Rebirth: He Decides to Lie Flat
Chapter 323 - 323 320 Awake

Chapter 323: Chapter 320: Awake Chapter 323: Chapter 320: Awake Du Fan’s aunt left his house in a huff, swearing never to step foot there again.

Du Fan’s father squatted in the yard, cradling his head in his hands.

The next day, Du Fan took his mother to the hospital for a comprehensive check-up. He noted down the names of the medicines she needed and planned to buy them in Beijing and send them to her later.

He also helped his brother get a postal bank card so that he could deposit his tuition and living expenses into it for his brother to withdraw himself.

After settling everything at home, Du Fan rushed back to Beijing overnight without saying another word to his father before leaving.

Upon his return, he took Jing Junyang’s advice and borrowed money from him to buy an old, dilapidated building in the Third Ring area, right across from one of Jiang Yan’s apartments.

He had made up his mind; whatever Jiang Yan did, he would do too. Jing Junyang had said that this guy was very shrewd and that following him would not likely result in a loss.

Once Du Fan stabilized here, both Jing Junyang and Jiang Yan breathed a sigh of relief.

In fact, in his previous life, Jiang Yan didn’t play games much because he didn’t have the time. He was only vaguely aware of many games. But Du Fan was smart and could flesh out the games based on what Jiang Yan roughly described. The games might not be exactly the same as in the past life, but they were only better, never worse.

Also, the internet wave hadn’t yet arrived, and some web design still needed the expertise of a technical guru like Du Fan to lead the way.

…

Although it was vacation time, many students stayed at Beijing University, mostly to prepare for their master’s and doctoral entrance exams, benefiting from the library’s availability even during the holidays.

Jing Junyang had generated some hype for the specialty store recently, so many came to support the store on its opening day. It was a bustling scene, with some customers being swayed to make a purchase as they browsed, while others came in to buy something they had seen in a catalog. In any case, the store had a very successful first day of business.

Xiaotie was there early in the morning to help out. When Hong Jing came to buy a computer, he managed the invoicing and handed it to her. Out of respect for Xiaotie, Jing Junyang gave Hong Jing an additional discount of two hundred yuan on top of the ongoing promotion.

As she was leaving, Hong Jing said with a smile to Xiaotie, “Xiaotie, I’ll treat you to a meal when you have time tomorrow.”

Xiaotie didn’t take her seriously, thinking it was just a polite remark. But to his surprise, Hong Jing really came to the repair shop to look for him the next afternoon at four o’clock.

Despite his surprise and inner elation, a still rational Xiaotie declined, simply stating that the shop was too busy for him to get away. He also told her not to bother with politeness, since whoever she bought a computer from didn’t make much difference.

And what difference would two hundred yuan make, anyway?

After Hong Jing left, Dai Lei asked in disbelief, “You finally get asked out to a meal by a girl and you’re being coy now?”

“What do you mean ‘finally’? Do you realize there’s something wrong with your words?”

“Yes, yes, there’s something wrong—plenty of women have asked you out to meals. Like the auntie selling wontons at the street corner, she’s treated you several times, right?”

Xiaotie’s face stiffened momentarily as he awkwardly responded, “That doesn’t count.”

Dai Lei looked surprised, “The auntie doesn’t count, then who does?”

“Who else… Why would I explain that to a bachelor like you?”

Dai Lei chuckled coldly, “If there’s no one, there’s no one. No need to put on an act.”

“What do you mean, no one? Wasn’t there just now?”

The conversation circled back, and Dai Lei said curiously, “I saw that you clearly fancied her, so why didn’t you go when she asked you out to eat?”

“Ah…” Xiaotie sighed deeply, then spoke with a sense of mystery and profundity, “If it’s destined not to lead anywhere, then it’s better not to start at all.”

Dai Lei: …

Why does this feel so familiar?

After pondering for a while without coming up with an answer, the smile on Dai Lei’s face gradually faded. The second brother usually seemed to be carefree and unconcerned about almost everything, but in reality, his mind was clearer than anyone else’s, and he had an accurate understanding and assessment of himself.

Most crucial was that the second brother had no relatives; he was set on following Jiang Yan and he couldn’t afford to cause him any trouble.

Hong Jing was the first girl he ever had feelings for, but he also knew that a relationship between them was impossible. In light of that, there was no need for deeper contact, as he wasn’t sure if he could stop himself from falling deeper.

Dai Lei, in deep thought, watched the second brother. No one knew that he would send gifts to a girl every month. Ever since he came to Beijing, he’d been frequenting various bookstores, and most people thought he was buying materials for the second brother.

Yes, he was, but not entirely.

He was scouring the bookstores for R Country comic books to send to the girl as soon as he bought them. Before she had a phone, she’d reply with a letter to thank him whenever she received his books. Once she had a phone, she’d send a text with just six brief words: “Book received, thank you!”

The girl was his high school classmate, who had gone to a university in Southern Province, far from Beijing.

When the New Year’s reunion happened, he saw her, but they merely greeted each other without another word. He wasn’t good with words, but she was bubbly and cheerful, with a particularly good reputation among the classmates, not just with the girls, but with many boys as well.

Watching her converse effortlessly among her classmates, he felt the distance between them was even greater than it was between their two schools.

But because he had grown accustomed to it, after the winter break, he continued his routine of hunting for anime books at the bookstore to send to her. He would still receive that familiar six-word text message in return.

Previously, it didn’t seem to matter, but at this moment, Dai Lei suddenly felt sick of it.

If it was impossible, why keep insisting on it?

If he shared this with the second brother, he would definitely ask him, “Are you stupid?”

…

Jiang Yan delayed sending stuff to Ma Zheng by a few days, and the elder brother’s package was very heavy.

But when Ma Zheng opened it, he was dumbfounded.

The excited smile was still on his face, but his wide-open eyes were filled with shock. “What, what is this…” Why is it all workbooks?

Chinese, math, English…

There were reading comprehension, ancient texts, essays, poetry collections.

There was “Calculation Master,” split into two books for third and fourth graders, as well as problem-solving books and three sets of practice tests

As for English, it was even more comprehensive than Chinese and math.

Ma Zheng was close to tears. His brother said he would send him a gift, and he thought it would be some treasure, so why these?

Did his brother think he didn’t have enough summer homework? Was he worried he would be idle?

Shu Wan held back her laughter as she helped him move the workbooks and papers out of the box, complimenting, “Look how thoughtful your brother is, knowing you’re starting fourth grade. He not only bought third-grade ones for you to consolidate but also fourth-grade ones for you to preview. Look, some of these can’t even be bought here; such a comprehensive collection. If you don’t finish it, you won’t be doing justice to the effort your brother took to find them for you, and to send them all this way, right?”

Ma Zheng wanted to say it really wasn’t so necessary to go to all that trouble, collecting so many practice books—doesn’t it tire his eyes?

But he was afraid of saying it out loud and making his brother sad, even though he couldn’t hear it.

In the afternoon, when he went to his maternal grandparents’ with Shu Wan, Ma Zheng’s little backpack had an extra “Calculation Master” and an ancient text reading comprehension book. At his grandparents’ house, he didn’t join the others to watch TV but went to the study to do homework…