Reborn and awakened, this time I won't be a love-struck fool.

"that is."

Someone chimed in, "Nobody's begging you to treat us to a meal. If you're being forced, don't do it. And if you do, don't complain."

He Wensi offered a weak, insinuating reply: "I didn't..."

"Everyone heard it."

……

The commotion over there immediately alerted Lin Wu and Fang Cong.

The two exchanged a glance, then stood up, opened the door, and turned to look at the scene as if watching a play.

Lin Si was just coming out, carrying one in each hand. "Stop looking, let's go eat."

"Don't interrupt." Lin Wu slapped his hand away. "If you won't look, I will."

Fang Cong, who had been obediently following along, became bolder upon hearing this, "I want to go see too."

Lin Si: "..."

He turned and went into the private room.

Lin Wu whispered to Fang Cong, "He's definitely broken down."

Fang Cong nodded in deep agreement: "I think so too."

He Wensi swayed precariously. "You've misunderstood. I was just joking with Lin Si."

"He Wensi," Chen Jinghang said, pushing up his glasses with one hand, "whether it's a joke or not, we all know, no need to explain."

He took a few steps forward and handed over the necklace box in his hand. "This necklace may not be as expensive as your meal, but it's a token of the class's goodwill."

He Wensi pursed her lips, her eyes beginning to redden. She simply repeated "That's not what I meant" in a pale voice, without taking the gift box from his hand.

Chen Jinghang put it back on the table.

"I'm leaving now."

As soon as he left, everyone else followed.

Lin Wu looked regretful: "We missed it, let's go."

Fang Cong nodded vigorously.

-

After the meal, everyone went home.

On the return trip in the taxi, Lin Wu seemed to be in a bad mood, leaning against the window with her hands in her pockets.

The car window was rolled down halfway, and the wind was quite strong, blowing into the car.

Lin Wu's bangs were blown messily by the wind.

The driver in front looked back several times, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopped when the light turned red.

The driver turned to her and said, "Miss, it's a bit windy today, it might blow dust in. Could you close this window?"

Lin Wu didn't say anything, but rolled up the car window.

The driver turned his head with satisfaction.

Lin Si noticed that she was acting strangely and wanted to say something, but then swallowed his words.

Until the taxi stopped in front of Villa No. 11 in Jiaoyue Bay.

The two got out of the car; it was still quite dark.

Lin Si watched Lin Wu walking silently ahead, then caught up with her in a few steps. "What's wrong?"

Lin Wu stopped in her tracks and turned to look at him.

His face showed obvious confusion, but due to his awkward personality, he couldn't bring himself to ask the question.

"I..." Lin Wu thought for a moment, not knowing how to say it.

She suddenly remembered Lin Si from her past life, who actually sold his kidney to buy He Wensi a bag, which led to a worsened infection and his early death.

Lin Wu casually mentioned, "I had a dream last night that you sold your kidney at an underground place to buy a bag for He Wensi, and then died young."

"..."

Lin Si remained silent for a long time, seemingly startled by her dream.

"I... I'm not so bad that I can't even afford a bag." Lin Si clicked his tongue.

Lin Wu: "Our family went bankrupt and we still owe a lot of debt."

Lin Si glanced at her. "I didn't realize."

"What can't you see?"

"I didn't realize you would dream about our family going bankrupt."

Lin Wu's lips twitched: "Don't interrupt! I'm serious! I'm really angry that you're so clueless."

Following her dream, Lin Si thought for a moment and offered an explanation: "If I really did sell my kidney, it would most likely be to pay off debts, not to buy her a bag."

Lin Wu was taken aback.

She suddenly remembered the last day she saw Lin Si in her previous life.

That day was a similar overcast day to today, with not a single cloud in sight, but the light was very dim and the wind was particularly strong, which made me feel bad.

Lin Si knocked on her door, carrying a boxed lunch of two vegetarian dishes and one meat dish that he had bought for ten yuan at the entrance of the residential area.

Lin Wu lived in a basement, so the light was even dimmer. She didn't even turn on the light and just lay on the bed in a daze.

When I heard the knocking, I thought it was someone coming to collect a debt, and I was startled. I carefully picked up the baseball bat from beside the bed and cautiously crept to the door.

She peered through the peephole for a long time, vaguely making out the boy's slender figure, before cautiously opening the door.

Lin Si frowned, and when his gaze fell on the baseball bat in her hand, he swallowed the words he was about to say.

Lin Wu asked, "Why are you here?"

"I came to see you," he replied curtly, handing the lunchbox to Lin Wu as he did so.

Lin Wu had been eating steamed buns for almost a month, and now he was drooling over the boxed lunches he used to look down on.

She turned on the light in the room.

The room was extremely small. Apart from a separate bathroom, the rest of the space could only fit a mattress and a small folding table. Lin Wu also spent ten yuan to buy a beanbag chair left by the previous tenant, which could barely seat two people.

Lin Wu was so hungry that she didn't even have the energy for small talk. She tore off the outer film of the disposable chopsticks, lifted the lid, and began to wolf down the food.

Lin Si frowned, his gaze moving from her small mattress to the blackened walls, the unfinished steamed bun on the floor, and the spicy strips he bought for five cents.

He didn't say a word.

Lin Wu didn't ask. She finished all the rice and vegetables, then wiped her mouth and said, "Do you have any money left?"

Lin Si was taken aback. His blue-gray pupils appeared somewhat inorganic in the dark basement. He lowered his head, took out a fifty-yuan note from his pocket, and handed it to Lin Wu.

Lin Wu quickly pushed him away, took out two red banknotes from under the pillow, and handed them to him.

"..."

Lin Si stared at the hundred-yuan bill in her hand, stunned for a full half minute, before finally asking, "Do you want to give it to me?"

"Yes, yes, yes." Lin Wu said casually, "Your sister is very talented, so I can afford this much money."

She had found a part-time job, but the debt collectors found her, so she resigned in disgrace and hid for a month.

In the silence, Lin Si's phone rang.

He frowned, glanced at the caller ID, and then answered the call.

Lin Si didn't know what the other person said, but he replied, "I don't have money to buy you a bag right now."

After saying that, he hung up the phone.

Lin Wu asked, "The girl you like?"

Lin Si seemed to want to say something, but then swallowed it back and nodded.

"Won't she be angry if you don't buy her a bag?"

"That bag costs 20,000 yuan. Am I supposed to sell a kidney to buy her that bag?" Lin Si said, sounding a little annoyed.

Lin Wu said "Oh".

She pushed the banknotes in her hand forward again.

Lin Si said, "I don't want to."

Lin Wu: "Oh, I'm pretty good at making money, but lately I just want to relax and take it easy."

Lin Si stared at her, his eyes filled with a hint of inquiry, which made Lin Wu feel uneasy.

"What's wrong?"

Lin Si asked calmly, "Did those people contact you again?"