Can following the rules be called rebirth?

Chapter 64, Section 63: Getting a Little Closer
On a clear evening after the rain, breathing in the air is simply a pleasure.

The two walked along the pebbly path, their steps uneven, with the vast South Lake stretching out in the distance, its waters shimmering.

"Would you like some milk tea?"

Zhong Yujun, her high ponytail swaying, turned her head and pointed to the milk tea shop a hundred meters away.

"Mmm, I'd like a medium jasmine milk green tea."

Zhou Mingyuan nodded, but didn't stand on ceremony with her.

Speaking of which, the little changes in Zhong Yujun are easy to earn her points in people's hearts.

She believes in doing things herself and doesn't have the delicate, girlish demeanor of some young women.

Normally, she never lets boys fetch water for her. It's even said that Zhong Yuyun, who is tall and has long legs, always changes the bottled water in dormitory 203 herself.

In fact, Zhou Mingyuan's remarks on the bus before the start of the school year did indeed make her think deeply.

"Here, here you go."

A man and a woman strolled through the campus, each with a cup of milk tea in hand.

"It's easy to choke on drinks while walking, shall we sit down for a while?"

Zhong Yujun tugged at the man's clothes and then pressed him down onto a stone bench by the roadside.

"What are you standing there for? Why don't you sit down too?"

She stood there, looking down at Zhou Mingyuan, who was smiling at her.

Although the stone bench was long, it was damp from the recent rain.

The man plopped down, leaving very little of the clean part behind.

He shifted his position slightly to the side, gesturing for Zhong Yujun to squeeze in with him.

"."

Zhong Yujun glanced at him, then looked at the cramped space where she could barely squeeze in.

She didn't say much and sat down next to the man.

The evening breeze after the rain was still a bit chilly. Zhou Mingyuan gently moved his position, just enough to block a gust of cold wind blowing from the side of her calf.

The old tree next to the bench was still covered in wet rainwater.

The two were very close. Zhong Yujun held a hot milk tea in her left hand, and could vaguely feel his body temperature on her right arm. She felt a sense of unease rising in her heart.

So, she couldn't help but move a little closer to Zhou Mingyuan. Just then, the streetlights came on, and her slanted shadow seemed to be snuggling together.

Neither of them spoke first, and the atmosphere suddenly became ambiguous.

The girl's faint fragrance wafted into my nostrils; it wasn't a perfume designed to attract men, but rather the simple scent of shampoo.

Zhou Mingyuan took a soft breath.

He saw Zhong Yujun's long, swan-like neck, with a few strands of hair clinging to her fair skin.

She lowered her head, her calves pressed tightly together beneath her long skirt, straight and slender.

Further down are adorable strappy sandals.

"It's a bit crowded."

A perfectly legitimate reason and excuse.

He couldn't move any further, or he would fall off the stone bench.

So he reached out his left arm and hugged Zhong Yujun beside him.

Time seemed to stand still, and all the sounds on campus faded into the distance.

The light and shadow seemed to be a knife, carving into the tree trunk in front of them, motionless.

Zhong Yujun remained motionless, even somewhat docile, her body a little limp.

However, the man was clearly pushing his luck.

Not content with just holding her quietly, Zhou Mingyuan slowly moved his head closer, his breath warm against her ear, but he didn't pull his hand away, wanting to get even closer.

"that."

Zhong Yujun shrugged, rubbed her knees naturally, and kicked her legs, but her voice sounded a little unnatural.

"Ok?"

The man stopped what he was doing.

"We had a lot of fun last time, and my roommates were talking about when we can go out together again."

"You really enjoy team building activities that much?"

Zhou Mingyuan couldn't help but laugh.

As if remembering something, he asked another question.

"By the way, how's your relationship with your roommate?"

"It's all fine," Zhong Yuyun replied after thinking for a few seconds.

"The atmosphere in our dorm is pretty good. It's not like what's said online, where four of us create seven or eight small groups in private."

"That's it."

When his probing failed, Zhou Mingyuan simply asked directly.

"Is the roommate you mentioned before, who comes from a wealthy family and has seen a lot of the world, Zhao Xue?"

"Uh-huh."

Zhong Yujun nodded: "You noticed it too? Is it that obvious?"

"How should I put it, she seems like a playboy."

Zhou Mingyuan tried his best to use euphemistic language, but Zhong Yujun immediately understood his implied meaning.

"Yes, Sister Xue has a wide social circle, knows everything, and really loves to have fun."

Halfway through her sentence, she sat up straight and met Zhou Mingyuan's gaze.

"But aren't you the more surprising one?"

“Last time we went out, you seemed to outdo her in everything you did, and she was a little resentful, mentioning it to us several times after we got back.”

It's more than just being unconvinced.

Zhou Mingyuan thought to himself.

Ever since this person added me on WeChat, they send me messages every few days.

If Zhou Mingyuan hadn't been experienced in his two lifetimes, he probably wouldn't have been able to resist at all and would have easily been caught by the other party's hook.

Zhou Lu has seen many girls like this, the kind who are into playing around.

What sincerity is there?
"Right? You see, she's no match for me. Don't ever think she's so great."

Zhou Mingyuan patted the girl on the shoulder and said something meaningful.

"It's really just like that."

".Um."

This time, Zhong Yujun's voice sounded noticeably more confident.

Interpersonal relationships are nothing more than a slow process of demystifying.

Zhou Mingyuan's encouragement, both verbal and physical, was very effective, making Zhong Yujun determined to follow her own path and fully immerse herself in university life.

After that initial burst of energy subsided, she realized that she wasn't particularly envious of Zhao Xue's lifestyle.

Nightclubs, card games, gaming, alcohol.
These were not the kinds of things she wanted to see.

"Let's go back."

"Ah, okay."

The phone in my left pocket vibrated incessantly, and the night seemed to stretch on.

Zhou Mingyuan released his arm from the girl's shoulder, stood up, patted his pants, and gentlemanly pulled Zhong Yujun up, then they headed back to their dormitory together.

They remained silent the whole way until they approached the entrance to the girls' dormitory. Zhong Yujun turned around and asked Zhou Mingyuan a question.

"Want to go home together during the National Day holiday?"

"I probably won't go back. I have a lot of things planned for this holiday."

Zhou Mingyuan shook his head.

"Ok."

Zhong Yujun took a half step back, waved her hand, and her freshly washed hair trembled like silk in the moonlight.

"Then I'll go back with Shiya and the others. Let's go upstairs first!"

"Bye-Bye."

Zhou Mingyuan stopped in his outstretched arms and waved back, intending to say goodbye.

I had held her on the bench for so long, and I had hoped to end it with a proper hug.

Before Zhou Mingyuan could turn and leave, Zhong Yujun beat him to it, her fragrant breath wafting back towards the man.

She tiptoed and carefully straightened Zhou Mingyuan's collar, her fingertips barely touching the skin of his neck before moving closer to his face, the distance between them ambiguous.

Her eyes were bright in the moonlight, and her cheek was only a few centimeters away from his.

The next second, she repeated her action on the bench, gently wrapping her arms around the man's waist.

See you after the National Day holiday!

Her gentle breath was warm, and her long, wispy hair clung to him, falling in a clump onto his earlobe.

It's that familiar fragrance again, so fragrant it makes your heart flutter.

(End of this chapter)