Rebirth: My Childhood Sweetheart Came into My Arms

When Liu Wen got home that night, he began to think about how to get closer to Lan Yuan.

The two had been estranged for so long and had no conflict of interest, so it seemed a bit unnatural for her to suddenly go to him now.

However, He Ziyu only gave him three days, and there was no way to proceed step by step.

After much deliberation, Liu Wen decided to first find a reason to invite Lan Yuan out, and then act accordingly.

After scrolling through his contacts, Liu Wen realized he had deleted him long ago, and had no choice but to ask other people for his number.

Once the number arrived, I quickly edited a short message and sent it over:

[Lan Yuan, I'm meeting up at the stadium tomorrow, wanna come along?]

He wasn't sure if Lan Yuan had deleted his phone number, so he deliberately didn't sign his name to test the waters. To make himself seem less attentive, he even called the other person by their full name, leaving no room for error in any aspect.

A moment later, a text message came back with just two words: "Who are you?"

Well, they're quite in sync when it comes to silently deleting each other!

[Liu Wen, why did you delete me?]

[Those guys from No. 5 Middle School are going to play basketball tomorrow, don't you want to come join us?]

Liu Wen directly pinned the blame for deleting people on Lan Yuan's head, shirking responsibility cleanly and decisively without any hesitation.

It took about ten minutes for Lan Yuan to reply.

I've quit the basketball team. I don't want to see those people anymore. Don't call me to play basketball anymore.

"Damn it..." Liu Wen cursed into his phone.

Back then, Lan Yuan was suspended from the school and spent a long time in the hospital, so he missed basketball team activities several times and eventually had to leave the team.

But Liu Wen knew that Lan Yuan was unwilling to accept this.

After all, if that incident hadn't happened, he would still be the captain of the school team and the object of everyone's admiration.

Therefore, Liu Wen used a provocation tactic:

Come on, prove to those people that you're still got it.

[I didn't want to call you, but they insisted that your crooked nose affected your balance and that you left the team because you couldn't play anymore.]

I thought you shouldn't suffer this injustice in vain, so I came to call you.

Liu Wen sent a few text messages in quick succession, and without waiting for Lan Yuan's reply, he put his phone aside and started playing games.

Although his relationship with Lan Yuan wasn't great, he had at least been Lan Yuan's underling for a few years.

He knew exactly what that guy's weakness was.

……

Sure enough, the next morning, Lan Yuan sent him a text message asking what time they would meet.

Liu Wen yawned, crawled out of bed, and called a few friends he knew from No. 5 Middle School, asking them to organize a get-together today.

Upon hearing that Lan Yuan was also coming, the person on the other side readily agreed.

Nowadays, everyone in the nearby high schools in Yuecheng knows about Lan Yuan's gossip; they're experts at this kind of gossip and entertainment.

After setting the time, Liu Wen stretched and went to wash up.

He Ziyu said he would give him three days, but it was really only one day. After all, Monday and Tuesday were just after today, and everyone was busy adapting to the new environment at the beginning of the semester. Lan Yuan might not have time to pay attention to him.

After washing up, Liu Wen changed into his jersey, adjusted the voice recorder, and put it in his pocket.

……

He Ziyu was woken up by hunger. He could smell the aroma of food before he even got downstairs. When he saw the sumptuous breakfast on the table in the distance, he couldn't help but swallow.

Yesterday, after meeting Liu Wen at the coffee shop, he went straight home. Seeing that there were no leftovers at home, he was too lazy to cook anything and went to sleep hungry. Then he dreamed that he went to a food court and ate his fill of glutinous rice ribs and three-cup chicken.

When he woke up, he found his pillow covered in drool. Hoping for comfort, he told Jiang Chengyu about it, but Jiang Chengyu not only didn't feel sorry for him, but also called him a little glutton and told him to take a picture of the drool and send it to him.

He Ziyu was on the verge of tears, and told him to go eat farts.

As usual, Zhou Ying, wearing her little floral apron, served He Ziyu a bowl of porridge and then scooped out some of her own pickled vegetables from the jar.

"Where are Dad and Ningqiu?"

"Your dad only got back in the early hours of yesterday morning. He drank too much again, so he probably won't wake up for a while. As for Ningqiu... she's been getting up very late lately. I don't know if she's been staying up late."

He Ziyu picked up a scallion pancake and stuffed it into his mouth, saying, "It might not be staying up late, it's insomnia."

"Insomnia?"

"He's been locking himself in his room for a while now, hasn't he? Dad told him to see a psychologist, but he won't go. I'm afraid he might do something outrageous if this continues."

Zhou Ying frowned upon hearing this.

"What can we do? He doesn't want to see a doctor. Are we supposed to drag him there?"

He Ziyu thought for a moment and said, "That's a second-best option. Unless absolutely necessary, he still has to rely on his own sudden enlightenment."

There is no disease in this world that cannot be cured; the question is whether the person who is sick has the desire to be cured.

"In short, keep a close eye on him these days, and tell me immediately if anything seems amiss. Also..." He Ziyu paused, "If my dad asks you to learn to drive, don't go."

"Huh? Why?" Zhou Ying was completely confused.

He Lianghan had indeed mentioned a few times that she couldn't drive, and a few days ago he even encouraged her to get a driver's license, saying that it would be helpful in case of an emergency at home.

But Zhou Ying felt that she was just a housewife with a driver at home, so there was no need to waste time learning that.

He Ziyu lowered his head and said casually, "There have been several news reports of traffic accidents recently, and all the injured were female drivers. I'm worried about safety."

"That's the reason?" Zhou Ying raised an eyebrow. "I thought it was something more serious."

"Is this a small matter?" He Ziyu put down his chopsticks. "You're not an office worker, and you don't go out very often. If anything happens, just call the driver. At least you'll have peace of mind."

"Yes, I know," Zhou Ying said. "Your dad mentioned letting me learn to drive a while ago, but I never agreed. I had the same thought as you."

Upon hearing this, He Ziyu's heart skipped a beat.

So Father had already mentioned this to Mother?

That couldn't be...

An unrealistic idea flashed through his mind, which He Ziyu quickly dismissed.

No, it's impossible.

Although it was highly likely that Xiao Shan was behind the car accident that happened to her mother in her previous life, her father was probably kept in the dark the whole time.

It was only by chance that two events came together, leading to the final tragedy.

Just then, footsteps suddenly came from the stairs.

"Honey? Why are you up so early?" Zhou Ying was a little surprised to see He Lianghan. "You drank so much yesterday, I thought you'd sleep until the afternoon at the earliest."

"How could I be in the mood to sleep?" He Lianghan said with a smile. "I felt so bad when I got back last night that I didn't even have a chance to tell you about Ayu. I couldn't wait to find you as soon as I woke up."

"What's making you so happy?"

Under Zhou Ying's persistent questioning, He Lianghan recounted in detail how He Ziyu had been studying diligently at the company the day before, praising him for being obedient and sensible, which made He Ziyu blush.

"Later, I was having dinner with Mr. Shang, and he mentioned that a friend of his had a son who was in the same class as A-Yu at No. 8 Middle School, I think his name was Chang something. His friend said that it was rare for our son to improve so quickly. You see, this good news spread like wildfire..."

He Lianghan was probably really happy, and he kept babbling on and on. In the end, Zhou Ying couldn't stand it anymore and stuffed a scallion pancake into his mouth.

"Eat your food quickly, or it'll get cold!"

"Hmm! I haven't finished yet..."

When they had almost finished their breakfast, He Ningqiu finally came downstairs slowly.

Seeing the happy family of three, He Ningqiu felt a pang of pain in her heart and sat down in her seat expressionlessly.

Zhou Ying's smile faded, and she asked, "Ning Qiu, you've been getting up very late lately. Are you having trouble sleeping?"

He Ningqiu lowered her head and said, "No."

"But you have very dark circles under your eyes."

"..."

"Sigh, maybe the pressure of the new semester is too much. I'll ask for leave another day and take you guys on a trip." He Lianghan quickly changed the subject, and after a few more words, he brought up He Ziyu again.

Listening to her father's undisguised praise of He Ziyu, He Ningqiu felt like she was chewing wax, and was full after only drinking half a bowl of porridge.

Even so, he still forced himself to cheer up and help Zhou Ying wash the dishes.

He Ziyu's mood was a bit complicated. He ran to the small garden to feed Eryu cat food while thinking about He Ningqiu.

Although Xiao Shan was sent to City B, he had a feeling that the woman wouldn't let it go so easily.

He Ziyu felt that He Ningqiu's emotional changes were somewhat related to Xiao Shan. It just so happened that it was the year that his mother had a car accident in his previous life, so he needed to be extra careful to ensure that nothing went wrong.

He Ziyu stroked Eryu's smooth fur, recalling the strangeness before and after the car accident in his previous life.

My mother got her driver's license at my father's urging and bought a car, but the car got scratched and had to be sent back to the factory for repairs after only a few drives.

The accident occurred after the repairs were completed.

Brake failure is an old trick, but it's done silently.

It seems that to lure the snake out of its hole, we have to repeat the events of that year from beginning to end...

……

"Yuan-ge, catch the ball!"

At Yuecheng Stadium, Liu Wen dribbled with great enthusiasm before giving Lan Yuan the excellent shooting opportunity.

Lan Yuan received the ball, jumped, and swished a three-pointer into the net, drawing cheers from the crowd.

"Great, Lan Yuan!"

"No wonder he's the former captain of the basketball team; he can beat us like it's nothing."

"It's such a shame you quit the basketball team..."

The colleagues from No. 5 Middle School, hired by Liu Wen to fawn over him, were exceptionally dedicated, afraid of failing to sing Lan Yuan's praises to the heavens.

Sweating profusely, Lan Yuan threw the ball to the ground and said, "I'm not playing anymore, let's take a break."

"Let's take a break then," Liu Wen said. "Who can go buy some water and bring me back a bottle of iced tea?"

"I'll go."

"I'll go too."

Following Liu Wen's pre-arranged plan, the three sycophants went to buy water together.

Now only Liu Wen and Lan Yuan are left on the field.

Lan Yuan found a shady spot to sit down, fanning his face with his hand, and seemed to be in a good mood.

Liu Wen seized the opportunity and sat down next to him.

"How about it? Don't you regret coming here? You slapped those guys in the face so hard they didn't dare utter a single word."

Lan Yuan stopped fanning himself and turned to look at him: "Liu Wen, you're acting a little strange today."