Rebirth: Start to Save the Treasure Girl

Stepping out of the slightly chilly mall, Xue Rui slowly stretched out his arms towards the sun, embracing the sunlight.

The afternoon sun in May is like a gentle kitten, quietly nestled against you, bathing you in a warm and cozy feeling...

After stretching, Xue Rui felt much brighter.

Although life has been a bit busy and chaotic lately, things are steadily improving.

Xue Rui was trying to bring the two of them closer together.

He said to Gu Muxue: Lin Ruoxi has no friends, you should have pity on her.

He then said to Lin Ruoxi: Gu Muxue has no friends, go and help her.

Once Lin Ruoxi and Gu Muxue become true best friends, they will be able to understand, tolerate, and empathize with each other...

In the future, when faced with conflicts of interest, we can take into account our past relationship and be gentler when pulling hair.

Of course, this is the most ideal situation.

The worst-case scenario is: the two are incredibly close, and they're working together to pull his hair out of the blue...

Xue Rui shook his head violently, banishing the terrible thought from his mind.

The sun was warm, the breeze was gentle, and a faint scent of perfume filled the air. Xue Rui plopped down on the steps, propped his chin up, and began to think about recent events.

He's been busy for the past few months. At the start of the semester, he was busy with college affairs, and in the middle of the semester, he was busy recruiting people. Now, in the blink of an eye, the semester is almost over, and he's about to start building an open-source platform. He doesn't know when he'll be able to take a break.

Having a rare free afternoon, I didn't need to reply to Gu Muxue's messages, nor did I need to worry about Lin Ruoxi appearing behind me at any moment.

At this moment, Xue Rui felt an unprecedented tranquility.

He didn't know the future of the three people, nor whether Orange Open Source Universe would succeed, or even what they would eat for their next meal.

Confusion is the defining characteristic of youth.

Xue Rui braced himself on the ground with both hands, staring blankly at the sky.

The girl passing by the steps instinctively covered her skirt and glared fiercely at Xue Rui.

Although nothing was said, Xue Rui seemed to hear a voice say, "You filthy scoundrel!"

Looking down at the square, Xue Rui saw a bustling crowd. He glanced at the time; it was already past four in the afternoon.

At this time, most universities have already dismissed students.

Departments like to leave a gap in the afternoon classes to allow extra time for departmental activities.

But where do we usually find so many activities? So naturally, it became time for playing basketball and dating.

If it were Xue Rui from his previous life, he would either be showing off on the basketball court or playing video games in his dorm room at this time. The reason is simple: these two activities are relatively cheap.

Wanda Plaza is a relatively unfamiliar place to me. Although it's not a high-end shopping destination, the allowance Lao Xue gave me back then was too little to support him spending money in such places.

At this moment, countless pairs of long legs radiated dazzling light in the square. Those who dared to wear such clothes mostly had the capital to show off, making people's hearts itch with envy.

It's not that Xue Rui hasn't eaten well; he has two pairs at home, but unfortunately, they've never been seen in public.

Now, after a long winter of hibernation, these thighs stand out in the sunlight, dazzlingly white and glowing with youthful tenderness.

This scene is like the hairy crabs of Mid-Autumn Festival, which have a "best time to enjoy them." After that, when the sun gets too strong, this delicate beauty becomes a limited edition, and you have to wait until early summer next year to see it again.

Embracing the "open source spirit," Xue Rui immediately sent Qiu Mengze a location message with the caption: "[Come see my legs right away.]"

Concise and to the point, without a single superfluous word, that's the efficiency of communication between men.

Not long after, Xue Rui received a photo. The photo showed two legs together. One leg was clearly a girl's, with the rolled-up hem of her denim shorts. The other leg was dark and hairy, almost unbearable to look at. However, Xue Rui recognized it at a glance: it was Qiu Mengze's leg.

Having slept in bunk beds for so many years, Xue Rui must have watched countless times as he threw things off the bed.

Xue Rui: [Who?]

Qiu Mengze: [Qin Tong.]

Xue Rui: [Bragging?]

Qiu Mengze: [No, aren't you known for your many tricks? I just wanted to ask you how to prevent her from wearing super short shorts.]

Xue Rui: [Don't you want people to see this?]

Qiu Mengze: [I was worried her legs would get cold.]

Xue Rui chuckled. Qiu Mengze was never like this when they were looking at pretty girls on the street.

She kept muttering under her breath, "It's so hot outside, why is she wearing such thick clothes? Isn't she hot?"

But when it comes to someone he likes, he immediately changes his tune and even starts showing concern and care.

There's no way around it, men are all selfish. When it comes to "leg appreciation season," their double standards are on full display, and all their usual talk of "big picture" and "everyone for me, and me for everyone" disappears.

They complained that their daughter's pants were too short;

They also complained that other girls' skirts were too long.

However, even if Lin Ruoxi and Gu Muxue wanted to wear it, Xue Rui would most likely forbid it.

Xue Rui: [How can you be so selfish? If everyone were like you, no one would have legs to look at!]

Xue Rui took the lead in seizing the moral high ground.

This thing, whoever shouts it gets to do it.

Shortly after, Qiu Mengze sent a voice message.

Xue Rui held the phone to his ear, and Qiu Mengze's voice, filled with gritted teeth, came through the microphone: "Then let me ask you, why don't you let your girlfriend wear it?"

"Which girlfriend are you referring to?" Xue Rui asked with a grin.

After a while, a 30-second voice message popped up on the screen.

Xue Rui: [Ah, yes, yes, you're absolutely right.]

Xue Rui didn't even bother to open it; he knew without listening that it was meant to insult him.

However, Xue Rui filled in the blanks in his mind.

Lin Ruoxi has slender calves and strong, muscular thighs, exuding a youthful and healthy vibe. If we're talking about shorts, sporty styles might be more suitable.

But the little girl is busy dressing him in red thermal underwear all day long. He's bundled up like a fat penguin in winter, so how could he possibly wear shorts?

As for Gu Muxue?
In Xue Rui's memory, aside from her school uniform, Gu Muxue always seemed to wear colorful long dresses in the summer...

Although the girl's legs are also very pretty, her overall style doesn't match at all.

Gu Muxue has the demeanor of a well-bred lady, walking with elegance and poise, which is completely incompatible with super short shorts.

Qiu Mengze: [Xue Rui, how can you be so shameless? Did you not even listen to me?]

Xue Rui replied to his voice message, which lasted more than thirty seconds, in a second. Without even thinking, he must not have opened it.

Qiu Mengze: [You little brat, don't run away, I'm coming right now.]

Xue Rui was getting tired of looking at the screen and was about to go back to his car to rest for a while when he saw Qiu Mengze's message, so he plopped back down in his seat.

"It's been a long time since I've seen that kid. I wonder if he's gotten hooked by that girl," Xue Rui muttered.

However, Xue Rui did not intend to persuade Qiu Mengze, believing that young people should suffer the losses they are meant to suffer.

People always learn their lesson after being beaten.

Qiu Mengze's methods for pursuing girls are questionable; he's been showering girls with money and gifts.

Finding a partner is a process of mutual screening; the type of sieve you use determines the type of person you'll find.

Girls who are filtered out by material conditions will most likely leave later because of material things as well.

If Qiu Mengze had that, it wouldn't be so bad, but unfortunately, Qiu Mengze is just a college student from an ordinary family...

Moreover, she has a very strong sense of self-esteem and is unwilling to accept his help.

Not long after, Xue Rui was suddenly patted on the shoulder.

Xue Rui turned around and saw two faces, one black and one white, as well as a hairy leg. The paper bag in Qiu Mengze's hand was pricking his back, making him feel a little uncomfortable. "Xue Rui, are you alone?"

Qiu Mengze covered his eyes with his hands and looked around, looking just like Sun Wukong who hadn't yet left Flower Fruit Mountain.

“Yes.” Xue Rui looked around.

I don't know if Qin Tong's fair skin made Qiu Mengze look darker, or if Qiu Mengze's dark skin made Qin Tong look fairer...

Qin Tong still had bright yellow hair, a shade lighter than it was in high school, and wore makeup that was neither too heavy nor too light.

It wasn't heavy because the makeup was on the lighter side, but Xue Rui noticed a slight cakeiness, like a patch of paint peeling off a damp wall...

However, she was dressed quite fashionably, wearing earrings and a bracelet...

How to describe it?
"Young and Spirited Girl" - Youth Version

College students who want to rebel but can't let go, stuck in the middle, neither here nor there.

She's the type who looks beautiful at first glance, but upon closer inspection, her features are unremarkable.

If you change your hair back to black and shave off that thick white layer on your face, you'll just be another face in the crowd.

"Hello Xue Rui, we've met before. I'm from the humanities department of Erren University." Qin Tong bowed and smiled slightly at Xue Rui.

"Hello, hello," Xue Rui said with a forced smile.

Xue Rui didn't have a good impression of this girl because he suddenly remembered something: last year during the National Day holiday, Lin Ruoxi had "opened the box" of Qin Tong once in a hotel.

"Let me introduce you, this is my girlfriend."

Qiu Mengze grinned widely and put his arm around Qin Tong's shoulder without hesitation.

Qin Tong's smile froze for a moment, and she subconsciously moved to the side: "It's too hot."

Xue Rui glanced at their shorts. Qin Tong was wearing denim shorts, while Qiu Mengze was wearing standard baggy shorts. They were also carrying paper bags with a large sports brand logo on them, which looked like imported trendy shoes, as well as some women's clothes.

"No wonder you two are dressed so lightly."

Xue Rui patted his bottom and got up, glancing at the contents of the paper bag with a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

There was only one pair of shoes, and they were size 37.

While they were shopping at the mall, the two girls had already arranged all his clothes for the year without him even going with them.

As for Qiu Mengze, the person who paid, although the edges of his shoes were clean, they already looked a bit yellowed.

"Xue Rui, where's your girlfriend? You can't have come alone, can you?" Qin Tong started a conversation.

"Oh, she and her friend were buying me clothes inside, and I came out for a smoke because I felt stuffy inside."

Xue Rui deliberately emphasized the words "give me," he was referring to Qin Tong.

Qin Tong's eyelids visibly contracted, and Xue Rui couldn't help but sneer inwardly, "So you know this isn't appropriate, huh?"

"Mengze, let's go smoke over there. I'm such a heavy smoker, I don't want to choke the girls."

Xue Rui made an excuse, took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, and gestured for Qiu Mengze to walk a little further away so they could have a private chat.

"Didn't you quit?" Qiu Mengze asked in return.

"It's okay, boys are normal to smoke," Qin Tong said with a smile.

"Tongtong, don't you dislike the smell of smoke?"

Qiu Mengze looked at him strangely. When he usually lit a cigarette to show off, Qin Tong would look at him with disgust.

Xue Rui's lips twitched, wondering what was wrong with these two?
One person is oblivious to the atmosphere, while the other is blatantly applying double standards.

"Qin Tong, wait here for a bit. Mengze and I will buy you a milk tea on our way." Xue Rui grabbed Qiu Mengze and started walking away.

"Okay." Qin Tong nodded and leaned against the wall next to the square to play on her phone.

Qiu Mengze kept turning back to look at himself, occasionally letting out a silly grin.

"Idiot, what are you laughing at?" Xue Rui couldn't help but pinch Qiu Mengze.

"Hehe, let me tell you, she's usually quite fierce, but she's being so well-behaved today because she's giving me face." Qiu Mengze said with a happy smile.

Xue Rui pinched the bridge of his nose, thinking to himself that this kid was hopeless.

However, once Qin Tong was no longer there to make him look fairer, Xue Rui realized that Qin Tong wasn't as fair-skinned as he had thought; it was simply that Qiu Mengze was too dark-skinned.

"Mengze, it's not even summer yet, how come you're as dark as a lump of coal?" Xue Rui said with a laugh.

Qiu Mengze waved his hand: "Sigh, I've been tutoring lately, handing out flyers in the wind and sun, that's just how men are..."

"Stop, stop, stop!" Xue Rui couldn't help but interrupt, "You're a tutor? Can you stop bragging to me?"

"Oh... I used to run your platform for a while, and I know quite a few students from top universities, like Gu Muxue's school. You have no idea how expensive they are, a hundred yuan an hour for tutoring!"

"There are golden houses in books, the teacher was right..."

"But they didn't have any clients, so I set up a small studio, finding students online to tutor, and then connecting them with clients offline. I take a cut in the process..."

Xue Rui grinned. It seemed that meeting a girl who spent a lot of money wasn't all bad. Qiu Mengze was driven by necessity and had been thinking about starting a business since college.

"Training and education?" Xue Rui asked thoughtfully.

The most common ads on his platform are for part-time jobs, and they are usually blocked by the system and administrators as soon as they are posted.

If Qiu Mengze wants to do it, he can provide a guarantee; top university students won't be a problem.

"So how's your client acquisition going?" Xue Rui put his arm around Qiu Mengze's shoulder.

In fact, Xue Rui knew without being told that if Qiu Mengze had really done a good job, he wouldn't have only bought one pair of shoes today; he would definitely have come out wearing matching couple shoes.

"Well... everything is difficult at the beginning..." Qiu Mengze stammered.

"The college entrance exam is in a few days, and a new batch of college students will be enrolling. I'll print a batch of flyers for you, and you can help me distribute them," Xue Rui said with a grin.

"Xue Rui, please don't do this."

Qiu Mengze thought Xue Rui was going to help him again, so he waved his hands repeatedly to refuse.

His father has told him more than once not to owe favors to people for no reason.

"Let's get this straight, I'm not paying you. You're going to hand out flyers anyway, so you might as well hand out mine too. We can even save paper by printing both flyers on one page. It'll help promote my app."

Xue Rui winked and made faces, looking like he wanted to take advantage of Qiu Mengze.

"Don't call it helping with something so small, it's just a mutually beneficial arrangement," Qiu Mengze said, patting his chest.

Xue Rui smiled faintly. With the resources at his disposal, he could produce a version of the questions based on the candidates' recollections in the shortest amount of time. When people looked at the reverse side, it would be easy for them to mistakenly believe that Qiu Mengze had done it.

Being able to collaborate with an app of this scale on the same flyer is equivalent to having a golden endorsement, but Qiu Mengze doesn't understand it yet.

However, once Qiu Mengze realized what was happening, he knew how to make use of this resource.

Xue Rui certainly doesn't want to order takeout one day and have his best friend deliver it.

Things have truly changed...

Moreover, once Qiu Mengze has certain resources, his love life may also become smoother, and he won't be so infatuated with the "youth version of the spirited young lady".

"Xue Rui, actually I came to ask you something. Qin Tong is planning to get a butterfly tattooed on her arm, and I really can't persuade her otherwise. What would you do in her shoes?" Qiu Mengze humbly asked for advice.

"You're asking me?" Xue Rui pointed to himself, then said solemnly, "Would you listen if I told you?"

"I've never even believed my own mother in all my years, but you've never lied to me about important matters. Tell me, do you think I'll listen to you or not?"

Qiu Mengze looked solemn. Everyone says that the college entrance examination changes one's destiny, but if Xue Rui hadn't dragged him to study, he probably wouldn't have even been able to get into a junior college.

“Brother,” Xue Rui said, holding Qiu Mengze’s hand, “give her the money to get our names tattooed on it too.”

"what???"

Qiu Mengze looked puzzled.

"This is called a signature skin, and it's a globally unique limited edition. Don't you want it?" (End of Chapter)