Forcing Me to Be Reborn?!
Chapter 257 - Chapter 257 Chapter 223 Collapse Again

Chapter 257: Chapter 223: Collapse Again Chapter 257: Chapter 223: Collapse Again Xinhang Apartment Block A was situated below, where Lin Lu, originally holding her milk tea in one hand, now cradled it with both.

Her heartbeat subtly quickened.

This voice actress hadn’t considered that Cheng Zhu had developed this roasted Black Sugar bubble milk tea because he knew she liked pearls.

After all, business is business, and market perspectives come first, something she understood well.

But he knew I liked pearls, so he brought me a cup today, and it’s the first one he’s personally made for someone!

She hadn’t even tasted the milk tea yet, but she already felt a hint of sweetness.

“Give it a try,” Cheng Zhu said.

Lin Lu nodded vigorously, then took a strong, hearty sip.

Cheng Zhu had no idea what she was thinking; why take such a big gulp just to taste it?

Several pearls from the milk tea were sucked into the straw and entered her mouth, puffing her right cheek out slightly and giving her a cute, somewhat asymmetric appearance.

Upon tasting the milk tea and Black Sugar pearls, Lin Lu instantly understood why Cheng Zhu said it was different from what was available on the market.

It really was different!

Delicious, delicious!

“How is it, does it taste good?” he asked.

“I think it’s tasty!” she said, her mouth pointed from the mouthful of Black Sugar pearls, making her look like a round-faced little chubby chick.

“That’s fine, then. Your cup is less sweet than mine; mine is sweeter, and I find it a bit sickening, so I made yours a bit lighter.”

“Ah? The taste is different?”

“What, you want to try them separately?” Cheng Zhu laughed, lifting his own cup and offering it to her lips.

Unexpectedly, Lin Lu really did open her mouth subconsciously.

Cheng Zhu paused his hand in mid-air and grinned, “Looks like you enjoy imported food, huh?”

It took Lin Lu a moment to catch the subtext of his words, and she became so angry that she wanted to hit him.

“Crazy! I’m not going to drink milk tea that you’ve drunk from!”

“Then why did you open your mouth?”

“I was breathing!”

“Alright, alright.” Cheng Zhu didn’t argue with her, but mischievously sipped from the straw in front of her, taking a big gulp.

The two chatted below the building for a while and then parted ways.

“See ya,” Cheng Zhu waved.

“Yeah, bye!” Lin Lu waved back at him.

She stood there for a moment, then decided she was too lazy to go upstairs and planned to drive home directly.

After getting into the car, she sent Shen Qingning a WeChat message: “Qingning, I’m heading straight home.”

“Okay,” Shen Qingning replied.

On her drive home, Lin Lu would occasionally take a sip of her milk tea.

She was in a good mood and hummed along with the music in the car.

After she arrived home, the voice actress went into the living room. Lin’s mother was sitting on the sofa watching TV, absorbed in an idol drama.

As mentioned before, a part of Lin Lu’s personality came from her mother.

Lin’s mother usually interacted with her son and daughter as if they were friends.

Now, seeing Lin Lu with a cup of milk tea in her hand, she asked, “Why didn’t you ask me if I wanted some before heading home?”

“I didn’t know you were home,” Lin Lu replied.

“Eh? True!” She had indeed finished work early today.

She watched her daughter, who sat opposite her, sipping the milk tea in small mouthfuls, and wondered aloud, “What kind of milk tea is that with such a plain cup, no brand?”

“It’s not store-bought. A friend is opening a milk tea shop, and it’s a new product they’re still testing. It’s not yet on the market, and it’s incredibly tasty!” She gave Cheng Zhu a five-star rating.

“That good? Then let me have a sip,” Lin’s mother joked.

But Lin Lu became exceptionally possessive of her food!

“NO! NO! Not giving, not giving!” She firmly refused, then fled, “I’m going to my room. Call me for dinner, okay?”

Lin’s mother watched her daughter’s retreating back, slightly puzzled.

“Isn’t she usually someone who pushes recommendations?” Lin’s mother was youthful enough to know about pushing recommendations.

“Whenever there was something tasty or nice to drink, even when I said I didn’t want it, she would insist I try it.”

“Today is just so unusual.”

Inside her room, Lin Lu placed her milk tea on the table.

I won’t share it with you, Mom can’t drink it!

This is made specially for me by Cheng Zhu, for my enjoyment alone!

….

….

After bidding farewell to Lin Lu, Cheng Zhu didn’t head directly back to his Block B apartment.

Instead, he crossed through the middle corridor and went to the convenience store across the street to buy cigarettes.

His addiction in this life wasn’t as strong as in the previous one, and he couldn’t smoke many in a day.

But he found it bothersome to keep buying cigarettes, so he often purchased two cartons at a time.

Besides, he now had three sworn sons in his dormitory and so many employees in his game studio, which meant he frequently handed out cigarettes.

Pretty costly in terms of cigarettes.

“Boss, give me two cartons of Hei Li,” Cheng Zhu said to the convenience store owner.

He was most used to smoking Hei Li, always.

“Sure thing,” the owner got up to fetch the cigarettes.

When he returned to the apartment, he stopped by Shen Qingning’s Land Rover.

“How did this tire go flat?” he looked at the vehicle’s right front wheel.

Cheng Zhu squatted down by the car and shone his phone’s flashlight on the tire, finding a nail embedded in it.

He took a photo and sent it to Shen Qingning.

“Your tire is flat, got a nail in it,” he typed.

“Are you downstairs?” she asked.

“Yeah, right by your car. Do you have one of those portable air compressors in the car?”

If there was an air compressor, he could temporarily inflate it before getting it patched. If not, he figured she wouldn’t change the spare tire, so he would do it for her.

“Yes.”

“Then okay, just remember to inflate it before going to get it fixed.”

“Okay.”

Speaking of which, although there was an intimate encounter that one night, she had taken the initiative to define things afterward, so Cheng Zhu had also stepped down gracefully, avoiding the need to confirm the relationship immediately. Their interaction had returned to how it was before, and they didn’t communicate very often.

The relationship certainly couldn’t be confirmed now!

But if there was a chance to kiss again, damn, he would!

After going upstairs, Cheng Zhu sat on the sofa and began browsing places to have supper.

“Maybe I’ll just go to that barbecue place again,” he thought to himself.

Yes, that was the barbecue place he had taken Chen Jieyu to before.

“Tomorrow is the day of the autumn outing.”

“Wonder what the counselor is doing right now?”

…

…

Technology University, faculty housing.

Chen Jieyu’s delightful mood throughout the day was ruined by a text message.

The autumn outing was supposed to be tomorrow, and she had been looking forward to it for over a week.

In the afternoon, she had started packing her suitcase.

She placed a complete set of underwear, clean pajamas, eye masks, facial masks, and more.

It had been a long time since she’d gone out for fun. Although the destination was just a simple bed and breakfast, she thought that since Cheng Zhu, that special guy, would be there, it might be an interesting trip.

In the end, she hesitated, to bring a bottle of red wine?

She was a light sleeper and often suffered from insomnia, so she had a habit of drinking a bit of red wine before bed.

However, ironically, she used to drink red wine from a stemmed glass because she was refined.

But now, whenever she drinks, she uses the set of small sake flasks and cups that Cheng Zhu brought from the barbecue place.

“Forget it, I’ll bring the wine,” Chen Jieyu decided in the end.

If the bed and pillows turn out not to be comfortable, it will be even harder to fall asleep at night.

It was certainly not because she wanted to have a drink with Cheng Zhu.

She was actually a bit scared to drink with him.

Chen Jieyu worried that something might happen.

Because she was well aware of what she was suppressing in her heart.

It was something that even bordered on indecency.

Just half an hour ago, she received a text message.

The contents of the message sent her into an emotional turmoil, souring her mood.

It was a charge notification for automatic renewal of an insurance policy.

She hadn’t taken out insurance for herself; she didn’t really need it, being a university counselor.

The insurance was for her mother, which she started two years ago as a birthday gift for her.

According to the lunar calendar, her mother’s birthday was in the next couple of weeks.

The insurance cost about 1200, not very expensive.

But for her current strapped circumstances, it was the last straw!

She had forgotten about this expense and hadn’t noticed previous renewal messages.

She glanced at her bank balance and found she had just over four hundred left.

Going out tomorrow means another expense.

“And after that, it’s my least favorite winter season.”

Winter was her least like season because it could easily highlight the disparity between people.

Winter clothing is expensive, much more than summer attire.

Chen Jieyu’s refinement was easier to maintain when the weather was warm, as the costs were lower.

But winter was different.

Decent winter clothes don’t come cheap.

If there’s a hint of quality, the price soars.

This winter, she probably wouldn’t be buying any new clothes.

Chen Jieyu stared at the charge notification on her phone and remembered the man who conned her out of money.

She battled to not think about it, as it always brought distress.

“Four hundred, minus the travel expenses for tomorrow…”

There’s still a while before the next paycheck.

And remember, she lives in Hang City.

A worker in Hang City with only a few hundred in her account, that’s severe insecurity.

You can say that even falling ill is unaffordable!

“I wasn’t supposed to be like this…”

“It really shouldn’t have come to this.”

Her income wasn’t enough for a lavish life, but at least she shouldn’t be so pitiable in this unforgiving city.

A deep sense of weariness washed over her again.

She wondered how long this kind of life would last.

Chen Jieyu wanted to live effortlessly, but it seemed even appearing effortless was now unattainable.

She needed a stable job.

But a stable job also means–family can find you anytime.

That’s what Chen Jieyu feared and worried about the most.

She felt ensnared by an invisible net.

Her emotions, stabilized by Cheng Zhu, crumbled once more at this moment.

At that moment, she profoundly realized a saying:

“[Modern breakdown is a slow collapse. It manifests as not wanting to live, yet not daring to die.]”

The thought reemerged:

“It would be nice to live differently.”

…

(ps: Second update, last day of the month asking for monthly votes!)

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