My girlfriend was reborn.

Chapter 76 Living in Certain Moments
Standing at the door of the room, Zhou Heming couldn't help but steal a glance at the girl beside him.

Cheng Shuangjiang, whose skin was originally fair, now had a faint pink blush on her cheeks, and her gaze wandered, not daring to fall on Zhou Heming.

"I opened the door."

He didn't know why he had to reveal his actions, but anyway, Zhou Heming swiped his room card to open the door.

Wow, so this is what a king-size bed room looks like.

Unlike the small single room, this room was obviously much more spacious, with a large TV, two bedside tables, a small table and chairs, and the curtains were tightly closed. It seemed that the sounds of the city could be heard outside. Zhou Heming inserted the card into the card slot, the room light came on, and he went inside.

Thankfully, the bathroom walls are solid and not those frosted glass walls that people are used to seeing.

"Please, please?"

Seeing Cheng Shuangjiang still hesitating at the door, Zhou Heming said something in an unsteady tone.

"Good, good."

Stepping into the room, Cheng Shuangjiang gently closed the door.

Click——

As the door closed, both of them suddenly tensed up.

No, why are you so nervous?

Zhou Heming felt that even if he was 99% to blame for this, Cheng Shuangjiang should at least bear 1% of the responsibility. They were an old married couple, so why was she still so shy? It was making him a little distracted.

They spent a long time together in one room last night, but why does it feel different today?

After putting down his schoolbag on the chair, Zhou Heming went to the window, drew back the curtains, and saw the bustling street scene, brightly lit and lively.

"Want to go down for a walk?"

Upon hearing this, the girl went to the window and looked down.

"That's the back street of Ningjiang University. There are lots of snacks and such. Ah He's rented apartment is also there. Since we have time, let's go take a look together."

She calmed down a little and nodded.

After quickly putting their things down and taking their room keys, the two went downstairs.

It is said that every school has a back street, filled with all sorts of things that tempt innocent college students to degenerate.

The night in Ningjiang was already quite chilly, but this snack street was exceptionally lively.

Structurally, this area used to be a vegetable market, but somehow it later became a food street.

Near the street corner are more upscale shops like hot pot restaurants and Sichuan cuisine restaurants. Further in, you'll find some casual restaurants, noodle shops, and other small eateries. Naturally, there are also classic dishes like chicken pot, braised chicken rice, Lanzhou ramen, Shaxian snacks, and Wallace's empire.

There was even a small movie theater. In addition to the recently released movies, the promotional sign at the entrance also showed some old movies. Zhou Heming guessed that university clubs might be able to rent it to screen their own films.

Internet cafes were also very prominent. There were three internet cafes on this small street. As you passed by, you could hear faint shouts coming from inside. Perhaps this will become a precious memory to be remembered many years later.

Further inside, mobile carts selling fried skewers, desserts, fried rice noodles, beef potstickers, roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), barbecue, potato noodles, wontons, grilled meat wraps, clam noodles, clay pot rice, and casserole porridge occupied most of the stalls in what used to be the market.

The air was filled with various aromas, accompanied by the laughter and chatter of groups of college students. Compared to the somewhat oppressive atmosphere of high school, this place was clearly more flamboyant and unrestrained.

In contrast, Zhou Heming and Cheng Shuangjiang, walking hand in hand down the backstreet, were almost too well-behaved.

Both of them had eaten dinner, and although the aroma of the food was tempting, it didn't seem like it was the right time to buy something and sit down.

"This is the price this store has been for over ten years."

Seeing the affordable prices at the dessert shop, Cheng Shuangjiang remarked.

"Our store has always had this price."

Hearing her reminiscing, the boss thought Cheng Shuangjiang was talking about the past and replied with a self-praise-like tone.

Zhou Heming knew that she was actually talking about the future.

"Boss, what's your signboard here?"

Therefore, he immediately asked.

Cheng Shuangjiang hesitated, but ultimately said nothing, only a slight smile appearing at the corner of her mouth.

The boy eventually saw through her thoughts and bought her a dessert before she could even speak.

"This one, mixed fruit shaved ice, five yuan, it has all kinds of fruit."

The boss pointed to the first item on the price list.

"It's alright to eat in this weather, but if it gets colder, I would recommend this yellow peach milk oatmeal porridge."

"Ice or hot?"

Zhou Heming asked his girlfriend for her opinion.

"It's iced, right? I've heard you mention it before, but I've never had it before~"

The girl made her choice.

"Then I'll have a fruit ice."

After scanning the QR code to pay, Zhou Heming quickly received a large cup of dessert mixed with yellow peaches, pears, mangoes, watermelons, apples, and chilled sugar water.

With so much material at this price, and the fact that the price hasn't increased in over thirty years, it makes one wonder if this boss, like Qiao Jinchen, actually owns several buildings for rent.

Zhou Heming handed it to the girl who had been staring at the dessert.

"You take the first bite."

"Okay~"

The girl picked up a small, dark yellow plastic spoon and took a bite of the watermelon in her cup.

"It's cool and sweet, and it tastes delicious."

She scooped up a piece of yellow peach with a spoon and presented it to Zhou Heming.

Looking at the spoon she had just used to eat watermelon, the boy hesitated for a moment before eating the piece of yellow peach.

"Boss, your yellow peaches are especially sweet."

He couldn't help but praise it.

"That's right, we only use the best materials at home."

The boss stroked his chin, somewhat pleased, and then glanced at the two of them.

"Is this your first time here, freshmen?"

"No, we are high school students here to take the exam."

Cheng Shuangjiang fed Zhou Heming another piece of pear while answering.

"No wonder, I knew I'd never seen you before."

"Boss, do you recognize all the students here?"

Zhou Heming swallowed the equally sweet pear and asked curiously.

"Not everyone, but at least everyone who has bought from my store will remember me."

Whether the boss was bragging or genuinely had such a good memory, he scrutinized the two of them, perhaps trying to remember their appearance, and then asked again.

"You guys want to apply to Ningbo University?"

"Okay, when I pass the exam, I'll come back to your shop to buy more. Next time, I'll order the yellow peach milk oatmeal porridge."

Cheng Shuangjiang nodded, ate a piece of mango, savored it, and made a verbal agreement with the shop owner.

"Okay, I'll treat you two to a meal then. I wish you both success in your exams, hahaha."

The boss laughed heartily.

After finishing their dessert at the shop, the two walked hand in hand out of the back street and continued walking along the road.

This area is a residential area, and at this hour, you can faintly hear children shouting and yelling, TV dramas playing, and families cooking as they return home late—it's a very lively place.

"It should be right here."

Cheng Shuangjiang pointed to the old residential buildings on one side. These buildings were even lower, only three stories high. Four or five buildings surrounded a simple community. Under the trees at the entrance, several elderly people were sitting listening to the radio.

"The apartment you rented is in this neighborhood."

Zhou Heming peeked inside.

The building has a vintage feel, and it looks like it was built by some organization in the early years through collective fundraising. As a result, it is mostly inhabited by elderly people. At this moment, they are curiously looking at the two of them, with the kind of calm smile that is unique to the elderly on their faces.

at this time.

Zhou Heming heard a whistle coming from a distance.

He looked in the direction the sound came from and could glimpse the railway bridge blocked by a wall. A train must have been passing by at that moment, making the distinctive clanging sound of wheels rolling over the rail joints.

The two of them stood there and listened for a while.

They didn't look at each other, but simply held hands and leaned against each other.

The world seemed to revolve solely around the two of them at that moment. It was a tranquil moment that would linger in the quiet of the night, many years later.

Sometimes, people live in certain moments.

Only after the train had gone far away, the wind rustled through the treetops, and the big tree at the entrance of the community made a rustling sound, did the hustle and bustle of life that once filled the streets regain its place in the world.

"So? Do you want to stay here?"

The girl nestled beside him, asking with a hint of pride.

"Then, let's go together then."

Zhou Heming pondered for a moment before speaking slowly.

The girl was startled.

She then smiled gently, her lips pursed.

"Yes, we can rent that room, decorate it nicely, plant some flowers and plants, go to the supermarket next door on weekends, cook together, and even have late-night snacks in the back street."

Her eyes were full of longing.

In another timeline, their reunion was incredibly bittersweet; they had never had each other during the prime of their youth.

Therefore, Zhou Heming wanted to make up for this regret.

"Then, we would lie together at night, look at the moon through the window, and when we woke up in the morning, we could see each other as soon as we opened our eyes."

"If I have the energy, I can also get a cat, just a tabby cat I picked up on the street."

She was still talking, and even without consciously imagining it, just hearing this description made Zhou Heming feel happy.

There are no grand events or dramatic ups and downs, just a series of small, continuous miracles that make up the "daily life".

Perhaps, this is what "home" is.

In the distance, a car honked its horn.

Cheng Shuangjiang immediately grabbed Zhou Heming's arm and pulled him away from the road.

"Don't be so nervous."

He knew, of course, that this was her conditioned reflex, but he also reached out and covered her hand, gently comforting her.

"Ah."

Nodding, Cheng Shuangjiang glanced at the car that was slowly driving past.

"It's almost time. Shouldn't we... well, should we go back?"

Her words, however, made Zhou Heming nervous.

*
Sitting on the bed, Zhou Heming regretted not bringing a copy of "53" (a popular set of practice questions in China), otherwise he would have done a couple of practice questions to calm his nerves.

Luckily, he has a test preparation app on his phone, so he can do two sets of tests during this time.

Just then, the sound of dripping water came from the direction of the bathroom.

Those who trouble my mind, today is filled with worries.

Zhou Heming put down his phone.

Make sense.

If Zhou Heming could still concentrate on his homework in a hotel room in an unfamiliar city, with his girlfriend taking a shower in the bathroom, he would be guaranteed to score at least 650 points.

The curtains were already drawn, and the soundproof windows blocked out the noise from outside. However, the bathroom had clearly not taken soundproofing or privacy into account, so the sound of the shower running was the culprit that made the boy's thoughts chaotic.

He stood up and paced back and forth in the room, which had a soft carpet.

Until the sound of water completely stopped.

"I, I'm done."

Pushing open the sliding door to the bathroom, Cheng Shuangjiang, dressed in pajamas, had rosy cheeks, her hair tied up, and was wearing a disposable shower cap. She no longer had the composure she had before, and her voice lacked confidence.

"Please adjust the water temperature here later, it might be a bit hot."

She looked at Zhou Heming, who had his back to her and seemed to be looking at his phone, and said.

"Oh, oh!"

Zhou Heming dared not turn around.

"Ah He?"

Cheng Shuangjiang moved closer and came up behind Zhou Heming.

As the girl approached, Zhou Heming unconsciously straightened his back.

"I'll go take a shower now."

He immediately stood up and, as if fleeing, grabbed the change of clothes he had prepared beforehand and rushed into the bathroom.

If it weren't for the fact that it was really cold, Zhou Heming would definitely have poured cold water on himself right now to cool himself down physically.

After a long while, Zhou Heming, who had never taken a bath so seriously before, splashed his face with cold water three times, dried his hair, and finished washing up. He stared at Cheng Shuangjiang's toothbrush and cup on the sink, hesitated for a moment, then placed his own toothbrush and cup side by side before walking out of the bathroom in his pajamas.

At a glance, he saw that Cheng Shuangjiang was facing away from him, seemingly looking at her phone.

Because she hadn't washed her hair, she had let it down, draped over her shoulders in her light pink cotton pajamas. The girl's legs were slightly crossed, and her bare feet, which came with slippers, moved inch by inch, making it hard to tell whether she was happy or nervous.

For some reason, Zhou Heming was hesitant to go over, but then he suddenly noticed that his phone was on the table next to Cheng Shuangjiang.

Failed.

He took a deep breath, mustered his courage, and walked up behind the girl as calmly as possible.

"It's getting late."

He forced out a sentence in a stiff voice.

Snapped--

Cheng Shuangjiang seemed startled, her whole body trembled violently, and she almost dropped her phone, knocking it against the wooden tabletop.

"Good, good."

Okay, she was genuinely nervous.

"I'll sleep here, um, I'll sleep by the window, it might be noisy in the morning."

Zhou Heming sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Ah."

The girl obediently picked up her phone, crawled under the covers from the other side, and lay down on the bed.

"I turned off the lights."

Zhou Heming also lay down, but very close to the edge of the bed, a distance away from Cheng Shuangjiang.

He turned off the switch by the bedside, and the whole room fell silent. Only the faint sounds from the backstreet outside the window, as night deepened, could be heard.

"Have you set an alarm?"

Feeling a bit awkward, Zhou Heming simply started talking about random things.

"Ah."

"If we get up at seven tomorrow, we should have enough time, right?"

"Ah."

“I saw a duck blood vermicelli shop at the street corner. We haven’t tried this local specialty since we came to Ningjiang. Why don’t we go and try it tomorrow morning? They also have xiaolongbao (soup dumplings).”

"Ah."

"Then let's go to sleep."

Zhou Heming thought for a moment.

"I probably don't snore, but I don't know if I have a habit of grinding my teeth. If, if I disturb you, please shake me awake, don't hesitate."

There was no response from Cheng Shuangjiang.

"Fell asleep?"

Zhou Heming couldn't help but turn his head away.

But the next moment, he saw that Cheng Shuangjiang was turning to the side, looking at him.

In the dimly lit room, only a faint light from outside shone through the gaps in the curtains, allowing Zhou Heming to vaguely glimpse the girl's wet eyes.

"Ah He".

With a soft call, Zhou Heming felt his hand being gently grasped from under the blanket.

*
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(End of this chapter)