Chapter 43: Throwing Flirty Eyes at a Blind Person

Chen Zhanbei: “Sheng Qiaoxi and Sun Shiyao already went to the KTV. She even told us to come after we’re done here.”

Neither of them participated in any sports events. Besides their appearance at the opening ceremony, they hadn’t even shown up at school at all.

Pei Jinyang left the school gates and took a taxi to the KTV run by Sheng Qiaoxi’s uncle.

He went straight to the VIP room on the 5th floor, the most exclusive one, a dream-like purple-themed room that her uncle specifically designed for Sheng Qiaoxi.

When he pushed the door open, the people inside who were singing paused for a moment, thrown off track by his arrival.

Chen Zhanbei kept giving Sheng Qiaoxi subtle glances, but no matter how he tried, his flirty glances fell on blind eyes—Sheng Qiaoxi’s attention was all on Pei Jinyang.

“Jinyang, you’re here!”

“Pei Ge’s here! Let’s pick a song!”

There were five or six people in the room, all acquaintances. Soon, someone picked up the microphone again.

After just a few lines of singing, the music in the entire room was paused by Pei Jinyang.

“What’s going on, Pei Ge?”

Pei Jinyang sat on the sofa and asked Sheng Qiaoxi, “Did you tell anyone that my bookmark went missing?”

This issue of the bookmark had only been casually mentioned to a few close friends when it first happened.

And he never outright accused Jiang Mingzhi of taking it; he just said, “My bookmark that my mom gave me is missing. I’m not sure if it got stuck in a book or if Jiang Mingzhi borrowed it and accidentally lost it.”

Sheng Qiaoxi’s smile froze. “Why are you asking me that?”

Pei Jinyang shot her a cool look, and Sheng Qiaoxi immediately realized she couldn’t lie.

She understood Pei Jinyang—if he was asking her, he already knew everything, and lying would get her nowhere.

“I didn’t say much. It’s just that one of my friends happened to mention Jiang Mingzhi, and I casually mentioned this incident.”

Pei Jinyang: “Then why did you say she stole it and sold it for money? Did I ever say anything like that?”

His question angered Sheng Qiaoxi, and her voice rose a little higher than before. “I didn’t say that! I just told the truth. What’s the matter if they added some extra details? What can I do about that?”

She stared at Pei Jinyang, her eyes seemingly filling with tears. “Pei Jinyang, are you blaming me now? Aren’t you the one who hates her?”

Chen Zhanbei quickly saw that the atmosphere was wrong and stepped in to defuse it. “Hey, hey, let’s all calm down. Qiaoxi, you don’t know, but Jiang Mingzhi threatened to tell her parents and have Pei Uncle cut Jinyang’s allowance for the second half of the year.”

Everyone in their circle knew that Pei Jinyang had lost the battle with Jiang Mingzhi and had his allowance stopped.

Sheng Qiaoxi sneered, “She’s so childish.”

Chen Zhanbei: “Exactly! You know Jinyang would be upset, right? From now on, don’t go around spreading rumors. You’re causing trouble for Jinyang.”

Sheng Qiaoxi looked at Pei Jinyang. “If you’re short on money, I have some. Don’t worry about her.”

Sun Shiyao laughed from the side. “Do you think Pei Ge is a gigolo?”

Sheng Qiaoxi rolled her eyes at him. “I’m willing to spend money on him. You jealous?”

Her words had strong insinuations. She hoped Pei Jinyang would understand.

Unfortunately, the flirty eyes were thrown at a blind person. Pei Jinyang’s expression remained unchanged as he waved his hand. “Alright, even if I need to borrow money, I won’t ask a woman.”

It wasn’t that he didn’t have money—he just didn’t have pocket money anymore.

His meal card was preloaded, and his clothing purchases could be reimbursed. He just couldn’t spend freely on in-game purchases.

In the end, he added, “From now on, don’t talk about me and her to anyone.”

---

On the rooftop of the campus complex, Jiang Mingzhi and Guan Jinxu leaned against the railing, looking out at the entire scene below.

The teachers and students below looked like tiny ants, some moving, some gathered together.

They stood there silently for a long time, neither speaking.

Finally, Guan Jinxu broke the silence. “We all know you wouldn’t do something like that.”

Jiang Mingzhi turned to look at him, her face breaking into a bright smile. “Thank you.”

She hadn’t expected that the first person to speak up for her would be Guan Jinxu.

Guan Jinxu gazed into the distance, his voice gentle.
“You don’t have to thank me. Aren’t we friends?”

The wind carried her scent, swiftly weaving through his nostrils.

Jiang Mingzhi turned around, her back to the field.
“Yeah, we’re friends. Just friends.”

Guan Jinxu lowered his head and smiled lightly.
“So, you can share whatever is on your mind with a friend.”

Jiang Mingzhi raised an eyebrow, stepping over to a pile of stacked wooden boxes. She gave them a shake; they were surprisingly sturdy. She didn’t care about the dust on top and sat down on them directly.

She truly couldn’t talk to anyone about what was on her mind.

Should she say she had been reborn? Or that she had had a bizarre yet real dream?

Should she say that she had been with Pei Jinyang, and that even now, sometimes in the middle of the night, she still cried?

In front of the younger Pei Jinyang, she truly didn’t have many feelings. However, their past was real. The sweet and reckless experiences were not something she could forget.

Living again wasn’t about drinking a potion to forget. She couldn’t just say “I don’t love you anymore” and let it go.

So, she threw herself into learning, filling her time with study and exercise, trying not to think about it. She left everything to time; time would heal her.

Emotions were one side of the issue, but another was that the twenty-something Jiang Mingzhi was trapped in the body of a teenager.

She could clearly feel how out of place she was.

She was Jiang Mingzhi, yet she wasn’t Jiang Mingzhi.

It was as if she were controlling the younger Jiang Mingzhi in a game, living from a third-person perspective.

How could she explain this feeling? Who could she explain it to?

The wind on the rooftop was a bit more boisterous. Guan Jinxu sensed the indescribable sadness in the air. The setting sun cast a slanted glow on Jiang Mingzhi, and along with the dust in the air, it wove a misty veil around her, floating and ethereal.

The young man murmured in the wind, “Why are you sad?”

Jiang Mingzhi was surprised by his sensitivity, her lips curling into a smile as she replied lightly, “What, you don’t think I’m the type to be sad? Even though I’m a little more mature and composed now, I still have my vulnerable moments, times when I need a hug.”

She had a vendetta to settle—those who offended her would never have a chance to make amends.

She acted more aggressively than before, which was actually a reflection of her deep insecurity.

After all, she had doubts about the entire world, so those small matters naturally became easier to deal with.

Guan Jinxu stared at her, suddenly opening his arms and taking two steps toward her.

He didn’t say anything, but Jiang Mingzhi could read one word from the expression on his face.

“Come.”

The open arms contained warmth and generosity.

Jiang Mingzhi jumped up and rushed straight into his embrace.

The reason was simple: His embrace seemed to offer a sense of safety.

And right now, safety was the one thing she needed the most.

Her head buried in his chest, her nose filled with his scent, the broadness of his shoulders, his slender waist, and their perfect height difference.

This moment was just as she had imagined—full of safety.

Jiang Mingzhi’s floating heart finally found its way home, landing on solid ground.

This hug had nothing to do with desire—it was a pure, comforting embrace.

Guan Jinxu stayed still, allowing her to hold him, his arms frozen in mid-air, not returning the hug.

He hadn’t expected Jiang Mingzhi to be so decisive, rushing into his arms without hesitation.

He thought she would laugh and say it wasn’t necessary.

He felt as though his soul had floated away, all his senses magnified, yet it felt so unreal.

He could hear the noise from the field, with the distant sound of drums mixed in.

Jiang Mingzhi’s scent more forcefully invaded his nostrils, like a fine wine aged for a thousand years, intoxicating.

The young girl, small and soft, was currently curled up in his arms.