Rebirth Must Be Happy

Chapter 387 [376] Gazing Under the Starlight (Fourth Update)
"dong dong dong dong"

Xu Jinhuan returned to her room and first dialed Chen Xingzhu's voice call, waiting until no one answered and the call was automatically disconnected.

He didn't give up and kept trying, calling three times in a row before finally sending her a message:

"I just woke up. Are you home yet? Are you settling in comfortably at home?"

"You must be very sad, right?"

"I'm sorry, it's all my fault."

"But I absolutely do not agree to break up, and I will never let go, no matter what method I use."

"Baby, please forgive me just this once, okay? Just this once! I promise I'll treat you well and make up for this mistake with my whole life."

"Seeing you cry today broke my heart... Of course, I know you're really upset, it's all my fault..."

He actually remembered that when he returned from Hangzhou last time, Chen Xingzhu had told him that she could forgive him for making two mistakes, but she hadn't mentioned it.

The girl is still angry. Using her past promises to pressure her will only make her angrier and she might easily break her word in her anger.

You have to work things out slowly, and wait until her anger and resentment have subsided and she's starting to waver before making that promise. It's like giving her a way out.

This is the correct way to use it.

"What is my sister doing?"

After sending a bunch of messages to Chen Xingzhu, Xu Jinhuan sent a message to Xie Wanqing. When she didn't reply, he made a video call.

No one answered.

He called three times, but still no one answered, so he sent another message:
"Sister, I'm sorry, it's all my fault."

"Sister, don't be sad, or I'll be heartbroken."

"Sister, please forgive me this time? I didn't mean to wrong you, it's just... never mind, I know anything I say now would just be an excuse, but I really love you, sister..."

He sent a bunch of messages, wondering what to do if neither of them replied, when he heard two knocks on the door.

Then, as if afraid that the people in the room would react, the door was immediately pushed open, and Song Zhiyu poked her pretty little head in, blinking as she looked around the room.

Upon seeing him, the curiosity in her large, bright eyes quickly vanished, and she gave a soft hum, saying, "I just came to see what you're doing instead of helping your aunt with chores."

Xu Jinhuan smiled and said, "You've come at the perfect time. I have something to tell you."

Song Zhiyu seemed surprised by his words, paused for a moment, then looked wary and asked, "What are you trying to say?"

"You come in first."

Xu Jinhuan shifted his chair, "Don't let my mom hear this."

Song Zhiyu opened the door with some skepticism and came in. She was wearing a black halter dress that revealed a large expanse of fair and delicate skin on her shoulders, arms, and collarbone. She asked as she walked in, "What did you say?"

Xu Jinhuan got up, moved to sit on the bed, and offered her the chair, saying, "You were chatting with Xingzhu and Wanqing via text message at the restaurant and on the way today, right?"

With a stern face, Song Zhiyu asked angrily, "You want to ask me about them?"

"of course not."

Xu Jinhuan flatly denied it, then sighed, "Didn't you notice? Today over there, you were the one who cried the most..."

He hesitated for a moment, then looked at Song Zhiyu and said, "I... there are some things I'm not comfortable saying, but I felt really sorry for you at the time. I'm sorry."

Song Zhiyu was stunned for a moment, then looked at him with her beautiful big eyes, blinking gently. She seemed a little incredulous and touched, as if she wanted to cry, and tears quickly welled up in her eyes.

Xu Jinhuan laughed and said, "You're not going to cry again, are you?"

"No way."

Song Zhiyu snorted, turned her head away, suppressing her emotions, and after a while turned back to ask, "Really?"

"real."

Xu Jinhuan nodded, looking at her and saying, "There are some things I've been avoiding, and perhaps it's precisely because of this avoidance that I've hurt you, so I wanted to tell you..."

Song Zhiyu placed her hands on her lap, gripping the hem of her skirt tightly with her fingers, watching him nervously, unsure of what he was going to say.

"Zhizhi, I know you're not as innocent as you seem,"

Xu Jinhuan looked at her and said seriously, "You are actually very smart, very precocious, and very considerate of others. I know all of that..."

He carefully chose his words and said cautiously, "But you're still young, there's no need to rush things... Let things take their natural course, okay?"

Song Zhiyu looked at him, then turned her head to stare at the Pleasant Goat sticker on his wardrobe, without saying a word.

She put that up.

"You don't need to think about how you should act right now. Don't think about anything. Just relax. Be yourself, be whatever makes you comfortable... okay?"

Xu Jinhuan said gently, "After all this time, you know how my parents have treated you and how I have treated you. This is your home, whether it's your second or third home, or your only home. In short, this is your home."

Song Zhiyu looked at him, but still didn't say anything.

"There's a room here that's yours, and another room in your new home at Xiangyun Garden that's also yours,"

Xu Jinhuan continued, "Now, in the house I bought in Beijing, whenever you go, there will always be a room for you."

"That……"

Song Zhiyu blinked and asked, "And then?"

"No matter what, I'll always be your brother."

Xu Jinhuan smiled and said, "No matter where I am, you are welcome to come and find me, and there will always be a place for you to stay. Is that alright?" "...Okay."

Song Zhiyu seemed finally satisfied, a smile appearing on her face, her dimples showing. She stretched out a hand, her slender, white little finger extended and slightly curled, "Pinky promise."

"it is good."

Xu Jinhuan reached out his hand, made a pinky promise with her, and even stamped it with his thumb, laughing, "Now you can be happy, right?"

"good."

Song Zhiyu grinned, "Now you want to ask me about Chen Xingzhu and Xie Wanqing, right?"

"You don't even call her 'sister' anymore?"

Xu Jinhuan glanced at her sideways, "You've changed a bit too quickly. Don't worry, I won't ask, but I won't object if you want to say it."

"Well, now that you say so."

Song Zhiyu smiled sweetly, stood up, and said, "Then I won't say anything more. I'm going to help my aunt cook..."

"Uh……"

Xu Jinhuan was stunned for a moment, not expecting her to say that. When she saw her open the door and leave, she opened her mouth but couldn't bring herself to contradict her in a second.

'Actually, you can still say it...'

He mentally scoffed, picked up his phone, but still received no reply. He considered asking Xie Zhiqiang and Li Yunxue for information, but then gave up.

Li Yunxue's behavior had been a bit off recently, and given her past record, Xu Jinhuan instinctively didn't want her to have any further involvement with him or Chen Xingzhu.

As for Xie Zhiqiang...

If you ask him about his sister, you'll be lucky if he doesn't yell at you; don't expect him to help you.

He sent a few more messages to the two of them, then got busy with work. Later, Song Zhiyu called him to go eat, and after eating, he went downstairs to the express delivery station to pick up his father.

"Ding Dong"

The sun was almost setting when Xu Jinhuan sat on the steps by the door, feeding mosquitoes. Just as he was struggling with his thoughts, his phone suddenly rang.

He picked up his phone in a flash, glanced at the screen and was overjoyed to see the familiar twin stars profile picture.

Chen Xingzhu: "Meet me at the noodle shop near the library entrance tomorrow at noon."

Xu Jinhuan immediately replied, "Okay."

After replying, he began to wonder what the girl meant, and a bad feeling crept over him.

For the two of them, both the library and the noodle shop held extraordinary significance.

Chen Xingzhu's invitation to meet him there under these circumstances felt like a ritualistic severance.

Is this truly a final farewell?
Xu Jinhuan found himself filled with fear, a fear akin to the first dark spot appearing on a smooth, even snow-covered surface exposed to the scorching sun after a heavy snowfall; or like the first leak in a dam meant to hold back a flood…

A single point, a single hole, may seem small, but when it appears, it signifies that total collapse and disintegration are not far off.

The immense fear was like an abyss, swallowing him whole in a very short time.

This was the first time he had experienced this emotion since his rebirth, and it even reminded him of the bone-chilling feeling he had when he heard the tragic news of Chen Xingzhu in his previous life.

"Dad, are you taking the car keys?"

After an unknown amount of time, Xu Haiguang returned, and Xu Jinhuan finally came to his senses. After standing up, his vision went black for a moment. He steadied himself and then asked his father, "I'm going out for a bit."

"They probably didn't take it,"

Xu Haiguang felt around in his pocket, then took out another key. "I took the bicycle key. Where are you going? Is it far? If it's not far, the bicycle is more convenient..."

"Okay, give it to me."

Xu Jinhuan took the car keys and then saw his old bicycle at the store entrance. In the dim light of the night, it looked even more dilapidated, covered with a halo of time, and even seemed to be the embodiment of the traces of time.

Xu Jinhuan got back on his bicycle and pedaled hard in the still-hot night wind, crossing streets and roads, leaving the lampposts behind and running over his own and the shadows of his wheels countless times, until he arrived at Chen Xingzhu's building.

The journey was long, so long that he was covered in sweat, and his mind was filled with images and thoughts like a movie. But when he arrived at Chen Xingzhu's building, he found that he couldn't remember anything, not even what he had been thinking about the whole way.

It seems like I wasn't thinking about anything.

It's like I've figured everything out.

After entering the residential area, Xu Jinhuan got off his bicycle. His pants and underwear, which he had just changed, were soaked with sweat. Although he had changed to more expensive styles and materials after making money, he was still a little uncomfortable.

He pushed his bicycle toward her building and suddenly remembered that shortly after his rebirth, he had followed her to her building and happened to see her coming downstairs, looking at him with teary eyes.

Thinking this, he suddenly paused slightly, stopped walking, and then continued walking forward.

On the 24th day of the lunar calendar, there was no moon. The stars in the sky were scattered across the vast night sky, but the starlight above the city was too dim to penetrate the protection of the city lights and neon lights.

Under the warm, dim streetlights, Chen Xingzhu, dressed in an elegant white slip dress and a pink striped shirt, stood there, bathed in the lamplight and starlight, gazing at him quietly.

At that moment, Xu Jinhuan had a strange feeling, or rather, he couldn't tell if it was his own imagination.

He saw that she looked like she was crying, but also like she was laughing.

This must be my imagination, otherwise why would I suddenly feel that she hasn't laughed in a long time?
Before today, I often saw her smile when we were together...

But why do I suddenly feel that her smiles have been fake for a very long time recently?
This is the only time that's real!

If that's the case, when did it start that she started to smile often, even though she clearly loves to laugh, but those smiles were all fake?

Why didn't I notice it myself?
　I'm very satisfied with this chapter. Please vote with your monthly tickets!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)