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

Xu Pan was stunned, staring blankly at Song Zhi, her mind reeling, and she couldn't even tell which way was which.

Her first thought was that she was dreaming.

Song Zhi had actually self-destructed in a moment of desperation.

But when he saw that Xu Pan didn't react, he became annoyed.

"Say something!" Song Zhi demanded matter-of-factly. "Why aren't you saying anything?"

Xu Pan stared at him in disbelief.

It took her a while to find her voice, and she said somewhat awkwardly, "...Are you...are you confessing your feelings?"

Song Zhi frowned, probably unaccustomed to the word, and after two seconds, he hummed through his nose, "Hmm."

He was very noble and very self-righteous; anyone who didn't know better would think he was the one being confessed to.

Xu Pan: "..."

She clutched the corner of her pajamas, pursed her lips, and remained silent.

Song Zhi took a deep breath and told himself to be patient.

The thought flashed through his mind, and soon he couldn't hold back any longer, "Say something!"

"I……"

Xu Pan hesitated, then asked cautiously, "Let me ask first, if I refuse, will you be angry?"

Song Zhi's heart skipped a beat, and he pursed his lips. "Yes."

Xu Pan fell silent: "..."

Then she asked, "Would you hit me?"

Song Zhi: "What kind of person do you take me for? I've only ever cursed at you a few times, when have I ever hit you?"

Xu Pan: "..."

That's true.

She used to be malnourished and thin and weak. Although Song Zhi disliked her for being stupid and not knowing anything, he never touched a hair on her head, no matter how angry he was.

At most, I would force her to eat things she didn't like every day.

Xu Pan is a very picky eater.

She cautiously asked what she was truly worried about, "Will you not want me anymore?"

Her meaning here is very simple.

What if they abandon her, kick her out, and stop paying for her tuition and living expenses?

Although Song Zhi usually has a bad temper, he is considered better than other employers.

At least their temper is usually expressed verbally; at most, they might say something a little unpleasant.

Compared to the money Song Zhihua had spent on her, a few hurtful words meant nothing to Xu Pan.

"Won't."

Song Zhi dispelled her doubts, "If you don't agree, I might get angry, but I won't kick you out. You'll remain the same as you are now."

"That's good."

Xu Pan breathed a sigh of relief.

She pursed her lips, "Then I..."

She lowered her head and tugged at her pajamas again, saying awkwardly, "I don't like you."

Song Zhi almost couldn't catch his breath.

He gritted his teeth. "So you like that ugly girl?"

"I don't like him either," Xu Pan said.

Song Zhi hissed, "Then why don't you like either of them?"

Is it strange that you don't like either of them?

Xu Pan asked in confusion, "There are so many people in the world, so many boys, it's not just the two of you."

Song Zhi: "...So what type do you like?"

Xu Pan thought for a moment.

As she pondered, Song Zhi stared at her intently.

You could tell she was thinking very seriously.

"Gentle," Xu Pan finally uttered a word, "emotionally stable and ambitious."

Song Zhi: "...Anything else?"

"She's clean, doesn't smoke... that's about it," Xu Pan said. "Being emotionally stable is difficult enough."

Song Zhi: "..."

Gentleness and emotional stability are not traits he possesses.

Knowing how to be ambitious doesn't seem to work either.

He had always planned to just coast along and wait to die.

As for not smoking...

She doesn't have a smoking addiction, but she still smokes a few cigarettes occasionally.

Strictly speaking, it doesn't seem to fit either.

It seems that liking cleanliness fits the bill somewhat.

He fell silent.

Xu Pan looked at him, and the two silently gazed at each other.

Song Zhi said softly, "Do you think it's too late for me to change now?"

Xu Pan: "..."

Her expression gradually became indescribable. "Can you really change?"

Song Zhi: "..."

He's been a troublemaker since birth.

From head to toe, from her hair to her toes, she has absolutely nothing to do with gentleness.

"I can't change it." Song Zhi's gaze was sincere. "So you'll have to change it."

"Me?" Xu Pan was taken aback.

"That's right," Song Zhi said matter-of-factly. "After all, I've lived for over ten years, and my personality can't be changed overnight. But your criteria for choosing a partner can be changed much faster."

Xu Pan: "..."

She spread her hands, trying to reason with him, "Since your and my standards for choosing a partner are different, wouldn't it be better if we just continued this relationship?"

"not good."

Song Zhi laughed coldly, "Xu Pan, you know me. There's nothing I can't get once I set my sights on it."

Xu Pan: "..."

That's absolutely true.

Young Master Song can get whatever he wants.

She felt genuinely conflicted. "But I don't like you, and our backgrounds are too different. Even if we were together, we wouldn't be happy, and we'd eventually break up."

Song Zhi was silent for two seconds, then said, "What you said might not be correct. We need to analyze specific problems specifically. A general storyline might not apply to us. How can you know the outcome if you're not with me?"

Xu Pan: "..."

She didn't know what to say for a moment.

The boy reached out as if he wanted to touch her face.

Xu Pan nervously took a step back, just in time to avoid his hand.

Song Zhi's hand paused in mid-air for a moment, then he calmly withdrew it, leaned closer to Xu Pan, and lowered his voice, "Why don't you try being with me first? If you feel uncomfortable or think I'm not good enough, you can break up with me."

Xu Pan was taken aback, caught in his trap, and asked hesitantly, "If I bring up breaking up, would you be willing to break up?"

"I'm willing," Song Zhi said sincerely.

Xu Pan took another step back. "I don't really trust you."

Song Zhi: "..."

He took a deep breath, held up three fingers, and said, "I swear, if we don't break up by then, I'll..."

He paused at this point, glancing at Xu Pan.

The girl was staring at him with wide eyes, her gaze devoid of any pity, only filled with anticipation as she vowed to him.

Young Master Song was furious and embarrassed. "Aren't you going to stop me? Even in TV dramas, people know to stop someone."

"..."

Xu Pan said, "Because I know you can't make a solemn oath."

"hehe."

Song Zhi sneered, "If I don't agree to break up with you then, then I'll suffer the fate of being separated from my wife and children."

That oath is quite sincere.

Xu Pan was somewhat satisfied. "Alright, I'll reluctantly believe you."

"...You believe me now?" Song Zhi raised an eyebrow. "Since you believe me, shouldn't you be with me?"

Xu Pan bit her lip.

A great battle is unfolding in my mind.

Given Song Zhi's personality, she really can't escape.

Rather than keeping him hanging on and making him think about her, it's better to just be together and keep him bothered.

People only dwell on things they can't have.

Only the purest moonlight needs constant filters.

"……good."

She responded softly.

They're both still young, so it's probably just a normal campus romance.

Thinking about it this way, she breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"..."

The next second, the person in front of me hugged me with a perfectly justified air.

Xu Pan: "?"

She asked in shock, "What are you doing?"

"Can't I just give you a hug?"

Song Zhi spoke with righteous indignation, his gaze fixed intently on her.

Xu Pan: "..."

Her face turned red.

He held her tightly in his arms, and she could clearly smell his perfume.

Her hand pushed between the two of them, and even through their clothes, she could feel the boy's strong muscles.

"You... let go first." She took a deep breath, trying to reason with them, "The pace is too fast."

"I don't think it's fast." Song Zhi raised a hand and rubbed her head, then leaned close to hers.

Xu Pan felt a heat on her lips.

My brain felt like it had been eaten by a zombie; it had lost all its normal function.

The next second, he stepped back a little.

"It's definitely a bit early to be kissing on the tongue now."

There was a hint of regret in his voice, "Let's leave it at that for now."

Xu Pan: "………………?"

She almost couldn't catch her breath; her legs felt weak, and she quickly reached out to hold onto the doorframe. "Break up, break up, break up, break up, break up."

Song Zhi pursed his lips. "I disagree. How can you be like this?"

Xu Pan: "You just said I could break up with you."

"You can bring it up, but it has to be reasonable," Song Zhi said. "Who breaks up right after getting together? Especially after just kissing."

He raised his hand and touched his lips. "Where's my first kiss?"

Xu Pan: "...Isn't mine one too?"

"So we'll talk a little longer." He laughed, grabbed Xu Pan's hand, and said, "Let's go see a movie."

"I don't want to watch, I want to play games with my friends," Xu Pan boldly refused.

She would have agreed before.

Previously, she would agree to whatever Song Zhi said.

Because that's her boss.

But things are different now.

Since it's a romantic relationship, shouldn't she be able to enjoy some basic human rights?

"..."

Song Zhi gritted his teeth. "Was there that ugly freak today?"

"Yes, there are four of us, including him and two girls."

Xu Pan said, "He really doesn't like me. You're overthinking it."

Song Zhi squinted at her for a few seconds, then said, "Alright, you go play games with them, I'll supervise from the side."

Xu Pan: "..."

She couldn't argue with Song Zhi, so she had no choice but to agree.

Xu Pan's room was a maid's room, with a single bed, a desk and bookshelf, a small balcony and a private bathroom.

Although all of them combined are not as big as Young Master Song's bathroom, they are small but complete.

In addition, Xu Pan had stayed there for a long time, and the room was clean and cozy.

Song Zhi looked around, barely satisfied. He then sat down on the sofa and watched Xu Pan, who was logging into the game with her head down.

As Xu Pan logged in, she said, "Don't make a sound later."

Song Zhi raised an eyebrow. "That's too much of a bullying. How about this..."

He changed the subject, sat down on the sofa, patted his thigh, and said, "Come sit on me and let me hug you for a while. I promise I'll be quiet and won't say a word."

Xu Pan: "..."

She finally figured it out.

This person has absolutely no idea how to write the word "face".

She's fallen into a trap!

"Does it have to be this way?" she asked, her lips trembling with anger.

"This is the only way." Song Zhi said coldly and ruthlessly.

"..."

Xu Pan had no choice but to bite the bullet and sit down.

The boy reached out and hooked his arm around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder as he watched her frantically play the game.

Xu Pan is the kind of person who's bad at games but addicted to them; he's been playing for years and can only beat AI opponents.

Halfway through the game, the poison circle is getting bigger and bigger, while the safe zone is getting narrower and narrower.

Two of my teammates have already been sacrificed.

Xu Pan and another teammate hid on the second floor of the room.

Footsteps suddenly sounded around, and at the same time, yellow footprints appeared on the minimap.

"Oh no, Panpan, someone's coming!"

The surviving teammates began to panic.

Xu Pan was clearly a little flustered. She held the phone with both hands, only tapping back and forth with her thumbs.

"It's okay, it's okay, I'm here."

She comforted her teammates.

At the same time, he pointed the gun at the door.

The next second, a person jumped out.

Xu Pan fired wildly at the people, burst after burst of bullets hitting the floor.

She was shot in the head by the person opposite her and fell to the ground.

"..."

Xu Pan awkwardly put down her phone.

She turned off her microphone, awkwardly turned her head, and explained to Song Zhi, "It was an accident just now. I'm usually pretty accurate."

Song Zhi: "..."

He tried to restrain himself, but ultimately failed and burst into laughter.

"Your skill level has declined significantly; you didn't hit the target once."

He relied on stealth the whole time, hiding in the room.

He hid for twenty minutes, then died as soon as he encountered someone.

Xu Pan: "...It really was just an accident."

"Okay, okay," Song Zhi said slowly. "I believe you."

Xu Pan: "..."

A completely unconvincing statement.

"Liar," she accused.

"See, I told you but you didn't believe me."

Song Zhi muttered, "He's really hard to please."

Just before the second game started, he reached out and pinched Xu Pan's face, saying, "Give me a kiss, and I'll play for you."

Xu Pan: "..."

That despicable man.

It struck her heart with perfect precision.

"Can I kiss you on the cheek?" she asked, trying to persuade him.

"Sure." Song Zhi was surprisingly agreeable.

Xu Pan took a deep breath, mustered her courage, turned her head, and was about to kiss him on the cheek.

As it happened, the person was looking down.

Their lips touched.

Her eyes widened.

next second.

Something wet slipped in, along her open teeth.

Xu Pan: "!"

Her mind went completely blank, and she dropped her phone onto the carpet.

……

"Panpan...Panpan, why aren't you moving?"

I don't know how much time had passed, but the shouts of my teammates broke the ambiguity and unease in the room.

As they parted, clear tears dripped from Xu Pan's lips.

A hand with distinct knuckles reached out and wiped it away for her. The person's voice was slightly amused, and their speech was slow and leisurely, "Go play your game, I promise I won't say a word."

Xu Pan: "..."

Her face turned bright red, and she wanted to curse, but she swallowed it back. After kissing for so long, how could she possibly share saliva with him if she really couldn't accept it?

Finally, without saying a word, she picked up her phone from the carpet.

Song Zhi took a tissue and wiped the water off his index finger. Looking at her flushed face, he scoffed softly.

She also said she didn't like him.

She was even more engrossed in the kiss than he was.