Returning to '97, creating a new life

I bought a watch last year.

Xu Kai wanted to curse. If looks could kill, Fang Jinyao would have died many times over.

Hey childhood friend, do you even have a brain? Which eye of yours could tell that Su Xingwan has feelings for me? You actually tipped off Yunshang.

Given Yunshang's personality, there was no doubt that the train that night would arrive in Yanjing the next morning.

None of these are problems. The key issue is that Su Xingwan has fallen for him at first sight, transforming from a peaceful tour guide into a completely proactive individual.

This wasn't the biggest problem. Xu Kai was so annoyed that he didn't even bother to curse anymore. His expression returned to calm. He watched as Yun Shang took the initiative to act like a big sister and become best friends with Su Xingwan. It was clearly the latter's ambition that manifested in action, yet the former was willing to cooperate. They had only known each other for less than a day, yet they were already very familiar with each other. Both of them were doing it on purpose.

"Kai, you need to step up your game."

Dong Bin and the others encouraged and supported Xu Kai, who was in a relaxed state, saying, "Brother Kai, you can do it! You can definitely handle this chaotic situation. We can't help you anymore; you have to rely on yourself."

Xu Kai stared at Yun Shang, which earned him a playful blush. She deliberately stuck out her tongue at him. Being at the age where she was mischievous, causing trouble was almost an instinctive reaction. However, she was still quite tactful. The best friends maintained their distance in terms of attitude and words, without giving Su Xingwan any opportunity for physical contact.

With her youthful, innocent face and gentle, delicate demeanor, she was irresistible to both men and women. However, Yunshang was no pushover either. Facing Su Xingwan's proactive advances, she maintained the proper rhythm and distance, engaging in a battle of wits that had its own unique charm.

Fortunately, it was only for one day, otherwise Xu Kai felt that Yunshang was no better than Su Xingwan, and that she would be won over by her in no time. Even if she wasn't that kind of person, you can't help but want to protect and hug her when you see a delicate little white flower, sweet and gentle.

It wasn't that Yunshang was inferior, but rather that their upbringings differed. Su Xingwan, who grew up in Yanjing, had a broader perspective and matured faster, seemingly stronger than Yunshang in every aspect. However, Xu Kai knew from Yunshang's transformation within a single day that she could catch up given some time.

In comparison, he, an old man, was far inferior. He had decades more experience, yet he could only barely outmaneuver Su Xingwan and easily handle her moves. In another two or three years, if he didn't grow, he would no longer be a composed and impressive man in front of Su Xingwan, who would dominate the university, but rather a self-righteous and pretentious jerk who considered himself mature.

After finishing the second day of my tour of Beijing, I checked the time and prepared to head to the train station to wait for my evening train.

Yunshang pulled her arm away from Su Xingwan's and sat down next to Xu Kai while they were eating at the restaurant.

She would scald his bowl and chopsticks with hot water, and knowing that Xu Kai couldn't spit out fish bones when eating fish, she would carefully pick out the fish bones before putting the fish meat into his bowl.

She took a napkin and gently wiped the grease from Xu Kai's mouth.

Having been led by the opponent for a day, Yunshang began her counterattack. In a battle between masters, the subtle and pervasive influence is remarkable.

Xu Kai rarely gets to see Su Xingwan's genuine emotional fluctuations so easily. Little girl, it turns out you're not invincible after all. You're still a long way from mastering your skills.

"Yunshang, why don't you stay a few more days? It's too rushed."

"No, I have to go back to class. Maybe next time."

"Then I'll take you."

"Uh, okay."

At the train station, including Teacher Park, Dong Bin and the others were all looking down at their noses, mouths, and minds. What kind of people are these? They are so different from the world I have ever seen.

Su, you're asking me to deliver this to you?

Seeing someone off at the station?

No, no, no, Su Xingwan was holding four soft sleeper train tickets and a soft sleeper compartment. She wasn't the only one who came to see him off. Hu Yuxuan, who was determined to escape to Dong Bin's side, was obediently carrying two large bags of fruit and snacks after being given a look by Su Xingwan. He followed her onto the train and entered the soft sleeper compartment with four seats for four people.

After putting down their things, they made an excuse to go to the toilet and ran off without a second thought. Anyway, Xu Kai still had a hard sleeper train ticket for the lower berth that the school had booked for them. The three of them could enjoy their undisturbed compartment in peace.

"I brought toiletries, Yunshang. Will you be able to use these?"

Yunshang ran straight over. Although Su Xingwan's decision was impromptu, she was very well prepared. The cute backpack she carried contained not only a change of clothes, but also a variety of toiletries and skincare products, already resembling the initial form of a makeup bag that girls in later generations would carry as a treasure chest.

"I'm fine with either."

"Oh, me too."

At this point, there were two women, and they started comparing themselves. I was naturally beautiful, with such good skin that I didn't need any skincare products.

Xu Kai was somewhat surprised that the two women didn't complain about the bedding on the train.

The bedding wasn't new, but it was very clean. The level of care taken in the preparations was much greater than in later generations. Yanjing was the starting station, and the bedding for this train journey had just been changed.

Under Su Xingwan's watchful gaze, Xu Kai directly chose to sit on a lower bunk, showing no intention of moving to the upper bunk to make way for him.

Su Xingwan didn't mind, and soon she and Yunshang sat at opposite ends of a lower bunk, covering their legs with a blanket to keep warm.

Xu Kai admired the two of them. This was in an era before smartphones; back then, two best friends like them would almost always be glued to their phones. Yet, they had something to talk about, and they were having a lively conversation.

It was already dark when we set off. After the train started moving and left Yanjing, we couldn't see any clear city lights outside the window, and the entire compartment fell into an atmosphere of understanding that everyone should lie down and rest.

Xu Kai lay down and stretched out his arm. Yun Shang came over directly. The berth in the soft sleeper was a little wider, and the two of them lay on their sides, hugging each other body to body, and were able to lie down comfortably.

Xu Kai deliberately reached into Yunshang's clothes, and she deliberately slapped Xu Kai's mischievous hand through the blanket.

Su Xingwan, in the opposite bunk, squinted at the two of them, curled up her legs, crossed her arms over her knees, rested her chin on her arms, and stared straight at them as they embraced.

After a long while, Su Xingwan said leisurely, "Xu Kai, go check on Hu Yuxuan for me. Is he having too much fun or has he gotten lost?"

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Xu Kai burst into laughter, and after a dozen seconds he stood up. Yun Shang twisted his arm to stop him from laughing.

Xu Kai can be very magnanimous in other victorious postures, but in this current victorious posture, he doesn't mind letting his emotions run wild. Little Su, you can't stand this?

Su Xingwan faced Xu Kai as he stood up and saw his still-recovering physical reaction. He was calm, and so was she. She stared at him until Xu Kai turned to leave the private room. Suddenly, she kicked forward with her bent leg, hitting Xu Kai's buttocks and making him wince slightly.

"Not bad, it's quite bouncy."

Counterattacks are always possible.

Xu Kai didn't mind and chuckled twice on purpose. His victory just now was enough for him to tolerate Su Xingwan's deliberate act of retaliating out of embarrassment. He finally felt a sense of accomplishment.

A sense of crisis also arose. If I don't grow fast enough after getting to know someone of this caliber, I'll be completely crushed by them sooner or later.

Rebirth brings its own set of challenges and growth. The world you encounter changes, and so do the people you meet. In your previous life, you never met anyone so stunning. Sometimes you'd even lament that the girls in the entertainment industry only had looks and no brains. Now, you're reborn, and before you can even enjoy their good looks and figures, you're facing off against a host of brilliant minds.

In the hard sleeper carriage behind, with five lower berth tickets, Park In-ji lay down, flipping through a storybook. After several tense days, she was about to return home, full of achievements and honors. She felt very relaxed, reading the bizarre and wonderful short stories, and hoping to get a good night's sleep.

Dong Bin, Fei Wenxin, Fang Jinyao, and Hu Yuxuan borrowed two suitcases from the middle bunk, stacked them up, and placed them between the two lower bunks to make a makeshift table. They bought a deck of cards and had a great time playing.

A small bet of one dollar can make an entertainment event more interesting.

The hand-grinding pleasure of any card game, such as mahjong, can never last long.

Fang Jinyao, Hu Yuxuan, and Dong Bin were all well-off, but Fei Wenxin had been an expert at these kinds of things since he was a child. He was very good at figuring things out and could even work against machines, let alone people. He had won several tens of yuan and was in the midst of great excitement.

There were also onlookers watching the fun. The two lower bunks at a nearby stall also belonged to Dong Bin and his group. At this time, the people in the upper and middle bunks were given temporary seats to rest. When they were bored, they also gathered around to watch them play cards.

The four people were playing a variation of the "Red Ten" game, where players had to guess who was on the same team without revealing their cards.

In this kind of game, the main focus is on playing whatever you want and having fun. If they don't like you, they'll beat you up no matter what the hand is like. As the game progresses, the tempers of the game get heated, and they bombard you with attacks without regard for skill. This allowed Fei Wenxin, who was carefully trying to find opportunities, to take advantage of the situation and win several rounds by taking three cards each.

The school will award a prize to the champion.

Before the competition, their parents gave them some travel money, but they didn't spend much of it, only buying some souvenirs for their families during the two-day trip. The bets on the train, a few dozen yuan, were all about having fun. Not only were they laughing, but the spectators were also amused. These tall, strong young men were really funny; many rounds they were clearly intentionally targeting someone.

"Brother Kai, I'll call you Brother Kai. I'm not going back. I'll sleep here tonight." Hu Yuxuan clasped his hands in a fist salute. On the court, his defiance was a sign of youthful ambition. But in private, seeing Su Xingwan and Yun Shang together, he was impressed by Xu Kai. In that kind of atmosphere, he could remain calm and collected. He admired him greatly and was completely convinced.

Xu Kai bought them water and snacks, a bucket of instant noodles for each of them, and chatted with Teacher Park for a bit. Seeing the other person's hesitation, he smiled and said, "Teacher Park, don't worry, they're just playful, nothing else."

Park In-ji sighed, "I won't say much more to you, kid. Just handle it yourself and don't cause any trouble later."

Xu Kai nodded. What could he say? He could say that I didn't just provoke two girls, but that one of them had taken a liking to the girl next to me.