Rebirth: My Childhood Sweetheart Came into My Arms

He Ziyu felt that Jiang Chengyu's words were practically a confession to him.

In this environment, with so many people and so many eyes around, he really didn't know how to respond.

You can't exactly say, "Don't even think about it, you've already felt it because I'm staring at you every day, even before I go to sleep I have to masturbate to your picture," right?

If he really said that, his reputation as a pervert would be completely confirmed.

"Then why don't you run around naked?" Jing Ran appeared behind He Ziyu at some point and put her arm around his shoulder. "If you run around naked, A Yu will definitely stare at you every day. He likes men the most, especially those handsome guys with abs."

"Ahem..." He Ziyu cleared his throat, his face a little hot. "What nonsense are you talking about!"

"I'm not lying," Jing Ran said, completely oblivious to He Ziyu's unease, and even added fuel to the fire. "The day I stayed at your house, I found a 'Touching China Compilation' on your computer. I was short on writing material at the time, and thinking this program was full of positive energy, I clicked on it and took a look, and then I found out..."

Jingran was interrupted by He Ziyu, who covered her mouth.

"I just said you like pink, is it really necessary to hold a grudge like this?" He Ziyu tightened his grip on Jing Ran, making her feel very constricted. "If you say another word, I'll squeeze your crotch!"

"Ugh... Ugh..." Jingran's eyes were filled with terror, and he instinctively covered his crotch.

Ah Yu is terrifying!

He wants to keep his little Ranran to carry on the family line!

……

After letting Jingran go, He Ziyu and Jiang Chengyu went to rest in the shade of a nearby tree.

The afternoon sunlight filtered through the leaves and fell on Jiang Chengyu's shoulders, bright and sparkling like fragments of stars.

While drinking his cola, He Ziyu admired Jiang Chengyu's profile, noticing his deep gaze and wondering what he was thinking.

After a while, Jiang Chengyu turned around and asked him, "Ayu, Jingran said that 'Touching China Compilation' on your computer... what exactly is it?"

Upon hearing this, He Ziyu almost choked on his cola.

So Jiang Chengyu had been pondering this question the whole time?

Fearing his image would be ruined, He Ziyu hesitated for a moment and didn't dare to tell the truth.

"It's just some anime cosplay photos. There are tons of them online. I save any that I see that I like."

He would never admit that what he keeps are erotic films from various countries, in various scenes, and in various positions...

Fearing Jiang Chengyu might not believe him, He Ziyu added, "Some cosplayers have to show off their muscles because the character requires it, like Lord Gray, or Saiyans from Dragon Ball... Anyway, it's not that I have any special obsession with abs, it's just a coincidence, um, a coincidence."

After rambling on for a while, He Ziyu himself was speechless.

Such an awkward excuse could only fool the innocent Yu-ge...

"Is that so?" Jiang Chengyu seemed unconvinced, but after only two seconds, he threw out a new question, "Then why is it called 'Touching China'?"

"Because...because those anime are very touching, they moved me, a Chinese person, so they're called 'Touching China,' haha." He Ziyu curled the corners of his mouth, his smile extremely forced.

If someone else had asked this question, he would have rolled his eyes and told them to stop pretending.

But Jiangcheng is different.

He Ziyu felt that Jiang Chengyu might genuinely not understand those odds and ends.

After all, his family is very strict; even going to the gym is monitored, not to mention going online.

"Jiang Chengyu, come play basketball!" In the distance, the basketball team members, having finished their break, called Jiang Chengyu over to continue playing.

The conversation was put to a halt, and He Ziyu breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well, Ayu, I'll head over now. Let's go home together tonight."

"Okay, sure."

He Ziyu nodded and watched Jiang Chengyu return to his team.

……

For the rest of the time, Jiang Chengyu played basketball, and He Ziyu went for a run.

Although they were both doing their own things, they both unknowingly focused half of their attention on each other.

When Jiang Chengyu gets tired from playing ball, he looks at He Ziyu; when He Ziyu gets tired from running, he looks at Jiang Chengyu.

Like charging, one glance adds one bar, another glance adds another.

As the sun began to set, He Ziyu sat on the lawn, enjoying the breeze. As he did so, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

When I took it out, I saw it was a call from Jiang's mother.

Thinking that Jiang Chengyu had missed Jiang's mother's call while playing basketball, He Ziyu quickly answered the phone.

"Hey, Ayu."

"Auntie," He Ziyu greeted, pushing himself up with his left hand to hand the phone to Jiang Chengyu. "Jiang Chengyu is playing ball, so he probably didn't hear your call. I'm here now..."

"No need to call Chengyu," Jiang's mother interrupted him, "I'm here to see you."

"Me?" He Ziyu stopped in his tracks.

"We talked on the phone last week, and your aunt said she'd treat you to dinner this weekend. I happen to have some free time today, so I thought I'd call to see if it's convenient for you."

Only after Jiang's mother mentioned it did He Ziyu remember.

On the day he returned to school, he used Jiang Chengyu's phone to answer a call. Jiang's mother did say that she wanted to treat him to a meal, but she hadn't explained why.

Considering that this matter might be related to Jiang Chengyu, He Ziyu replied without hesitation, "It's convenient for me. You can decide on the time and place."

After hanging up the phone, a text message arrived quickly.

Jiang's mother had booked a high-end Western restaurant in the city center, which was quite expensive, estimated to cost several thousand yuan per person.

If you're going to treat someone to a meal, then why treat them to something so expensive...?

If I'm not mistaken, they probably need his help with something.

……

"Why don't you participate in the No. 8 Middle School basketball preliminary tournament at the end of this month? Lots of boys from our school are participating."

"That's right, let's give it a try. What if we manage to break through?"

Before leaving, the basketball team invited Jiang Chengyu to participate in the game at the end of the month.

Jiang Chengyu said he would consider it.

As the sun set, the group walked out of the stadium and dispersed at the entrance, some going to eat and others going home.

"Brother Yu, you don't need to take me today. My mom just called and said I'm eating out tonight." He Ziyu made up an excuse and went to the roadside to flag down a car.

Jiang Chengyu had been looking forward to taking the bus home with He Ziyu, but when he heard that they couldn't go together, he felt a little disappointed.

"Where should we eat?"

"The eighth day of the week, the one in the city," He Ziyu said. "We haven't had a proper meal out since He Ningqiu came to my house. This time it must have been my dad's idea."

Upon hearing that it was a family gathering, Jiang Chengyu didn't say anything more.

A short while later, a taxi stopped in front of the two of them.

Jiang Chengyu watched He Ziyu get into the car and said goodbye to him.

"Go home early, Yu-ge, don't let your parents worry." After He Ziyu finished speaking, the car drove away, and his tall figure in the side mirror grew smaller and smaller...

Even after it shrank to the size of a grain of rice, that figure remained steadfastly in place, never leaving.

Finally, after a bend, the rice grains disappeared from sight.

He Ziyu withdrew his gaze and fell into deep thought, watching the scenery passing by outside the window.

Before hanging up the phone, Jiang's mother specifically instructed him not to let Jiang Chengyu know about the meeting that night, so He Ziyu made up the excuse of a family dinner.

As for why Jiang Chengyu couldn't know, He Ziyu didn't ask, but his intuition told him it probably wasn't anything good.

……

Upon arriving at the restaurant, He Ziyu was led by a waiter to the seat reserved by Jiang's mother.

At this time in his previous life, Jiang Chengyu had already confessed her feelings to him, and the Jiang family was embroiled in a bloody storm.

It was around that time that Jiang's parents began to harbor resentment towards him.

Looking back now, He Ziyu can understand their predicament. After all, their son, whom they had raised with such care, suddenly came out as gay, and with his childhood friend of over ten years. While they were disappointed in Jiang Chengyu, they must have also suspected that he had led Jiang Chengyu astray.

Fortunately, none of that happened in this lifetime, and he can still sit with Jiang's mother with dignity, have a meal, and chat.

He Ziyu arrived at the private room through a corridor lined with green plants.

Pushing open the door, I immediately saw a woman sitting at the dining table, dressed in a long black dress, exuding elegance and poise.

"Hello, Auntie." He Ziyu greeted her.

When Shen Murou saw He Ziyu, she quickly invited him to sit down.

After He Ziyu settled down, Shen Murou handed him the menu, saying, "Order whatever you want, don't be shy."

He Ziyu flipped through the menu, looked at the exorbitant prices, and finally only ordered a plate of pasta before returning the menu.

"Will you be full eating so little?"

"I'm not very hungry," He Ziyu said. "Auntie, just tell me what you want to say. I still need to go back and do my homework after I finish eating."

He was indeed doing his homework, but he wasn't in a rush. He just wanted to figure out what was going on as soon as possible so he wouldn't feel anxious.

Upon hearing this, Shen Murou took a small sip of lemonade.

A moment later, her red lips parted slightly:

"Ayu, you and Chengyu grew up together and are pretty close friends. Tell me honestly, does he have a girl he likes at school?"

He Ziyu was taken aback. "Why did you ask that, Auntie?"

Shen Murou frowned, her expression complex, seemingly conflicted about whether she should say such things to a junior. But considering how far Jiang Chengyu's relationship with them had grown lately, she knew this couldn't continue, so she reluctantly said:

"This summer I took him to the United States to meet a girl, hoping they could try to get to know each other, but Chengyu was very resistant and refused no matter what."

"That girl is the daughter of the Han family. She is beautiful, academically excellent, and comes from a good family. She is a perfect match for Cheng Yu... I think if he didn't already have a girl he liked, he wouldn't have rejected her so decisively."

"Of course, I don't plan for him to start dating Ruoruo... or that girl right now. I just want them to get to know each other first and start as friends, so that it won't be too difficult for things to develop in the future."

After Shen Murou finished speaking, He Ziyu was completely stunned.

Ruo Ruo?

The name was completely unfamiliar to him; he had never heard of it in either this life or his past life.

"So, Ayu, the reason your aunt invited you out this time is to ask you for help. Please persuade Chengyu to give up on any girl he likes at school as soon as possible. After all, no one is more suitable to be our Jiang family's daughter-in-law than Ruoruo."