Who Would Fall in Love After Being Reborn?

TL: Etude

On a sweltering summer night, an old fan whirred tirelessly above the door frame, buzzing rhythmically.

This buzzing subtly masked the presence of mosquitoes, biting unsuspectedly, much to the irritation of Cao Guangyu, who cursed loudly in frustration.

Jiang Qin also suffered a few bites but had no time for cursing. He quickly scratched a cross on each welt with his fingernail, then resumed his focus on the data bars in the administrator’s backend on his computer screen. Barely a moment had passed when the computer’s side speaker emitted a series of beeps, and Feng Nanshu’s QQ avatar, a silly-looking tabby cat, popped up in the bottom right corner of the screen.

“Good night.”

“?”

Jiang Qin glanced at the time and saw it was only eight o’clock in the evening. Looking outside, the sky was just dimly dark, and the outlines of poplar trees were still visible. How could someone of Feng Nanshu’s young age fall asleep so early?

And more so, why send a random “good night” without any prior conversation? Nevertheless, he didn’t dwell on it, replying with a “good night” and a waving hand emoji.

“Are you going to bed so early?” came Feng Nanshu’s reply.

Jiang Qin was momentarily startled, his fingers tapping rapidly on the keyboard, “Weren’t you the one who said good night?”

“Oh.”

“Get some sleep if you’re tired. We have military training tomorrow. Don’t stay up late.”

Feng Nanshu was silent for a minute before sending another message: “Jiang Qin, there are people singing under our dormitory building. The joyous sparrows are ‘sleeping’ naked on the telephone poles.”

Jiang Qin replied, “It must be noisy, right? College students’ hormones go wild at night. You’ll see it often in the future. Just close your door, and you probably won’t hear them.”

“Oh.”

“Sleep well.”

After a brief silence, Feng Nanshu responded, “Wenhui said the carps in Moonwatch Lake have grown so big they’re almost mythical.”

Jiang Qin replied, “Impossible. Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, no mythical beings are allowed. Even the Inspiration King (fish monster from Journey to the West) would have to lay low in the lake.”

“Okay then.”

“Good night. Apply some Six God (mosquito repellent) before sleeping, the mosquitoes seem especially fierce tonight.”

Meanwhile, in room 503 of the girls’ dormitory building 7, Gao Wenhui sat beside Feng Nanshu, scratching her head in agitation and clicking her tongue in disbelief.

What century’s pure love drama was this? You miss him but don’t dare to say it directly, resorting to various tests?

Too sci-fi!

Feng Nanshu, oh Feng Nanshu, you look like a fairy, beautiful enough to cause calamity. Can’t you be a bit bolder? Like Daji or Baosi, weren’t they all brave? (famous Chinese consorts)

If I had your looks, I’d find a hundred men, gather them in a group, and play the love game.

“Nanshu, give me your phone. I’ll help you.”

“?

Feng Nanshu lifted her clear eyes in confusion, looking at Gao Wenhui, but still obediently handed over her phone.

Gao Wenhui had never been in a relationship either, but that didn’t stop her from indulging in romance s, especially the recent “You Are the Colors of the Human World,” from which she gleaned plenty of tactics, knowing full well the adage that coquettish women lead the best lives.

“I—miss—you—”

Before Gao Wenhui could finish typing, Feng Nanshu swiftly snatched the phone back and held it protectively, eyeing her with a wary gaze.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t miss him.”

“You do.”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Trust me, you definitely miss him.”

Feng Nanshu clutched her phone, a slight frown creasing her beautiful brows, “I just want Jiang Qin to take me out for a walk.”

Gao Wenhui wore a mischievous grin, “That feeling is missing someone. Why else wouldn’t you want other guys to take you out? Isn’t it because he’s your only boyfriend?” Feng Nanshu puffed her chest out with pride, her stance firm and righteous.

Suddenly, Fan Shuling removed her book from in front of her face, “Wenhui, stop leading her astray. Why pine over such a jerk? She’s just bored and wants to go out. Nanshu, where do you want to go? I’ll accompany you after I finish this chapter.”

Feng Nanshu patted her pillow, “I’m a bit sleepy, I think I’ll go to bed.”

Fan Shuling was baffled, “??????”

Gao Wenhui couldn’t help but laugh, thinking to herself that Nanshu should be under the car, not in it. She then turned to Feng Nanshu, “Nanshu, men are often oblivious. If you don’t spell things out for them, they’ll never understand.”

Just then, Feng Nanshu’s phone lit up, displaying a new message from Jiang Qin.

“Come out, I’m downstairs at your dorm. The supermarket across the street seems lively, let’s go have a look.”

Gao Wenhui glanced at the message and exclaimed in shock, “He understood without you saying anything? Damn, isn’t this too sweet?!”

“I’m going to the supermarket now,” Feng Nanshu stated coolly.

“Wait for me, I’m coming too. I broke my earphones last night, so I need to buy a high-fidelity pair at the supermarket.”

Gao Wenhui kicked off her slippers, put on sneakers, and followed out, her voice echoing in the corridor, “How could he possibly guess you wanted him to take you out? This is unscientific!”

Meanwhile, Jiang Qin, dressed in a black t-shirt and shorts, stood under the girls’ dormitory building, swatting mosquitoes and reviewing their chat history on his phone.

Jiang Qin, there’s singing under my dormitory.

That must mean you want me to come down and listen to the music with you. A good opportunity to meet you.

Wenhui says the carps in Moonwatch Lake have grown big enough to become mythical.

That must mean you want me to take you to Moonwatch Lake, the same place we went last time, where you even touched my foot.

Sure, it’s not about dating, but what’s wrong with hanging out with friends? She’s just a cute and pretty friend.

Why worry about friendship turning into something else? Nanshu is so naive and innocent, she doesn’t even understand why men like to look at breasts, let alone know anything about love.

“Jiang Qin!”

Lost in thought, Jiang Qin was suddenly approached by a triumphant Gao Wenhui, “I just taught Feng Nanshu some tips about dating. You should thank me later.”

Jiang Qin’s face darkened, “You and your misguided advice!”

“?????”

At the same time, Feng Nanshu emerged from the dorm, dressed in a black lettered T-shirt and a grey and white checkered skirt. Under the warm light of the street lamp, her face looked radiant, her lips red, her teeth white, and her skin seemed almost dewy.

Gao Wenhui glanced at her, then at herself.

Pink loose pajama pants, okay, ugly enough, but the sleep shirt was dark green and didn’t match the pants.

Her mind went blank, thinking, “Feng Nanshu, are you playing me? No wonder you didn’t change into pajamas after returning to the dorm. You were secretly waiting, ready to leave as soon as he arrived, weren’t you?”

Join my Discord! https://discord.gg/2sZy2YcYSB

Please consider reading at https://etudetranslations.com/