Rebirth: My Childhood Sweetheart Came into My Arms

For Jiang Chengyu, his mother's sudden change of mind was a joyous event that felt like a dream.

The emotions he had suppressed for so many years were suddenly released, and his first reaction was to accept it gladly. As for his mother's abnormal behavior, he completely forgot about it and instinctively did not think about it.

But He Ziyu was different.

As an observer and someone who had been reborn once, He Ziyu witnessed firsthand Jiang's mother's resistance to homosexuality.

Therefore, he suspected that there might be some hidden secrets that he had never known in either of his two lifetimes.

Thinking of this, He Ziyu frowned and looked at Jiang Chengyu: "Brother Yu, don't you think it's strange that Auntie suddenly agreed to us being together?"

Jiang Chengyu thought for a moment and said, "It is very strange."

He Ziyu: "Then, is it possible that she is...?"

Before he could even utter the words "I'm just trying to trick you," Jiang Chengyu decisively dismissed his guess, "My mom may be strong-willed, but she's not despicable. If she wanted to, she could find out about our relationship in a hundred different ways. She wouldn't need to use this method."

Moreover, her trembling voice and slightly red eyes at the time could not have been faked.

He Ziyu gripped the rattan handle on the swing, lost in thought.

A person will not change their deeply ingrained beliefs without any reason.

Unless her will was never that strong to begin with.

Could it be that the one who truly wants to control Jiang Chengyu isn't Shen Murou, but rather...?

"Ayu, don't think so much." Jiang Chengyu covered his hand. "Since my mother already knows about us and hasn't done anything to me, let's cherish every moment and walk our own path. As for the future, we'll deal with that later."

"Um……"

He Ziyu met Jiang Chengyu's serious gaze and forced a smile.

……

A month later, the final exams arrived as scheduled.

The No. 8 Middle School assigned exam rooms based on the monthly exam rankings. He Ziyu was assigned to Class 3, while everyone else except Jing Ran was in Class 1.

He Ziyu arrived at the examination hall early, found his seat, and took out the key points that Jiang Chengyu had helped him to review. However, after only a few minutes, a figure threw his backpack onto the seat next to him and teased, "Hey, young master He, you're quite something, coming all the way to Class 3?"

He Ziyu looked up and met Liu Wen's disgusting face.

Liu Wen sat down with an air of superiority, pulling out a book as he said sarcastically, "The invigilation is very strict this time; cheating won't be so easy."

He Ziyu withdrew his gaze and remained silent.

Feeling slighted after being rebuffed, Liu Wen continued his sarcasm: "You too, cheating is one thing, but to cheat in Class 3? How are you so capable? Aren't you afraid of being humiliated this time without anyone helping you?"

Just then, the proctor walked into the examination room.

Liu Wen scoffed lightly and shut his mouth.

After the preparatory bell rang, the students put their schoolbags outside the classroom one after another.

He Ziyu had just put his schoolbag down and returned, and his bottom had barely touched the chair, when he heard Liu Wen say, "Young Master He, how about we make a deal?"

He Ziyu glanced at him indifferently, wondering what kind of trouble this guy was up to now.

Liu Wen: "I'll give you the answers to this exam, and in return, you can pass on information about what Lan Yuan did before..."

He Ziyu: "Aren't you friends?"

"Why worry about so much? Just tell me if you agree or not." Liu Wen rested his left elbow on the table and leaned closer to him. "Anyway, you hate him. Just spread a few rumors outside, and you won't lose face in the exam. It's killing two birds with one stone, so why not?"

Upon hearing this, He Ziyu looked at him as if he were a fool and said, "Brother, look at your seat number. I'm ranked higher than you."

Although they were both in Class 3, Liu Wen's ranking was lower than his. For someone to still want to give him the answer was simply idiotic.

"So what if you're in the front? Even if you're in the front, you're still cheating. Jiang Chengyu isn't even next to you right now. If you want to get good grades, you still have to..."

Before Liu Wen could finish speaking, He Ziyu raised his hand.

Invigilator: "What is it?"

He Ziyu: "Liu Wen kept bothering me and talking to me."

At that moment, Liu Wen was still leaning towards him, and the teacher immediately scolded, "Which class are you in? If you don't want to take the exam, get out of here and don't disturb the other students."

Liu Wen was speechless for a moment, then turned and glared fiercely at He Ziyu.

"He Ziyu, you're something else. I'd like to see how many points you can get this time."

……

He Ziyu wrote the first subject, Chinese, very quickly, especially the composition, which flowed smoothly and was completed in one go. When the time came to hand in the paper early, he did not hesitate at all and left the examination room immediately after handing it in.

He didn't want to waste energy on subjects he was confident in, and the time saved could be used to prepare for the next exam.

Upon arriving at the underground coffee shop, He Ziyu found that Jiang Chengyu had already ordered two coffees and was waiting for him.

Upon seeing He Ziyu, Jiang Chengyu immediately broke into a smile.

"How did the exam go?"

"It's alright," He Ziyu said, tossing his schoolbag onto the sofa and sitting down. "Chinese has always been one of my strengths."

Of all the subjects, he was least worried about Chinese, as he had previously achieved quite good results in his compositions.

He Ziyu pulled a sheet of printing paper out of his schoolbag and handed it to Jiang Chengyu.

"I've memorized all the English essays here, can you check them for me?"

"it is good."

He Ziyu cleared his throat and began to recite.

Soft, soothing background music played in the coffee shop. Jiang Chengyu stared at the English on the printed paper, occasionally glancing up at He Ziyu's earnest recitation, feeling exceptionally at ease.

From initial worry to unconditional trust now.

Everything was thanks to He Ziyu's all-out efforts.

……

After the last exam, He Ziyu felt a great sense of relief.

Liu Wen didn't know how He Ziyu had done on the exam, but he found it somewhat strange to see him writing so diligently.

Logically speaking, without Jiang Chengyu's help, He Ziyu, the ultimate academic failure, should have been very flustered, but he not only wasn't flustered, but also seemed to have victory in his grasp.

Does this guy really know how to do all of these things?

After tidying up his stationery, He Ziyu noticed Liu Wen was still staring at him and asked, somewhat annoyed, "Are your eyes on me?"

Liu Wen: "You didn't actually start studying properly, did you?"

He Ziyu glanced at him: "Don't ask such questions, it makes you look stupid."

Liu Wen: "..."

After leaving the examination room, He Ziyu and Jiang Chengyu met at the school gate.

To celebrate the end of the exams, the two families decided to get together for dinner tonight.

This is the first time he has appeared in public as "Jiang Chengyu's boyfriend" since Jiang Chengyu came out to her mother.

To be honest, I'm quite unsure of myself.

He didn't know Jiang's mother's attitude towards him, nor did he know if the situation would change. Most importantly, only he, Jiang Chengyu, and Shen Murou knew about this at the moment, and they still had to be wary of the others at the dinner table.

The driver's car was already waiting at the door. Jiang Chengyu opened the car door and sat in the front, while He Ziyu and He Ningqiu sat in the back.

The location for dinner tonight was chosen by Jiang's mother. It was a hotel in the city center. To save manpower, the Jiang family did not send a driver. Instead, he rode with the He family in their car.

In the car, He Ningqiu kept her head down, playing on her phone, and didn't say a word.

After Xiao Shan left Yuecheng, he became even more silent, perhaps subconsciously feeling that he had lost his backer and dared not be too presumptuous in front of He Ziyu.

Twenty minutes later, the car stopped in front of the hotel.

The three got out of the car one after another and were led to the private room by the waiter.

Both sets of parents had arrived early and greeted their children warmly. He Ziyu greeted Shen Murou and Jiang Guosheng, feeling for the first time so guilty that he wanted to disappear into the ground.

"Sit down, show the children the menu, and see what they want to eat."

Shen Murou handed the menu to him, and there seemed to be nothing unusual about it.

He Ziyu casually ordered a vegetarian dish and then pushed the menu to Jiang Chengyu.

While the children were ordering food, the parents started chatting again.

"Old Jiang, how's your cooperation with the Han family going?"

"That's great. They're in charge of overseas markets, and this two-pronged approach will work together to achieve a win-win situation."

"No wonder you're in such a hurry to marry that girl, you've got a pretty shrewd plan."

"What, aren't you planning to look for suitable partners for A-Yu and Ning Qiu as well?"

When the topic turned to marriage, He Ziyu felt a little awkward and quickly looked down at his phone.

Soon, the food was served.

Today's meal was supposed to celebrate the end of their exams, but when the adults started talking, it was all about business.

He Ziyu listened intently, occasionally observing Shen Murou's expression.

In his previous life, Jiang Chengyu was severely punished by her parents after confessing her feelings to him. In addition, Shen Murou was quite radical in her actions, and He Ziyu firmly believed that it was her idea.

But now, having been given a second chance at life, he seems to see many things he hadn't noticed before.

For example, Shen Murou habitually goes along with Jiang Guosheng's remarks, and when he subtly expresses a certain viewpoint, she will forcefully express it on his behalf.

This made He Ziyu even more suspicious that Jiang Guosheng was behind the scenes in pushing the family to leave the He family and immigrate.

Halfway through the meal, Jiang Chengyu brought up the topic of going to the United States during the winter vacation. Jiang Guosheng immediately agreed and even suggested that Han Zhiruo could be their guide.

"Ruoruo grew up there, so it'll be convenient for her to travel with you," Jiang Guosheng said, then added, "By the way, should I send an assistant to help you with any problems you encounter on the way?"

"No need to trouble yourself, Uncle. I'm going there to practice my spoken English. If I have to let others do everything for me, I won't have any room for improvement."

Jiang Guosheng smiled upon hearing this and said, "Alright, I'll contact Lao Han and have him prepare accommodations for you in advance."

"What about Ning Qiu? Isn't Ning Qiu going?" Zhou Ying asked.

He Ningqiu: "I don't want to go anywhere this winter vacation."

Noticing that He Ningqiu sounded a little down, Zhou Ying quickly tried to smooth things over: "Ningqiu is still getting used to Yuecheng, and studying is quite tiring. It's good for her to rest at home."

The atmosphere at the dinner table was harmonious, and the matter was settled in just a few words.

When everyone had finished eating and was about to leave, He Ziyu said he needed to use the restroom. Shen Murou stood up as well and said, "I know where the restroom is. I'll take you there and get some fresh air."