Rebirth 08: A Happy Life Begins in Elementary School

"Li Zhao?"

He Shuyao waved her hand at Li Zhao's eyes.

"what……"

Why are you suddenly lost in thought?

"I... am recalling the contents of the evening breeze."

"I'll watch it when I get back."

Actually not.

Li Zhao remembered what "Evening Breeze" was about; for him, the words he had written as a true elementary school student were all in the past.

What truly represents his writing ability now is not this collection of essays, but rather the two articles that were published instantly in the top journal in southern China.

Therefore, he hadn't actually thought that talking to He Shuyao about her collection of writings could evoke any emotion.

As a result, I was so moved that I became an idiot.

The hollow space was filled by the spring breeze.

The souls resonated.

So this is what it feels like to be noticed and cared about.

It's not just simple concern, not superficial care; there's no expectation of return, and no unnecessary worries.

It's simply a pure form of immersion.

After reading Li Zhao's article, He Shuyao carefully experienced the emotions and thoughts that Li Zhao poured into the words, and thus understood him on a spiritual level.

Very...sincere.

Yes, it's sincerity.

Being outspoken is sincerity, not caring about what others say is sincerity, and trying to understand another person is also sincerity.

This was a rare find for Li Zhao.

"It's your turn to talk about me." Seeing that Li Zhao hadn't spoken for a while, He Shuyao took the initiative to start the conversation again.

"You?" Li Zhao thought for a moment, "Actually... I don't know you very well either."

"...I mean a methodology for happiness."

"cough."

Do you think IQ and EQ are inversely related?

"Um?"

"You became so smart after winter break, but you're so clumsy when you chat with someone."

Okay, buddy, I wasted my life in my previous life. I apologize for that.

Li Zhao took a deep breath and composed himself. "I actually wrote a revised version. You can go back and take a look."

He took out his composition book from his small backpack, and He Shuyao nervously took it.

"Don't take this as some kind of guidance; consider it just a discussion. My changes might not be correct, and if you have other insights, feel free to share them. Let's learn from each other."

As soon as he finished speaking, he was met with He Shuyao's furrowed brows and pout.

"Li Zhao," He Shuyao said, hands on her hips, "I wanted to ask you this last time, where did you learn that adult-like tone of voice?"

"Well……"

I learned it in my past life.

"I don't like it," He Shuyao said bluntly. "'No need,' 'something,' 'just,' 'not necessarily,' 'insights,' 'mutual improvement'... tsk, just like my dad."

Well, we have another daughter now.

Li Zhao shrugged helplessly; as soon as he relaxed, his workplace habits resurfaced.

It's great for intimidating elders or beating up children, but it's a terrible habit when it comes to genuine communication.

"You don't need to be so cautious." He Shuyao put away her composition book.

"You're quite special."

"Huh?"

"I see that many classmates are looking forward to becoming adults, so when I say things like this, they actually...admire me a little. In other words, they like the way I talk. You're the opposite."

"That's how my dad talks when he's out in public—he's meticulous and never makes a mistake. But as soon as he gets home, he starts sighing and complaining that he's exhausted and has to put on an act every day. That's why I don't like it."

"I'm not acting."

He Shuyao was stunned.

Li Zhao looked into her eyes. "Perhaps you think I'm being cautious, but caution can also be genuine. For example, just now, I sincerely believed that what I wrote might not be better than yours; it was just my opinion. I hoped you could communicate with me, and I was genuinely worried that you might misunderstand that I was giving you guidance. To put it more directly, I don't want you to think that my revisions are correct, and I don't want you to have any negative feelings because of these revisions."

He Shuyao blinked, and her cheeks visibly turned red.

Treating sincerity with sincerity, even if it's someone as special as He Shuyao, Li Zhao couldn't possibly be unable to handle a primary school student.

"So, you're worried I'm unhappy, right?" He Shuyao asked, blushing, a question that made Li Zhao's ears burn.

Worth.

That's impressive, young lady.

"That's one way to understand it."

"Okay."

The two continued walking forward to cool off.

The conversation then moved away from writing, and He Shuyao turned her attention to the many shops along the street, with the conversation becoming more and more casual.

That's easier.

As they walked, He Shuyao said she was thirsty and wanted to have something to drink.

If it were Li Zhao from his previous life, he would probably be a little confused right now, and even start to feel a little inferior, because he has never eaten out before and doesn't have any change. He would most likely say "I don't need it," which would make everyone feel awkward.

Now, Li Zhao has started looking for coffee shops or dessert shops.

However, in the old town of New Taipei City in 08, dessert shops were relatively easy to find, but coffee was really not popular at all.

Wait, isn't coffee not really suitable for young children?

Just as she was thinking about it, He Shuyao bought two bottles of orange juice at the convenience store.

Oh... so this is what "drinking something" means.

"Give."

"Thanks."

"My family won't let me drink carbonated soda, so I can only buy juice."

"I like fruit juice."

He Shuyao smiled, pursing her lips.

"Where to next?" Li Zhao asked.

"I'm not going anywhere, I'll just wander around aimlessly, and go home when I get tired."

"it is good."

"How extravagant!" Li Zhao thought to himself.

This kind of aimless walking was something Li Zhao in his previous life would never have done.

In his eyes, doing something without a purpose is simply meaningless.

Is it completely meaningless...?

In fact, Li Zhao's current situation is also unclear.

All he knew was that, even though he was just wandering around the neighborhood, he had already seen many landscapes that were not in his memory.

It turns out that there were still so many bicycles with jingling bells on the road in 08. It turns out that clothing stores on the street were so popular in 08. It turns out that there was an undeveloped wasteland near his house in 08, where a group of kids used it as a secret base for role-playing. It turns out that milk tea shops in 08 still only served pure solid beverages. Even so, it was still a popular social venue for many junior and senior high school students.

These things were not forgotten by Li Zhao.

Rather, it simply wasn't in his mind before.

He lived through that era, but he couldn't see it.

If you only focus on your goal, you'll inevitably overlook the scenery along the way.

But can that goal completely cover everything else that you've overlooked?

[Allowing yourself to do nothing increases happiness by 1, total 23]

[Doing nothing with He Shuyao increases happiness by 3, for a total of 26]

and many more!

System, are you finally giving up the act?!

They've used He Shuyao as a wishing machine to boost their happiness level!

[You can spend 25 Happiness Points to redeem a reward: 5x Loan]

You can obtain five times your initial investment in cash by investing money into the system, but you must return it all within two months. Otherwise, your bank account balance will be forcibly deducted and your system happiness level will be cleared.

Two months? Isn't that just right?

No wonder it's called a reward; it's practically giving Li Zhao an opportunity to expand his capital!

Ugh, you damn system! Li Zhao was just immersed in contemplating happiness when this reward popped up and turned him back into a mundane adult.

It's all the system's fault.

"Li Zhao," He Shuyao suddenly spoke up, "don't your parents give you any pocket money anymore?"

"Yeah, they only gave me a few dollars to make phone calls."

"How about I buy you a laptop?"

Li Zhao was startled, and a fierce internal struggle ensued. In the end, he gritted his teeth and refused, "No, no, it's too valuable."

He Shuyao asked in confusion, "Something that costs only a few dollars... how is it valuable? My family gives me a lot of pocket money, and I never finish it all. I see that your notebook for your collection of essays is worn out, and the cover is tattered. Let me buy you a new one as a gift."

Oh, this notebook.

"I have a notebook."

"Oh, well... how about we go to the stationery store? I've been asking you a lot of questions lately, and you even showed me your collection of writings and revised your articles. I'd like to give you a small gift as a thank you."

After a moment of internal struggle, Li Zhaotian made a decision:

"Shuyao, can you do me a favor?"

His tone was so serious that He Shuyao suddenly became very nervous.

"Lend me your allowance, I'll pay you back in two months."