Who Would Fall in Love After Being Reborn?

TL: Etude

Just past one in the afternoon, everyone from Room 208 had already left, leaving behind a cluttered desk strewn with tangled wires and a pile of stripped sockets.

Jiang Qin was holding Feng Nanshu’s delicate and adorable pale jade feet, helping her put on her socks. He playfully tickled the sole of her foot, provoking the little rich lady to struggle involuntarily, almost kicking him in the face.

“Don’t randomly reward a gentleman,” Jiang Qin said with feigned anger.

“?,” came the puzzled response.

After putting on her shoes, Jiang Qin sent her back and then took his luggage to Linchuan train station.

It was the National Day holiday period, and the train station was swarming with people, enough to give anyone a headache. Though not as extreme as the Spring Festival travel rush, the level of crowding was nearly comparable.

Guo Zihang arrived later, appearing a bit plumper. His already round face now lacked any discernible contours.

“The auntie with the baby voice must really pamper you, fattening you up like this?” Jiang Qin said with a toothy grin.

Guo Zihang’s breath hitched: “Don’t… don’t mention it.”

“What happened? Did her husband find out?” Jiang Qin’s heart skipped a beat, wondering if Guo Zihang’s swollen face was due to being beaten.

“No, I added her on QQ and chatted for a couple of days. I felt our social circles were too different, with little common ground. I didn’t understand what she talked about, and she was clueless about the business topics she discussed. We soon lost contact.”

Guo Zihang looked disheartened, apparently having his first brush with romance quickly dashed by reality.

Jiang Qin patted his shoulder reassuringly: “Don’t worry, there’s all kinds of weirdos in this world, and I definitely don’t discriminate against you.”

“Jiang, I think I just felt a void after suddenly leaving home, looking for some sense of security.”

“Enough, no need to justify your quirks. Let’s get on the train.”

Jiang Qin pushed Guo Zihang onto the train, making their way through the crowded aisle to their seats. In front of them, a man carrying a white snake-skin bag, bulging and blocking Jiang Qin’s view, finally sat down.

Only then did Jiang Qin realize he had reached seat 41 and awkwardly took his place.

As he sat down, his gaze froze, and he involuntarily furrowed his brow.

“Jiang Qin, long time no see.”

Wang Huiru greeted him, while Chu Siqi sat beside her, her face a mix of emotions.

“Long time no see.”

After responding, Jiang Qin turned to Guo Zihang, only to find him equally surprised, clearly not expecting the two women to be there.

“Let’s go, need to use the restroom.”

“Huh? I don’t need to,” Guo Zihang replied, confused.

Jiang Qin didn’t care, pulling him towards the front of the train: “Even if you don’t, you’re going to try.”

They reached the connecting area of the carriage, leaning in the smoking section, staring at each other.

“You told them?”

Guo Zihang coughed: “Wang Huiru asked me which train I was taking the day before yesterday. I didn’t think much of it and told her.”

“Damn, you can’t specify which carriage for train tickets, right? How could we end up together?” Jiang Qin thought, wondering if he had neglected to consult the almanac before leaving home.

“Actually, it’s normal. People heading to similar destinations are usually arranged in the same carriage. You don’t like Chu Siqi, and she doesn’t bite. Just treat her like a stranger.”

“…”

After pondering, Jiang Qin realized Guo Zihang was right. He was indifferent towards Chu Siqi, so there was no need to avoid her like a mouse evading a cat, letting others think she had deeply hurt him. How embarrassing that would be.

Thus, they returned to their seats, sitting in silence, not uttering a word until the train started moving, the scenery outside rapidly passing by.

Jiang Qin’s suspicion wasn’t unfounded, as Chu Siqi had indeed deliberately engineered this encounter.

Having been blocked on her mobile and QQ by Jiang Qin, and even Wang Huiru’s number was blacklisted, creating this chance encounter through Guo Zihang seemed the only way to see Jiang Qin again.

Of course, she hadn’t anticipated this encounter would be so thorough, with fate placing them face to face.

Chu Siqi was thrilled because she really wanted to see Jiang Qin and talk to him.

She wanted to say, “I won’t test you anymore. I accept your confession. Can we forget the unpleasantness of this period and start anew, from a fresh relationship? I may be a bit willful, but can I just be willful with you from now on? As long as you don’t like Hong Yan and prevent her from gloating in front of me, I can definitely be your girlfriend. I didn’t appreciate your goodness before, thinking it was a given. But when someone else wanted you, I realized how great you are. Being with you is not a loss for me.”

But seeing Jiang Qin’s vacant eyes and his expressionless face, Chu Siqi swallowed her words.

She couldn’t understand why she became timid in front of Jiang Qin.

She, who used to lose her temper easily, had become cautious in front of someone who let her be temperamental.

“Are you all university students? I’m from the University of Science and Technology. What about you?”

The train seating was generally three on the right and two on the left. Jiang Qin was by the window, Guo Zihang in the middle, and a young man sat on the aisle seat, seemingly another university student from Linchuan.

He had been staring at Chu Siqi since boarding and, twenty minutes into the journey, finally couldn’t resist striking up a conversation.

“Linchuan University.”

“University of Science and Technology.”

“Linchuan University.”

“…”

The group responded listlessly, but it didn’t deter the enthusiastic student: “I’m Sun Yanbin. And you?”

“Guo Zihang, we’re schoolmates.”

“And the two ladies?”

Wang Huiru just smiled without speaking, while Chu Siqi ignored him, her gaze fixed on Jiang Qin, who pretended to be asleep. Her lips were pale and bloodless from biting them.

Just then, the train jolted slightly, and Chu Siqi’s phone slid out of her hand. The jolt was minor, and her grip on the phone was firm, but somehow it precisely fell near Jiang Qin’s feet.

Jiang Qin changed his position, continuing his feigned blindness, but then he heard a voice.

“My phone fell. Can you pick it up for me?”

“…”

Chu Siqi and Hong Yan’s ongoing battle had indeed caused her to grow a lot. She was now using such deliberate tactics. However, the well-meaning Sun Yanbin, too eager to help, swiftly picked up the phone, his actions brisk and decisive.

‘Thank you. That’s very kind of you.’ Jiang Qin silently thanked him in his mind and shifted his position again.

“Here’s your phone, miss.”

Chu Siqi, speechless, replied, “Thank you.”

“No problem. How about we add each other on QQ?” Sun Yanbin took out his phone.

Chu Siqi, frustrated, responded, “I don’t use QQ. I use Fetion.”

The good-natured Sun Yanbin laughed awkwardly but quickly changed the subject: “Are you all together?”

As he spoke, everyone turned to Jiang Qin, expecting him to say something. He simply shook his head: “I don’t know them. It’s a coincidence.”

“Oh, I see. Let’s create a group for those of us who travel home together. It’s more convenient and safer to have company on the road.”

Sun Yanbin was quite adept; he knew Chu Siqi was deliberately avoiding him, so he proposed this idea. It was a common practice for university students traveling home to band together, a legitimate reason.

To disguise his real intention, he added Guo Zihang first, appearing very proper.

Unexpectedly, when he tried to add Jiang Qin, he was once again rejected.

“I don’t use QQ.”

“Do you use Fetion too? Is it that popular now?” Sun Yanbin was slightly taken aback.

Jiang Qin half-opened his eyes: “I use carrier pigeons.”

At that moment, Wang Huiru’s phone vibrated. She opened it to find a message from Chu Siqi, asking her to help Sun Yanbin create the group and add Jiang Qin.

She had lost all contact with Jiang Qin and, having engineered this chance encounter, was now hesitant to speak. Her only hope now was Sun Yanbin’s “Travel Home Together” group proposal.

Without pre-settings, adding someone to a group doesn’t require their approval, a feature Chu Siqi was aware of.

Jiang Qin, who didn’t even know how to delete friends, probably hadn’t set this feature.

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