Chapter 6: Who to Send First?

After finishing off almost a case of beer with Wang Jie, and with the girls having a few drinks as well, their faces were now flushed and even more charming.

Li Dong hadn't expected Wang Jie to be such a heavy drinker. He hadn't noticed this before.

After a barbecue meal, the group's relationships had clearly become much closer. It seemed that in China, bonding over food and drinks was a surefire way to build relationships.

Even Yuan Xue, who usually didn't sit well with him, now seemed less bothersome. Beauty has its advantages—minor flaws are easily overlooked.

When it came time to settle the bill, Li Dong was quite moved. A world without inflation really is a wonderful place.

The five of them were full and satisfied for just eighty yuan. In later years, you wouldn't get out with less than two or three hundred.

However, after paying, Li Dong found himself quite embarrassed, left with only a fifty yuan note and a few coins, not even enough to buy another meal.

Indeed, "a penny can defeat a hero." Without some extra cash, not only would he struggle to support a family, but he wouldn't even have the means to date.

But Li Dong wasn't anxious. Though the process could be a bit troublesome, making money wasn't too difficult for him.

By the time they finished eating, it was already past nine o'clock, and no one felt like strolling around anymore.

Wang Jie, with a flushed face, offered to escort Chen Yue home, not sure if it was the alcohol or something else.

Li Dong was about to accompany Qin Yuhan back when Chen Yue said, "Li Dong, my path and Xue's are different. Could you help send Xue home?"

"No way!" Yuan Xue refused immediately without a second thought. Li Dong mumbled, "You agreed, and now you don't want to?"

Chen Yue ignored Yuan Xue completely and continued, "It's quite late now. It's not safe for Xue to go home alone. Li Dong, I'm leaving Xue in your hands. I'm heading out."

After that, Wang Jie, the guy who forgot his principles in the face of beauty, eagerly followed Chen Yue, leaving Li Dong and the two girls in an awkward stand-off.

Li Dong looked at Yuan Xue, then at Qin Yuhan, and felt a deep sense of regret. It was indeed a tough choice.

From the bottom of his heart, he wanted to spend time with Qin Yuhan, walking down the street together. But Chen Yue had a point; the security situation wasn't as good as it would be later, and sending a delicate beauty like Yuan Xue home alone might lead to unforeseen problems.

Without further hesitation, Li Dong said, "Here's the plan: since Yuhan's house is nearby, we'll drop her off first, and then I'll take Yuan Xue home."

Qin Yuhan didn't say anything. Yuan Xue was about to refuse, but Li Dong firmly stated, "That's settled. I need to get home and sleep later!"

...

Li Dong remained silent on the way. He didn't pay much attention to the quiet conversation between Qin Yuhan and Yuan Xue, which seemed to be about mundane things.

After about ten minutes, they arrived at Qin Yuhan's building. She and Yuan Xue said their goodbyes.

Looking up at Li Dong without speaking, Qin Yuhan turned around and smiled, "Li Dong, remember to get Yuan Xue home safely. I'll treat you to a meal next time if I have the chance."

Without giving Li Dong a chance to reply, she quickly disappeared into the darkened stairwell.

"Let's go. Where do you live?" Li Dong finally turned to Yuan Xue, noticing her absence of Qin Yuhan.

It was only then that Li Dong realized he didn't even know where Yuan Xue lived. He had to admit it was quite a failure.

She was a campus beauty and his classmate, yet he hadn't thought to ask about these details.

Yuan Xue seemed to realize that Li Dong was not particularly fond of her, feeling aggrieved. She responded coldly, "Mingyuan Community!"

"Uh…"

Li Dong was at a loss for words. It was a pretty big blunder. No wonder she was unhappy.

Not for any other reason but because Mingyuan Community was actually quite close to Qin Yuhan's place. The two locations were separated only by a road, and they had just passed by it.

After a moment of silence, Li Dong looked at Yuan Xue, who appeared to be a bit sulky, and said, "Then why didn't you mention it earlier?"

"Hmph!"

"What do you want me to say? That my home is closer than Qin Yuhan's, so you should have had me take you first?" Yuan Xue's face grew slightly cold. "I'm not your good friend, so of course, I'll prioritize your good friend."

Clearing his throat, Li Dong fell silent and continued walking towards his place. The two walked in silence for the remainder of the journey.

As the distance wasn't great, it only took two or three minutes to reach Mingyuan Community.

Standing at the entrance of the community, Li Dong and Yuan Xue paused, silent for a moment.

In the darkness, Yuan Xue bit her lip and asked in a barely audible voice, "Li Dong, do you dislike me?"

"Cough, cough, cough…"

Li Dong was embarrassed. He hadn't expected Yuan Xue to ask such a question. After a moment of contemplation, he awkwardly replied, "Not at all. You're a top student and beautiful. Everyone in the class likes you."

"And you?"

As soon as Yuan Xue asked, her face turned red. Fortunately, it was dark, so Li Dong couldn't see.

She wasn't sure why she had blurted out the question and regretted it immediately.

But every time she thought about Li Dong's attitude towards her, she felt aggrieved. Why did he go out of his way to please Qin Yuhan? What made her better than me?

Women are like that. They crave the attention of those who are indifferent rather than those who are overly eager.

It wasn't that Li Dong was genuinely better. It was all about attitude.

Li Dong's lack of interest in her was genuine, not an act. No high school student can keep up a pretense for three years. If it were true, it would be terrifying.

Li Dong lamented inwardly. What kind of game is this? Could Yuan Xue have a crush on him? But that seemed unlikely. What does Li Dong have? Nothing!

His parents were just small-time vendors, his grades weren't outstanding, and though he didn't want to admit it, he wasn't particularly good-looking—just fairly decent at best.

As for being reborn, he believed that only he knew about it. What did Yuan Xue mean by her words?

Facing such a beautiful girl, it was indeed tough to answer this kind of question.

To say he disliked her would be disingenuous. Though he had found Yuan Xue pretentious before, it was natural for men to have such feelings towards unattainable women.

Even if she were pretending, she had the assets. Try making an unattractive woman act aloof and see if anyone pays attention.

But to say he liked her was an exaggeration.

Li Dong wasn't the type to be unable to move after seeing a beautiful woman. Complimenting a pretty girl was normal. But to say he liked Yuan Xue? That didn't make sense. If he really liked her, why had he never thought about her even after graduating?

He could only remain silent, not saying a word.

Yuan Xue seemed to understand something, biting her lip and not asking further. Her steps quickened, and she soon disappeared into the dark night.

"What a mess!"

Li Dong was in a bad mood. He kicked a stone by the road, and then winced in pain.

...

When he got home, the lights were already on. Li Dong put aside his worries from earlier.

Even if Yuan Xue did like him, so what? After the college entrance exams and university start, with her looks, there would be plenty of people pursuing her. She'd probably forget about him in two or three days.

Li Dong was self-aware. He wasn't a piece of currency that people would obsess over.

He opened the door feeling somewhat relaxed but found his mother, Cao Fang, napping on the sofa.

He tiptoed over to his mother, noting the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and the dark circles from years of early rising. Li Dong's mood grew heavy again.

He needed to make money quickly. His parents were only a few years away from their health check-up, and they might already be suffering from illness. However, they never went to the hospital, so they were unaware.

Long-term lack of sleep and poor diet could cause illness, and he needed to take his parents to the hospital as soon as possible.

Lost in thought, Cao Fang woke up, seeing her son sitting beside her in a daze. She complained, "Where have you been? It's so late, and you didn't even tell us."

"Ah, Mom, I went out for barbecue with some classmates. Since we have a day off tomorrow."

"Hmm, remember to leave a note next time. Who paid? Don't always rely on others. If you run out of money, let me know. It's good to treat your classmates. After high school, everyone goes their separate ways. You might need them later, so keep good relations with classmates and teachers…"

Listening to his mother's nagging, Li Dong felt

 warm inside. He interrupted with a smile, "Mom, I know. I still have money. You've had a long day. Go to sleep."

Cao Fang was indeed tired. She yawned and went to her room to sleep.

Li Dong quickly washed up and sat on the sofa in a daze before heading to his room. He picked up the textbook he had reviewed the previous day and continued studying.

Time was tight, and he would be busy with other things in the future. He needed to make the most of the evening to study more. He didn't expect to do exceptionally well, but at the very least, he couldn't perform worse than in his past life.