Can following the rules be called rebirth?

Chapter 121, Page 119: "A very nice person" versus "Just so-so"

After entering the workforce, knowing how to have a meal with a girl is an art, and choosing the right place is of utmost importance.

First, you need to get rid of the idea that you can only go to high-end restaurants; making every meal a grand affair will only have the opposite effect.

In places where the average cost of living is high, it's inevitable that two people sitting reservedly across a table will feel distant.

Secondly, it shouldn't be a chain store, as they are ubiquitous in commercial districts, which suggests a lack of in-depth thinking and distinctiveness.

On the contrary, little-known restaurants in secluded alleys and courtyards often lead to unexpected delights and leave unique and wonderful memories between people of the opposite sex.

Or it could be a seemingly inconspicuous roadside stall with a unique charm, simple yet deeply appealing.

However, these intricacies are completely negligible during the naive and ignorant college years.

Some girls are already happy even if they eat in the cafeteria.

At the entrance of the third canteen of Nanhu University, Zhou Ming was quite a distance away when he spotted Zhong Yujun standing in the sunlight, waving at him on tiptoe.

"This way, this way!"

Bai Yueguang had just finished her tennis lesson, and her hairstyle was still a neat and tidy high ponytail, with a few strands of hair casually falling on both sides of her face.

Few freshmen wear makeup during PE class, and Zhong Yujun was no exception. Her bright eyes were unadorned, and her eyelashes were naturally thick.

She was wearing a white tennis outfit, a loose-fitting hooded sweatshirt, the soft fabric of which hugged her skin, making her look comfortable and casual.

Looking down, there's a pair of matching athletic shorts, just above the upper thigh, showing off the girl's long legs in black sneakers without reservation.

Bathed in sunlight, she looked incredibly youthful.

Zhong Yujun standing at the entrance of the cafeteria would undoubtedly catch the eye of every boy who passed by.

Amidst the envious gazes of the surrounding boys, Zhou Mingyuan smiled and waved to her, then walked away from his roommates who had come with him, and entered the cafeteria side by side with Zhong Yujun.

Whether it's faculty or students, the process for meals is basically the same.

First, use your backpack to reserve a spot, then queue up to swipe your card and collect your meal.

It's around noon now, which is lunchtime at Nanhu University.

The spacious hall of the cafeteria was filled with hundreds of tables and chairs, all occupied by young college students.

It took Zhong Yujun and Zhou Mingyuan a few minutes to find a table in a corner, set out the food, and sit facing each other.

I've noticed your taste in the food you've been ordering lately.

The girl handed over a pair of chopsticks, glanced around at the small bowls of food on the table, and smiled, her lips curving into a crescent moon.

"how?"

Zhou Mingyuan raised an eyebrow.

"It's becoming more and more like me."

Zhong Yujun pursed her lips, her tone carrying a barely perceptible hint of joy.

"This dish, and this one, are things I like to eat but didn't get."

She pointed to Zhou Mingyuan.

Ever since the two started meeting at the cafeteria, Zhong Yujun has been surprised to find that he always manages to choose his favorite dishes whenever they pick up their food from different food areas.

"Uh"

Zhou Mingyuan opened the small bottle of soda in front of him, paused for a few seconds, and then smiled as he continued the sentence.

Is it possible that I knew what you liked to eat a long time ago?

"what?"

Zhong Yujun blinked, picked up a small piece of beef with her chopsticks, dropped it into the man's bowl, and asked again.

"how do you know?"

"Because I sat behind you when I was in the first year of high school."

Zhou Mingyuan shrugged, looked over, and his eyes were full of emotion, as if he were reminiscing.

"Back then, many people envied my position, you probably didn't know that, did you?"

"All the boys in the class would secretly look at you, but I just happened to have the perfect timing and location."

"Even though it's only for one semester."

That's right, the seating arrangement in most high schools is not fixed and remains unchanged.

In the first year of high school, seating was still assigned according to height. The tall Zhong Yujun sat in a seat towards the back, right next to Zhou Mingyuan.

When the semester ended, everyone was shuffled according to their exam scores, and the seating arrangement became a rotating process.

Although the two of them barely spoke to each other throughout the entire semester, he only knew that the person in front of him was good-looking.

Strange boys' faces were always pressed against the windowpane, in groups, just to see her.

On the school's online forum, everyone was vying to confess their feelings to her—Zhong Yujun, a name that resonated far and wide.

In this context, Zhou Mingyuan gradually remembered some moments of Zhong Yujun.

Subtle and gradual, without one's control.

For example, she habitually bites her lip when thinking about problems, and her family prepares lunchboxes for her in advance at noon.

And many of her profile pictures.

A fair profile as she sits at her desk writing papers every day; a furrowed brow as she looks up during breaks when disturbed by noise; a happy profile surrounded by friends, chatting and laughing all the way.
Occasionally, she would pass by her desk, sometimes glancing at him unintentionally before looking away, and sometimes her gaze would not linger.

At that moment, I felt like I was transparent.

The boy version of Zhou Mingyuan would have a blank expression, head down, grip the pen tightly until his fingertips turned white, then look down again, his thoughts on the exam paper becoming increasingly agitated.

He was a first-year high school student who couldn't understand his own emotions.

It wasn't until he matured that Zhou Mingyuan suddenly understood all of this.

Every boy has secretly hoped that the girl he secretly admires would give him a second glance.

Even just one glance.

"Tsk tsk tsk, back then my mom would bring me a few dishes in my lunchbox every week, and you actually remembered that for so many years?"

"You're really thoughtful."

Zhong Yujun's voice softened, and her gaze became gentle.

The other person's story sounded unremarkable, but for some reason, she felt inexplicably happy.

My heart felt as if it were enveloped by a sudden warm current, floating and sinking in the liquid.

"Oh right, I forgot to ask you because I saw you were so busy with your new store opening last time."

The girl ate her food in small bites and then moved on to the next topic.

"Ok?"

"I'm really curious about your business partner. How did he end up doing business with someone at the school next door?"

Zhong Yujun grabbed the entire tissue and casually wiped her mouth, as if asking a casual question.

"Oh, you're asking about that? That goes back to when I was interning at the court."

This isn't the first time I've answered this kind of question.

Even his roommates had been curious about it, so Zhou Mingyuan naturally handled it with ease.

His intern partner, Li Zhi, became the perfect stepping stone and shield, making his integration into the group of female students at the University of Finance and Economics seem so reasonable.

"So that's how we met, it was a coincidence, I guess."

"It's quite a coincidence indeed."

Zhong Yujun picked up the conversation: "She was actually my roommate's classmate in the class next to mine in high school."

"I heard from Zhao Xue that she's a little rich girl; she drove a sports car to school when she was just a freshman."

"And she's so good-looking."

At this point, the girl narrowed her eyes, her tone subtle.

"Is it really that good-looking?" Before he could finish the second half of his sentence, Zhou Mingyuan immediately interrupted him with a smile.

"I have face blindness, so my thoughts might be different from yours."

Staring at the expression in Zhong Yujun's eyes, the man added casually.

"Don't say she can't compare to a tall, long-legged beauty like you. If we have to compare, I think her best friend is prettier."

"."

Zhong Yujun blinked, completely surprised that the other person would say that.

"Best friend?"

"The short-haired girl at the front desk?"

"Yes, she's the one I just mentioned. She interned at the court with me and is also a minor shareholder of the coffee shop, so she's practically the owner."

Zhou Mingyuan nodded.

The most advanced skill when faced with a deadly question is certainly not to give a well-known answer.

For example, at this point, any man who knows how to assess the situation would probably make a choice between the two options.

Opening up and pulling down.

Choosing the passing answer, "You are prettier than Gu Caiwei," successfully passed the life-or-death question.

However, this can only be considered a middle-ground strategy and cannot effectively move the girl's emotions.

Instead of doing the opposite, place the other party in a higher dimension, filter out a comparison framework, and then bring in a third person, Li Zhi, to attract attention.

He not only resolved the potentially fatal situation, but also subtly conveyed his attitude to Zhong Yujun.

It is objective, true, and reasonable.

Gu Caiwei is pretty, but Li Zhi is even prettier. And what about myself?

In Zhou Mingyuan's eyes, there was no need to compare himself with them at all!

".Fine."

Zhong Yujun gently bit her lip, and most of her curiosity dissipated.

"Alright, let's not talk about that anymore. The welcome party rehearsals should be starting soon, right?"

At this moment, Zhou Mingyuan skillfully steered the conversation to another topic.

"You're probably going to be quite busy as the host."

"Yup!"

Zhong Yujun nodded as expected, and said with a helpless look, "Rehearsals will start tomorrow!"

"Speechless. Many colleges haven't even finalized their program lists yet, so I don't know what they're even rehearsing for."

"But I found that Senior Du Jianuo is quite nice. Working with her as a co-host shouldn't be too stressful."

Speaking of the welcome party, Bai Yueguang launched into a barrage of complaints.

What's so good about her?

Zhou Mingyuan asked with a smile.

"Last time at your coffee shop! She was so enthusiastic. Even though we didn't know each other at all, she happily came over to help take photos, helped us pose, adjusted the angles, and taught us how to edit the photos. She was super patient."

Zhong Yujun's ears turned slightly red as she rested her chin on her hand and continued speaking.

"The photos my senior took for me have so many likes."

"In short, he's a good person."

"So if you put it that way..."

Zhou Mingyuan couldn't help but laugh: "Gu Caiwei also took a group photo for you. What's she like?"

"Her... she's just average."

Zhong Yujun hesitated for a few seconds before giving a completely different evaluation.

"that's it."

"The customer is king. Isn't it normal for the boss to come over and help take some photos?"

"How can you compare to my senior? She has so many fans! She's so popular! And she's so down-to-earth."

As she was talking, she simply put down her chopsticks, snorted coldly, and glared at Zhou Mingyuan.

"Can this be the same?"

"Okay, okay, it's different, it's different."

Zhou Mingyuan grinned, saw that the tissue box was empty, got up and grabbed a pack from the table next to him, and handed it over.

"You just said that many colleges haven't submitted their program lists yet, these should be available soon."

"My counselor put pressure on me today."

"They said that the MCN company next door signed up for a lot of programs, which solved the problem of having no one to use for the college. They also asked me to take the initiative and put on a program at the gala."

"you?"

Zhong Yujun stared wide-eyed and turned her head to look at him curiously.

"So, besides dancing, you're asking me to put on another performance, senior?"

She also knew that the legendary Jieyou Media currently only had Du Jianuo as a signed member.

How can they compare to Jiayuan Media's effective promotion, which has amassed dozens of beauties in just one month?
"Not necessarily."

The man shrugged, adopting a posture of giving up.

"We definitely can't count on Nuonuo. She has to host and lead the dance group; she's really not capable."

"Why don't you do it yourself?"

Zhong Yujun looked at him with a half-smile for a while, then pursed her lips and teased him.

"To be honest, after being classmates with you for so many years, I never discovered that you have any special talents."

"Oh no, no, no, if I had to say, it would be a little bit."

"have what?"

Zhou Mingyuan chuckled upon hearing this.

"The barbecue was amazing! And the singing was alright too."

Sunlight reflected through the windowpanes into the cafeteria. Zhong Yujun squinted, smiling as she drifted into memories.

"Such a high rating!"

"How about we go up on stage and sing a song together, like we do at karaoke?"

Zhou Mingyuan looked at her, a small smile curving his lips, his eyes hazy yet clear in the sunlight, and he asked tentatively with a smile.

No, no, no.

Zhong Yujun's eyes lit up at first, then she realized what she meant and shook her head.

"It's one thing to make a fool of yourself in your own little circle, but if you're not good enough and force yourself to go on stage, that's just making a laughing stock of yourself."

"I'd be grateful if the hosting went smoothly; singing was truly beyond my capabilities."

The girl raised her hands behind her head, retied her ponytail, and sat up straight.

"Okay, I can understand that hosts have an image to maintain."

The man twitched the corners of his mouth and spoke with a slight smile and a narrowing of his eyes.

"Then... watch my performance?"

"Watch your performance."

Zhong Yujun stood up, put her schoolbag over her shoulder, and smiled brightly.

(End of this chapter)