Rebirth: He Decides to Lie Flat
Chapter 426 - 426 421 Retracing the Old Path

Chapter 426: Chapter 421: Retracing the Old Path Chapter 426: Chapter 421: Retracing the Old Path Jiang Yan didn’t wait for dinner to start before he left; he and Jiajia were going to have a candlelit dinner, and who had time to waste here?

Coming over to say hello was enough; anything more than that, he couldn’t really get close to them.

Old Master Shu was somewhat disappointed, while Shu Wan was quite open-minded, advising him, “Dad, it’s pretty good this way.” Don’t force anything; after all, you didn’t give much at the start, did you?

Ma Zheng wasn’t able to leave with them and was a bit unhappy. Ma Jiandong said to him, “Don’t be so dissatisfied, I’ve taken you out for a whole afternoon, what more do you want? To go to Beijing with your brother?”

Ma Zheng snorted, “Just wait, I’ll definitely be able to get into Beijing University in the future.”

The others all laughed, since everyone had boasted such claims before, who could take it seriously?

On the other hand, after Jiang Yan and Mu Jiawen left, they went to a rather elegant hotel in Yunzhou.

The two of them booked a large room with a suite; whenever it was just the two of them going out, they always stayed this way. He didn’t feel at ease letting Mu Jiawen stay in a room by herself.

“The hotel has a Western restaurant; shall we just eat here?”

While Jiang Yan was checking in, Mu Jiawen was browsing the hotel’s equipped restaurants and menus, as well as the movie theater.

Once he finished, he moved closer to her, agreed with a nod and then turned his head to look at a man and woman who had just walked out from the elevator in the lobby.

The man was probably around forty years old, with a square face and ordinary looks, but the gold-rimmed glasses he wore made him appear refined. The woman had delicate makeup, curly waves, and wore a beige long coat that highlighted her graceful figure and presence. She also wore glasses, but hers had black frames. Someone not very familiar with her would definitely not recognize her at first glance as Song Xiwen!

As they walked, the two weren’t particularly close to each other, but Jiang Yan felt that there was a connection between them.

He withdrew his gaze, turned his head, and noticed that Mu Jiawen was also looking in the direction where the two were heading. He had recognized Song Xiwen, and so would she, of course.

“She’s changed so much.” Mu Jiawen remarked, “Money really changes people beyond recognition.”

She truly hadn’t expected that Song Xiwen, in order to inherit that old man’s fortune, wouldn’t even bother about her own parents.

It was also unexpected that Xie Jingying had more determination than she thought. Her grandfather’s wholehearted efforts and sincerity hadn’t been wasted after all!

After that, they put Song Xiwen out of their minds, first going to eat Western food, and then visiting the coffee shop they had been to during high school. They didn’t go in, but just casually walked past the entrance and retraced the paths they had once taken.

In the end, they reached the front gate of Yunzhou No. 1 Middle School.

Jiang Yan had a DSLR camera hanging around his neck; it was a new model from the electronics factory, which took very clear photos even at night.

He first took a few photos of Mu Jiawen, then asked a passerby to help them take a photo together.

Of course, Yunzhou No. 1 Middle School was empty during the holidays, so they just stood at the gate looking inside. The banner proclaiming the province’s top scholar, which hung at the gate for an entire year, was gone, but the names and photos of Mu Jiawen and the others were still affixed in the display windows of the school.

“It’s only been two years, but it feels like a long time ago.”

Mu Jiawen said sentimentally, arm in arm with Jiang Yan. The world changes, time flies, recalling when she first arrived here, she never imagined that the two of them would end up as a couple.

Jiang Yan remembered those crazy days of studying and couldn’t help but chuckle. If it weren’t for this girl constantly spurring him on, and his own persistence from a previous life, he never would have imagined that he had such limitless potential and that he could actually get into Beijing University.

But…

He reached up to pinch her cheek, “You little troublemaker, did you find me annoying back then?”

Because he often studied to the point of mental swelling, and besides playing basketball to vent, he would sometimes run wildly around the outdoor field. Staying in school wasn’t as convenient as being at home, where he could shower after sweating profusely. Instead, he took advantage of the mental clarity after a bout of physical exhaustion to immediately continue studying.

But at those times, he was often drenched in sweat, and Mu Jiawen, disgusted, wished she could merge with the wall and stay far away from him.

But Jiang Yan knew that she wasn’t really disdainful of him.

On the windowsill, his cup was always filled with cooled boiled water, and in the corner of the desk, there was always a pack of tissues—sometimes even accompanied by two fiery-red chili peppers.

She said, “I’ve heard eating these can keep the mind sharp.”

It certainly does keep you sharp, but what about the blisters in my mouth from the heat? Why don’t you take care of those?

Only this silly girl could think of such a thing, give it to someone else, and they would probably knock his teeth out.

Mu Jiawen also remembered this and laughed heartily, “It was Xiao Qi’s idea. He said it’s exhausting for you to run so much, and maintaining alertness that way isn’t as effective as eating chili peppers.”

Jiang Yan was startled, had he really not known?

“That bastard, I remember he even competed with me back then, but unfortunately, he still couldn’t beat me.”

Jiang Yan looked very proud, but then his smile slightly stiffened because he remembered that every time he went out shopping with Xiao Qi and Yu Hang, when he bought milk for Mu Jiawen, Xiao Qi would also buy a bottle. At first, he thought Xiao Qi bought it for himself, but it always ended up on Mu Jiawen’s table.

Until now, Mu Jiawen had always thought it was Jiang Yan who put it there.

It was only now that Jiang Yan vaguely realized that Xiao Qi might have…

Forget it…

He shook his head and tried not to think any more of it.

The two of them left No. 1 High School and walked back. When Mu Jiawen got tired, Jiang Yan carried her on his back. They didn’t speak, just snuggled up to each other, slowly taking in the Yunzhou landscapes and night scene they hadn’t noticed before.

…

Meanwhile, in Luyang.

Ever since their “Feilu” internet café had opened for business, the second brother had been there non-stop, without even one trip back to Beijing—there had simply been no time, too busy.

He rented a small apartment right behind the internet café, a one-bedroom with a fully equipped kitchen and bathroom, and the décor wasn’t bad either.

At the moment, Hong Jing had just taken a shower and came out of the bathroom, drying her damp hair while asking the second brother to “Pour me a glass of water.”

The second brother averted his gaze from her exposed fair legs and turned to the dining table to pour water, grumbling, “There’s… a hairdryer in the bathroom.”

He likely forgot that today was already Hong Jing’s third night staying here; how could she not know about the hairdryer in the bathroom?

“Don’t want to blow dry it, too hot,” she said.

The second brother was left speechless, yet what he thought was, it’s not even summer yet, and you’re wearing a knee-length nightgown and still feeling hot?

He glanced down at his own short-sleeved shirt, felt the sticky sweat on his back, and the heat building up in his chest; it seemed… indeed quite hot.

By that time, Hong Jing had already come up next to him, reached for the glass of water he poured, and casually asked, “Aren’t you going to take a shower?”

His nose was overwhelmed with the scent of shampoo and body wash mixed with a pleasing body fragrance, making the second brother dizzy.

With a dry and stammering voice, he said, “I’ll, I’ll go now.”

After finishing, he dashed into the bathroom like someone seeking escape…