Rebirth: My Childhood Sweetheart Came into My Arms

In early November, students at No. 8 Middle School faced their mid-term exams.

A few days before the exam, He Ziyu gathered everyone together again for a "small-group intensive cram session".

Jiang Chengyu and Jiang Nanqiao were among the top students in their grade, more than capable of teaching He Ziyu and Jing Ran, two less capable students. So He Ziyu forced Jing Ran to join him and made him study with him.

Jingran was initially very reluctant, after all, she had been a poor student for so many years, and she had long since become numb to grades.

But Jing's mother didn't think so.

When she learned that He Ziyu wanted to drag Jingran to study, she was so happy that she packed Jingran's bag that very night, kicked him out of the house, and said with a smile before closing the door: "Good luck! If you do well on the test, Mom will buy you your favorite little pink shoes. If you don't do well, you'll spank me!"

Jing Ran: "..."

Is it really okay to say such heartless things in such a gentle tone?

After Jing's mother slammed the door shut without any hesitation, Jing Ran left dejectedly with his bag, his face as sour as the sole of a shoe the whole way.

He doesn't care about those pink shoes, he just wants to watch TV, play games, and eat snacks, sob sob!

……

Upon arriving at Xinrong Home, Jingran was immediately dragged into a room by He Ziyu to begin her lesson without even a moment to process what was happening.

He Ziyu estimated that he would have a week to cram, with five days of regular classes plus two days of weekends, which would be enough to go through all the subjects.

His goal was clear: to break into the top 50% of his grade. After all, if he wanted his parents to change their opinion of him, he needed to produce decent results.

As for Jingran, she set her goals a little lower, just hoping to avoid being at the bottom of the class.

Unfortunately, even this small goal was difficult for him to achieve.

"Qiaoqiao, what's wrong with your brain? Did you eat walnuts every day when you were little?"

After being tortured by math problems for nearly an hour, Jingran lay on the table, wanting to give up and leave for the 108th time.

Jiang Nanqiao: "Learning takes time and effort. When I was a child, my parents forced me to do problems, and I cried while doing them. It wasn't something I learned by eating walnuts."

Jingran: "How pitiful..."

"Back then, Qiaoqiao was the more pitiful one, but now we're the more pitiful ones." He Ziyu leaned over and tickled Jingran, forcing him to sit up straight. "No slacking off, it's the final push. After the exam, you can do whatever you want."

Jing Ran let out a yell and jumped back, hiding behind Jiang Nanqiao. "That's how my mom always tricked me! She said I could play after the exams, but then I found out that after the midterms there were finals, and after the finals there was another midterm. It's a vicious cycle!"

Upon hearing this, He Ziyu raised one eyebrow. "Then why don't you consider whether you want to live in this cycle or die under your mother's rolling pin?"

Upon hearing the words "rolling pin," Jingran instantly lost her temper.

He still vividly remembers being chased by his mother with a rolling pin when he was a child. Now that he's grown up, he's not afraid of being beaten to death, but he's afraid of being put on the red wall or something and becoming a laughing stock in the eyes of the whole school.

A short while later, Jiang Chengyu came in carrying afternoon tea.

"You've been studying for quite a while, take a break first. A balance between work and rest is more effective."

"Yes, yes, yes, work and rest should be balanced!" Jingran's eyes lit up when she saw the food, and her health bar, which had almost been depleted, quickly rose again. "Wow, this looks very appetizing."

On the plate sat steaming hot jasmine tea, freshly baked cookies and cakes, all beautifully presented and exuding a delightful aroma.

The afternoon tea was prepared by Aunt Jiang. After returning from a business trip, Mr. and Mrs. Jiang learned that their children were going to have intensive tutoring at Xinrong Home, so they specially asked Aunt Jiang to come and help with cooking, cleaning, and to supervise whether the children were studying seriously.

"Didn't I tell you to call me when you need something? Your arm has just healed, what if it becomes a problem again?" He Ziyu took the tray from Jiang Chengyu and placed it on the desk, then held his arm and stroked it like a precious treasure.

Jiang Chengyu's arm has been removed from the cast and is recovering well. He himself feels that there is no problem, but He Ziyu is still worried and keeps telling him not to do this or that, which makes Jiang Chengyu quite embarrassed.

"You two, will you die if you don't show affection for a day?" Jingran said, holding a small cookie in her mouth with a resentful expression.

Jiang Nanqiao: "You can show off if you want, anyway, Senior Beiyao will be here tonight."

Jing Ran: "..."

The three of them tacitly avoided mentioning the passionate kiss in the small garden to Jingran, and Jingran acted as if nothing had happened. However, she was noticeably awkward when facing Beiyao, as if she was avoiding something.

He Ziyu knew that he couldn't get over that hurdle in his heart.

After finishing their afternoon tea, the group continued studying. Jiang Chengyu and Jiang Nanqiao explained the key points to them, and then each of them did a few questions that were clearly beyond the scope of the curriculum. They didn't finish their study session until it got dark.

At dinner, Bei Yao brought a lot of snacks to treat them, but upon closer inspection, it was easy to see that most of the snacks were Jing Ran's favorites.

"How's your study going?" Bei Yao ignored the others and walked straight up to Jing Ran, patting his head.

Jingran calmly pushed his hand away. "Not good at all, it's so difficult."

"It's normal that it's difficult, after all, you can't think of anything in your head, all you think about is eating."

"And what about you? Your brain is still full of nothing but lewd nonsense. You gave me that USB drive... ugh!"

Before Jingran could finish speaking, Beiyao grabbed her neck and covered her mouth.

He Ziyu: "What USB drive?"

Bei Yao & Jiang Chengyu: "It's nothing, haha."

Jing Ran stammered and couldn't speak until Bei Yao snatched the small piece of bread that Jiang Nanqiao had just torn from her mouth with his other hand and stuffed it into Jing Ran's mouth, which finally ended the conversation.

Before long, the aunt brought out the carefully prepared dinner to the table.

He Ziyu called down the "fire seed," and everyone gathered around, ready to start.

Jiang Nanqiao: "By the way, our studio has been established for a month now. How about we have a toast to celebrate?"

Jiang Chengyu: "Then let's have some juice."

He Ziyu nodded, stood up first, and said, "Thank you all for your hard work during this time. This glass of juice is for Brother Yu, Qiao Qiao, Xiao Jing, and Brother Yao who comes to feed Xiao Jing from time to time. Thank you for your trust in me."

"In addition, I would like to thank Mr. Fire for creating such a wonderful work, which gives everyone the opportunity to come together and work together to accomplish something meaningful."

"Finally, I want to say that I am confident that this comic will be a success, and it must be a success."

After He Ziyu finished speaking, enthusiastic applause rang out at the dining table, and the already not-so-weak morale immediately rose even higher.

After his rebirth, He Ziyu became more down-to-earth and cautious. He would try his best to figure out even the most difficult problems. It was with this almost obsessive spirit that he learned the publishing rules of the comic book industry in just one month and even connected with two small publishing houses.

He knew he wasn't a genius and that he had to work twice as hard to succeed. So while others were playing games, he would read marketing books, and while others were sleeping, he would analyze the core values ​​in the "Spark" comic. Sometimes he would even drag Jiang Chengyu along to simulate business Q&A sessions, wishing he could stretch one day into three.

With such visible effort, he made progress.

Moreover, progress has been rapid.

But He Ziyu was not proud because of this, nor did he dare to slack off in any way, because he knew that this life was hard-won, and every minute and second he had now was a gift from God, comparable to a priceless treasure.

"By the way, Ah Yu, if this project succeeds, what do you plan to do with the money you earn?" Jing Ran asked, taking a bite of a chicken wing.

He Ziyu thought for a moment, "Maybe it's some kind of investment."

Jingran: "Oh wow, you even know about investing?"

"I don't really know much about it either," He Ziyu said. "I'm planning to learn about it when I have time. Do you want to come with me?"

Upon hearing this, Jing Ran shook her head vigorously, "No, no, I'm not interested in investing, and besides, I'm not very bright..."

"So what are your plans for the future? To inherit the family business?" Bei Yao asked, half-jokingly.

"I don't want to inherit the family business either." Jingran bit her chopsticks, her expression somewhat melancholy.

He didn't really want to talk about the "future" at all, since he couldn't do what he wanted to do most, and the remaining alternatives were all the same to him.

He Ziyu noticed the complex emotions in Jingran's eyes and tentatively asked him, "Aren't you planning to continue running?"

Jingran lowered her head and didn't say anything.

He really wanted to run, so much so.

But whenever he stands on the track, he always recalls the time he accidentally fell during that race, and the disappointed expressions on the faces of his coach and friends.

Although they kept saying, "It's okay, it's just a game, there's always next time if we lose."

But Jingran knew that those were just words of comfort.

The arena is a place devoid of human sentiment; winning is winning, and losing is losing. If he lost when everyone had high hopes for him, and lost badly at that, then he is a loser who does not deserve sympathy.

"Oh well, let's talk about the future later. I'm too lazy to think about it now." Jingran smiled nonchalantly and changed the subject.

……

After dinner, He Ziyu and Jiang Chengyu went for a walk in the small garden.

The two of them were already wearing cotton-padded coats in this weather. The wind was blowing and it was a bit chilly, so Jiang Chengyu put He Ziyu's hands into his pockets to warm them up.

When they reached a street lamp, Jiang Chengyu stopped and cupped his face in his other hand.

"Ayu, stop staying up so late lately, you've got dark circles under your eyes."

"Everyone has dark circles under their eyes," He Ziyu smiled brightly. "I'll wait a while. Exams are coming up soon, I have to give it my all and get good grades, right?"

"I feel sorry for you."

"I know you feel sorry for me, but this is a crucial time. Let's wait until after the exams before we show our concern."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chengyu immediately curled up the corners of her mouth, leaned close to his ear, and said, "Okay, after the exam, I'll pamper you in the way you like."

"Jiang, Cheng, Yu! That's too much!" He Ziyu grabbed his ear, raised his knee and hit him in the butt. The two of them soon started chasing each other and playing around in the garden.

Not far away, a figure stood under the shade of a tree and took pictures of everything he saw.