Can following the rules be called rebirth?

Chapter 116, Section 114: The World Flew Over Summer
Barbecue is the sweetheart of midsummer.

Every day after nine o'clock, most of the barbecue restaurants on Beiyuan Street will open a few barbecue stalls.

Tables and chairs were set up outdoors, and a plastic board stood in front of the barbecue grill with prices printed in bright white on a green background.

"What do you want to eat?"

The proprietress, speaking with a strong Jiangcheng accent, greeted the coming and going customers and invited them to sit down.

Zhou Mingyuan and his roommates sat down at this open-air barbecue stall, with ordinary Jinlongquan cigarettes on the table, chatting about games and holding steaming bamboo skewers in their hands.

On the greasy seat next to her, Gu Caiwei's Herbag bag was casually placed.

It wasn't until many years later, when Xiong Yao had a new understanding of money, that he realized that the bag was enough to cover his living expenses for four years of university.

[The other party is typing]

As Gu Caiwei listened to the boys chatting, her phone was open on the table, and she looked at the chat window between her best friend and herself.

The other party typed repeatedly several times, but no message appeared in the dialog box for a long time.

"What are you looking at?"

The man next to her nudged her with his elbow.

"Oh, it's nothing."

Gu Caiwei lowered her eyes, judging that her best friend probably wouldn't reply, and locked the screen with a "xiu" sound, smiling gently.

"Little Lychee said she was hungry, and you went out for a late-night snack without even asking her if she wanted to come along?"

"Yes, I asked."

Zhou Mingyuan shrugged, looking innocent, and glanced at his roommates who were enjoying their meal. He then leaned close to Gu Caiwei's ear and whispered something.

"I told her I wanted to invite my roommate too, and she..."

"That's right, she definitely wouldn't come to an event like this."

Gu Caiwei nodded.

Li Zhi was by nature aloof and unwilling to interact with strangers.

In contrast, Gu Caiwei is a social butterfly; her dimples make her smile universally appealing, making her incredibly charming and sociable.

The moment Zhou Mingyuan stepped into the Relief Cafe, she recognized his three roommates behind him and waved to greet them.

Since she hadn't had dinner yet, she naturally accepted the second boss's kind invitation.

Even at a dinner table with four men and one woman, she frequently made witty remarks, smiled and chatted, and was able to respond to conversations, throw out jokes and make fun of others, without feeling awkward or having an awkward silence.

On the contrary, Cai Zhipeng, Xiong Yao, and Yu Feiyang, who usually pontificate and write passionately, all seemed a bit reserved when dining with Gu Caiwei.

His restraint was visible to the naked eye.

Her stunning beauty was like a weapon, and even Cai Zhipeng, who considered himself to have seen countless people, was often struck by her beauty, standing there stunned for a few seconds, as if he had been stunned on the spot by Medusa's ultimate move.

Gu Caiwei has a small head and face, with a superior skull that covers her face. Her bone structure is well-proportioned, her skin and flesh are well-fitting, and her brown hair is thick and dense.

Her skin was so white it was dazzling. When she was with ordinary people, it seemed as if even the moonlight favored her, casting a filter on her and making her appear surrounded by soft light.

Sitting opposite this beauty from the neighboring school at an open-air barbecue stall, looking around the entire Beiyuan Street, she was so beautiful that she was on a completely different level from everyone else.

"Hey Zhou, can I gossip a bit?"

After a few glasses of ice-cold beer, Cai Zhipeng, the traditionally wealthy man, finally regained some of his cheerfulness in the harmonious atmosphere.

"Ok?"

"You and this Boss Gu"

"Gu Caiwei".

The brown-haired girl giggled and interjected three words at the opportune moment.

"We were just talking about how we're all freshmen, so how did you and Gu Caiwei meet?"

"It feels quite amazing that we were able to trust each other and do business together in such a short time."

Not only Cai Zhipeng, but his two other roommates also couldn't contain their curiosity.

Zhou Mingyuan is surrounded by top-quality beauties!

Students from Nanhu University can understand, and the senior student's situation is also somewhat reasonable.

But how could he extend his reach to the school next door?

"this one"

Just as Zhou Mingyuan was about to say something, he turned his head to glance at the girl beside him, then looked away and said lazily.

"We were introduced by her best friend."

"."

What the hell!

Best friend?

introduce?

That's a statement that's very easy to misinterpret.

Cai Zhipeng's eyes widened, and he quickly exchanged glances with his two roommates. He subconsciously swallowed, unsure how to respond to such juicy gossip.

"What?! Don't talk nonsense!"

Gu Caiwei put down the iron skewer in her hand, pursed her cherry lips, and corrected him.

"The 'best friend' he mentioned is another owner of our store, the one who helped us move today!"

“Zhou Mingyuan and she interned at the court together before, and I often picked her up, that’s how we got to know each other.”

"What should we call him? Like-minded, right? The introduction sounds weird. When you get back, make sure Zhou Mingyuan studies Chinese properly and doesn't keep skipping classes."

After saying that, the brown-haired girl gently kicked the man next to her with her calf, her bright eyes full of reproach.

He just loves to talk nonsense!

"Wow"

"I didn't know there were such good things about interning at the court."

"How romantic!"

The three brothers, one after another, expressed their envy.

Everyone started chatting, sharing interesting things that happened at their respective schools. As a local, Cai Zhipeng actively shared the local customs and culture of Jiangcheng, and the young people quickly became friends, laughing and joking together.

"Old Zhou, let's go rank up first! Finish your tasks first."

After eating and drinking their fill, Cai Zhipeng was the first to stand up and, together with his two roommates, said goodbye to Zhou and Gu with a smile.

"Okay, okay, I'll be right there."

Zhou Mingyuan waved to his roommates who were eager to get online.

The task at hand, of course, was to safely escort Gu Caiwei back to her residence.

The area opposite the stall was empty, with only Gu Caiwei and Zhou Mingyuan remaining.

Do I look good today?

The brown-haired girl tidied her hair, bent over and pulled the plastic chair away, biting her lip as she spoke.

"Okay."

Zhou Mingyuan paused for a moment, then glanced at her.

"You've been secretly watching me ever since you sat down at this table."

"Oh, it seems you've been watching me quite a bit."

The man, not wanting to back down, continued speaking before Gu Caiwei could reply.

"I just think you have a really great personality."

"where?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

Zhou Mingyuan spread his hands and smiled slightly: "She wouldn't come to this kind of occasion."

"Not only are you willing to come, but you can also happily blend into the atmosphere of our group of big boys without being reserved at all."

"You can talk about games, keep up with conversations, and even chime in when introducing someone to a girlfriend."

As the man spoke, he suddenly started laughing.

"I'm starting to understand what she said now."

"Which one?"

Gu Caiwei squinted her beautiful peach blossom eyes, resting her chin on the back of her hand.

The pronoun "she" he used was, of course, self-evident.

"Little Lychee said that the boys who like you could line up along Huaihai Road and fill two streets of the Bund."

"Did she really say that?"

Gu Caiwei's long eyelashes fluttered a few times, she paused for a moment, and then chuckled softly.

"You actually believe that it's just girls flattering each other?"

"I believe it."

“I didn’t believe it as much before, but now I really do.”

The man, however, was not his usual jovial self; he looked serious.

Do you know how far it is from Huaihai Road to the Bund?

Gu Caiwei frowned at him, and confirmed in disbelief, "It takes forty minutes to get here by subway."

"So what?"

Zhou Mingyuan met her gaze calmly.

"Not only do you have a face that's never lost, but your personality is the ideal type that 99% of boys dream of." "."

Gu Caiwei remained silent for a long time. When she looked up, their eyes met, and she saw his gaze fixed on her calmly and directly.

Seeing her staring blankly at him, Zhou Mingyuan smiled, revealing his white teeth.

His expression was extremely convincing.

"Come on, 99%? You just spout off whatever comes to mind. You're not reliable at all."

Gu Caiwei lowered her head and took a bite of the chicken wing, chewing it slowly. She unconsciously squinted her eyes, the heat long since dissipated in the evening breeze.

After a few seconds of pause, she couldn't help but say, "I think personality is a subjective thing, and there's no such thing as superior or inferior."

"Introverted girls can be very charming too!"

"Uh-huh."

The man nodded with a smile, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

"correct."

"I didn't say that other people have bad personalities."

"99% means there's still a 1% chance that they don't like you."

"what."

Gu Caiwei put down the skewers, tapping her fingers on the table intermittently, and asked curiously.

"I'm 99%, so how much is Xiao Lizhi?"

"100 percent."

Zhou Mingyuan was resolute.

".What?"

Gu Caiwei's eyes widened in surprise, completely unexpected. Her watery pupils were filled with astonishment.

"why?"

"Because men can't resist contrast."

Zhou Mingyuan grinned, looking earnest: "Take a look and learn from me, little sister."

"Cold and aloof to strangers, yet passionate and open with her heart to her sweetheart—who wouldn't like a girl like that?"

"The idea that all beings are equal is attractive, but over time it can easily make you feel insecure."

"Hey!"

Gu Caiwei wiped her mouth angrily, then hesitated to speak.

"Learn my ass! What kind of twisted logic is that!"

Before she could think of a rebuttal, their conversation was quickly interrupted by a WeChat vibration.

The brown-haired girl glanced at the caller ID, pointed to her phone to indicate that she needed to take a call, and Zhou Mingyuan waved for her to hurry up.

The call was from Li Zhi.

"Yes, baby~"

"Mmm. It's okay, it's okay, no need to answer, I'll be back soon."

"You haven't eaten anything yet? Be careful not to get a stomachache."

"Okay, okay, I won't go back to the dorm tonight. I'll bring you something to eat on the way."

"Bye-Bye!"

Gu Caiwei hung up the phone, turned around, and her gaze fell on Zhou Mingyuan not far away.

I saw him facing away from me, having just paid the bill. He was shaking his phone screen and talking to the waiter, his mouth opening and closing.

Noticing her gaze, the man turned his head, and his smile became even brighter as he looked at himself.

"You're going to bring her something to eat back home, right?"

"Yes, you ordered from the boss?"

"I knew it was her calling. I invited her out for a late-night snack, but she was being stubborn and wouldn't come. In the end, she had someone else bring it."

Zhou Mingyuan pouted and muttered, "Ha, women."

"What kind of tone is that? Isn't he exactly your ideal type?"

Gu Caiwei's gaze remained fixed on the man, her eyes crinkling as she pressed for an answer.

"You actually believe that kind of flattery between dining buddies?"

The man rolled his eyes at her and responded casually.

"Fool."

"Okay, okay, okay~"

Gu Caiwei's lips unconsciously curved upwards, her expression softening as she gestured to him, "I can't tell which of your words are true."

"I'll never believe you again."

"believe it or not."

Zhou Mingyuan grinned.

"Come on, finish the last of the wine."

"cheers!"

They clinked glasses, clinked glasses again, and clinked glasses once more, taking a bite of grilled skewers, a sip of wine, and a grumble.

Soon a batch of fresh kebabs was packed into bags, and the two happily picked them up and headed towards their destination, Shanshui Huating.

After passing through several streets from Beiyuan, you'll reach Shanshui Huating.

The residential areas around the school are not far away on foot, about a ten-minute walk from the barbecue stalls.

A full moon hangs in the sky, its light shining on the dense buildings of the residential area.

The night wind was cool, and his body heat was close to hers.

After wandering around for a while, I stopped in front of Building A2. The unit door was half closed, and there were sparse, bright yellow lights above it.

Zhou Mingyuan looked up at the building number and asked her, "Have we arrived?"

Gu Caiwei hummed in agreement.

Standing still, she said to him, "We've arrived."

He didn't move an inch.

Looking down at her, his eyes, glistening with the effects of the alcohol, were still clear despite being watery. A faint smile played on his lips as he complimented her, "Your alcohol tolerance is not bad."

Gu Caiwei's cheeks flushed. She quickly glanced at him, patted her face, and said, "It's alright, I'm still a little tipsy."

He nodded.

Her gaze passed over his shoulder; she neither moved nor spoke.

The two of them stood at the entrance of the building, neither willing to make the first move.

The neighborhood is quiet right now, with no familiar faces around and no bright streetlights; everything is shrouded in shadow.

A gentle night breeze blew by, and Gu Caiwei's cheeks flushed slightly as she wondered why the man hadn't gone home yet.

Just as she was hesitating, Zhou Mingyuan nudged her elbow and blurted out a sentence.

"Hey."

The voice was gentle and soft, with a drawn-out ending, and the way it was called sounded somewhat familiar.

"what?"

"What I just said is actually true."

"Which one?"

"Guess the description of the number yourself, bye~"

The man narrowed his eyes, took a half step back, turned around, and strode away.

"Have you been drinking?"

The moment she opened the door, Li Zhi jumped up from the sofa and carefully examined her best friend in front of her.

The other person was carrying a tote bag filled with delicious late-night snacks, but the short-haired girl had no appetite and was preoccupied with asking questions.

"Just a little bit~"

Gu Caiwei narrowed her eyes, pinching her thumb and forefinger together: "Just a little bit."

"You really do drink with so many guys you don't even know well, without thinking about protecting yourself at all."

Li Zhi frowned and asked with concern.

"Okay, okay, there's a colleague here, and we're pretty familiar with each other!"

The brown-haired girl changed into slippers, put her arm around Li Zhi's slender waist, pushed her towards the dining table, and started to act coquettishly.

"Go eat something, it'll get cold soon."

After having a late-night snack, Li Zhi, who had been busy all day, was exhausted and fell asleep early.

Gu Caiwei tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. She turned on the small lamp, tiptoed out the notebook hidden deep in the cabinet, and twirled the pen in her hand.

This page was not pasted, nor did it have any strange colored markings.

She bit her lip and gently wrote down a line of text.

-2014.10.22
The moonlight was intense.
Life goes on as usual
Human warmth and smoke obscure the arc of clouds
I remember when I was eighteen.
From Huaihai Road to the Bund

The world has flown through 99% of summers.

(End of this chapter)