Rebirth is fine, but I get eight hundred dollars right from the start?

"Who are we going to see?"

Gu Xinyue sat in the passenger seat and turned her head to look at him.

Lin Shu wore a dark gray shirt today, with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, and his hair was styled more neatly than usual, as if he had taken special care of it.

She had a vague premonition, but wasn't quite sure, so she simply asked directly.

"Who?"

Lin Shu stared at the road ahead, a slight smile playing on his lips. "You'll see when we get there."

The car drove out of the base, through the industrial park, onto the outer ring elevated road, and headed towards the city center.

Gu Xinyue leaned back in her chair, watching the low-rise factory buildings outside the window transform into towering skyscrapers, with neon signs lighting up one after another, reflecting a kaleidoscope of colors onto the car window.

"Then you drive first, I'm going to take a nap!"

She stayed up until 2 a.m. last night to check the program data, and was woken up by a phone call at 7 a.m. Now she is leaning against the passenger seat, her eyelids are starting to droop, and her head is nodding.

Lin Shu glanced at her, turned up the air conditioner temperature, and turned the music down.

"Go back to sleep, I'll wake you up when we get there."

"Um……"

Gu Xinyue mumbled a response, shrugged, and quickly fell silent.

Lin Shu drove very steadily, barely using the brakes along the way.

After exiting the elevated highway, I turned into a street shaded by willow trees. The old houses on both sides were dimly lit under the streetlights, and there were only a few pedestrians.

He parked the car at the entrance of an alley, turned off the engine, and sat there for a while without waking her up.

The car was quiet, with only the faint hum of the air conditioning vents and Gu Xinyue's even breathing.

A few minutes later, Gu Xinyue woke up on her own, rubbed her eyes, and looked out the window: "We're here? Where is this?"

"The Bund." Lin Shu opened the car door. "Let's get out and take a walk."

Gu Xinyue got out of the car. The evening breeze was just right, neither too hot nor too cold.

Walking along Zhongshan East Road, on one side are the outline lights of the Bund's international buildings, the golden light outlining the lines of the domes and columns. On the other side, across the river, the skyscrapers of Lujiazui are brightly lit, and the Oriental Pearl Tower shimmers in red, white and blue in the night.

The cargo ship moved slowly across the river, its whistle carrying far and wide, long and muffled.

The two walked side by side, neither of them in a hurry to speak.

Lin Shu recalled the events of the past six months.

When Gu Xinyue came from Lao Gu's place, he thought this girl was too rigid, speaking in a very formal manner, and taking notes in meetings like she was writing a thesis.

I accepted them as my assistant purely because of their considerable abilities and the help they can provide through their network of contacts.

What happened next? What happened next was the shared vision in the development of esports products, the tacit understanding that required no further words, and knowing what the other needed to do with just a gesture.

He was in the middle of a meeting and his mouth was dry, so she pushed a glass of warm water to his side without him having to say a word.

He stayed up all night working on a proposal and slept in the office. When he woke up the next day, there was a blanket on him, breakfast on his desk, and a sticky note next to him that read, "I went through the proposal once and made a few changes marked in red."

Every time he finished a training match and reviewed the game until late at night, the light in her office at the end of the corridor was always on when he walked out of the training room.

It was a chance encounter that sparked my interest when I took off my glasses and tied my hair up.

That time, he passed by her office; the door was ajar, and he peeked inside.

She must have been tired from reading documents. She took off her glasses and put them on the table, then gathered her hair back with both hands, holding it in place with a pencil, revealing a section of her fair neck.

With just that one glance, his heart skipped a beat. He quickly looked away, pretended not to have seen anything, and strode past.

For a long time afterward, he didn't dare look at her when she took off her glasses.

Gu Xinyue was also thinking about it.

She recalled her first impression of HWG as a "makeshift team," and those wildly imaginative drafts that she didn't understand but which were able to succeed.

Imagine this man taking off his suit and becoming invincible on the field, being cheered by thousands of people, and receiving thumbs-up from company employees, teammates, and even opponents.

When he was interviewed, the reporter asked, "What's the secret to your success?" He said, "Good luck," and then turned to look at her, winking at her in a funny way.

The wind from the river ruffled Gu Xinyue's hair, and she reached out to smooth it. Lin Shu glanced at her and then reached out to shield her from the wind.

As the back of his hand brushed against her ear, they both paused for a moment before simultaneously looking away.

After walking for a while, the number of people gradually decreased.

The Huangpu River makes a bend here, forming a small, almost private stretch of riverbank. Across the river is the brightly lit skyline of Pudong, and behind it is the dense shade of several old camphor trees. The light from the streetlights is filtered through the branches and leaves, scattering on the ground like broken gold.

"Are you tired?" Lin Shu asked.

"It's alright." Gu Xinyue leaned against the railing by the river, her hands in her trench coat pockets. "I've been working non-stop lately, so it's rare for me to get some fresh air today."

"Me too."

Lin Shu stood next to her, resting his elbow on the railing. "I used to think it was good to be busy, because being busy made me feel fulfilled. Now, sometimes when I want to take a break, I realize that even being able to walk quietly for a while is a luxury."

"Some things, once you start, you can't stop."

Gu Xinyue didn't reply, and looked down at the river.

She had actually been waiting for Lin Shu to speak.

For over a year, the two spent every day together, and she could sense some things, but Lin Shu remained silent.

She even analyzed it seriously—normally speaking, emotions can't be analyzed with cold, hard knowledge like psychology, but she found a good reason for herself: a PhD in psychology shouldn't be wasted.

The analysis concluded that Lin Shu had feelings for her, but he might not have realized it yet, or he might have realized it but didn't know how to handle it.

She also made a list with "Evidence" on the left and "Counter-evidence" on the right. In the end, the "Evidence" column was full, while the "Counter-evidence" column was empty.

She actually had a premonition before she left home today.

"To see someone?"

Aside from esports training, Boss Lin basically arranges all of her work schedule. She also handles the initial screening for business collaborations, ensuring that no one bypasses her to meet with the other party directly.

And so mysterious,

Today, this person specifically changed into a different shirt, specifically asked her if she had any plans for the evening, and deliberately took a longer route along Zhongshan East Road.

Yes, she actually woke up on the way.

But she didn't intend to speak first.

When it comes to relationships, someone always has to take the first step, and she has taken that step far too many times—in work and in life, she has always been the one who takes the initiative.

This time, she wanted to wait for him.

Or rather, he writes down the answer, and she takes the actual action.

Lin Shu reached into the inside pocket of his suit jacket, his fingertips touching a hard, square box.

His heart skipped a beat.

He hadn't been this nervous in a long time since his rebirth.

The box in his pocket wasn't big; it was dark blue velvet, square in shape, and he had picked it out after visiting several stores.

He didn't buy a ring—he felt it was too soon and inappropriate.

He chose a necklace, a silver chain, with a small moon pendant set with a small diamond. It wasn't big, but it had many facets and would sparkle when the light shone on it.

He remembers it clearly because he didn't dare let anyone know that he went to choose the jewelry alone while wearing a mask. He stood in front of the counter for almost twenty minutes, which made the shop assistant think that he was some kind of ruthless bandit scouting the store and preparing to rob it. In fact, he was just thinking about how she would look wearing it.

He took a deep breath, gripped the box, and began to rummage through it.

"Yo ho, I saw it!"

Gu Xinyue's eyes lit up when she saw the small box in someone's hand.

"Now that you've taken the first step..."

She coughed lightly.

Gu Xinyue also took out a small box from her trench coat pocket. It was smaller than his, made of wood, with a warm color and a smooth surface, as if it had been used for a long time.

She held it in her palm, tilted her head to look at him, her eyes crinkling, and a "did you guess?" smile playing on her lips.

Here, take it!

"Although you were the one who confirmed your feelings first, I acted first, you know."

Lin Shu's hand froze in his pocket.

"Aren't you underestimating my intelligence?" Gu Xinyue shook the small wooden box in her hand, her tone tinged with a smug mischievousness. "My PhD in psychology isn't some sham."

"..."

Lin Shu was silent for two seconds, then pulled his hand out of his pocket, scratched the back of his head, and said with a wry smile, "No, you...you're being ridiculous. How can you analyze feelings with psychology? You're cheating."

"It wasn't cheating!"

"I...you...him..."

"It's because I lack confidence."

Gu Xinyue pursed her lips, her voice lowering, unusually a little embarrassed, "Seeing that you haven't made a move, I thought you didn't have feelings for me. After all, Sister Lin at the company has a crush on you; she always sits next to you during meetings, and she just casually hands you coffee..."

Lin Shu raised an eyebrow: "Sister Lin, that's the administrative department's job."

"I know it's a job, but there are different kinds of people who do jobs."

Gu Xinyue tucked her wind-blown hair behind her ear. "After all, there's a classic saying: 'They were here first.'"

"No more wasted time learning, thank you!"

"Haha, I was just thinking of analyzing the current situation to see if there was any possibility... In case I'm overthinking it, I can cut my losses in time."

"So what did you figure out?"

"As for the analysis results..."

Gu Xinyue opened the small wooden box in her hand, inside lay a cufflink pin, with a dark blue enamel surface and silver edges, the color of which matched the shirt she was wearing today.

She took it out, twirled it between her fingers, and said, "So, I made a bet with myself. If you ask first today, I'll give it to you. If you don't, I'll pretend it never happened and go back to being my assistant to the board."

"Then... I'll just keep my distance from you in daily life."

She spoke her last sentence so softly that it was almost blown away by the river breeze.

But Lin Shu heard it. He heard it clearly. He recalled that during this period, there were several times when she had indeed deliberately kept her distance.

I no longer sit next to him during meetings; instead, I sit at the other end of the table.

When handing over the documents, he held them out straight, unlike before when he would just casually place them on his desk.

He initially thought she was just in a bad mood and didn't think much of it. It turns out she was leaving herself an escape route.

Lin Shu looked down at the cufflink, then looked up at her, and suddenly smiled.

He took half a step forward, and the two were now less than an arm's length apart.

A river breeze blew by, ruffling Gu Xinyue's hair again. This time, Lin Shu didn't reach out to block it, but instead gently pressed his hands against her shoulders.

"That won't do, I can't live without you anymore."

Gu Xinyue clutched the cufflinks in her palm and looked up at him.

Lin Shu's eyes shone brightly in the night, with the lights of Pudong behind him and the shimmering light on the river reflecting on his profile, flickering between light and shadow.

She stared at him for several seconds, then smiled, took a step forward, bumped into his arms, and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"This is the perfect timeline."

Her face was buried in his chest, her voice muffled, but every word was tinged with laughter, "Lin Shu, you've kept me waiting for too long."

"Will it take a long time?"

"We've only known each other for less than a year now."

"I don't care, it's been here for a long time."

"It's been so long, I feel like I've known you since a past life."

Lin Shu was stunned for a moment, then tightened his arms and rested his chin on the top of her head.

The river breeze, the ship's horn, the distant lights, and the rustling of the old camphor tree behind us all receded into the distance at this moment, leaving only the person in my arms and her warm breath.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, his voice a little hoarse, "I really... don't know how to handle this."

"I know," Gu Xinyue nuzzled against his chest, "that's why I came."

Lin Shu took out the dark blue velvet box from his pocket, opened it with one hand, and took out the moon necklace. The chain hung between the two of them, and the diamonds flashed under the streetlight.

"I wanted to have something special, but you beat me to it."

Gu Xinyue lifted her head from his embrace, looked at the necklace, and smiled even more broadly. She turned her back to him and said, "Help me put it on."

Lin Shu brushed aside the hair behind her neck and awkwardly fastened the clasp with his fingertips.

The moon pendant was affixed above her collarbone; it was small and shiny.

Gu Xinyue looked down, turned to face him, and fastened the cufflink in her hand to his cuff.

The deep blue enamel finish blended almost seamlessly with his shirt, as if it were meant to be there.

Lin Shu hugged her for a while, then suddenly seemed to remember something. He gently wrapped his arms around her from behind, rested his chin on her shoulder, and said in a muffled voice, "You just said that if I didn't say anything, you would pretend nothing happened, go back to being my assistant, and stay away from me?"

"Um."

"Have you considered what would happen if I didn't ask you out tonight?"

Gu Xinyue turned her head, her ear almost brushing against his lips, but she didn't flinch. She thought for a moment and said seriously, "Then I'll submit my resignation tomorrow."

Lin Shu tightened his grip: "You dare?"

"Just kidding."

She chuckled and nudged him lightly with her elbow. "How could I possibly leave? This show isn't finished yet; the second season's proposal just arrived on my computer. Besides—if I leave, you probably won't even have hot water to drink! Who's going to keep an eye on the cafeteria for you, Mr. Lin, revising plans in the middle of the night? Who's going to watch over the cafeteria for you while you're playing practice matches, making sure the cafeteria lady saves food for you?"

She was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly spoke softly: "Actually, I have another piece of evidence that wasn't written on that form."

"What?"

"Every time you hold a meeting, when your gaze sweeps over everyone, it always lingers on me for an extra half second."

She turned to face him, her eyes bright. "You think you're hiding it well, but I've counted. On average, you linger on my face for an extra 0.8 seconds per meeting."

"..." Lin Shu opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything for a long time. Finally, he managed to stammer out, "You can count to 0.8 seconds?"

"A PhD in psychology, this is basic stuff."

"Fine, you win." Lin Shu sighed resignedly, reaching out to tuck her wind-blown hair behind her ear. "From now on, what secrets will I have left in front of you?"

"That's all." Gu Xinyue smiled smugly, tiptoed, and whispered in his ear, "So you need to think carefully. If you're with me, all your little schemes will be exposed. You won't regret it yet."

Lin Shu turned his head, his lips almost brushing against her earlobe, and said in a low voice, "It's too late."

Gu Xinyue was stunned for a moment, and the tips of her ears turned visibly red.

She took a half step back, coughed, and pretended to look at the river: "Um... it's quite windy, let's go back."

"Okay, let's go."

The two turned and walked back. Lin Shu naturally took her hand, their fingers intertwined, palms touching.

Gu Xinyue didn't struggle; instead, her fingers tightened a little.

Walking back along the same route, the lights of the Bund's buildings gradually faded into the distance, while the skyscrapers of Lujiazui cast long shadows behind us.

The river breeze was still blowing, but neither of them felt cold anymore.

As they reached the alley entrance, Lin Shu opened the car door for her, his hand instinctively protecting her on the door frame. Gu Xinyue got in and looked up at him: "I give this meeting partner of today a perfect score."

Which object?

"The God of Love," Gu Xinyue said, fastening her seatbelt and winking at him. "Didn't you say you were here to see the God of Love?"

"He really is the God of Love."

Lin Shu chuckled, closed the car door, and went around to the driver's seat to get in.

Before starting the car, he glanced at her, the moonlight necklace reflecting light slightly on her collarbone.

He reached out and gently touched the small moon pendant.

"Don't pick them again."

"Okay." Gu Xinyue leaned back in her chair, turned her head to look at him, "Then you shouldn't take it off either."

"Ah, this doesn't go well with some of my clothes."

"Ugh... I'll buy you another watch when I get back."