Forcing Me to Be Reborn?!
Chapter 317 - Chapter 317 Chapter 247 Is It Payback Day

Chapter 317: Chapter 247: Is It Payback Day? Chapter 317: Chapter 247: Is It Payback Day? Across Technology University, Cheng Zhu had no clue exactly how many people had downloaded “Sheep,” or how many were playing it.

He was even less aware that Dean Zhang, whom he was keen to ingratiate himself with, was at that moment sitting in Director Li’s office, having put on his reading glasses and begun downloading the game.

He had been quite busy himself that day, with matters to attend to at the milk tea shop, and he also needed to make a trip over to “Persistent Visit” due to some export business.

Lately, they had continued recruiting for the milk tea shop, and Cheng Zhu had brought in two more men and one woman, all with prior experience in the business.

Many people assumed that the proportion of male employees in milk tea shops was not high, but in reality, this wasn’t the case.

Especially with some popular milk tea brands, there might be far more male employees than female ones.

Working in a milk tea shop actually involved quite a bit of physical labor. For a busy shop, the staggering number of milk teas they had to make each day was also quite exhausting.

For now, the milk tea development was progressing steadily, and most of the regular flavors had been more or less finalized.

What they were missing now was the “Cheese Mixed Berries” that wasn’t available on the market in 14 years.

“We really need to develop it soon,” thought Cheng Zhu.

“My poor Ning Bao, who loves strawberries so much, hasn’t even had the chance to taste my milk tea yet.”

By the time Cheng Zhu had finished with his work, it was already five in the afternoon.

He simply grabbed Wang Anquan to join him for dinner at a random restaurant nearby.

Hang City was jokingly called a culinary desert because many felt that the local dishes didn’t taste much to write home about.

But that didn’t mean there was nothing delicious in Hang City.

After all, it was still a big city, and many well-known restaurants would prioritize opening branches there.

During his entrepreneurial years in Wu City, Cheng Zhu had noticed that many Wu City residents would run off to Hang City to eat when they had spare time.

At this moment, he and Wang Anquan had found a creative cuisine restaurant near the studio.

He tried it and found it to be quite good.

“Anquan, tell me the truth, did Chen Bin take you to a karaoke touch bar that night when I sent you to Guan Yun?” Cheng Zhu asked with a laugh.

“Karaoke touch bar?” Wang Anquan was first puzzled, then understood what was meant.

Cheng Zhu could guess from his expression that middle-aged Ah Bin had indeed likely taken him to a club to hold models that evening.

“Did you have fun?” Cheng Zhu pressed with a smile.

In response, Wang Anquan just said one word: “Scared!”

Cheng Zhu burst into laughter upon hearing this.

He could easily imagine what it was like for someone like Wang Anquan, who had never even held a girl’s hand, to feel panicked when confronted with those hostesses who came on strong in the club.

He probably didn’t even dare to look up when ten or twenty girls stood in a line for him to pick.

Cheng Zhu figured that was probably the point at which he had started to feel frightened.

The two chatted while they ate, and after dinner, Cheng Zhu dropped him back at the studio and then headed to Star City Mall himself.

The decoration of the milk tea shop was nearing completion.

As some LED light sets had been delivered that day, Cheng Zhu wanted to see the final effect after they’d been installed.

Of course, before entering his shop, he maintained the usual routine of purchasing a Starbucks coffee from across the street.

He sipped on his coffee as he stepped out of the cafe, then looked up at the sign of his shop.

“The countdown to opening my shop starts now,” Cheng Zhu thought to himself.

After stepping into his construction site, he checked the new LED lights.

The overall effect wasn’t bad at all, and met his expectations.

A place like a doll-catcher shop, with its pink doll machines, might opt for fancy neon lights on the walls.

But a trendy milk tea shop, going for a minimalist style, would definitely not resort to such decor.

Just then, his phone buzzed.

He checked and was surprised to find that it was a message from his counselor.

“Payday today.” Chen Jieyu had sent him a WeChat message.

Then, she transferred 4000 yuan to Cheng Zhu, just like last month.

But unlike last month, when Cheng Zhu instantaneously accepted the money, this time he locked his phone’s screen and pocketed it.

“Today’s Friday,” he thought.

“Mr. Chen won’t have to work tomorrow or the day after; it’s his weekend off.”

Cheng Zhu walked out of the construction site and started wandering around the first floor of Star City Mall.

Originally, he was shopping for winter clothes for himself, but now it wasn’t just for him.

As he browsed, he entered a women’s clothing store named MaxMara, well known for its coats.

The women’s coats in the store had nice patterns, including many celebrity designs, though they weren’t cheap.

The coats from this brand were usually solid colored, and typically, they lacked any obvious brand logos, which made them look understated overall.

He genuinely wanted to improve his poor Mr. Chen’s life, but was aware that doing so unwisely could cause trouble instead.

A mature scumbag understood how to pick gifts.

After purchasing a camel-colored coat, Cheng Zhu also bought a fitted turtleneck sweater for her.

“The coat size definitely won’t be wrong; I know her height, and her weight can be estimated.”

“I’m not sure whether the sweater will be too big or too small,” he mused.

After shopping, he bought a down jacket for himself, got back into his car, and drove towards Technology University.

More precisely, to the faculty dormitory of Technology University.

…

…

Technology University faculty dormitory.

Chen Jieyu had been conflicted all day.

After much consideration, she still decided to transfer the four thousand yuan to Cheng Zhu.

However, more than an hour had passed, and he had not replied, nor accepted the money.

This left Chen Jieyu feeling uneasy all evening.

The nature of their relationship made it quite tricky to handle at times.

The line between a counselor and a student, a creditor, and a debtor.

Today was the agreed repayment day.

Should she even repay it?

And if so, how should she do it?

After a long deliberation, Chen Jieyu merely sent the message: “Payday today.”

It wasn’t until 9:11 p.m. that her phone buzzed with a WeChat message from Cheng Zhu.

“Which apartment are you in?”

As she read the message, a mix of surprise and panic flashed through her eyes beneath her gold-rimmed glasses.

He’s coming here!?

“Hurry up, I’m standing downstairs and I’m holding stuff. It would be bad if someone saw me,” Cheng Zhu sent another message.

He was too well-known at school, and many of the staff living in that building knew he was Chen Jieyu’s student.

Like that gossipy, chubby counselor Zhao Xiaoqian.

Chen Jieyu struggled internally, but she knew all too well that Cheng Zhu, with his brazen nature, wouldn’t listen if she told him to leave and not stand around below.

I knew he was the most disobedient student in the class!

I knew he was the biggest troublemaker in the class!

The counselor was somewhat annoyed at heart but still informed him that it was apartment 301.

Little did she know that Cheng Zhu was actually still sitting in his car, and only after finding out it was apartment 301 did he grab his shopping bags, quickly disembarked, and climbed the stairs like a scout with lightning speed.

He reached the door of 301, and as soon as he did, the door swung open, and Chen Jieyu pulled him in and quickly closed it.

Her chest heaved with obvious nervousness.

“Mr. Chen, please tell me you weren’t just peering through the peephole this whole time?” Cheng Zhu joked with a grin, looking quite pleased.

Chen Jieyu ignored him, as he had hit the nail on the head; indeed, that’s what she had been doing.

The unruly student gave a chuckle and started surveying the apartment, circling the living room before the only unexplored territory remaining was the counselor’s personal bedroom.

“Don’t go in there!” She was still a bit upset and couldn’t help frowning as she spoke.

“No problem,” Cheng Zhu wasn’t planning to invade further anyway.

I’m quite well-mannered, you know.

Then he turned towards her, looking her way.

At home, Chen Jieyu was dressed in thick pajamas, which looked quite warm.

This attire was quite the contrast to her carefully coordinated outfits from her daily life.

“I bought you a turtleneck sweater and a coat. Try them on for size now.” Cheng Zhu pointed toward the shopping bag he had placed on the floor.

Chen Jieyu didn’t move, her face revealing a complex expression as she said, “You promised me that if you were buying anything else, you would tell me in advance.”

“Oh, right!” Cheng Zhu clapped his hands theatrically: “I forgot all about that if you didn’t mention it!”

Chen Jieyu: “…”

She felt completely helpless against this student, even as a counselor.

Seeing her take no action, Cheng Zhu opened the shopping bag himself, retrieved the camel coat and black fitted turtleneck sweater, and offered them to her.

Chen Jieyu didn’t take them; instead, she asked, “Why don’t you accept the money I am returning to you?”

“Why would I?” Cheng Zhu countered.

“I owe you, and of course, I have to pay you back.”

“What’s the point? Just guess, how much do you think just this coat and the sweater cost?” Cheng Zhu held them up and asked.

Chen Jieyu bit her lip, staying silent for a long time.

She could have retorted, “I never asked you to buy these for me.”

But she couldn’t bring herself to say it.

The fact that Cheng Zhu was willing to buy her gifts voluntarily allowed her to taste the sweetness in the gesture.

For that faint sweetness, she would be more cautious and careful with her words, afraid that saying the wrong thing might ruin it.

So she found herself not knowing what to say.

“I’ve looked around for a long time, at least try them on, okay?” Cheng Zhu spoke again.

Chen Jieyu eventually nodded, took the clothes, and walked into her room, closing the door behind her.

After a while, she emerged wearing the new clothes.

She had spent a long time in front of the mirror inside, and for some reason, she even tidied up her room a bit subconsciously.

Now, with the black fitted turtleneck sweater as an underlay outlining her slender figure exquisitely, she looked stunning.

High necklines sometimes highlight an individual’s jawline even more, creating a more distinct aura for someone with a reserved disposition.

The camel coat and gold glasses subtly complemented each other in color.

Cheng Zhu thought Chen Jieyu looked as good as any model in the advertisements in stores.

Yet her lips remained tightly set, the little seriousness on her face intensifying.

She was simply self-consciously guarding her last bits of pride.

“That looks great; my taste isn’t bad at all,” praised Cheng Zhu first.

Then, feigning seriousness himself, he added, “What’s with the unhappy face when you get a gift?”

“If you don’t like it, don’t wear it then. It can’t be returned anyway, so might as well just leave it in the closet,” Cheng Zhu said.

Hearing his words, Chen Jieyu struggled to respond, finally pursing her lips even tighter.

Then Cheng Zhu rose from the sofa, took her hand, and led her to sit with him.

He began to sigh conspicuously at this point.

This action instantly caught her attention.

The moment Cheng Zhu took her hand, all emotions within his heart dissipated.

The same thought crossed his mind again:

[For someone with much bitterness in their heart, how much sweetness does it take to fill it up?

No, a single thread of sweetness is enough.]

Cheng Zhu, still holding her hand, sighed once more before speaking:

“I know you’ve had a tough time these years, being with me, so how about not making it hard on yourself?”

…

(ps: Second update, asking for monthly votes!

Thank you to “Master Jingjing” for the 200,000 starting coins reward!

The book club is full again, my god, 4 groups with 8000 people…)

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.