My girlfriend was reborn.

Chapter 11 Beef Hot Pot, Evening Self-Study
Beef hot pot is a common dish in Wuhan. It consists of a small stove, a small pot, and plenty of beef, along with garlic sprouts, tofu skin, glass noodles, potatoes, baby bok choy, etc. It is steaming hot and perfect for a gathering of three or five friends when it is cold.

A medium-sized pot costs 78 yuan, including rice. It's a bit extravagant for three people, but just right for four.

"Sit anywhere, wherever you like."

Qiao Jinchen spoke haltingly, and he didn't even dare to look directly at Cheng Shuangjiang sitting opposite him.

"Thank you."

The aloof girl smiled with the same intensity as when she was with her classmates.

"Is it okay to use chopsticks with my left hand? Should I ask the owner to get me a spoon or fork or something?"

Xu Youyou was much calmer. After all, she was a near-985 university prodigy, and she wouldn't be so overwhelmed by the Frost God's pressure that she lost consciousness and foamed at the mouth.

"No problem, I'm used to it."

With her right hand hanging in front of her chest, Cheng Shuangjiang deftly picked up the chopsticks with her left hand and moved them around.

The owner then brought out a small pot, and the rich aroma made even Cheng Shuangjiang's eyes light up.

"Eat up, eat up, don't be shy. Tonight, it's on me, Mr. Qiao, just so I can catch a glimpse of the school beauty."

Zhou Heming immediately picked up a piece of beef and put it in Cheng Shuangjiang's bowl, urging her to eat more.

Classes ended at 5:10 PM, and evening self-study started at 6:30 PM, so they didn't dawdle and the dinner party began quickly.

After all, they were all high school students of seventeen or eighteen years old. Even Cheng Shuangjiang, who was usually difficult to approach, quickly relaxed and became less aloof after a while.

"Speaking of which, you two knew each other back in junior high school?"

Cheng Shuangjiang picked up a piece of tofu skin with her chopsticks and asked curiously.

Aren't you a reincarnated person? How come you don't know this?

Zhou Heming shifted his gaze away from Cheng Shuangjiang's lips, which were slightly red and moist from the slightly spicy broth, and put a piece of potato into his own bowl.

"No, no, we were in the same class in the first year of high school. Back then, nobody knew anyone except me and this guy, who were deskmates."

Qiao Jinchen glanced at Xu Youyou, took a swig of Sprite, and spoke in a tone that made it seem like he was drinking Niulanshan liquor.

"We were deskmates for about half a semester. She often let me copy her homework, and that's how we got to know each other."

"It was three months, and every time you stole my homework to copy it."

Xu Youyou corrected her, picking up a piece of baby bok choy soaked in the soup and placing it on top of the rice.

"Anyway, that's how it was. Later, I don't know who started spreading rumors and gossiping about her. I couldn't stand it, so I cursed them out. What kind of nonsense is this, 'who is she?' I really wonder how idle they are."

With the top students from the honors class present, Qiao Jinchen slightly toned down her word choice and swallowed a piece of tendon beef in one gulp.

"You're so loyal!"

Cheng Shuangjiang gave him an approving look, but Zhou Heming thought it sounded a bit like a kindergarten teacher coaxing a child.

"But she was my deskmate after all, and she copied my homework so many times."

Qiao Jinchen was very pleased and became quite elated.

As we all know, there are only women's psychology and child psychology in this world.

“I clearly remember you saying, ‘This is my deskmate, only I can bully her, all of you get the hell out of here,’ that was so mean.”

As Xu Youyou picked up a clump of vermicelli, she awkwardly pulled out some historical materials.

Cheng Shuangjiang nodded meaningfully, glanced at Zhou Heming, and her dimples appeared.

"What about Ah He? He hasn't appeared in this story yet."

"It's really funny to think about him. He was quiet at the time, but a few days later, when there was an exam, he wrote an essay specifically mocking those who spread rumors, and even used some famous quotes like 'flies' or something."

"A flawed warrior is still a warrior, and a perfect fly is still just a fly."

Zhou Heming added that it was said by Lu Xun.

"Yes, that's it. This essay even got a high score. When the teacher was going over the test, he read it aloud in class. Those guys were so angry that their faces turned green. After class, I found him and asked him to have dinner. That's how we met."

Qiao Jinchen spoke of this with great enthusiasm, her face beaming, as if a hero was about to recount his past glories. "Hmm, very much in Ahe's style. It seems you've always had a strong sense of justice~"

Cheng Shuangjiang smiled and looked at Zhou Heming beside her. The young man looked away, somewhat embarrassed.

He was surprised to learn that the red broth from this beef hot pot could actually get on his face.

Upon seeing the smiling face of the aloof beauty, Qiao Jinchen and Xu Youyou were immediately stunned.

"My goodness, the Frost Goddess's smile is so beautiful?"

"Be serious, you should address someone as a classmate when you're out in public."

Xu Youyou tugged at Qiao Jinchen's school uniform sleeve.

"Zhou Heming, you deserve to die! Give me a drink!"

Qiao Jinchen picked up her cup.

However, the cup really contained Sprite, not Jiangxiaobai (a type of Chinese liquor).

Zhou Heming picked up his cup, but his mind suddenly drifted back to what Cheng Shuangjiang had said at the school gate.

—"The relationship between Qiao Jinchen and Xu Youyou became very complicated. You are still familiar with both of them, but the three of you can never reunite and can never go back to your high school days."

*
Including drinks, dinner cost less than 100 yuan in total.

As the provincial capital, Jiangcheng's prices are actually not high. The school cafeteria charges twelve yuan for one meat dish and two vegetable dishes, or fifteen yuan for two meat dishes and one vegetable dish. Eating a fast food meal outside will not cost more than twenty yuan. Therefore, tonight is a small luxury.

After parting ways with Cheng Shuangjiang at the stairwell, the three of them returned to their classroom in Class 7 of Senior Three.

Zhou Heming rarely attended evening self-study sessions in the past; he would usually go to the funeral home to help out and grab a free meal. But today he stayed at school.

"We still need to think about the money issue."

He glanced at his bank account balance. Although his family was in debt, he had managed to save some money through part-time jobs over the past two years. It wasn't much, just over 20,000 yuan, which was less than the reward his family gave him for passing the first-tier university entrance exam once.

He wants to save this money for college. If it's a top-tier university, that's fine, but if it's a second-tier university or higher, he might be forced to give up due to the relatively expensive tuition fees.

"If I reduce my part-time work hours and only write obituaries in the coming year, my income will decrease significantly. After deducting tuition and living expenses, as well as the money I send to my grandmother, I will be in a bit of a tight spot."

Zhou Heming sends 500 yuan to his grandmother every month. The old lady's health is not good due to family matters, and she often has to go to the hospital. This money is a small comfort for him because he cannot be by her side.

This may not be of much use, but it lets the old man know that he is living a normal life and there is nothing to worry about.

Of course, he could ask his uncle for money, and the uncle would definitely lend it to him. But when he thought about how his father still owed his uncle more than 100,000 yuan and how he was still living in his uncle's house, Zhou Heming just couldn't bring himself to ask.

Just as he confirmed during his conversation with Cheng Lingjun, he needed to work harder than others to possess those things that others could easily obtain.

The phone, which was completely silent, lit up with a message notification, which Zhou Heming immediately opened.

[Cheng Shuangjiang]: I was too embarrassed to say it while they were here. Pack your bag, take your monthly exam papers, and wait for me at the stairwell. I'll take you somewhere for evening self-study, and I can tutor you there!
[Zhou Heming]: Now?

[Cheng Shuangjiang]: Of course!
Zhou Heming quickly packed his schoolbag.

"Going to work again?"

Qiao Jinchen was curious.

"Let's study somewhere else."

Amid Qiao Jinchen's clicking of the tongue, Zhou Heming remained noncommittal and quietly approached the stairwell.

Cheng Shuangjiang was already waiting there.

"where to?"

On the one hand, Zhou Heming found it a bit novel that even a top student would skip evening self-study sessions; on the other hand, he was also curious about where Cheng Shuangjiang was going to take him to study.

"I have a secret base."

The girl smiled mysteriously.

*
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(End of this chapter)