Who Would Fall in Love After Being Reborn?

TL: Etude

Double two hundred to four hundred and sixty?

Earn two and a half days’ worth of money in one day?

The old man selling boxed lunches immediately grew envious. With a naive smile, he rolled up his trousers and squatted beside Jiang Qin. The mix of greasy and smoky scents assaulted Jiang Qin’s senses, making him feel slightly overwhelmed.

However, Jiang Qin didn’t say anything. He simply shifted a bit to the side and casually placed the cigarette the old man offered behind his ear.

His appearance now didn’t resemble that of a high school graduate at all, but more like a dropout who had been hustling for a long time.

“Kid, can you tell me where you sell these boxed lunches?”

As if expecting this question, Jiang Qin skillfully raised two fingers. “Old man, give me two hundred yuan, and I’ll tell you the address.”

The old man’s eyes widened like copper bells, exuding a sharp shrewdness. “Two hundred yuan? I barely make that in a day’s work here!”

“Well, let me think about it first, whether it’s worth it or not.” The old man hesitated; two hundred yuan was not a small sum.

“We just went to the internet café street.”

“The east end of Xinghai Road?”

“Yes.”

“I thought it was some great location. Business there is indeed good, but the city management is too strict. I went there once, and my cart got confiscated. Haven’t been able to get it back since.”

“I haven’t finished yet. Give me two hundred yuan, and I’ll continue. If you think it’s not appropriate, I’ll give it back to you. I’m still a student; I won’t scam you, right?” Jiang Qin’s voice was full of temptation.

After much deliberation, the old man pulled out two hundred yuan from his pocket. “Alright, speak. But if it’s not worth it, I’ll want my money back.”

Jiang Qin rolled the two hundred yuan and stuffed it into his pocket. “That street has a foot massage parlor called ‘Shuiyunjian’. There’s a big courtyard inside the entrance. The fire exits of seven internet cafes all lead directly to that yard. Also, the gatekeeper there likes Hongtashan cigarettes, and most importantly, there are no city management officers there.”

“What good is the gatekeeper? He can’t let me in to sell boxed lunches, can he?”

Jiang Qin smiled faintly. “He’s the father of Shuiyunjian’s owner. He guards the gate because he’s bored at home.”

The old man pondered for a while, then suddenly brightened up. “Alright, lad, next time you come to eat, it’s on the house.”

“Sounds good.”

“You’re quite young but you know so much about the foot massage parlor. You’ll go far in the future!”

Jiang Qin cupped his fists in a traditional salute. “You flatter me!”

Guo Zihang, who had been standing nearby, was stunned for a long time, gripping Jiang Qin with trembling hands, his eyes filled with envy. “Old Jiang, have you already been to such a magical place as a foot massage parlor?”

“It’s just a rite of passage for men.”

“Ah?”

“Enough with the ‘ah’. We made some money today, I’ll treat you to something nice.”

Jiang Qin stood up, patted his buttocks, and walked away with over seven hundred yuan in his pocket.

Watching his carefree departing figure, Guo Zihang was slightly stunned, feeling a sense of worldly maturity about his friend.

It was like those characters in TV dramas who had seen through life; although their faces still showed laughter and anger, their eyes were profound, sharp enough to see through the essence of things.

They had just run around all morning, barely making over three hundred, hardly enough profit to buy cigarettes. Yet Jiang Qin boldly claimed to have earned four hundred and sixty.

The key point was that the old man, with his face full of shrewdness, was actually convinced by Jiang Qin, who spent two hundred yuan just for an address.

Guo Zihang couldn’t do what Jiang Qin did, talking big without getting caught. Even when buying groceries for his mother, he didn’t dare to haggle.

No wonder Jiang Qin didn’t care about his failed confession.

People in the class thought he was just pretending, trying to maintain some pathetic and pitiful dignity. But at this moment, Guo Zihang started to believe in Jiang Qin. Maybe he really didn’t take the matter to heart.

However, the moment Chu Siqi was mentioned, Guo Zihang’s gossiping spirit ignited fiercely again.

“Old Jiang, what’s going on with you and Goddess Chu?”

Jiang Qin turned to look at him. “What could possibly be going on between her and me?”

“You’ve liked her for three years. Are you just going to let it end like this? She said she would consider it once she’s in college!” Guo Zihang pressed on, genuinely perplexed. Summer vacation was almost over, and college was on the horizon. Giving up now seemed like such a loss.

“She says wait till college, then I should wait till college? I don’t even want to wait anymore. If pretty girls could be relied on, pigs would be climbing trees.”

Jiang Qin spoke emotionlessly, his words dripping with sarcasm for love.

Love hinders money-making; being a ‘sycophant’ wastes a life. The brutal lessons from his previous life were enough to prove this viewpoint. Women only impede the speed of earning money and are otherwise useless.

He had experienced the pain of unrequited love during his adolescence and the horror of a 300,000 yuan dowry. It’s not that he had no interest in women; he just felt that life should prioritize different things this time around.

“But… that’s all your assumption. What if Chu Siqi really plans to date you once she’s in college? Don’t you feel like you’re losing out by giving up now?”

“Old Guo, once a man starts thinking like that, it’s essentially like drawing a prison for himself. It’s the same with love or work. Don’t believe what others say until it’s in your hands.”

Jiang Qin’s gaze deepened slightly as he recalled the promises he received when he first started working.

Project bonuses, company shares, overseas trips, living allowances for direct relatives… all of these were similar to Chu Siqi’s ‘try a little harder and I’ll date you’. They were all well-known legends that nobody had ever seen.

To have hope in such legends was less reliable than believing in light itself.

At this thought, Jiang Qin couldn’t help but recall Ultraman Tiga. What a cosmic hero, he was nothing but a deadbeat.

Back then, Tiga borrowed his ‘light’ and fled when fighting Gatanothor. Later, Jiang Qin’s own future turned dark, and Tiga never even mentioned returning his light. [I’m confused too]

Don’t be a sycophant, don’t be a corporate slave. Strive to make money; that’s the right path in life.

Meanwhile, Guo Zihang suddenly started scratching his head rapidly, making a hissing sound.

Jiang Qin found it odd and stared at him for a moment.

“What’s wrong with you? Didn’t wash your hair before leaving?”

“No, I feel like I’m growing a brain after listening to you.”

“?????”

At four in the afternoon, Jiang Qin and Guo Zihang left the restaurant, full and satisfied.

Though Guo Zihang was still intrigued by the idea of visiting a bar, they hadn’t gone far when two familiar figures appeared before them.

One was Wang Huiru, the math class representative, and the other was Chu Siqi, the class beauty.

The two girls were arm in arm, coming out of the pedestrian street, one holding starch sausages and the other sugar-coated haws.

The summer heat made them slightly sweaty; even the hair on their foreheads was damp. Their faces, flushed and glistening, coupled with their rapid breathing, caused their chests, which were just beginning to develop, to rise and fall continuously.

Wang Huiru was very delicate, with a sense of grace like a jade, smiling with dimples on her cheeks. She was wearing overalls, youthful and lively. On her own, she could be considered beautiful, but next to Chu Siqi, she seemed less significant.

Chu Siqi wore a beige long skirt today, the hem falling to her knees. Her eyes were lively and bright, her features delicate, her lips full and red, her skin fairer than snow, making Wang Huiru beside her seem like mere decoration.

As soon as the four met, Wang Huiru, who had been looking forward, was the first to react, lifting her hand to greet them.

“Jiang Qin, Guo Zihang, what are you guys doing here?”

Hearing someone call his name, Jiang Qin instinctively looked up, his eyes inadvertently crossing with Chu Siqi’s in the bustling crowd.

He then restrained his smile, turning his head away indifferently.

Perhaps because he carried memories from his previous life, Jiang Qin always had a sort of godlike perspective when it came to interpersonal relationships, so he truly had no affection for Chu Siqi.

But the soul of a nearly forty-year-old brought him enough maturity and stability to not just turn and walk away, though he did no more than that.

…

AN: New author, new book, seeking support and recommendation tickets.

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