Forcing Me to Be Reborn?!
Chapter 267 - Chapter 267 Chapter 231 Counselor Fallen

Chapter 267: Chapter 231: Counselor, Fallen! Chapter 267: Chapter 231: Counselor, Fallen! On the far left of the lawn, Chen Jieyu drained two-thirds of a glass of red wine in one go, her brow furrowing slightly.

Drinking such a large glass all at once was bound to cause her some discomfort.

They were now playing Truth or Dare, and the penalty for drinking was set quite high.

This essentially forced everyone to answer questions and perform tasks.

Among the people present, apart from Cheng Zhu, everyone was somewhat puzzled as to why Chen Jieyu was drinking.

They speculated that Mr. Chen probably didn’t have a boyfriend, otherwise, why wouldn’t she admit it?

People like Dong Dong thought, “It seems like she has someone she likes but doesn’t want to talk about it.”

“Damn, she must have hidden unrequited love in her heart!”

Three nosy dogs caught a whiff of gossip.

With our teacher looking as stunning as she is, was there really a man she couldn’t win over?

What kind of man is that powerful?

–Damn it, he really should be damned!

The girls then began to wildly speculate, “Has Mr. Chen been heartbroken but just can’t let go of that person, so she doesn’t want to talk about it and drinks because she’s upset?”

“It seems her complexion was quite complex just now.”

Only Cheng Zhu, turning his head, gave her a deep look, harboring some guesses.

Chen Jieyu noticed he was watching her, and under those gold-rimmed glasses, her eyes darted away.

That very evasion gave Cheng Zhu more clues.

He was clear in his mind, with such an easy question to answer, choosing not to answer meant only a few possibilities might be true.

Either it was about her status, not wanting to discuss such things with students, but if that were the case, why sit here and play at all? She was already drinking with students; it really wasn’t necessary.

Or it was indeed about someone she didn’t want to mention.

Of course, having someone she loved but couldn’t have was also a possibility.

But then, there was another possibility.

The reason she avoided this question was that the person in her heart…

–Was sitting right here!

…

…

At this moment, the game of Truth or Dare continued.

Cheng Zhu picked up some red wine and began pouring it into Chen Jieyu’s glass according to the rule, filling it to two-thirds full.

He had drunk with her before and knew her tolerance was actually quite decent.

But compared to some drinking legends he had met in his past life, there was still a huge gap.

However, he felt that the game would probably end before Chen Jieyu got too drunk.

With the alcohol tolerance of people like Liu Feng, this game really couldn’t last many rounds.

About half an hour later, Cheng Zhu could tell they were getting tipsy.

Liu Feng even drank in place of Chen Tingting once. With his already poor tolerance, he played the hero, yet Chen Tingting turned out to be quite sober.

It seemed about time to wrap things up here.

Just then, Chen Jieyu’s phone lit up, receiving a message.

She glanced down at it, and her eyes dimmed slightly.

“What’s up?” Cheng Zhu casually asked.

“Nothing much, my phone bill is due.” She truthfully reported the situation but didn’t elaborate further.

It truly was a case of misfortunes never coming singly.

Life was bizarre like that; the more financially strained you were, the more expenses seemed to unexpectedly crop up.

Cheng Zhu saw her reaction and didn’t press further.

Now that the game couldn’t continue, those who wanted to keep drinking could stay and play, and those who didn’t could go back to their room.

Cheng Zhu and Chen Jieyu then got up together to go upstairs, Cheng Zhu still carrying the bottle of fruit wine.

“Got something on your mind lately?” On the stairs, this ‘male confidante’ finally began to inquire.

“Sort of,” Chen Jieyu nodded.

“Wanna talk?” he asked.

“Where?”

“To the living room in my suite,” he said.

Chen Jieyu was a bit tipsy but instinctively looked around.

“Don’t worry, there’s no one,” Cheng Zhu shook his head with a wry smile.

But it made sense; after drinking, if a counselor and a student entered the same room and were seen, that would be really problematic!

Thus, once inside the room, Chen Jieyu quickly closed the door behind them.

They settled back onto the sofa.

Cheng Zhu picked up a cup from the room, intending to wash it in the bathroom.

Before washing, he asked, “Do you want to keep drinking?”

He didn’t ask if she could keep drinking.

Chen Jieyu thought for a moment and then nodded slightly.

It was rare for her to be out like this; it was meant to be a complete relaxation.

She wanted to forget her troubles, leave tomorrow’s issues for tomorrow, and think about future difficulties later.

The counselor was feeling a bit down.

Partly because of the question she got during Truth or Dare.

She actually knew the answer, and she was very clear about that.

But perhaps because of taboos or something else, she didn’t want to face it or deal with it.

And maybe even because… she felt inferior?

Apart from this, she had deliberately avoided thinking about how financially strapped she was today.

But the sudden message about her phone bill brought her crashing back to reality.

Now, she had to recharge her phone very little by little, use up the charge, then recharge again.

Chen Jieyu could endure poverty, could handle being down and out.

A child who hadn’t received much love from an early age, she was used to it.

Her anguish primarily stemmed from her belief that she had settled in Hang City, secured a steady job, and had… started anew!

But the recent expense of fifty thousand yuan made her realize that was not really the case.

She had even lost the only thing she considered her refuge in this city.

At that moment, Cheng Zhu finished washing the glasses and placed one in front of her.

While pouring fruit wine into both glasses, he poured just a little for her and more for himself.

“You’ve been drinking red wine all along, and it’s best not to mix it, so be careful when you drink this, don’t get too drunk,” he offered warmly.

He definitely didn’t want to see the prim and proper counselor, in her gold-rimmed glasses, puking her guts out over his toilet.

That would be too much of a breakdown.

Chen Jieyu nodded slightly.

“Talk about what’s bothering you,” Cheng Zhu said.

She looked at him, then lowered her head to play with her glass, softly saying, “Cheng Zhu, have you ever felt I am very fake, living a fake and vain life?”

Cheng Zhu chuckled and responded directly, “Yes!”

“That’s fucking obvious, of course, yes.” He added another line.

Chen Jieyu stared at the wine in her glass, falling into a long silence.

Yes, the persona she carefully constructed has completely crashed in front of him, he certainly would feel she was fake.

And maybe to genuinely wealthy individuals, her “poised poverty” must be quite apparent.

She wanted to defend herself several times, to explain her reasons and why she was like this, but she still hesitated.

Cheng Zhu chuckled again and continued, “Do you know why many people find socializing exhausting?”

“Why?” She too found socializing a difficult endeavor.

“Socializing is tiring because many people try to exhibit qualities they don’t possess,” Cheng Zhu revealed part of the facade many maintain while socializing.

He was okay with it, as he lived carefreely.

Pretending to be something when you feel like it, fuck it!

Of course, the consequence is–my ass, I got reborn.

“You didn’t need to bring this up; remember the passage from ‘Mountain Moon Record’ I mentioned last time we drank?”

Chen Jieyu nodded slightly, “I remember; later, I borrowed the book from the library and have finished reading it.”

“Oh, don’t talk to me about the contents; I haven’t actually read it, just some excerpts,” Cheng Zhu certainly wouldn’t pretend to be well-read.

Seeing his demeanor, she smiled softly.

They both lifted their glasses and each took a small sip.

The warmth of the alcohol rose, and Chen Jieyu felt a bit hot, so she took off her lightweight coat, wearing only a silk blouse.

The clingy fabric showcased her graceful curves exquisitely.

But as she got slightly drunker, her body naturally slumped a bit.

This made her long hair appear even more disheveled, although the aura of restraint she usually carried was slightly lessened.

Cheng Zhu sat across from her, and they chatted intermittently.

Occasionally, they would lift their glasses and sip some fruit wine.

Actually, through Chen Jieyu’s actions and words tonight, Cheng Zhu had already gleaned the answer she might have given in the Truth or Dare game.

Please, it was almost midnight.

Still drinking with the opposite sex in a room, able to open up, show vulnerability, and still just consider him a male confidante?

Of course, Cheng Zhu could also guess what was troubling her heart, what she was struggling with.

He suspected it still related to her family of origin.

That’s not something you choose, yet it’s hard to escape.

The suffering brought by a problematic family of origin could surge up unexpectedly.

He inadvertently thought of Chen Jieyu’s fate in his previous life.

There must be a lot missing in her heart.

And could someone accustomed to living strongly truly feel okay being all alone?

A person never pampered from childhood–did she truly not care?

Naturally not.

Fortunately, when Cheng Zhu genuinely wanted to comfort someone, he had some skill in that department.

He could spin a lot of seemingly logical, but upon closer examination, complete nonsense phrases, interspersed with some jokes–anyway, he was naturally brazen, so you’d just think he was being himself and find some humor in it.

He’d draw you in, confuse you, then change the topic and crack a joke or two.

The problems certainly weren’t so easily solved; a few words couldn’t fix anything, and he hadn’t intended to resolve anything right then.

A jerk probably couldn’t give you much, but he could certainly fill you up with emotional value.

At last, Chen Jieyu lifted her eyes to his and said softly, “Thank you for comforting me, I feel a bit better now.”

Cheng Zhu looked at her flushed cheeks and slightly blurred eyes behind the gold-rimmed glasses, feeling the taboo and ambivalence of being in the same room with an inebriated counselor.

He knew too well what this woman before him needed in her heart, what she deeply craved.

He also knew too well which approach was most lethal to her.

Did you say thank you for comforting you?

Cheng Zhu leaned forward slightly and spoke in a calm voice:

“Actually, I think I was just placating you.”

….

(ps: second update, vote for monthly tickets!)