Rebirth: My Childhood Sweetheart Came into My Arms

Jiang Chengyu said that he noticed Han Zhiruo's unusual gaze towards Jiang Nanqiao after the time they went to the arcade.

"Although they weren't inseparable at school, Ruoruo would always stay behind to help Qiaoqiao when she had her duty, and she would deliberately stand in the same row as her during running in PE class. Don't you think their way of getting along is like two different people?"

He Ziyu: "Who is it?"

Jiang Chengyu: "Us."

He Ziyu was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and then touched his ear rather shyly.

Jiang Chengyu said he hadn't realized it yet, but upon closer reflection, it seemed to be true.

Two people who are attracted to each other are like two magnets with different poles; they will always have subtle reactions within a certain range.

Clearly, Jiang Nanqiao and Han Zhiruo have been interacting and slowly drawing closer to each other without anyone noticing.

"What are you two saying? Can't you speak louder?"

Seeing Jiang Chengyu and He Ziyu whispering to each other but unable to hear what they were saying, Jingran hurriedly pulled a chair next to them.

Jiang Chengyu beckoned him closer with his finger.

Thinking he was about to hear some earth-shattering gossip, Jingran quickly leaned closer and heard Jiang Chengyu whisper in his ear, "We're talking about love."

!!!

Having just been force-fed a mouthful of dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection), Jingran straightened her back and threatened through gritted teeth, "You'll get points deducted for this kind of behavior!"

He Ziyu didn't know what Jiang Chengyu had told him, but when he heard that a discipline inspection minister was going to deduct moral education points from the student council president, he couldn't help but laugh.

"Xiao Jing, you're getting more and more like an official. Be careful you don't get anonymously reported."

Upon hearing the word "report," Jingran immediately slumped her shoulders and pulled her chair back to her seat.

……

News of Han Zhiruo cutting her hair short quickly spread throughout the Eighth Middle School. Some said it was because she was heartbroken and wanted to start over, while others said it was to get rid of those persistent suitors...

The rumors are varied and numerous, but they all share one thing in common: they are completely different from the truth.

"Is it strange for a girl to cut her hair short? She can cut it whenever she wants, why make up so many reasons? You have to make a whole drama out of this little thing. You're just bored and have nothing better to do."

While getting lunch, Jiang Nanqiao overheard some older girls talking about Han Zhiruo. She warned them on the spot, but the boys around her seemed to take offense and accused her of making a mountain out of a molehill, acting like a tigress.

There were many people around and it was noisy at the time, so Jiang Nanqiao didn't want to argue with them and kept it to herself. When she returned, Bei Yao brought up the rumors, and she took the opportunity to complain a bit.

Han Zhiruo noticed that Jiang Nanqiao was in a bad mood, so he took out his phone and showed her some cute pet videos he had recently seen.

Just a few seconds after it was placed down, I heard a "snap" sound.

Jingran slammed her hand on the table, deliberately raising her voice: "Anyone who maliciously talks about other students at school will have points deducted from their moral education score! If their moral education score is insufficient, they'll have to undergo ideological education! And it will take up their free time!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the area within a ten-meter radius fell silent instantly; even those who were chatting dared not continue their conversations.

Jingran proudly raised her chin.

He originally thought that people who actively joined the student council were all mentally unstable.

He now realizes that he is the one with a problem in his head.

After dinner, Jiang Nanqiao mentioned that a new coffee shop had opened next to the school's underground gymnasium and that she wanted to check it out. He Ziyu immediately agreed.

As far as I can remember, that coffee shop closed down not long after it opened in my previous life. Apparently, it was because the education bureau decided during an inspection that high school students should not consume excessive amounts of caffeine, so they ordered it to be emptied.

He Ziyu was quite happy to be able to revisit the place.

When the group arrived at the coffee shop, it was already quite crowded. Jiang Chengyu and Bei Yao went to the counter to order, while He Ziyu looked around, gazing at this familiar place.

Jingran: "I must say, this coffee shop is quite uniquely decorated. There's even Picasso's Mona Lisa on the wall!"

Han Zhiruo: "That's Leonardo da Vinci..."

Jing Ran: "Huh? What Leonardo da Vinci? Isn't that Mona Lisa?"

Jiang Nanqiao: "Never mind, Ruoruo, let's go take a selfie. Look how cute those succulents are over there. Let's use them as a background and post them on WeChat Moments tonight."

After the two left, Jingran pointed to another painting on the wall: "Ayu, look, there are roaring figures and scavengers over there!"

He Ziyu: "Those were the shouters and the gleaners..."

……

Jiang Nanqiao pulled Han Zhiruo to the succulent plant and turned on the front camera of her phone.

This is Han Zhiruo's first selfie after getting her hair cut. Looking at her short hair in the camera, she felt a little uncomfortable.

Jiang Nanqiao noticed the stiffness in her expression, so he simply put his hand on her shoulder and said, "Ruoruo, smile. You look beautiful when you smile."

Upon hearing this, Han Zhiruo's cheeks flushed slightly.

"I really didn't expect you to cut your hair so long, but short hair suits you quite well, it looks especially handsome..."

"Really?" Han Zhiruo interrupted her, "How does it compare to Lin Yan?"

Jiang Nanqiao was slightly taken aback.

Han Zhiruo smiled, took her phone, and adjusted the angle.

"Look at the camera."

"what……"

Jiang Nanqiao belatedly looked at her phone screen and moved closer to Han Zhiruo.

After a three-second countdown, a "click" captured the shy, intimate moment of the two of them cuddling together, forever preserved in the photograph.

Han Zhiruo looked at her somewhat unfamiliar self in the photo and smiled.

Actually, she had wanted to cut her hair short for a long time because long hair is troublesome to wash and inconvenient to exercise.

But every time she went to the barbershop, Han Zhiruo couldn't bring herself to do it.

Until the day of the banquet, Jiang Nanqiao praised Lin Yan highly, even saying, "Short-haired girls are the coolest."

Han Zhiruo suddenly found a reason to change.

When she arrived at the hair salon and sat in front of the mirror, she was surprisingly calm. Even though the hairdresser repeatedly asked her if she really wanted to cut it short, and said it would be a pity to cut such long hair, Han Zhiyi still "stubbornly" did not change her mind.

So on that day, she said goodbye in her heart to her past self—the aloof Han Zhiruo, the Han Zhiruo who chose to distance herself from everyone after being slandered.

Upon arriving in Moon City, everything is reset.

Saying goodbye to the past, she will also usher in a new life.

……

After a while, Jiang Chengyu and Bei Yao returned with coffee.

Although it's a small coffee shop located on campus, the owner seems to be really serious about running it; not only is the decor nice, but the coffee quality is also very high.

Just as a few people started discussing whether the existence of this store would increase the rate of early dating, a familiar voice came from not far away:

"No, I really can't learn it, please have mercy on me..."

He Ziyu looked in the direction of the sound and immediately saw Gu Wang's lifeless face.

"Is Wangwang here too?"

"I'll go get him!" Jingran volunteered and ran off in a flash.

Soon, Gu Wang walked over, accompanied by a boy with a refined appearance.

The boy wore gold-rimmed glasses and his gaze darted away when he saw them. His gestures gave off an inexplicable feeling of being "introverted and academically gifted."

"Let me introduce you. This is my cousin, Gu Chao, from Class 1 of Senior Three."

Senior 3 (1), Gu Chao...

He Ziyu paused for two seconds, and after searching his memory bank, he found the name.

In the 2013 college entrance examination, Gu Chao was admitted to a top university in Yuecheng with the highest score in the liberal arts category in the city.

The school leaders were overjoyed and publicized everywhere that Gu Chao was a student of No. 8 Middle School. The school bulletin board and LED screen were full of blessings such as "Congratulations to Gu Chao on being admitted to XX University. Teachers and students are proud of you." Some teachers went even further and printed out Gu Chao's photo and posted it on the blackboard at the back of the classroom, which looked like a wanted poster at first glance.

With his thoughts returning to normal, He Ziyu quickly stood up and extended his hand to Gu Chao: "Hello, cousin, I am He Ziyu, from Class 7 of Grade 11. Everyone here is my friend..."

Gu Chao shook his hand and smiled politely.

"Well, my cousin isn't good with words, but that's how academic geniuses are, you know." Gu Wang casually hooked his arm around Gu Chao's neck. "But he's actually quite a closet pervert in private. Remember Sweet Strawberry Jam? That flashy ID was borrowed from him. Back then... ouch!"

Before Gu Wang could finish speaking, Gu Chao pinched him on the lower back.

He jumped back with a scream, covering his chest with his hands in protest: "Why are you pinching me! Strawberry Jam!"

Gu Chao's face turned bright red when his name was called out in public in such a shameful way.

"Gu Wang, if you keep doing this, I'm going to tell your second aunt about your inconsistent work style."

"Let's talk this out..."

Beside her, Jingran asked timidly, "What does 'sporadic effort followed by sporadic action' mean?"

Jiang Nanqiao: "In plain terms, it means working hard for three days and resting for two."

While everyone else was watching the show with great interest, He Ziyu frowned.

That's Gu Chao's voice...

Why does it look so familiar?

He racked his brains and finally came up with the answer.

When school started, after flirting with Jiang Chengyu, he was calming down in the bathroom when a kind guy slipped a bottle of glycerin suppository under the door.

That guy's voice was exactly the same as Gu Chao's.

He Ziyu hesitated, wanting to ask Gu Chao for confirmation, but not knowing how to start.

Are we to ask if he gave you the glycerin?

Wouldn't that expose their constipation?

"Well, you guys enjoy your drinks. I need to go study. It's rare for the academic genius to have time to tutor me, so I have to cherish this opportunity."

After Gu Wang finished speaking, he returned to his seat with Gu Chao.

Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, He Ziyu pondered the day he might have a chance to ask Gu Chao if he was indeed the one in the restroom…

……

Before school ends, all the monthly exam papers are handed out to the students.

Despite his father's encouragement, He Ningqiu not only failed to improve but actually regressed, dropping to eightieth in the grade rankings and only slightly higher than He Ziyu in total score.

Such a result was completely unexpected.

When He Lianghan returned home that evening, he first praised He Ziyu after learning about their scores. Then, just like last time, he called He Ningqiu to his study for a talk.

"Ning Qiu, your exam results are getting worse and worse. What's going on?"

He Ningqiu had been feeling down these past few days because her mother had been forced to leave Yuecheng. Now, being scolded so harshly by He Lianghan, she couldn't control her emotions and retorted with red eyes:

"Dad, in your heart, will I never be as good as He Ziyu?"

"Did you bring me back because you felt sorry for me, or did you want me to be his replacement?"