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

"look familiar?"

Lin Wu stared at the waiter for a couple of seconds, her brows furrowing slightly. "I don't see it that way."

"It's normal that you don't think so."

In a short time, Lin Ying recognized her. "That's someone from our school. She's a good student and has a lot of rumors about her with so-and-so."

"Who is it?" Lin Wu asked, completely confused. "Who is it?"

"Well... that guy," Lin Ying stammered, seemingly reluctant.

"Which one?"

Lin Wu was extremely anxious.

"that is……"

Lin Ying lowered her voice, "Xie Yanhuai."

Lin Wu: "...Aha..."

She took another look at the waitress; she was quite beautiful.

Don't be sad.

Lin Ying raised her hand and patted her shoulder, saying, "Boys at this age do have trouble controlling their thoughts. They can't hold back when a pretty girl shows interest in them. Just wait a little longer."

"Um?"

Lin Wu was even more confused. "I'm not sad."

Lin Ying: "..."

This time, it was her turn to remain silent.

"Aren't you sad?" Lin Ying seemed a little incredulous.

"I'm really not sad," Lin Wu said after thinking for a moment. "Xie Yanhuai is having an affair with her, not me. Why should I be sad?"

Lin Ying: "...Don't you like him?"

"Who told you I like him?" Lin Wu was shocked.

"Don't you like him?" Lin Ying took a step back. "I thought you had a crush on him."

"I?"

Lin Wu clicked her tongue. "I don't like loading cargo at all."

Actually, she quite liked playing with Xie Yanhuai when she was little.

Because Xie Yanhuai is good-looking, Lin Wu is a bit of a looks-obsessed person; she only picks pretty people and things.

So even though Xie Yanhuai was cold and didn't like to talk to her back then, she wasn't angry and could indulge Xie Yanhuai.

However, Xu Jingwang transferred to her school and they became friends and deskmates.

He was better looking than Xie Yanhuai, and his personality was initially cold, but after they got to know each other, he treated her very, very well.

Nobody likes to keep trying to please someone who doesn't reciprocate, not even someone as energetic as Lin Wu.

Xu Jingwang was initially cold to her, but after they got to know each other, he treated her extremely well.

Xie Yanhuai was like a block of ice that could never be warmed up; he always gave Lin Wu the ugliest expressions and the harshest words.

As time went on, Lin Wu stopped paying attention to him.

Just like when they graduated from elementary school, Xu Jingwang took the initiative to ask Lin Wu which junior high school she was going to, while Xie Yanhuai did not ask.

He waited patiently for Lin Wu to ask.

Lin Wu didn't ask.

After discovering that the two had not attended the same junior high school, he questioned Lin Wu again.

Even Lin Wu, with her good temper, couldn't stand him.

Loading cargo, a large-scale loading operation.

"That's good."

Lin Ying breathed a sigh of relief. "Xia Ruoruo is good at playing the victim, but men... all like that kind of thing."

"Do they all like this kind of thing?" Lin Wu frowned. "I don't think so."

Lin Ying raised an eyebrow. "You don't believe me?"

She leaned closer, speaking slowly and deliberately, "Men are spoiled bastards. They want women to worship and idolize them, and they like to find a sense of superiority in the opposite sex. They like these pitiful, innocent little flowers because they satisfy their disgusting desire for control..."

"There must be exceptions," Lin Wu thought for a moment and retorted.

"Who?" Lin Ying crossed her arms and smiled slightly.

"Xu..."

Lin Wu bit her lip sharply, adjusted her words, and said, "Han Qi and Xu Jingwang are both good people, not the kind of people you described."

"Yeah?"

Lin Ying, not knowing what she had seen, spoke with a hint of amusement, raising her chin slightly. "Take a look for yourself, see what your Wangwang brother is doing."

Lin Wu glanced at her, then followed her gaze.

At the most bustling scene of the incident, a figure had appeared out of nowhere.

Xu Jingwang stood with his back to Lin Wu, wearing a well-fitting suit that accentuated his tall and slender figure, making him stand out among the crowd.

He didn't know what he said to Shen Mingluo, but Shen Mingluo seemed to have compromised in the end and stopped making things difficult for the waiter.

A few seconds later, Xu Jingwang led the waiter out.

He has long legs, so he takes exceptionally large strides when he walks.

The waitress was petite and followed closely behind him, yet there was a strange sense of harmony between them.

Lin Wu stared blankly at their retreating figures. "What's that person's name...?"

"Xia Ruoruo," Lin Ying cleared her throat and said, "Ruo as in 'eloquent and fluent'."

"Xia, Ruo, Ruo..."

Lin Wu repeated it softly.

She stood there stunned for a few seconds, then suddenly lifted her skirt and followed him.

We walked out of the banquet hall and onto the small balcony at the end of the corridor.

The door was tightly closed.

"..."

Lin Wu didn't want to disturb the people inside, so she pressed her hand against the door and heard nothing.

On the small balcony at this moment.

Xu Jingwang crossed his arms as a cold wind blew in his face, gently ruffling his dark hair and making his profile appear cold and unapproachable.

Xia Ruoruo pursed her lips, her eyes red-rimmed, but her gaze secretly swept over Xu Jingwang.

Judging from his expensive suit and the shiny cufflinks on his sleeves.

Her temperament alone is very different from that of ordinary people.

"Thank you," she said, her voice choked with emotion.

Xu Jingwang turned around and silently stared at her.

The last time they met, they were both only seven years old. After so long apart, Xia Ruoruo hasn't changed much since she was a child; her facial features have grown proportionally.

That's why Xu Jingwang was able to recognize her at a glance—it was Xia Ruoruo, the girl who almost became his sister.

"Do you know why I helped you out of that predicament?" Xu Jingwang asked calmly, his voice both placid and sinister.

"..."

Xia Ruoruo bit her lip timidly, "I don't know, but I still want to thank you. Without you, I might have been bullied terribly today."

She tilted her head back, her hair slightly disheveled, her eyes filled with tears, a sight that evoked pity.

But the boy in front of him remained unmoved.

He simply leaned back against the railing, his gaze somewhat appraising, "Since you don't know, then I'll tell you, and I hope you can seriously help me answer this."

Xia Ruoruo tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You said I would do my best."

"I just want to know..."

Xu Jingwang paused for a moment.

If it weren't for Song Zhi's interference, Xu Pan would have almost gotten married to Xia Fengqiang.

Although he failed to obtain the certificate, Song Zhi still held a grudge and had someone thoroughly investigate Xia Fengqiang, including his chaotic private life, violent temper, and long-term domestic violence.

This is clearly a pit of fire.

"Was it good for you when your mom and dad tried to get to know each other for a little while?"

Xu Jingwang looked at her and asked.

Xia Ruoruo remained silent for a while.

"……fine."

They only had a simple meal during their blind date, and afterward, they continued to keep in touch, probably because they both had children, so they didn't go on any more dates.

Xu Pan was the only one helping Xia Fengqiang take care of the child, often picking Xia Ruoruo up from school, cooking for her, and making her favorite dishes.

"If you thought it was good, why did you lie in the first place?"

In his extreme rage, Xu Jingwang instead smirked, repeating, "You know perfectly well what kind of person your biological father is. Do you remember what you told my mother back then?"

Xia Ruoruo never expected that Xu Jingwang would help her out of this predicament just to ask about this matter.

Her once rosy cheeks turned pale instantly, and her lips pursed nervously.

"I……"

She only managed to say one word before stopping, unsure of what to say next.

"You must remember," Xu Jingwang said casually. "You were so sweet-talking back then, trying to coax my mom by telling her that your dad was a good man."

Xia Ruoruo's breathing became heavier.

She nervously pinched the back of her hand, her nails digging deep into her flesh.

Xu Jingwang stepped forward. "You knew perfectly well this was a pit of fire, yet you pushed the only person on the shore who offered you a helping hand into it. Why?"

"I don't understand what you're saying."

Xia Ruoruo took a step back. "That happened so many years ago, I can't remember it anymore."

Do you think you still have room to play dumb?

Xu Jingwang chuckled softly, as if mocking her foolishness. "If I don't return the dress you splashed, do you think Miss Shen will let you off the hook?"

Xia Ruoruo bit her lip hard.

Of course not.

Shen Mingluo also likes Xie Yanhuai and has disliked her for a long time.

Now that we've finally caught her red-handed, we're naturally not going to let her go.

Xia Ruoruo remained silent for a full half minute, as if she had gone through a difficult decision.

"Back then... I just liked her too much." She finally spoke. "She was wonderful, very kind to me, a great cook, and spoke gently..."

She became more and more dazed as she spoke.

To this day, she has only spent one month with Xu Pan.

But I think of her countless times in the dead of night.

If she really became her mother, Xia Ruoruo had no idea how happy she would be.

Unfortunately, fate has always been stingy with her.

Once she's tasted even a little bit of success, you should take it back.

"She's nice to you, so you want to get revenge and hurt her?"

Xu Jingwang's Adam's apple bobbed slightly twice.

This question had actually been on his mind for a long time.

He had never thought of asking Xia Ruoruo for clarification until he bumped into her today.

"I don't want revenge on her, I just want her to be my mother," Xia Ruoruo said, choking back tears. "I just wanted a mother, what's wrong with that?"

"You're not wrong, but is my mother wrong?" Xu Jingwang frowned. "Have you ever thought about how miserable her life would have been if she had married your father back then? Have you considered that?"

"no."

Xia Ruoruo said calmly, "No matter how miserable she is, I will face it with her and share her pain. When we share the pain, it is no longer pain."

Xu Jingwang was speechless for a moment. "...What is that?"

"It's proof of our genuine feelings," Xia Ruoruo said softly. "I was only seven years old then. I just wanted a mother. What did I do wrong? Wasn't Xia Fengqiang the one who was wrong?"

A tear splashed down from the corner of her eye.

"What did I do wrong?"

She choked up as she said, "I study very, very hard. My grades are excellent now, always in the top three in the whole school. I don't follow celebrities, I don't spend much money, I often work part-time, and I get along well with my classmates. Other students get praise from their parents when they improve a few places, so why is it that only I look at my report card?"

"All I wanted was a healthy family, kind parents. What did I do wrong?"

Do you understand what it feels like to be an outsider?

Xia Ruoruo's tone was somewhat sharp, "I clearly didn't do anything, but because I have this father, they all look at me with prejudice, treat me as an oddball, and think that I must have his inferior genes in me."

"..." Xu Jingwang stared at her silently.

Xia Ruoruo looked at him for a while and said, "People are selfish. I just want what I want."

"Don't give me that."

Xu Jingwang looked at her coldly, "When I like someone, I only hope that she can live a good life, even if we become strangers."

The "like" here is not limited to romantic love.

It also includes friendship and family affection.

Xia Ruoruo curled her lips and said, "Don't come here either, because you have everything now, so you can talk without thinking."

She exaggeratedly raised her hand and gestured, "You already have such a good mother, and now you've found a rich second-generation father. You have money and love, so what you're saying now is just hypothetical."

She laughed. "If you didn't have the advantages you have now, you would be even more vicious and sinister than me."

"That's all you can say to comfort yourself."

Xu Jingwang had already found the answer and was too lazy to listen to her complaints anymore. "Even if I had nothing, I wouldn't do something like what you did."

Xia Ruoruo shrugged. "Assuming is meaningless."

Xu Jingwang stopped looking at her, pushed open the door to the small balcony and was about to leave when he met Lin Wu's gaze.

The man was probably taken aback when the door suddenly opened; his eyes widened, and he looked a little guilty. "Um... I wanted to come over for some fresh air. What a coincidence, you're here too."

The boy's face still held a hint of indifference.

Lin Wu met his gaze, then suddenly cowered, thinking he was unhappy. She took a step back, lowered her head, and nervously beckoned with her finger.

"...Are you unhappy?" she asked softly.

"no."

Xu Jingwang pinched the bridge of his nose, adjusted his expression, and asked, "Are you still going for some fresh air?"

"I...I'm not going."

Lin Wu peeked out through the crack in the door and could only see a girl wiping away tears inside.

What are they doing?

She was very curious, and besides that, her heart felt heavy.

A very sour and bitter feeling.

She couldn't help but recall what Lin Ying had just said.

—They just love these delicate, pitiful little white flowers…

"If you're not going, then go back and have some fun."

Xu Jingwang's tone returned to its usual gentleness. He raised his hand and gently pushed her shoulder, his fingertips warm. "Let's go."

When Lin Wu's fingertip touched her skin, her mind went blank for a moment.

She scratched that spot somewhat awkwardly.

"you……"