu Yan suspects he would take out a hundred yuan and give the other person a request to arrive at this exact time tomorrow. Then, he would casually take a photo of himself getting out of the car from a hidden angle and have the person post it in various class groups to ask who this rich young man is.

Wen Xueyu seemed conflicted, and after hesitating for a moment, she said softly, "There are some special circumstances that I can't talk about, but could you please keep it a secret? Please!"

It's generally inconvenient to say it directly because the level of affection hasn't been reached, right? But when you ask for a favor, isn't there a lack of necessary ritual?

Okay, let's not dwell on this. Most girls wouldn't disagree if they'd gone this far, especially since it's such a small matter. Besides, Wen Xueyu is indeed an adorable girl...

Xu Yan remained silent for a long while before speaking, "It's not that I can't agree, but..."

"But what?"

Wen Xueyu bit her lower lip slightly, her expression showing genuine nervousness.

"I haven't had breakfast yet. I always love the spicy beef noodles from that place near the school gate, with an extra fried egg, but it costs almost twenty yuan a serving. I'm not a rich person like you, Cod Burger, so..."

"I'll treat you to this!"

Hearing this request, Wen Xueyu breathed a long sigh of relief; the price was far too easy for her.

"Then it's a deal."

Xu Yan pushed the cart and walked with Wen Xueyu for a few more minutes until they arrived at the noodle shop near the school gate. It was indeed outrageously expensive, and it was located near the school. How come it hadn't gone out of business? Well, that's Liangcheng Normal University Affiliated High School, sigh.

Xu Yan did indeed order a large portion of spicy beef noodles, plus a fried egg. Meanwhile, Wen Xueyu across from him only ordered a bowl of black rice porridge.

"Is this what you eat for breakfast?"

Wen Xueyu nodded gently, "I've already eaten at home, so I'm not very hungry."

"oh..."

Xu Yan actually wanted to say that since they didn't necessarily have to eat, why not just leave after paying the bill? But after thinking about it, he realized it was a bit too rude, and he managed to hold back.

Wen Xueyu was initially quite tense, but as Xu Yan ate heartily and even drank a lot of soup, she gradually relaxed.

"Have you finished eating?"

"Mmm, I'm done eating."

Xu Yan leaned back comfortably in his chair, and Wen Xueyu was finally able to smile easily. "Then we agreed that you would keep it a secret for me, okay?"

Don't worry.

"Hmm~"

"I'll eat this secret for the rest of my life."

Wen Xueyu: ?

Seeing the smile on her pretty face gradually disappear, Xu Yan laughed out loud, "Just kidding, you're really easy to tease."

"Hmph, I'm leaving now, goodbye!"

Wen Xueyu, still a little annoyed, picked up her backpack and got up to leave. Xu Yan didn't seem to care much and stood up unhurriedly.

Keeping such a secret was somewhat incomprehensible to Xu Yan, but he could indeed make some connections, such as her family's sensitive status requiring Wen Xueyu to keep a low profile. There was no need to speculate about her origins being illegitimate.

Helping with such a small favor is indeed a simple matter of a word, but Xu Yan knows that he needs to pay some price to put people at ease. This is similar to why doctors sometimes accept red envelopes from patients' families before surgery and then return them after the surgery.

Obviously, a bowl of beef noodles wasn't much of a price to pay, but it should have been enough to put her mind at ease.

They were leisurely walking out of the noodle shop.

Sudden.

"Smack."

"Can you just call me by my name instead of patting my shoulder? You'd scare me to death if this happened at night."

Xu Yan turned around and, sure enough, there was Zhou Wentao grinning.

"Oh dear, are you really that timid?"

"nonsense."

"By the way, do you know that girl who sat across from you at the noodle shop? She's so fair-skinned."

Xu Yan said irritably, "Are you clairvoyant? How come you can see everything every time?"

"It's not every time, it's only yesterday and today. Stop talking nonsense, do you even know him?"

"I don't know him. Do you think I have the qualifications?"

"That's true." Zhou Wentao nodded, almost making Xu Yan spit out a mouthful of blood.

Dude, you actually agreed with my modesty? You're a really good person.

"But why have you been surrounded by such pretty girls while having breakfast these past few days? Did you somehow awaken a system where beautiful girls always appear across from you whenever you eat breakfast?"

To be honest, Xu Yan's heart skipped a beat when Zhou Wentao said the word "awakening," but she quickly calmed down.

There's something there, but not much.

"Yes, actually I'm a reincarnated person. That beautiful girl I don't recognize is actually my girlfriend from my past life..."

"Hahaha, this is a great dream, but tonight will soon be mine."

"Is he even human? He steals even dreams!"

Just as the two of them were laughing it off and chatting idly as they walked toward the school gate,

It was as if a flash of inspiration had passed through him.

[Having been given a second chance at life, you find you still can't forget her. She was there for you during your darkest times, even severing ties with her family for your sake. You still remember the wonderful years you spent together, the birthdays she celebrated, every surprise she gave you, and the small moments of happiness amidst those difficult years. But the ideal future was shattered by cruel reality before it could even arrive. Your destined separation, though foreshadowed, was unavoidable; under the pressure of reality, you couldn't make it to a perfect ending...]

This time, you don't want to let go of her hand. You want to give a happy ending to the story that ended abruptly before it was finished. Luckily, she's right here with you now, and everything can start over.

[Task: Have breakfast with your ex-girlfriend.]

[Task Reward: Culinary Mastery]

Xu Yan: ?

"Hmm? Why did you stop?"

Zhou Wentao looked at Xu Yan, who had suddenly stopped, with a strange expression.

Xu Yan turned her head stiffly and stared straight at Zhou Wentao. "Tell me the truth, are you a woman disguised as a man?"

Zhou Wentao's eyes widened. "Damn it! Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, huh? Don't you dare do this! I'm an only child, and I still have to carry on the Zhou family line. I'm going to ask Old Li to switch places right now!"

[Mission complete!]

Xu Yan breathed a sigh of relief. "Just kidding."

But before I could even feel relieved, a sudden thought exploded in my mind.

Not redeemable!

Mission accomplished? Ex-girlfriend?!

……