Rebirth: My Childhood Sweetheart Came into My Arms

After Han Zhiruo finished speaking, the classroom fell silent. Even the boy on the floor stopped crying.

Bao Yuan stood there stunned, her pupils reflecting Han Zhiruo's chilling figure, her jaw dropping in disbelief.

This was the first time she had ever seen a girl so ruthless, beating a boy like he was a sack of potatoes, and the worst part was that she didn't even flinch...

"Teacher, I'm sorry to have disturbed the class." In the blink of an eye, Han Zhiruo had returned to her well-mannered self. "I'll take him to the infirmary."

Bao Yuan: "..."

Han Zhiruo didn't seem to be asking for opinions, but rather giving a notification. Before Bao Yuan could even speak, he grabbed the boy C by the collar and dragged him to the door like a dead dog.

During the incident, the boy bumped his head against the door frame.

The boy jumped up in fright.

This isn't sending someone to the infirmary, it's sending them to their death!

A chubby boy in the class couldn't stand it any longer. He walked up to Han Zhiruo with his short legs and said, "I... I'll do it..."

Han Zhiruo ignored the chubby guy, her gaze sweeping across the crowd before landing on boy A.

"Come here."

"..."

How could a lowly commoner like him dare disobey the Queen's orders? Boy A swallowed hard, quickly stepped forward, hoisted Boy C onto his shoulder, and fled the classroom as if his life depended on it.

Bao Yuan didn't cause trouble for Han Zhiruo, nor did she dare to.

The Han family's influence in Yuecheng is on par with the Jiang family. Offending them would be of no benefit to the school. Moreover, Han Zhiruo is in the right this time, so there is almost no suspense about which side to take.

After the farce ended, Bao Yuan calmed down and began her class.

Han Zhiruo tucked her long hair behind her ear and focused on taking notes as if nothing had happened. Jiang Nanqiao, on the other hand, had no interest in listening to the lecture at all. Her mind was filled with the image of Han Zhiruo standing up for her earlier.

So this is what it feels like to be protected...

Jiang Nanqiao curled the corners of her mouth and lightly twirled the ends of her hair with her fingertips.

People with her personality have almost always been protecting others since childhood, so it's quite a strange feeling for her to suddenly become the one being protected.

After Han Zhiruo finished taking notes, she noticed out of the corner of her eye that Jiang Nanqiao was looking at her, and her pen tip inadvertently drew a comma on the paper.

And that comma, without anyone noticing, gradually formed the shape of a heart.

……

Meanwhile, in a corner of the campus.

He Ziyu cornered Jing Ran against the wall and subjected him to severe interrogation.

"Still not telling the truth, are you?"

"I'm just telling the truth, hiccup..." Jingran leaned against the wall, his hiccups reeking of skewers. "He bought me shoes with his own living expenses, he was so poor he ate instant noodles every day, isn't that enough to make me end his probation period early?"

"Don't beat around the bush. You know that's not what I'm asking." He Ziyu put his hand on Jing Ran's shoulder, looking directly at him. "If you two want to be together, just establish your relationship privately. Is it necessary to make such a fuss?"

"Disciplinary actions are recorded in your file, and they might even affect your chances of getting into a good school. It's one thing if you didn't know, but what about Yao-ge? Didn't he know either?"

He Ziyu was genuinely worried.

Although Jingran made it clear that neither of their parents were against homosexuality and even supported their relationship, He Ziyu was still afraid that the school leaders would work together to make an example of them.

Jingran's background won't cause any problems, but Beiyao is a different story.

Bei Yao's family is ordinary and poses no threat to the school in the slightest. If the school really wants to target him, he has no choice but to accept it.

"What's done is done, there's no point in saying anything more." Jingran stared at the toes of her shoes and muttered softly, "Anyway, being punished is a done deal. I can only promise that I won't do anything so crazy again. This is the first and the last time."

"But……"

He Ziyu wanted to say something more, but Jiang Chengyu grabbed his arm and gestured to him with his eyes that he should stop.

Jingran has his reasons for not wanting to talk about it, and pressing him further will only make both of them uncomfortable.

Jiang Chengyu: "The bell has rung for five minutes. This is still the homeroom teacher's class. Go back first."

He Ziyu: "..."

Although he was unwilling to accept the lack of an answer, He Ziyu was still obedient, especially to Jiang Chengyu. So he sighed and stopped trying.

……

"Hey, isn't this Jingran? The brave one who came out in public, a hero in the gay community!"

As the three were walking towards the teaching building, a discordant voice suddenly came from their side. Liu Wen was seen walking over, spinning a basketball, his eyes full of provocation.

After the basketball game in September, Liu Wen led the school team to participate in the city league and achieved good results. Overnight, this guy who was once only fit to stand next to Lan Yuan as a supporting player was promoted to the mainstay of the No. 8 Middle School basketball team and attracted a group of female fans with slightly questionable aesthetics.

As a result, Liu Wen started to get carried away.

He felt he had finally stood up, walking with his back straight. Even when he saw Bei Yao, he no longer cowered like before, vividly demonstrating to those who knew him the meaning of "a petty person who has achieved success".

Jingran glared at him and walked straight ahead.

Liu Wen dribbled the ball twice, then stubbornly followed, muttering to himself as he went:

"Actually, I've known for a while that there's something going on between you and Bei Yao. When he suggested the basketball team change their uniforms to bright pink, I felt something was off. Later I realized it wasn't that he liked pink, it was that you liked pink." Liu Wen smiled and glanced at Jing Ran's pink sneakers. "But speaking of which, why do you, a guy, like pink? Or do all gay men like pink?"

Jing Ran parted her lips slightly, about to retort, when He Ziyu rushed over and shoved Liu Wen aside.

"What are you doing wandering around here instead of going to class? You're buzzing around like a big fly, so annoying. I'm warning you, don't let me see your round face that looks like it's been run over by a car within a ten-meter radius of you, or I'll curse you every time I see you."

Liu Wen scoffed dismissively, "What's it to you if I'm talking to Jingran? Mind your own business."

He Ziyu looked directly at Liu Wen, then gently rotated his wrist. "Xiao Jing is my friend. His business is my business. If you want to talk to him, you have to get my permission first, understand?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Wen immediately put on a delighted expression.

"So, in Young Master He's eyes, anyone who can be used is a friend."

use?

Who did he take advantage of?

He Ziyu frowned, thinking Liu Wen was talking nonsense, and was about to quicken his pace to shake him off when he heard Liu Wen say in a sarcastic tone:

"You and Jiang Chengyu are secretly dating, using Jing Ran and Bei Yao as a cover. Now the whole school is talking about them, and nobody is paying attention to you anymore. The focus of attention has shifted so quickly!"

After Liu Wen finished speaking, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows in a smug way, which disgusted even the usually calm and composed Jiang Chengyu so much that he could no longer remain silent.

"Stop using your filthy and disgusting thoughts to judge others. Our relationship doesn't need your outsider's opinions."

Faced with Jiang Chengyu's accusations, Liu Wen not only remained calm but became even more arrogant.

"Yes, I'm an outsider, but some things are precisely what outsiders see most clearly. Isn't that infuriating?"

Having said all that, Jiang Chengyu already understood his purpose.

Liu Wen is trying to sow discord.

Using Jingran's coming out as an excuse, they threw a bucket of unfounded dirt on him and He Ziyu.

Jiang Chengyu smiled and said coldly, "These petty tricks of sowing discord might work against your fake brotherhood with Lan Yuan, but as for us, you'll probably be disappointed."

After saying that, the three of them rolled their eyes at Liu Wen in unison and walked away side by side.

Liu Wen watched the three figures leave, a contemptuous smirk playing on his lips.

He firmly believed that Jingran's public coming out on Monday morning was orchestrated by someone, and whether it was He Ziyu or Jiang Chengyu, he didn't care.

All he has to do is sow discord; if he fails, there's no loss, and if he succeeds, everyone's happy.

"Didn't you look down on me? Ha..." Liu Wen spat on the ground.

Those who look down on him will pay the price sooner or later.

Not one can escape.

……

On the way back to class, Jingran kept her head down and didn't say a word.

He Ziyu keenly noticed his unusual behavior, grabbed his wrist, and asked, "You don't actually believe Liu Wen's nonsense, do you?"

"I...I didn't."

"Then why are you acting so strangely?"

"because……"

Because what Liu Wen said is true!

He did go public with Bei Yao to draw attention, but it wasn't that He Ziyu was using him; he did it willingly.

Seeing Jingran stammering, He Ziyu became even more flustered.

He knew Jingran wasn't very bright, but he didn't expect her to be this dim-witted. She even took Liu Wen's words to heart. What if she encounters bad people in the future...?

"Xiao Jing, did you go public with your relationship with Bei Yao for our sake?"

Jiang Chengyu suddenly asked a question, interrupting He Ziyu's divergent thinking.

Upon hearing this, Jing Ran swallowed nervously, "I..."

Jiang Chengyu: "Recently, many people at school have been talking about me and Ayu. I'm sure you've heard about it. And you chose this time to make your relationship with Beiyao public so openly..."

"It's probably to help us distract ourselves, right?"

He Ziyu, whose mind was not quite up to par, was completely bewildered.

Is Xiao Jing helping them?

Isn't the real simpleton himself? Σ(⊙O⊙)

He Ziyu glanced at Jiang Chengyu, then at Jing Ran, and his lips twitched unconsciously.

"No, Brother Yu, I really just acted on impulse..." Jingran struggled desperately, but it was all in vain.

Jiang Chengyu looked at him and said calmly, "If Liu Wen hadn't said those divisive things, I wouldn't have thought of these things. So it seems I should thank him for making things clear to me."

"..."

Jingran was extremely embarrassed when her secret was exposed.

He wasn't one to take credit, much like Bei Yao. If he did something to sacrifice himself for his brothers, he'd rather no one knew, as that would make him feel at ease.

But now, he has been "stripped naked" in front of the two main parties involved.

Jingran was fiddling with his hands, trying to figure out how to move on from this, when he suddenly felt a sense of weightlessness. Then, He Ziyu lifted him up in his arms.