Rebirth to Save Myself

Finally, Su Xia decided on a Tang Dynasty-style high-waisted ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) for Xia Tian, ​​featuring a green top and red skirt, paired with a shawl. The outfit would be a simple bun with a red ribbon tied around the head. This wouldn't interfere with dancing while adding a stylish touch, and Xia Tian was very satisfied. She immediately told Su Xia, "Su Su, you're amazing! Send me the link, I'll order right away."

"Okay." Su Xia opened QQ and copied the message to Xia Tian, ​​who immediately placed the order.

"Xiaxia, who is she? She calls you Susu?" Chen Yuan asked from the side.

"Oh, look at me, I was so busy picking out clothes for her. This is Xia Tian, ​​an art student from Class 8." Su Xia introduced her, then said to Xia Tian, ​​"Let me introduce you to my friends. This is Ye Lingling, and you know this one, Lu Jingnian. This is my older sister, Chen Yuan."

"Hello, my name is Xia Tian. Because it shares one of the characters with Su Xia, I call her Su Su, hehe." Xia Tian greeted everyone generously, and her beautiful smile was simply captivating.

"Hello, I know you. You were voted the school beauty by them." Ye Lingling greeted her happily.

After hearing Su Xia's introduction, Chen Yuan felt much better. She realized she was the most important person to Su Xia, so she decided not to hold a grudge against Xia Tian. She said, "Hello!"

Lu Jingnian was glossed over with a single sentence, and Xia Tian didn't say anything more. She wasn't interested in Lu Jingnian anymore. She realized that Lu Jingnian was just so-so; she didn't know why she had thought he was perfect before, and why she hadn't given up even after being rejected. On her way back, she told Su Xia about it, and Su Xia smiled and said, "You didn't like him as a person; you liked the light in your eyes back then."

Xia Tian didn't understand, but she knew her feelings for Lu Jingnian had faded considerably. She realized that there were many things to do in high school besides dating, so why obsess over one person? Actually, Xia Tian didn't really like Lu Jingnian that much; it was just that people around her said she was the school beauty and only deserved the school heartthrob, and Lu Jingnian was the one voted school heartthrob.

Xia Tian thought Lu Jingnian was quite good-looking, and with encouragement from those around her, she went up to him and confessed her feelings. After being rejected, Xia Tian wanted to give up, but those around her said that Lu Jingnian was just being arrogant and that she should try pursuing him a few more times.

A few days later, the dress Xia bought arrived. After trying it on, even Xia's mother praised her for choosing the right outfit, saying it suited her perfectly. Upon learning that a friend had chosen it, she told Xia to thank the friend properly.

"Susu, my mom said the clothes you chose are really pretty," Xia Tian said happily.

"That's great! I knew you suited this kind of clothing as soon as I saw you." Su Xia was also happy.

"What's the name of this outfit? I can search for it next time I need it."

"These kinds of clothes are collectively called Hanfu, which is further subdivided into different dynasties. The one you bought this time is a representative of the Tang Dynasty, the Qixiong Ruqun. The Qin and Han Dynasties had Quju, while the Song Dynasty often had Duijin Zhequn and Song trousers. The Ming Dynasty had Dajin Ao, Mamian Qun, and the very cool Feiyu Fu. You've seen a lot of Qing Dynasty clothing in TV dramas, which is Qizhuang." Su Xia patiently explained the knowledge about Hanfu. This is part of the history and culture of the Chinese nation, and the more people know about it, the more it is promoted.

"So many! I'll take a look when I have time." Xia Tian was also very happy. This time, the clothes were beautiful and not see-through. Su Xia chose a relatively good quality material, so they didn't feel rough to the touch.

"Okay!"

Lu Jingnian's feelings have been complicated lately, ever since that summer break when he came to see Su Xia. He'd always been praised for his good looks, and at Huaqing High School, he was pursued by many girls who wrote him love letters. His friends even teased him, telling him to choose one to date. But Lu Jingnian wasn't interested in dating or girls at the time. He participated in the national junior high physics competition, won a prize, and was accepted by the top high school. Meanwhile, his friend went directly from the junior high to the senior high of Huaqing High School, saying he didn't like things that were too academically rigorous.

He was confused when Xia Tian stopped him in his first year of high school, so he said in a bad mood, "Let's talk about it when you get into the experimental class."

He regretted it later because he saw the girl's slightly red eyes. Unexpectedly, the girl wasn't discouraged and even declared that she would definitely win him over. Meeting Su Xia was an accident. Su Xia didn't remember that they had met in the capital. Unexpectedly, she was later assigned by her teacher to teach her humanities.

He was speechless when he saw her surprised that he lived on the Bund. They went to and from school together, took the same bus every day, and even her sister, Chen Yuan, knew about him. She thought he was going to take her home, and when she was told the truth, she was really cute—her embarrassed expression made her want to disappear. Just thinking about it makes me laugh.

He told his friend about these things, and his friend immediately said, "You like her."

"Ah, that's impossible, don't talk nonsense." Lu Jingnian immediately denied it without even thinking.

"Oh? Then let's set a time to go to the beach together. It's a good time to see the bioluminescent plankton there."

Why do you want to make a date?

"If you don't ask her out, it means you like her and are afraid she'll reject you."

"Fine, let's go! Who's afraid of who?" Lu Jingnian, spurred on by his friend's provocation, successfully agreed to invite Su Xia and her group to go to the beach. He only realized what he had done after hanging up the phone, but it was too late.

The next day, Lu Jingnian brought up the idea of ​​going to the beach during lunch, eliciting various reactions from everyone. Su Xia looked puzzled; it seemed strange to suddenly suggest going to the beach. Chen Yuan was excited; she had never seen the sea before and was very curious about the bioluminescent plankton. Ye Lingling expressed regret, as she had tutoring classes on the weekend and couldn't go. Xia Tian said she had a pretty swimsuit and would wear it to show Su Xia.

"Are you going?" Lu Jingnian looked at Su Xia, feeling a little uneasy, afraid that Su Xia would refuse her.

"Come on, come on, we haven't seen the sea yet," Chen Yuan said to Su Xia. They had never been to the beach before because it was too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter.

"Okay, okay, let's go." Su Xia naturally granted Chen Yuan's request and agreed to the suggestion of going to the beach.

When the two returned home from school, they saw Chen Wenwei and Lin Mohan sitting on the living room sofa. Chen Yuan was stunned, then exclaimed, "Chen Wenwei, what are you doing in my house?"

"You're back from school? Hurry up and put your schoolbag down, dinner will be served soon," Chen Chunqi said to the two of them as he came out of the kitchen.

"No, Mom, why are those two in our house?" Chen Yuan asked, pointing at Chen Wenwei and Lin Mohan, puzzled.

"Wenwei and I came to the provincial capital to participate in a competition, and my aunt asked us to stay here," Lin Mohan explained, then warmly asked Su Xia, "Su Xia, did you participate in that competition?"

"Are you talking about the provincial math competition? No." Su Xia was initially just as surprised as Chen Yuan, but she quickly recovered.

"Xiaxia is participating in the national chemistry competition, so she doesn't have time to participate in the provincial one." Chen Yuan said with a proud expression, making it seem as if she herself was participating in the competition.

"As expected of the great Su Xia, amazing!" Lin Mohan said.

“Perfect timing! Let’s go to the beach together this weekend after your competition. Are you free?” Su Xia said to Chen Wenwei.

“Sure, I’m free,” Chen Wenwei replied.

"No, Chen Wenwei, you chat with me every day but you kept it from me that you came to the provincial capital. Don't you consider me a sister anymore? Tell me," Chen Yuan questioned Chen Wenwei as she put down her schoolbag.

"I didn't want to bother you, but my mom insisted that I bring something to Aunt Chen." Chen Wenwei was speechless at his mother, Chen Meili. Chen Chunqi could buy anything in the provincial capital, yet he still made her bring a bunch of heavy dried fruit all the way here.

"Your mom still remembers that I love dried plums. I've bought them several times since I came to the provincial capital, but none of them taste the same as the ones at home. I mentioned it casually while chatting with your mom, and she actually remembered." Chen Chunqi brought out a plate of fruit, and she was happy to mention Chen Meili.

She and Chen Meili were friends since childhood, and lived together after getting married. The sudden separation was hard to adjust to. The big city was nice, but the neighborly relations weren't as close as they used to be in the countryside. Everyone kept to themselves, and for a while, she didn't know what to do. It was Chen Jianguo who encouraged her to learn flower arranging and yoga, and introduced her to his business partner's wife, helping her integrate into her social circle. Only then did she feel less like she didn't belong in the provincial capital.

“My mom said that we have nothing in our hometown except these things. Aunt Chen, you always ask people to bring us things during holidays, so we can’t just take them for free for so long,” Chen Wenwei said.

"Your mom is just being overly polite. No matter what, I still came from the mountains. Saying she's complaining about things is just insulting me. As for you, don't be so polite with Aunt Chen. Stay in the guest room." Chen Chunqi was pleased that Chen Wenwei was so thoughtful at such a young age. He and Chen Yuan grew up together, and he had taken care of Chen Yuan quite a bit.

“Alright, Lin Mohan and I will take our leave then,” Chen Wenwei said.

"When is your competition? I'll come cheer you on when I'm free," Chen Yuan said to Chen Wenwei.

"The day after tomorrow, Friday," Chen Wenwei said.

"That won't work, I have a quiz on Friday." Chen Yuan was stumped for a moment, as the teachers in the top classes often liked to give surprise tests.

"It's okay, we can go to the beach to relax after the exam," Su Xia comforted Chen Yuan.

"Yes, we invited several classmates and friends to go together," Chen Yuan explained to Chen Wenwei.

"Who is it?" Chen Chunqi asked.

“There’s Lu Jingnian, his friend, and Xia Tian, ​​whom Su Xia recently met.” Chen Yuan counted the number of people on her fingers.

"Yeah, it's good that there are boys around, otherwise it wouldn't be safe for you girls to go." Chen Chunqi was relieved to know that Lu Jingnian was there, as she had a deep impression of his performance at the last agritainment business.

"Yes, we're going to see the bioluminescent plankton. I heard it's very beautiful." Chen Yuan was quite excited. Bioluminescent plankton is a unique and beautiful sight created when marine microorganisms are washed ashore by the sea. Su Xia said that it depends on fate, and sometimes you might not even see it when you get there.

“You guys go first. If it’s fun, we’ll bring your dad along,” Chen Chunqi said.

"Okay, okay!"

When Chen Jianguo returned, he was surprised to see Chen Wenwei and Lin Mohan. Upon learning they were there to participate in the competition, he was impressed by their talent. At the dinner table, Chen Jianguo said, "I'll have the driver take you the day after tomorrow. You can't be late for such an important event as the competition."

"No need, Uncle Chen. We can just take the bus; it's not far," Chen Wenwei said.

"Uncle is too busy, otherwise, when Xiaxia had her competition, our whole family would have come," Chen Jianguo said with a smile.

“Yes, it’s just bad timing that you’re doing this on Friday.” Chen Yuan nodded in agreement with her father, as their family values ​​rituals.

“That’s right, Wenwei, if Auntie has time to go, I’ll represent you all,” Chen Chunqi said.

"That's great, Mom has full authority to represent us." Su Xia nodded in agreement.

Seeing everyone's agreement, Chen Wenwei stopped refusing and accepted Chen Jianguo's offer. There was no direct bus to the area, so they walked over a kilometer to reach the entrance. The property management at the gate was very strict; they called Chen Chunqi to confirm before letting them in, and then took them directly to Chen Chunqi's door before returning home.

After dinner, everyone sat on the sofa watching TV and chatting. When Chen Jianguo heard that they were going to see the sea over the weekend, he asked, "Do you need me to take you?"

"Dad, there are so many of us, we can't fit in one car!" Chen Yuan said.

“That makes sense, there are six of you in total.” Chen Jianguo thought for a moment, then said, “My company has a minivan that we can use.”

“Dad, we want to take the bus ourselves!” Chen Yuan said.

“I support your dad on this point. You can go and have fun, but taking the bus is too tiring, and you won’t enjoy it,” Chen Chunqi said to Chen Yuan.

“But…” Chen Yuan wanted to say something more, but Chen Jianguo interrupted her.

"How about this, since the Lu family's child is going too, let me discuss it with his parents, okay?"

“Okay, Dad. We all know each other well, so it’s good to tell them in advance. Maybe they have different opinions.” Su Xia agreed. Although she and Chen Yuan wanted to take the bus by themselves, they couldn’t refuse their parents’ good intentions.

Seeing that Su Xia had agreed, Chen Yuan had no objections. After chatting for a while, the group went back to their rooms to sleep.

The next day, Chen Yuan got up and went to the dining room to find Chen Wenwei and Lin Mohan sitting in chairs eating breakfast. Before she could react, she asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Yuanyuan is still sleepy, don't mind her." Su Xia smiled and went to her seat to eat breakfast. Then she asked the two of them, "What are your plans for today?"

"Just a last-minute cram session, Su Xia, the great master," Lin Mohan said.

“That’s true, everyone’s pretty nervous before exams. It’s not too late to relax after the exams. Yuanyuan, hurry up and eat, we’re going out,” Su Xia said to Chen Yuan.

"Oh." Chen Yuan finished the bread in a few bites, then picked up the milk and drank it down in large gulps. Finally, she said to Chen Wenwei and Lin Mohan, "Bye-bye, we're going to school."

"Bye-Bye!"