Rebirth: I have Monopoly System

The dish was spicy, numbing, and fragrant. He watched the bowl, where a layer of chili powder covered the red oil, still bubbling slightly with a SIZZLE.

Wu Yun’s mouth watered just looking at it, his appetite completely awakened.

He’d been away from home for a while now and had tried both local Modu cuisine and other regional dishes. But for Wu Yun, who had a strong preference for spicy flavors, trying something new was fine once in a while, but he couldn’t eat it regularly.

Wu Yun picked up a slice of meat coated in chili with his chopsticks and placed it in Bai Yue’s bowl, the red oil immediately seeping into her white rice. "Come on, eat. Don’t worry so much. When Zhang Peng gets here, I’ll see for myself who this guy thinks he is!"

Wu Yun had barely finished speaking when a loud voice with a distinct Capital City accent rang out from behind him. "Who is it that wants to see me?"

Wu Yun turned around. ’It really is him!’ he thought. This was the same young man he had seen beside Bai Yue in the Capital City in his previous life.

Though Zhang Peng’s tone was arrogant, his face broke into a fawning smile when he saw Bai Yue. "Bai Yue, so this is where you are! I just went to your dorm to look for you, but your roommate said you were out eating with your boyfriend. I had a hunch you’d be getting Sichuan Cuisine, and I was right. I figured I’d stop by and see what’s so special about this boyfriend of yours that makes you give me the cold shoulder."

Zhang Peng was tall. He sauntered over to their table and looked down at Wu Yun. "You certainly cut a fine figure. All these designer clothes... Your family must have some serious backing, huh?"

As for the Patek Philippe on Wu Yun’s wrist, Zhang Peng dismissed it. He figured he could buy a whole pile of fakes like that on Taobao for 299 yuan a pop. He’d seen plenty of guys on campus wearing all sorts of luxury watches, and when asked, they’d always say they just looked them up on Taobao. He’d even considered buying a couple of high-quality knockoffs of some of the less exorbitant models to flex.

"So, what school do you attend?"

Before Wu Yun could answer, Zhang Peng feigned a sudden realization. "Oh, silly me. You must be studying out of town, right? Otherwise, I wouldn’t get to pester Bai Yue every day. And don’t you worry—as long as you two aren’t married, I won’t stop trying to win her over."

Wu Yun responded with a smile, "Zhang Peng, I have no problem with fair competition. I trust Bai Yue’s taste."

"That’s right! Zhang Peng, just give up. I’d rather date a pig than you." As soon as she finished, she turned and saw the constipated look on Wu Yun’s face.

"Oh, Ah Yun, I didn’t mean you!" Bai Yue said, covering her mouth as she burst out laughing.

The tense atmosphere instantly dissolved. Zhang Peng, afraid his composure would crack, quickly said, "Bai Yue, I heard my dad’s company is going to have a major personnel shuffle early next year. You should mention it to your father, see if he knows."

With that, Zhang Peng tossed out a parting shot and turned to leave. "Enjoy your meal. And you—we’ll see how this plays out. There’s plenty of time."

Watching Zhang Peng’s retreating back, Wu Yun’s lips curled into a smirk. He turned to Bai Yue. "Come on, eat up. You need your energy for military training this afternoon."

From outside came the familiar roar of an engine. It hadn’t gotten far before the sharp SCREECH of tires on pavement, followed by a loud BANG!

It sounded like a car crash. Bai Yue stood up, curious, and Wu Yun got up behind her, wanting to see the effects of the Mid-Level Misfortune Talisman from the System’s shop.

A long section of the guardrail that ran down the center of the road had been knocked down, collapsing like a wave.

In the middle of the toppled guardrails, a silver-grey Porsche 911 sat stationary, its hazard lights flashing. Broken parts were scattered across the ground. The car’s hood was crumpled and jutting upward, and the driver’s-side mirror was completely gone.

They were too far away for Wu Yun to see the full extent of the damage to the front of the car.

’Wow, I didn’t expect this single-use Mid-Level Misfortune Talisman to be so effective and so immediate!’ Wu Yun was thrilled. ’Zhang Peng ran into bad luck the second he left. It’s a good thing he didn’t hit any pedestrians, though. I would have felt guilty about innocent people getting hurt.’

This Mid-Level Misfortune Talisman was perfectly suited to Wu Yun’s style. Some say a gentleman’s revenge can wait ten years; he preferred to get it over with between breakfast and dinner. It was the perfect way to teach Zhang Peng a lesson. ’Let’s see what car he’ll use to act cool now.’

’If he really pisses me off, I’ll just send an Advanced Misfortune Talisman his family’s way. I wonder what that would do.’

Wu Yun patted Bai Yue, who was openly gloating, on the shoulder. "Come on," he said. "Let’s finish our meal. Then I can take you back to your dorm to rest."

The two of them turned and walked back to their table without a second thought for Zhang Peng’s fate. In a crash of this severity, he was almost certainly fine as long as he hadn’t been incredibly unlucky and gotten impaled by a piece of the guardrail.

Twenty minutes later, they left the restaurant to find Zhang Peng standing outside his car, looking agitated as he spoke with a traffic cop in a white cap.

As Wu Yun and Bai Yue rode past on their Little Yellow Cars, Zhang Peng’s already long face turned ashen. He quickly looked away, pretending not to see them.

Wu Yun didn’t try to provoke him further. He simply exchanged a knowing smile with Bai Yue and they left the scene.

As he watched them ride away, Zhang Peng cursed internally. ’So fucking unlucky!’

"Bai Yue, you remember what you promised me, right?" Wu Yun asked, glancing at her riding beside him with a mischievous grin.

"Huh? What did I promise you? I don’t remember a thing," Bai Yue said, playing dumb. Her innocent act made Wu Yun want to give her a little smack.

"Stop playing dumb, I know you remember. So, will you ask for leave from training tonight?" Wu Yun wasn’t forcing her, just asking for her opinion.

Wu Yun’s feelings for Bai Yue were complex. Including his memories from a past life, it had been several years since that Lover had been gone from his world. Yet, the emotions buried deep in his heart made him want to protect and be grateful to the Bai Yue he was with now.

While steering her handlebars, Bai Yue replied haughtily, "Hmph! I was quite satisfied with your performance today. I’ll ask for the night off this afternoon, but don’t blame me if they say no!"

Wu Yun said with a cheeky grin, "Well, you could just tell your instructor that your ’auntie’ is visiting!"

"Get outta here! Are you my relative? My ’auntie’s husband’?" Bai Yue flushed, a mix of anger and embarrassment. If she weren’t on a bike, she’d definitely teach him a lesson. She knew he was teasing her about what happened at his house last time.

Weaving through the shady paths of campus, feeling the hot wind on his face, Wu Yun felt as if he’d gone back to high school, back to a time when he would always run into Bai Yue on his way to and from school.

The feeling came and went in a flash. The campus wasn’t filled with high school girls in baggy, makeup-free uniforms anymore.

Instead, it was teeming with stylish, fashionable women in flamboyant and unique outfits. And of course, Wu Yun would never admit that he’d just noticed a slender girl up ahead, holding a parasol and wearing shorts so short the curve of her bottom was visible. From behind, she was the picture of grace—a classic back-view beauty.

"Like what you see?"