It Seems I’m Not The Only One Who Reincarnated

“One, two, three, four… right at the finish line!”

Tian Shui excitedly raised both arms and cheered.

“Yay! I won this round! I really won, right?”

Thanks to her early lead, Tian Shui claimed victory in the second game.

At one point, Shi Hai had caught up to the same square, and Tian Shui had worried he might overtake her.

But in the end, she managed to secure the win without any mishaps.

“Congratulations, Senior.”

Shi Hai clapped for her victory.

Tian Shui, completely immersed in the joy of winning, was ecstatic.

She won…

She actually won!

For the first time…

The very first time in history!

“Mm~~~”

It was incredible!

An overwhelming sense of happiness coursed through Tian Shui, as if an electric current traveled from her toes to the crown of her head.

She was so moved that she nearly teared up.

Yes, it was that dramatic.

From receiving his praise to winning against him for the first time, Tian Shui had broken several historic personal records today.

She even began to wonder, Do I really deserve to be this happy?

Shi Hai, however, spoke earnestly.

“Although there’s not much I can do, I’ll help you achieve anything within my ability, Senior.”

“Uh…”

Hearing this, Tian Shui felt as though it wasn’t real.

Could she really make Shi Hai do something for her just like that?

Before, driven by her competitive spirit, Tian Shui had thought that if she managed to win a game, she would pick the most humiliating thing he’d ever done to her and return the favor—tenfold.

She wanted him to experience the helpless humiliation she once endured!

But now that she had actually won, her mind was blank. She couldn’t think of a single demand to make.

“Let me think about it… There’s no rule saying I have to decide on the spot, right?”

“True, there’s no time limit. You can use it whenever you want. In the meantime, let’s start the next game.”

“…No, let’s call it a day.”

Tian Shui didn’t feel like playing this boring game anymore.

The real reason, however, was…

They were tied at one win each now.

She didn’t want to lose, but… she didn’t care that much about winning either.

When she had just defeated Shi Hai, the thrill had indeed rushed from her spine to her brain, but after the euphoria subsided… it felt empty.

It was like she’d entered a post-victory state of ennui.

If they played another round, the balance of their wins would be broken…

Tian Shui didn’t want to face another loss, and a voice in her heart was crying, You mustn’t defeat your master again!

Taking all this into account, Tian Shui decided it was better to quit while ahead.

Shi Hai, on the other hand, grew anxious.

He still had something very important to ask.

If he’d known earlier that Tian Shui only intended to play two rounds, he wouldn’t have wasted his first question on asking about his future.

“Wait, Senior, I—!”

“I know, you still have something you want to ask, don’t you?”

Shi Hai calmed himself and nodded.

“Yes.”

Of course, Tian Shui knew what Shi Hai was thinking. She simply didn’t want to play the game anymore, not that she was unwilling to answer him.

Today, she’d successfully improved Shi Hai’s impression of her by leaps and bounds.

She wasn’t about to ruin all that progress by acting stingy at the last moment.

So Tian Shui held up one finger and said,

“I’ll answer one more question for you. Consider it a little reward.”

Shi Hai was thrilled. He even grabbed Tian Shui’s hands to thank her.

“Really? Thank you so much, Senior! You’re so generous!”

Shi Hai, filled with gratitude, held Tian Shui’s hands tightly in thanks.

Tian Shui’s cheeks turned slightly red at his heartfelt gesture.

This feeling… It was a little addictive.

“Then I have just one question, Senior Tian Shui. Please answer it sincerely.”

Seeing how serious Shi Hai was, Tian Shui adjusted her posture and nodded earnestly.

“Alright, ask away. I’ll tell you everything I know.”

“What I want to ask is… in the future, is my mom still alive?”

“Of course. Aunt Liu is in great health! She’s kept her figure, and even nine years later, she hasn’t aged a bit—no gray hairs or anything… But why are you asking this?”

Tian Shui didn’t understand why Shi Hai would ask such a question.

Later on, when she became Shi Hai’s pet, she had accompanied him home and even served Liu Zhenshan, his mother.

She vividly remembered the astonished look Liu Zhenshan had given her back then.

Tian Shui had often appeared on TV and was considered famous, so for someone like her to come home with Shi Hai, behaving as his humble attendant, was nothing short of shocking to Liu Zhenshan.

Liu Zhenshan had even asked, right in front of Tian Shui, if she was Shi Hai’s girlfriend.

Tian Shui remembered Shi Hai scoffing dismissively at the time and saying, “She’s not qualified to be my girlfriend. You don’t need to see her as a person, Mom. Just order her around as you like.”

Tian Shui had been so humiliated she was trembling with anger, on the verge of tears.

But because of their wager, she didn’t dare voice a single complaint. Instead, she forced a smile and said, “Madam, please allow me to serve you…”—leaving Liu Zhenshan feeling heartbroken for her.

Looking back, the madam had always been so kind to her…

In fact, because of Tian Shui, the relationship between Shi Hai and Liu Zhenshan had become strained.

Liu Zhenshan felt Shi Hai shouldn’t treat Tian Shui that way and couldn’t understand why her otherwise reasonable son would act so harshly. But Shi Hai had never bothered to explain.

For Tian Shui, it was awkward. After all, she had been the one to threaten Shi Hai using Liu Zhenshan as leverage, which had triggered his explosive retaliation.

He couldn’t tolerate having his only blood relative used against him.

That’s why he had lashed out so fiercely.

But he never explained…

Later, Shi Hai simply moved out, though he had uncharacteristically given Tian Shui the choice: stay with his mother, Liu Zhenshan, or move out with him.

Tian Shui adored Liu Zhenshan. She was the only woman other than her own mother whom she had ever truly wanted to call “Mom.”

But when forced to choose between her master and his mother, the result was inevitable.

In the end, she chose to follow Shi Hai.

While reminiscing about these “past events,” Tian Shui noticed that Shi Hai had fallen into thought as well.

What he now knew for certain was that, in the timelines of both Jian Sichun and Tian Shui, Liu Zhenshan was safe and sound.

Next, he would need to confirm this with Zhu Lingjie—assuming she really was a reincarnator.

Once he understood another “parallel future,” he could likely draw a solid conclusion.

For now, though, Shi Hai felt a sense of relief.

He was beginning to suspect that, as long as he “did nothing,” Liu Zhenshan’s life would remain secure.

Both snapped out of their thoughts at the same time, exchanging a glance before sharing a spontaneous smile.

This was probably the best moment of harmony between them all day.

The temperature seemed to rise further as they both started sweating… though perhaps it wasn’t just the heat. They were drawing closer to each other in some inexplicable way.

It was a pity, though, that their current relationship was neither romantic nor that of master and servant…

Just a Senior – Junior  bond, and maybe friendship.

Wait, Master and servant…?

A lightbulb went off in Tian Shui’s mind.

She suddenly realized what she wanted Shi Hai to do for her.

Her request was simple:

She would have Shi Hai serve her instead.