Rebirth begins with picking up a cold and aloof school beauty

After evening self-study, under the cool, silvery moonlight, Chen Zhou felt quite comfortable strolling along the street with the real white moonlight.

The distance from Haitang Middle School to the neighborhood where the two lived was not far, about a five-minute walk.

On their way home, Chen Zhou and Xia Yu, whether intentionally or unintentionally, walked slower and slower.

So slow that Liang Wenbo and Liu Xing, those two distant third wheels, couldn't help but go home first.

The two then took the opportunity to complain about Chen Zhou.

Liang Wenbo said indignantly, "That Chen Zhou is truly a heartless man when it comes to women!"

Liu Xing chimed in, "Exactly! Chen Zhou even said Xia Yu isn't his girlfriend, who would believe that?"

Liang Wenbo said, "Chen Zhou said that Xia Yu just moved in recently and happened to rent a place next to his house. They're just neighbors. Although I think it's too much of a coincidence, he sounded very sincere, so it doesn't seem like he was lying to us. Maybe they really aren't boyfriend and girlfriend."

Liu Xing said, "Even if it's not now, it will be in the future. Haven't you heard the saying?"

Liang Wenbo asked, "What are you saying?"

Liu Xing said meaningfully, "Those who are near the water get the moon first!"

……

I'm finally back home on the 4th floor.

They each took out their own keys and opened their respective doors.

Chen Zhou smiled and said "Goodnight" to Xia Yu, then gently added, "Get some rest."

Xia Yu obediently hummed in agreement and waved to Chen Zhou, "Goodnight, Chen Zhou, you too."

Chen Zhou smiled and said "okay," then turned and went inside. Just as he was about to close the door, he suddenly remembered that his family had run out of food and he had spent all his money.

Tomorrow and for the foreseeable future, he will have trouble even getting food!

Chen Zhou suddenly walked out the door and called out to Xia Yu, "Oh, right, there's one more thing."

Xia Yu stared at him curiously and asked, "W-what's wrong?"

Chen Zhou asked frankly, "Do you have money?"

Xia Yu nodded honestly, "Mm."

Chen Zhou spread his hands and said, "Lend me some."

Xia Yu gave a soft "oh," then obediently and quickly took out her small wallet from her schoolbag and handed it to Chen Zhou.

Chen Zhou looked at the exquisite pink wallet and made a sound of surprise.

"I'm not robbing anyone, why are you giving me your wallet?"

"Hmm?" Xia Yu tilted her head.

Chen Zhou opened Xia Yu's wallet, pulled out one hundred-yuan bill from among several, and then handed the wallet back to her, smiling as he said, "This is enough. I'll return it to you in a while, okay?"

Xia Yu nodded, "Mm!"

Then, Xia Yu said softly and haltingly, "No, no need to pay it back, it's okay."

Chen Zhou smiled. "How can that be? If I borrow money and don't pay it back, what would I become?"

Xia Yu quickly waved her hand and said, "It's...it's okay."

Chen Zhou said, "Even close brothers keep clear accounts. Let's just leave it at that."

Xia Yu was a little anxious, "But...but..."

Chen Zhou interrupted Xia Yu's stammering and said with a smile, "There's no 'but' about it."

Seeing that Xia Yu was still insisting on her good intentions, Chen Zhou quickly pushed Xia Yu's back and pushed her into the door of room 402. He smiled at her, said "thank you" again, and closed the door for her.

Chen Zhou also returned to his home in apartment 401 next door.

As Chen Zhou changed his shoes in the entryway, he thought to himself, "This girl is really kind-hearted."

How can anyone not like someone who is beautiful inside and out?

But Chen Zhou's current life revolves around finding ways to make money quickly, and his ambiguous relationship with his white moonlight or his romantic feelings for her are just seasonings.

After washing up, I lay down in bed.

Chen Zhou was thinking about whether he should post on various internet forums to ask for website development or programming jobs.

We're so poor, we have to find a way to survive!

But his computer parts were still on their way, and he only had a Gionee H80 mobile phone in hand.

This phone isn't even a smartphone; it's just a feature phone.

To log in to forums like Baidu Tieba, Chen Zhou had to open the built-in browser on his Gionee H80, a WAP 2.0 browser, and log in to the forums through the browser's webpage.

Then, Chen Zhou went around typing "GG" on various online forums and message boards.

As expected, his GG post was either deleted or disappeared without a trace.

No matter how nice he sounds or how miraculously he exaggerates his abilities, with both soft and hard advertising, in this "ancient" information age where fake stories abound and information is a mixed bag, no one will believe an unknown person.

Even Liu Qiangdong, the founder of JD.com, faced the predicament of having no customers in the early stages of JD.com's transformation to online sales. It was only after the chief moderator of the "CDbest" forum recommended JD.com, saying that "JD Multimedia is the only company I know that does not sell fake CDs," that JD.com received its first batch of online orders.

Even the most outstanding individuals face difficulties, let alone Chen Zhou, who has no connections or credibility whatsoever.

More than an hour passed, and there was still no progress.

Chen Zhou was exhausted.

He had to admit one fact—earning that first pot of gold was damn hard!

Just as Chen Zhou was about to give up and prepare to take a nap.

The QQ notification sound kept ringing.

Chen Zhou glanced at the message and saw it was from Luo Fei. The message asked him to help with a very, very basic hacking problem, as Luo Fei couldn't understand the underlying principles.

Without any hesitation, Chen Zhou frantically manipulated the nine-grid metal buttons, breaking down the technical principles and sending them all to Luo Fei, as if he were teaching a baby to eat.

Fearing that Luo Fei might not understand it due to his low intelligence, Chen Zhou specifically asked him, "How is it? Can you understand its basic principles now?"

A short while later, Luo Fei replied, "I understand, I understand, thank you, Brother Zhou!"

Immediately after, Luo Fei sent another message: "By the way, Brother Zhou, I have some good news to share with you."

Chen Zhou typed: "Good news? What is it?"

Luo Fei: "I told my parents that you're a super hacker."

Chen Zhou: "..."

At this moment, Chen Zhou had only one thought in his mind: Is this kid an idiot?

Why is your mouth as loose as an anus with a "0"?

Just then, Chen Zhou saw another message from Luo Fei.

"My parents said that they might consider investing in your project that requires 20 yuan, even though they don't know what it is, provided that you let them see your true capabilities and create a company website for our family."

Upon seeing the news, Chen Zhou remained calm rather than excited.

Chen Zhou replied, "Your parents aren't trying to get something for nothing, are they? Luo Fei, even brothers have to keep clear accounts."

Luo Fei: "How could that be? My parents aren't those kinds of people! They said the website budget is 20,000 yuan!"

Upon seeing this, Chen Zhou, who was on his deathbed, immediately sat up in shock.

Twenty thousand yuan!!

Chen Zhou was overjoyed and said, "This is what they call 'searching high and low without finding it, only to have it come to you effortlessly!' I posted so many orders on GG before and still didn't get them, and now Luo Fei's family has delivered them to my door!"

After muttering to himself for a while, Chen Zhou typed: "I wonder what kind of website my parents need?"

Luo Fei: "Brother Zhou, when did my parents become your parents too?"

Chen Zhou: "Those who provide us with food and clothing are also our parents!"

Luo Fei: "Hahaha, Brother Zhou, you're hilarious! Are you free tomorrow night?"

Chen Zhou: "I have time after school in the afternoon until or after evening self-study."

Luo Fei: "Okay, then come to my internet cafe tomorrow afternoon after school. My brother and I can talk about it in person. Don't worry, my parents have entrusted me with the entire process of developing the company website, so I can make the decisions!"

Chen Zhou: "OK!"

After their conversation, Chen Zhou was in a great mood. Since Luo Fei could make the decision, the development of their company website was practically a done deal.

Although 2 yuan is not a lot and is far from enough for starting a business, it can make Chen Zhou's life more comfortable.

I had a good night's sleep the next day.

As dawn broke, birds chirped.

Chen Zhou was woken up by the alarm clock. He stretched lazily, got out of bed, washed up, and put on the school uniform that he had to wear from Monday to Friday.

After packing his things and heading out, Chen Zhou saw Xia Yu standing at the door as soon as he opened it.

Xia Yu's eyelashes curved with joy, and her smile was radiant. "Chen Zhou, good morning!"

Chen Zhou was taken aback. "Wait, what are you doing here?"

Xia Yu extended her fair, delicate hand and handed a bag of breakfast to Chen Zhou.

Chen Zhou looked a little bewildered, took the breakfast from his hands, and asked in confusion, "For me?"

Xia Yu nodded happily, "Mmm!"

Chen Zhou said, "Are you worried I won't have money for food because I borrowed money from you last night?"

Xia Yu hummed in response, looking at Chen Zhou, but didn't know how to answer.

Is this girl afraid of hurting my pride?

That's ridiculous. How could someone like me give up money for the sake of my pride?

Chen Zhou thought this to himself, smiled, and without delving into the details, thanked Xia Yu and went downstairs together.

"Did you wait for me at the door for a long time?" Chen Zhou asked curiously, taking a bite of his steamed bun and a sip of soy milk.

Xia Yu nodded instinctively, then quickly shook her head.

Chen Zhou: "..."

This silly goose.

Chen Zhou smiled and said, "Actually, if anything happens, you can call me or send me a message on QQ. You don't have to wait outside." After a pause, Chen Zhou praised Xia Yu, "You type pretty fast."

Xia Yu blushed and said, "Th-thank you."

Chen Zhou laughed and cursed, "Idiot."

Upon hearing this address, Xia Yu puffed out her cheeks and looked at Chen Zhou with a coquettish gaze. But after a while, Xia Yu's gaze fell on the steamed bun in Chen Zhou's mouth, and she couldn't help but swallow.

Noticing Xia Yu's gluttonous state, Chen Zhou realized something was wrong. He looked down at the breakfast in his pocket and belatedly realized what was going on.

No wonder she bought so many xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) and two cups of soy milk.

So this girl didn't eat breakfast either!

Chen Zhou was both amused and exasperated. He inserted a straw into another cup of soy milk and handed it to Xia Yu.

"I ate two of your xiaolongbao, so I'll give you my soy milk."

Xia Yu took the soy milk and said, "Th-thank you."

Chen Zhou laughed, "You're welcome, you idiot."

Is Xia Yu not a bit of a simpleton? She bought breakfast with her own money, ate it herself, and even thanked me... She's so naive!

Xia Yu was a little unconvinced, her little face looking innocent and naive. "I...I'm not...a simpleton."

Chen Zhou nodded. "I know, you idiot. How could you possibly be an idiot? I was just joking. Don't take it seriously, okay, you idiot?"

Chen Zhou patted Xia Yu's head, his face showing tenderness and doting affection.

Xia Yu: "???"

As Chen Zhou teased and bullied her, Xia Yu acted like a wronged wife the whole way until she reached the street corner near the entrance of Tangzhong High School. Suddenly, Xia Yu saw the back of her best friend Xu Lele and grabbed Chen Zhou's clothes.

Chen Zhou paused, turned to look at Xia Yu, and asked, "What's wrong?"

Xia Yu's pretty face quickly turned red, and she stammered, "Chen Zhou, you, I...she..." Xia Yu pointed to Xu Lele's back in front of her, but in her anxiety, her stuttering became even more severe.

Seeing Xia Yu like this, Chen Zhou was equally anxious. Why did you point to the back of that twin-tailed loli? I don't like lolis.

But Chen Zhou reacted calmly, gently cupping Xia Yu's beautiful face in his hands.

In that instant, Xia Yu froze, as if her soul had been drawn away. Before she could recover, her face had turned visibly red and hot, as if pink bubbles were bubbling up on her face, until the pounding of her heart pulled her back to reality.

Chen Zhou was also surprised that Xia Yu had been completely out of her mind and hadn't heard what he had just said. He was a little helpless, but he remained patient.

"Don't rush, tell me slowly, I'm listening. Or if you're in a hurry like before, just send me a text message on QQ, understand?" Chen Zhou said gently.

Xia Yu stared into Chen Zhou's eyes, her heartbeat gradually calming down. She nodded obediently, "Mm."

She was no longer in a hurry.

Xia Yu took out her phone, about to type, when she suddenly spotted a familiar car in her field of vision. She quickly ran towards the school gate of Tangzhong. After a few steps, she turned back and waved to Chen Zhou, pointing to her phone, before running away quickly.

Chen Zhou stood there, stunned: "???"

what's going on?

Just as Chen Zhou was wondering what was going on, a Volkswagen sedan drove past him, and Chen Zhou spotted Teacher Gao sitting in the passenger seat.

"...!"

Chen Zhou broke out in a cold sweat.

Holy crap! How did Teacher Gao appear and disappear like that? Luckily, the simpleton reacted quickly!

Otherwise, if Teacher Gao had seen us just now, Xia Yu and I would have been in big trouble!

Haitang Middle School is a century-old high school with very strict management. Early romantic relationships are absolutely not allowed, and the school always catches couples who are dating.

—But the students at Tangzhong Middle School have a particular fondness for secretly engaging in early romantic relationships. As the saying goes, "the devil is always one step ahead," and it's always impossible to guard against them.

Chen Zhou wasn't afraid of being misunderstood, or even of his parents being called in, since he was thick-skinned and his parents weren't around anyway.

But Xia Yu is different.

Chen Zhou didn't want to cause any trouble for this adorable simpleton.

But what exactly did that girl want to say to me just now?

After that, Chen Zhou went to the school alone and went to the classroom of Class 10, Grade 12.

After settling down, another dull, mundane day of high school life began.

Chen Zhou slumped onto the table, feeling extremely bored.

At this moment, Long Jiajia poked his back with the cap of her pen, and Chen Zhou turned around.

"Hei Mei'er, what's wrong?" Chen Zhou asked helplessly.

Hearing Chen Zhou call her by her nickname "Blackie," Long Jiajia couldn't help but purse her lips, but she didn't care. At this moment, she was more interested in finding out some gossip.

Long Jiajia asked, "Chen Zhou, last night after school, I saw you walking home with Xia Yu from the next class. That's Xia Yu! She's usually so aloof, why was she so enthusiastic towards you? Are you two dating?"

Chen Zhou chuckled and said, "We didn't talk about it." There wasn't a trace of hesitation in his voice.

Long Jiajia didn't believe her. "You really didn't talk about it?"

Chen Zhou said, "Oh, son!"

Liu Xing chimed in from the side, "I already said, Chen Zhou and Xia Yu haven't talked yet, but who knows what will happen in the future."

Long Jiajia suddenly realized, and she pressed on, "Chen Zhou, what is your relationship with Xia Yu now?"

Chen Zhou said leisurely, "Alumni, friends, neighbors, that's all."

Long Jiajia was surprised. "No way? That's it? You can't have touched Xia Yu's head and she looked so obedient, can you? Several classmates and I saw it last night. Confess, you two definitely have some kind of relationship that no one else knows about!" After saying that, Long Jiajia looked pleading.

All she wanted was for Chen Zhou to satisfy her gossipy nature.

Helpless, Chen Zhou thought for a moment and said, "If that's what you're saying, then there really is a secret relationship between Xia Yu and me."

Long Jiajia's eyes lit up. "What's the relationship?"

Liu Xing also became interested and perked up his ears.

Several classmates who were nearby also gathered around.

Chen Zhou smiled faintly and said, "Xia Yu is my... creditor!"