Rebirth: Saving the Lovely Girl from the Start

School was already out for the holidays, but Xue Rui and his group still took the "dog hole."

It was a shortcut that saved them several hundred meters compared to using the main school gate.

Despite weighing over two hundred pounds, Yi Bing insisted on squeezing through the dog hole with them.

Unsurprisingly, he got stuck in the railings.

"Give me a push!" Yi Bing yelled.

Xue Rui clicked his tongue and simply kicked Yi Bing the rest of the way through.

"Don’t you have any damn clue how fat you are? Why didn’t you just use the main gate?"

"Heh heh, too much work," Yi Bing said with a grin, patting the dust off his pants.

Once they were out, Xue Rui instinctively glanced around but, to his surprise, saw no sign of Chen Shen.

’It must be because it’s almost the New Year,’ he thought. ’The traffic police probably have a lot to do.’

They walked to the next street over, where numerous traffic police stood at the intersection, directing and diverting traffic. One street had been completely closed to vehicles, its entire length lined with vendors’ roadside stalls.

The entire street was dedicated to selling New Year’s goods: things like candy, roasted melon seeds, fireworks, firecrackers, New Year’s paintings, and couplets.

Breathing in the thick, mixed scents in the air, Xue Rui couldn’t help but sigh. "Now *this* is what the New Year feels like."

With the development of production, material wealth would be far greater in a decade or so. People wouldn’t need to cram all their shopping into the few days before the New Year, and much of this lively, bustling atmosphere would be lost.

As for these New Year’s delicacies, you would be able to get them any day of the week.

As a result, people’s anticipation for the holiday would dwindle, and the spirit of the New Year would fade.

It was like eating junk food. The taste of a snack secretly eaten in the classroom as a student was completely different from the taste of that same snack bought in bulk as an adult.

In reality, the New Year’s goods still tasted the same. It was the people eating them who had changed; once your palate had been refined, it was hard to go back.

"It’s already the twenty-sixth of the twelfth lunar month," Xue Rui muttered, mentally running through the things he needed to do before the New Year.

’I’m not like these other carefree students,’ he thought. ’I have more to think about than just getting lucky money for the New Year.’

"And we have to go back to school on the eighth," Yi Bing sighed.

Qiu Mengze found it odd. ’We just got out of school, so why does it already feel like we’re about to go back?’

"You two, stop talking about it. You’re ruining my mood for gaming," Qiu Mengze said with a frown.

Two other male classmates nodded in agreement.

They thought the school was being ridiculous, already cutting their holidays short in their sophomore year. They dreaded to think how long their future summer breaks would be.

Soon, the group arrived at the Century Internet Cafe near the school. From a distance, they could see a row of young men squatting by the entrance, smoking.

Xue Rui guessed the place was already packed.

As they walked inside and took a look, they all exclaimed in unison, "Ho~ly~ shit~"

The way they drew out the two words showed just how stunned they were.

Even Xue Rui was taken aback.

The internet cafe was thick with smoke. Deeper inside, a sea of heads bobbed and swayed; there wasn’t even room to stand.

If the cafe had two hundred computers, then there were at least five or six hundred people inside right now...

Behind every single computer, someone was standing and waiting for a turn.

Worse still, some computers with time about to run out had a line of seven or eight people waiting behind them...

"Use your ult! Use your ult!" someone shouted, backseat gaming from behind a chair.

"Am I playing, or are you?!" The person at the computer was clenching their fists in anger. The guy behind him was just too damn annoying.

He had been about to use his ultimate, but the shouting made him press the key a split second too late.

"You’re trash! A Barbarian who doesn’t use his ult? If you can’t play, then let me."

"If you can’t find a computer, then get lost! Watch it, or I’ll beat your ass!"

...

The internet cafe was a chaotic mess, and the noise was starting to hurt Xue Rui’s ears.

A young man with an irritated expression on his face wandered through the cafe, clearly having lost his patience after a long wait.

He scanned the room, then walked over to a student in a school uniform and asked, "Hey, kid. Who let you come here? Are your parents around?"

The student was immediately unnerved by the question. He had no idea who this guy was or what he wanted.

"I asked if your parents are here," the young man repeated.

"No, they’re not," the student replied, shaking his head.

Upon getting this confirmation, the young man’s expression changed instantly. "Get up! I’m taking this computer!"

The man yanked the student to his feet, checked the remaining time on the account, then shoved twenty yuan into his hand. "Here’s an extra five. Go find something else to do."

Xue Rui’s eye twitched. ’What a shameless move,’ he thought. ’The guy can’t get a computer, so he just steals one from a kid.’

’And he even checked if the kid’s parents were around before doing it...’

Still, he didn’t intervene. Messier things than this happened all the time these days.

"Brother Rui, I’m gonna do a lap, see if I can find anyone we know," Yi Bing said and started walking around the cafe.

Xue Rui followed him for a bit, not to look for anyone he knew, but just to see if Yi Bing could actually find a computer.

’He probably won’t find anything,’ Xue Rui figured. In any case, he was prepared to activate his "cash-ability" and bribe the admin at the front desk to find them a few computers with time running out so they could jump the queue.

’If they couldn’t get seats together, he could just buy some drinks, find a few solo players, and pay them to switch. Getting a whole row of computers together wasn’t hard and wouldn’t even cost much.’

’They were his good friends, after all, old pals from many all-nighters online. It was a rare chance for them to relax together, so he’d just treat them this time.’

"We’ve already done two damn laps. I’m going to get us some computers," Xue Rui said, annoyed.

Yi Bing had indeed run into plenty of people he knew, but not a single one was willing to give up their spot.

Following Yi Bing around was making Xue Rui dizzy, so he decided to stick to his original plan.

"Brother Rui! Long time no see!"

A young man with a buzz cut shot to his feet, his booming voice drawing looks from everyone nearby as he greeted Xue Rui.

"And you are...?" Xue Rui’s eyes narrowed. He couldn’t for the life of him remember where he’d seen this guy before.

"It’s me, Zhang Pengfei!" the young man said excitedly.

Xue Rui’s brow furrowed. With such a common name, he had even less of a clue.

"Uh... the police station that day? My nickname’s Eagle? You’re the one who had Officer Chen arrest me," the young man said, scratching his head in embarrassment.

"Ohh~"

Now Xue Rui remembered. This was the young punk Chen Shen had arrested and thrown in the station.

He had only changed his hairstyle, but to Xue Rui, it was as if he’d gotten a whole new head. The guy’s entire demeanor was different—much more composed.

Xue Rui looked him up and down. Zhang Pengfei was wearing a dark down jacket and none of the gaudy jewelry he used to wear. On the table was a pack of Furongwang cigarettes and an iPhone 4S lying face down.

"Doing well for yourself, I see. It’s only been a few months, and you can already afford an iPhone," Xue Rui joked.

Zhang Pengfei quickly picked up the pack of Furongwang and offered one to Xue Rui, saying with a smile, "It’s second-hand. Not worth much."

Xue Rui smoothly tucked it behind his ear, declining Zhang Pengfei’s offer to light it for him.

Qiu Mengze and the others were shocked. This guy was clearly several years older than them, so why was he acting so deferential toward Xue Rui?

He had even offered to light Xue Rui’s cigarette for him.

They usually kept their distance from guys like this from off-campus. Even with older guys they knew, *they* were the ones who were supposed to offer cigarettes, not the other way around.

They couldn’t get a word in edgewise in a situation like this, and they weren’t sure what to do, so they just stood there waiting behind Xue Rui.

"Can’t find any computers?" Zhang Pengfei asked the group behind Xue Rui.

Then, he slapped the table next to him where his friends were playing. "Let’s go. Make room for Brother Rui’s classmates."

At his shout, a few guys reluctantly got to their feet.

"Hey," Xue Rui began, his brow furrowing. ’A leopard can’t change its spots,’ he thought.

Zhang Pengfei saw what Xue Rui was thinking and quickly explained, "They’re from my village. I just brought them into the city for a bit of fun."

"You guys have been playing all morning. You’ve had your fun, right?" Zhang Pengfei asked, his face turning stern.

"Yeah, we’re good, we’re good," one of the younger guys said with a laugh.

Xue Rui could tell they hadn’t had their fill yet.

He pulled out two hundred yuan and handed it to one of them. "Go get yourselves something to eat."

"You can’t do that, you can’t!" Zhang Pengfei said, rushing to stop him.

"Take it," Xue Rui said firmly.

"Thanks, bro!" the young guy said, taking the money and leaving his seat with a grin.

They found it a little strange. Xue Rui was obviously younger than them, yet calling him "bro" didn’t feel weird at all...

But they didn’t overthink it. After all, Zhang Pengfei was twenty, and he called the student "Brother Rui," didn’t he?

Xue Rui clapped Qiu Mengze on the back. "Go on, that’s four spots right there."

"Aren’t you playing?"

Qiu Mengze murmured. He’d never imagined someone would just voluntarily give up their computers for them.

"You guys take your time. I’m heading out," Xue Rui said, shaking his head. The smell of smoke in the cafe was too thick; if he stayed any longer, he felt like he’d be permanently pickled in it.

Zhang Pengfei followed Xue Rui to the front desk.

Xue Rui added some money to their accounts, enough to let them play until nightfall.

"Isn’t Brother Rui supposed to be a good student? Why do I get the feeling he’s more like a gangster? I heard that guy say Brother Rui had someone arrested by the cops..." one of the friends muttered.

Yi Bing wasn’t too bothered by it. He’d always thought there was something mysterious about Xue Rui. What really surprised him was how Xue Rui had pulled out two hundred yuan to treat those guys to a meal as if it were nothing.

"Brother Rui is that rich? Then why was he always mooching snacks off Gu Muxue?" *That’s* what Yi Bing was focused on.

"Mooching snacks? That’s just him being a troll. Xue Rui’s a rich heir; his family owns several high-end restaurants," Qiu Mengze sighed.

He could feel the gap between himself and Xue Rui. He guessed Xue Rui’s family must have loosened the reins on him.

Besides, Xue Rui had never tried to hide it; it’s just that no one had ever asked.

He wasn’t too surprised about Xue Rui having the police arrest someone either. After all, he’d seen Xue Rui do it once before right in front of him...

Zhang Pengfei returned with an armful of drinks for Qiu Mengze and the others. He overheard their conversation, and a flash of surprise crossed his eyes.

"Thanks, man!" Yi Bing said with a smile.

He wasn’t Xue Rui; he still felt a natural respect for guys in their twenties.

He was a little flattered that this guy he’d just met would bring them drinks. He knew, of course, that it was all because of Xue Rui’s influence.

"Enjoy the games," Zhang Pengfei said, then went to find Xue Rui.

Qiu Mengze straightened his back, feeling proud. ’My boy is a total badass,’ he thought. He’d been a little intimidated at first.

After all, the cafe was packed, and older guys were constantly trying to bully students in uniform out of their seats. But today was different.

Many people nearby had overheard the conversation between Xue Rui and the young man.

All that talk about the police station and officers, combined with the young man’s deferential attitude.

Now, a virtual vacuum had formed around their computers. No one dared to bother them, and they could play without a care in the world.

Moreover, he noticed a lot of envious glances from the crowd. It was all because of Xue Rui’s influence, but he figured that his brother being a badass made *him* a badass by extension.

"Holy shit, someone just added twenty yuan to my account," one of the other students said in surprise.

He only had ten yuan left in his pocket. He’d been thinking that with the holiday price hike, ten yuan wouldn’t last long at all. But now his account had over thirty, enough to last him until it got dark.

"Mine too!"

"It must’ve been Xue Rui," Qiu Mengze said.

"Then I’ll bring Brother Rui some snacks when school starts."