Can following the rules be called rebirth?

Chapter 325, Section 323: Who is the Contrast?
At midnight, the moonlight hid behind the clouds, reluctant to emerge.

As winter grows colder, the Poly Garden residential community near Nanhu remains warm and spring-like.

Li Zhi had just finished her final exam review. She closed her laptop, took off her clothes, and threw them into the laundry basket.

She stood up, tidied her short hair behind her ears, and walked into the bathroom wearing only her underwear.

He bent over, the bathtub filled with water, but then felt something was missing to enhance the experience, so he simply swaggered to the other end of the living room.

I opened the tall refrigerator door, took out a bottle of craft beer, popped it open with a "bang," and chugged it down my throat.

The cold air hit my trachea from my throat.

Chilly.

The short-haired girl caught a glimpse of her reflection in the living room's full-length mirror out of the corner of her eye, stopped, and stared straight into it.

In the picture, her collarbone is clearly visible, her skin is snow-white, and her striking features exude a powerful aura. Even without makeup, she looks like a Hong Kong star, just by looking at the area above her neck.

But looking further down reveals a stark contrast.

The lingerie is a very girlish style, with a white pure cotton bra and panties, and the edges are decorated with subtle lace trim.

Innocence and sexiness are opposing yet unified concepts.

Boom!
The empty can flew in an arc through the air before being tossed into a trash can a few meters away by the girl.

unhappy.

It was supposed to be a joyous New Year of 2015, with lively celebrations everywhere. Her mother allowed her to live alone, and she even bought a new house and a bunch of new clothes at the mall, but Li Zhi was still not very happy.

I can't feel happy.

During the three-day New Year's Day holiday, she wore a mask the entire time, forcing a smile to face herself.

She was having a good time in the shop, but as soon as she heard that Zhou Mingyuan was coming back in the afternoon, she immediately made an excuse to slip away.

What are they hiding from?

Are you afraid to see him?

Li Zhi herself couldn't explain it clearly.

However, after a long talk with my best friend who is as close as a sister, I can no longer pretend to be an ostrich and turn a blind eye to many things, right?
Gu Caiwei readily admitted it.

She admitted that she had fallen for Zhou Mingyuan.

So what happens next?
As the saying goes, it's easy for a woman to pursue a man, let alone a beauty like Gu Caiwei.

Vivi likes him.

Does he like Weiwei?

If they're separated by a thin veil, they should be together soon, right?
Ever since accidentally discovering the secret in Gu Caiwei's notebook at Shanshui Huating, Li Zhi has been in a state of turmoil more than once.

These childlike questions constantly lingered in the mind of the short-haired girl.

As a result, she was never happy.

call.
Li Zhi tilted her head back and emptied a small can of IPA cleanly and efficiently. She then nestled into the sofa and unlocked her phone.

That's right.

When you can't figure things out, there are good things like alcohol and information overload that you can use to numb yourself and distract yourself.

I found that Haidilao's nail service is pretty good! Look at my polished nails!

【image】

Just then, a message from a few minutes earlier popped up.

It was Gu Caiwei who posted it in the Fruit Princess WeChat group, and she even tagged herself in it.

Just as the short-haired girl was about to click to view the larger image, another message popped up.

【image】

【image】

The photos show Gu Caiwei, captured by Zhou Mingyuan from different angles.

[You took another unflattering photo of me. Are you kidding me?!]

[It looks really good~]

Below are also Zhou Mingyuan's emojis and jokes.

She said it was an unflattering photo, but actually my best friend looks good from every angle.

It's so beautiful it's beyond reproach.

Looks like they went to Haidilao for hot pot.
Li Zhi didn't speak in the group chat. Instead, she quietly zoomed in on the photos the two of them had left in the group, searching for details she hadn't noticed before, analyzing them frame by frame.

Haidilao also offers manicures.

Gu Caiwei, you idiot, you don't even need a best friend to get your nails done?
For some reason, even though Li Zhi was fully aware of what was about to happen today, she still couldn't help but feel angry.

That's perfectly normal.

Zhou Mingyuan was originally the two sisters' dining buddy.

This is also the original meaning behind the Fruit Princess group chat.

Weiwei and he had been busy at the store all day, so it was only natural for them to have dinner together in the evening.

If I don't hide at home, the two-person hot pot meal will definitely become a three-person meal.

The excitement also belongs to me.

thump.

The sound of a heavy object hitting the carpet foreshadows that emotions ultimately cannot deceive oneself.

Li Zhi tossed her phone aside, but luckily her mother's newly bought wool rug was big and thick enough to withstand her little tantrum.

After standing there in a daze for a full half minute, Li Zhi finally picked up her phone again, barefoot.

Ok.

Calm down.

She took a deep breath and unlocked her phone again.

What's the big deal about having a meal?
It's not an official announcement, it's not a confession, and it's not any of that random stuff I don't want to see.

It's just a meal.

What's there to be unhappy about?

The short-haired girl clenched her teeth, her face expressionless; thankfully, she was alone at home.

No one could see her strange side.

After thinking it over, she opened WeChat with practiced ease, found the contact named Zhou Mingyuan, and then long-pressed on it.

Remove WeChat from top pin.

Um.
Don't look at him.

Why not just ignore him?
At the same time, she also did the same thing to the Fruit Princess WeChat group, unpinning it from the top.

Can't I just not look at you guys?

Li Zhi even drew a clear line for herself.

The day the two officially announce their relationship will be the day I leave the three-person group chat.

Perhaps by then, Zhou Mingyuan will no longer be her dining companion.

The short-haired girl gave a wry smile, suddenly feeling that the empty living room was a bit quiet.

So she stood up, connected to her Bluetooth speaker, opened her NetEase Cloud Music interface, and selected daily random recommendations.

Let's listen to some music.

Music is a remedy for emotions; listening to songs can improve one's mood.

A few seconds later, a deep, resonant mezzo-soprano voice rang out in the living room.

"If I hadn't given in back then, would I still be stuck in the same place today?"

This is Rene Liu's "Accomplishment".

Everyone knows Lin Youjia's super popular cover version, but few people actually listen to the original.

Li Zhi lowered her eyes, sank back into the sofa, her attention and mind blank, everything gone.

Emotions bubbled and sank into the unfathomable depths of the sea.

"One person's sacrifice is better than three people's entanglement."

Her fingertips tapped lightly to the melody unconsciously as she relaxed her body and lay back on the cushions.

next second.

The meaning of the lyrics transforms into a delayed lightning bolt, suddenly striking the depths of consciousness.

The humming stopped abruptly, as if an invisible hand had choked it.

Wait! What was she singing just now?
As if burned, Li Zhi sat up abruptly, walked a few steps to the Bluetooth speaker, and almost angrily pressed the shut-off button, cutting off the lingering intimacy that was still trying to permeate the air.

I rely on!

What does this mean?
Who is this song alluding to?
Are daily recommendations any good?
What a garbage algorithm!

Who is making this possible? Who is making this possible?

A feeling of irritability, like a swarm of ants, instantly filled my heart.

The living room was deathly silent.

Li Zhi sank deeply into the soft sofa, as if she wanted to hide herself completely.

It felt like an eternity, or perhaps only five or six minutes, before those turbulent emotions were barely suppressed.

As a rigorously trained legal professional, she believes her greatest strength lies in forcibly stripping away emotional interference and returning to the level of facts and logic.

She got up, took out a glass, and slowly brewed herself a cup of green tea.

The last bag of green tea in the house.

My gaze followed the rising and constantly breaking wisps of water vapor.

Let's return to reality and analyze the current situation.

In the foreseeable future, Gu Caiwei and Zhou Mingyuan will definitely grow closer.

This is bound to happen.

But will they end up together?
Hard to say.

Li Zhi was well aware of one fact.

From having feelings for each other to being ambiguous with each other, and then from being ambiguous to establishing a relationship, these are two completely different thresholds.

Gu Caiwei's thoughts were obvious, but whether his attitude was equally clear was still uncertain.

However.
With a girl like Gu Caiwei, and after spending so much time together, how many men in this world could resist her charm?
Good looks, emotional intelligence, intellectual ability, family background, and a sensitive nature.

Vivi is practically a perfect all-rounder, the ultimate dream type for countless young men.

The more you get to know her, the more you realize how wonderful she is—almost perfect, beyond reproach.

Even though Li Zhi was also a girl, she could only accept her fate.

If she were Zhou Mingyuan, she would probably be just as helpless against Gu Caiwei.

To win over Zhou Mingyuan, Gu Caiwei might only need to gently raise her hand, push open the gauze window, and reveal a little bit of her affection.

A little availability is fine.

"Forget it."

After much deduction, Li Zhi simply gave up on the reasoning altogether.

What's there to think about?

It's obvious to anyone that if two people are in love, the next step is to get married.

As Weiwei's best friend, who is as close as a sister, it seems that all I can do is offer my blessings.

I occasionally bump into couples on the campus of the University of Finance and Economics and even the South Lake campus, and I smile and wave to them, witnessing their daily sweetness.

This must be what I'll be like in the future, right?

To know.

Weiwei is taller than me, has bigger breasts, a perkier bottom, a more cheerful and outgoing personality, and even a sweeter voice!
Not to mention, she is also adept at using coquetry at just the right time.

Her naturally captivating peach blossom eyes are mesmerizing, able to mesmerize people at first glance.

"I must say, Weiwei and him look really well-matched."

Li Zhi walked barefoot to the vicinity of the table.

The photo frame in the corner contains a group photo of the three of them that Gu Caiwei specially developed.

"I wish I hadn't chosen this photo to bring back."

The short-haired girl talked to herself, her voice melting into the living room.

She felt somewhat out of place.

A few seconds later, Li Zhi found a way to deceive herself.

She raised her finger and slowly covered herself in the photo.

"."

From an objective point of view, Weiwei and herself are like opposite poles of a magnet.

Vivi is a real little sun; anyone who's with her will be happy.

But what about yourself?

She has a cold personality and isn't liked by most people; she's just an ordinary girl with no redeeming qualities other than her decent-looking face.

Even a fool could choose his favorite type.

Then this person should rightfully be Gu Caiwei!
For some reason, when she and her best friend were on the same starting line, Li Zhi would always fall into deep self-doubt.

wait
its not right.

Li Zhi suddenly froze.

Weren't we just going to wish them well?

How did my thoughts wander off course again?

They're a match made in heaven; I can only offer my blessings and not overthink it.

That's really strange.

Li Zhi shook her head vigorously, a self-deprecating bitter smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, trying to completely banish this absurd and contradictory emotion from her mind.

She habitually picked up her phone, swiped her finger across the screen, and tapped the familiar Weibo icon.

Homepage refreshed.

The pinned post, from Vivian, was published 23 minutes ago.

There were no pictures, only a single line of concise text, yet in the late-night information stream, it was like a deep-water bomb dropped into an ancient well.

Today I learned a new term and understood the ultimate charm of contrast.

[P.S.: Turns out, some people really do like contrasts!]

Li Zhi's fingertips, which were swiping across the screen, suddenly froze.

My heart felt as if it had been clenched tightly by an invisible hand, then suddenly released, leaving a hollow and violent echo.

"Contrast?"

This word, like a precise bolt of lightning, cleaved through the carefully constructed defenses in her heart.

Her gaze was fixed on those few lines of text, but her mind was like a lake with a boulder thrown in, turbulent and unable to calm down.

This huge difference between her inner and outer self has always been a secret she thought she had hidden very well.

Who is the contrast?

Based on my understanding of Gu Caiwei, this word actually has absolutely nothing to do with her.

On the contrary, this adjective was used by Zhou Mingyuan to describe himself many, many times.

They themselves enjoyed it immensely.

What she couldn't understand the most was the second half of the sentence.

Who is this "someone" referring to?
Wasn't Weiwei with Zhou Mingyuan today?

Was it Zhou Mingyuan who said it to her?

still is
A terrifying thought began to grow wildly, like a vine.

Who are you talking about?
Li Zhi remained motionless, pondering the question for several minutes before finally entering the bathroom.

Poly Garden is a high-end residential community, and the bathrooms are mostly decorated in a similar, exquisite style.

The entire south wall is covered with imported Italian mirror-finish waterproof special wallpaper, and the marble vanity is mounted on the wainscoting of the mirror-finish wallpaper.

In terms of effect, it is actually a huge mirror that can reflect everything in the entire bathroom onto the wall without missing a single detail.

Functionally, it can certainly be used as a wash mirror or a dressing mirror.

Of course, the most wonderful aspect, which goes without saying, is that no matter what the homeowner is doing in this bathroom—whether under the shower or in the bathtub—they can turn around and see themselves in the mirror.
A Bluetooth speaker is playing Cantonese love songs, and the bathtub is filled with rose petals.

The cool marble floor is always filled with a fruity fragrance, the acrylic bathtub has a constant hot water temperature 24 hours a day, there are blooming flowers, and a soft, top-quality mattress.

And, as soon as you open the door, you can see the scenery of Nanhu Industrial Park.

This is her utopia.

Li Zhi immersed herself in the hot water, let out a soft sigh, hugged her knees, and squinted her eyes.

(End of this chapter)