Rebirth: My Childhood Sweetheart Came into My Arms

"What happened to your neck?" Jiang Chengyu frowned, gently touching the red mark on his fair skin with his other hand.

"It's nothing," He Ziyu smiled, taking Jiang Chengyu's hand away. "Where's Manager Xue? Have you finished talking?"

Realizing that He Ziyu was deliberately changing the subject, Jiang Chengyu grabbed his arm and asked in a deep voice, "Ayu, what exactly happened? Who did you just see?"

He Ziyu pursed his lips, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

He didn't want to tell Jiang Chengyu about seeing Xiao Shan, since Xiao Shan was still at the venue. If Jiang Chengyu found out the truth and couldn't control his emotions, things would be difficult to handle.

Seeing that He Ziyu remained silent, Jiang Chengyu tightened his grip slightly and decisively pulled him to the terrace at the end of the banquet hall.

This terrace is meant for guests to enjoy the night view when the weather is warm, but now that it's the dead of winter, no one wants to come here to brave the cold wind, and the whole area is deserted and very quiet.

"There's no one here, you can talk now." Jiang Chengyu released He Ziyu, looked him directly in the eyes, and asked, "Who exactly did this to your neck?"

He Ziyu hesitated for a moment, thinking that since Jiang Chengyu had already found out, there was no point in hiding it anymore, so he told him the truth.

"It was Xiao Shan. I ran into her when I went to the restroom."

"Xiao Shan? What's she doing here?"

"She came to see He Ningqiu."

He Ziyu told Jiang Chengyu the whole story and warned him not to act rashly and cause trouble for Xiao Shan.

"I've already booked her a flight to City B, and she's agreed not to come back. Let's pretend today's incident never happened. If anyone asks about the marks on my neck, just say they were left when we were playing around. Anyway..."

Before He Ziyu could finish speaking, Jiang Chengyu pulled him into her arms.

The two who ran out of the venue were only wearing thin suits. He Ziyu was very cold, but Jiang Chengyu's hug warmed him up instantly, and his body stopped trembling.

"Ayu, next time something like this happens, don't hide it from me, okay?" Jiang Chengyu hugged He Ziyu tightly, gently stroking his hair with his hand. "You know I listen to you the most. As long as I make sure you're safe, I won't do anything on my own and cause you any trouble."

He Ziyu buried his face in Jiang Chengyu's chest, nodded, and felt a warm current flowing into his heart, like fireworks on a winter night, shining brightly in the darkness.

After a while, Jiang Chengyu released him, clasped his hands together, breathed on his palms, and covered He Ziyu's frozen ears.

Only after He Ziyu's ears had been warmed did Jiang Chengyu calmly ask, "Are you really planning to just let Xiao Shan go like this?"

While Xiao Shan was still under surveillance in Yuecheng, she had more freedom in B City, which meant she had more room to maneuver.

He Ziyu: "There are no absolutely good people in this world, nor are there absolutely evil people. Xiao Shan's idea of ​​squeezing out my mother and marrying into a wealthy family is certainly hateful, but it is not incomprehensible."

"This is the last chance I'm giving her."

"If she can seize this opportunity and start a new life peacefully, it will be the best outcome for her, for me, and for He Ningqiu as well."

Jiang Chengyu: "What if she can't?"

He Ziyu: "If not, I will personally put an end to her choice."

As night deepened and the dew grew heavy, He Ziyu gazed at the distant night sky, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

……

When he got home that night, He Ziyu lay on his bed and repeatedly played the recording on his phone.

The room was dark, and the faint light from the screen shone on He Ziyu's face, outlining his features with alternating light and shadow.

"You little brat, who gave you the nerve to talk to me like that? Believe me, I'll strangle you right now!"

Xiao Shan's voice is clear, sharp, and very distinctive. In addition, since she didn't control the volume, the recording is much clearer than expected.

He Ziyu turned over and turned off his phone.

The room suddenly became pitch black, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

Before going to find Xiao Shan, he deliberately turned on the recording function on his phone and hid it in his pocket to record the entire incident.

If this recording were handed directly to her father, Xiao Shan's carefully maintained image of gentleness would instantly crumble.

But He Ziyu did not intend to do that.

After all, he also spoke rudely to Xiao Shan in the recording, and every word he uttered revealed his cunning.

Although his father's opinion of him changed after his rebirth, he only saw his positive and hardworking side and was unaware of his secret investigation of Xiao Shan, his luring of He Ningqiu into a trap, and other similar actions.

Even if he did all this for his mother, for the sake of the family, and to protect the home.

However, in the eyes of businessmen, excessively revealing one's cunning can still arouse suspicion.

Of course, the most important point is that what's in this recording isn't enough to completely destroy Xiao Shan.

The fact that she is He Ningqiu's biological mother can never be changed. Based on this alone, her father would not cut off her future because of a small recording. Moreover, having spent time together in the previous life, he was already well aware of Xiao Shan's ability to shift blame.

Therefore, he decided to send Xiao Shan back to City B.

After that, Xiao Shan either came to her senses and stopped doing evil, or she fought back after being suppressed.

If she chooses the latter...

Then this pre-laid trap will surely leave her with no chance to turn things around.

……

At that time, the Jiang family next door.

Shen Murou tossed and turned in bed.

Jiang Chengyu and Jiang Guosheng were already asleep, but she was wide awake, the scene of Jingran and Beiyao laughing and playing in front of her kept replaying in her mind.

Before today, her understanding of "homosexuality" was limited to what others had told her, but now she has witnessed it firsthand.

Coincidentally, those two people were Jiang Chengyu's friends.

Shen Murou couldn't sleep, so she simply sat up and opened the app that her mother had downloaded for her on her phone.

At the same time, Jing's mother's heartfelt words reached his ears:

"So-called love is not just talk; it is true understanding and tolerance. In my opinion, people who cannot do this do not deserve to be parents."

Over the years, he has indeed become less understanding and tolerant of Jiang Chengyu, to the point that the relationship between the mother and son has grown increasingly distant, and now she has no idea what Jiang Chengyu is thinking.

Shen Murou sighed softly, randomly selected a BL novel from the library, and read it all night long.

……

A few days later, the monthly exam results came out.

Bao Yuan walked into the classroom with her report card in her hand, a rare smile appearing on her usually serious face.

"Our class has made great progress in this monthly exam, especially He Ziyu and Jing Ran. One of them got into the top 100 in the grade, and the other got into the top 300."

"Of course, the thing we are most proud of is that the top three students in the grade this year are all from our class."

"First place: Jiang Chengyu; second place: Han Zhiruo; third place: Jiang Nanqiao. Let's give them a round of applause."

After Bao Yuan finished speaking, a few scattered, half-hearted claps rang out from below the podium.

Jingran rolled her eyes, rolled up her sleeves, and clapped her hands vigorously, muttering as she did so, "What kind of people are these? Making such a fuss over clapping, can't stand seeing others do well, huh?"

Upon hearing Jingran's sarcastic remarks, the people around him immediately increased the intensity of their applause.

This month, the student council's reform proposal was approved. As the head of the discipline inspection department, Jing Ran suddenly gained the power of life and death over "evaluating moral education scores." Once he catches someone red-handed and deducts points from their moral education score, they will be forced to participate in ideological education activities organized by the student council.

The troublemakers in Class 7 couldn't handle this kind of treatment, and within a few days they obediently bowed to reality.

After Bao Yuan finished speaking, she started handing out curlers. When she got to Han Zhiruo's seat, she noticed it was empty and, as if it were commonplace, asked Jiang Nanqiao, "Where's Han Zhiruo?"

"Teacher, she's feeling unwell and will be a little late."

"You can keep those rolls for her for now."

"OK."

Before long, the test paper was handed to He Ziyu.

This time, his overall ranking was 99th in the grade, an improvement of more than 20 places compared to last time. The obstacle that held him back was still the one he couldn't overcome—English.

He Ziyu turned to look at Jiang Chengyu.

"Brother Yu, let's go to America this winter break!"

"Huh? Why?"

"My English is terrible, I want to try a different context."

Although his three friends were all top students and could easily chat with him in English, and his family had the money to hire a foreign teacher for him, He Ziyu knew very well that it was difficult for people to unleash their instincts in a comfortable environment. Only when they were placed in an unfamiliar environment would they understand the importance of burning their bridges and fighting with their backs to the wall.

"I'll talk to my parents after the final exams," Jiang Chengyu said. "Ruoruo has a house over there, so it'll be convenient for us to move in."

"Okay, okay!"

Jingran, who was standing nearby, overheard their conversation and leaned closer.

"Can I come along? I have nothing to do during winter break!"

"Okay, you can come with Yao-ge, that way your mom will feel at ease."

"Okay, sure..."

After handing out the papers, Bao Yuan began explaining the questions.

Han Zhiruo did not come to school even after the bell rang.

Just as He Ziyu was about to ask Jiang Nanqiao about the situation, a commotion broke out in the corridor.

"My God, look! Isn't that Han Zhiruo?!"

"So handsome!"

Hearing the commotion, the busybodies from Class 7 rushed out of the classroom, only to be stunned when they saw the figures approaching from afar.

Han Zhiruo got a haircut.

Her once-proud waist-length hair has disappeared, replaced by ear-length short hair.

She walked past the crowd with an air of superiority, entering the classroom amidst the murmurs of conversation.

Then, he smiled and greeted Jiang Nanqiao.

Good morning.

"..."

Jiang Nanqiao stared at Han Zhiruo, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Those familiar with Han Zhiruo know that she cherishes her hair. When they first met, Jiang Nanqiao praised her for her soft and smooth hair.

But now, she actually...

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Han Zhiruo tilted her head slightly. "Don't I look good with short hair?"

Jiang Nanqiao quickly shook her head, "You look good, of course you look good, you look good with long hair or short hair!"

People with good looks can pull off any hairstyle.

Just like Han Zhiruo, after cutting her hair short, her facial features became more three-dimensional. Combined with her high nose bridge and beautiful lips, she was both sweet and handsome, so beautiful that Jiang Nanqiao couldn't take her eyes off her.

At this moment, He Ziyu's sharp eyes had already seen through everything.

He tapped Jiang Chengyu's desk with his finger, gesturing for him to move closer. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Jiang Chengyu say, "I know what you want to ask."

"what?"

"I share the same thoughts as you regarding Ruoruo and Qiaoqiao."