Rebirth: Slice-of-life Cultivation

"Drag it out?"

Guo Kunnan was puzzled.

"Don't meet her in person, just keep chatting with her."

"Not only chat, but you also need to find ways to make her pay for things for you, recharge your phone, pay for QQ membership, and have her call you every morning to wake you up, things like that."

"The point is to make her invest, as long as she invests enough and for a sufficient length of time, in the end, even if she discovers you are not Zhongfei, she might still end up being with you."

"This is called sunk cost— the more she invests initially, the harder it is for her to pull out."

Ma Shicheng said, claiming the method was quite harmful, a textbook example of harming others for personal benefit.

But it really worked well.

Listening to this, Guo Kunnan initially felt thrilled but then sank into resignation, deeming it too cruel.

He refused, "Brother Ma, really, I can't do this."

Guo Kunnan genuinely liked Manman and wanted badly to be involved with her romantically.

Following Brother Ma's method would surely hurt Manman, and that made his heart ache.

Ma Shicheng said, "Being kind to the enemy is only being cruel to oneself."

Guo Kunnan: "Manman is not the enemy, she is the girl I like."

Guo Kunnan had resorted to despicable methods, deceiving Manman, and during this time, he had been experiencing pain mingled with pleasure, feeling uneasy, as if living a beautiful dream that might end any time.

Ma Shicheng resignedly acknowledged that if it was him, he would definitely use such a tactic.

He liked her, he must have her, even if it meant hurting her— better than suffering alone after a failure.

It was actually a multiple-choice question; he threw the question out, but unfortunately, Nan chose the wrong answer.

"If you don't take this route, then keep chatting with her for a while, try to confess, but brace yourself, as the success rate is very low."

"I don't really advise you to confess because if you fail, the consequences might be quite severe," Ma Shicheng advised.

Guo Kunnan: "I am not afraid."

"Brother Ma, do you have any tips on confessing?"

Originally, Guo Kunnan was planning to consult with Dan Kaiquan, who had experience and was somewhat of a mentor to him.

But thinking back, Dan Kaiquan and Bai Yuxia's confession was just too showy.

Guo Kunnan thought that guessing coins with a dog might be more reliable than discussing how to confess with Dan Kaiquan.

"I do know many methods in terms of confessing."

"Don't go back to the dorm tonight; come to my rental and stay over, I'll teach you by lamplight tonight," Ma Shicheng invited.

"Sure." Guo Kunnan had played at his rental before but had never spent the night there.

Ma Shicheng shook his leg, observing the street outside getting less busy.

"It's still cold, after we finish eating, I'll buy a couple of cups of lotus root powder to warm us up," Ma Shicheng offered to treat.

…

Early morning, in the residential area.

Yang Sheng, with her short hair haphazard, emerged from the elevator, the brisk wind blowing her hair strands to her lips.

She was still dressed in a neat set of black sports clothes matched with pink sneakers.

Yang Sheng walked towards the spot where she usually parked her mountain bike, her tracksuit revealing a pleasing figure as she moved, developed quite well, but usually concealed by her loose sports clothes, which kept most people from knowing her real shape.

After reaching the spot, she suddenly remembered, her mountain bike had been wrecked.

Yang Sheng paused for a second, her beautiful face briefly showing anger.

"Wait till I find you, I'll flay you."

She had to walk to the neighborhood's bus stop instead.

After waiting for about seven or eight minutes, a bus leisurely arrived.

Once Yang Sheng boarded, she found the bus filled with many elderly women and men, leaving no seats available.

Those old people always woke up very early.

Yang Sheng's cousin, who worked in the city, had complained to her many times that during business hours, the bus was always full of elderly people, and the real working-class people like them had nowhere to sit.

Her cousin said those elderly people were mostly going to the supermarket to snap up eggs, buy vegetables, or just riding the bus for fun.

Since they rode for free with a senior card, they didn't really care.

Yang Sheng stood holding a handrail, her physical fitness excellent, not feeling tired standing for a bit.

Also, her balance was extremely good, able to stand firm on a bus without holding onto anything.

But Yang Sheng would not show off as such; she was a low-key woman.

The bus stopped and started, people getting on and off.

"Do you have your card?" The driver asked an old lady wearing a leather coat.

"I forgot it," the old lady said.

"Then drop the fare."

"I didn't bring any money," the old lady said, moving further into the bus.

"Hold on, you can't ride without paying."

"Can't I just ride once?" the old lady asked.

"No, those are the rules of the transit company, I can't do anything about that, please get off," the driver said.

"What are you saying, why should I get off, do you own the bus?" the old lady raised her voice.

"The bus isn't mine, but I'm the driver, please get off," the driver insisted.

The old lady pointed at the driver and scolded: "You son of a turtle, do you even know what it means to respect the elderly and love the young? Making me get off in the middle of winter, are you even human?"

"Ungrateful brat, who let you drive?"

The old lady stood in front and kept cursing.

Because of her, the bus couldn't continue moving.

An elderly passenger advised, "Sister, stop cursing. We still need to go. I'm in a hurry to pick vegetables at the market."

"Right, everyone, cool it. Don't get so heated in the dead of winter."

"It's tough for everyone."

"It's not such a big deal."

The old lady didn't listen and continued cursing the driver upfront, as if she had a major vendetta.

She cursed non-stop for five or six minutes, her words getting filthier, cursing the driver's ancestors for eighteen generations.

Yang Sheng stood on the bus, feeling frustrated. Her bicycle had been damaged last night, and now this on the bus. What luck?

Seeing this wasn't going to resolve itself, she remembered she had morning self-study to attend.

Yang Sheng let go of the handrail and walked to the front of the bus.

She spoke to the old lady gently, "Granny, please stop cursing. I'll drop the coin for you, and let's ask the driver to move on."

A coin was just one yuan, not much. Maybe the old lady lacked manners, but Yang Sheng just wanted to get to school quickly.

Unexpectedly, the old lady, as if insulted, snapped back:

"You little bitch, where did you spring out from? Paying the fare with your earnings, filthy!"

Yang Sheng was stunned for a second, then anger surged. She wasn't one to indulge the elderly:

"You old hag, if you can't afford the bus, maybe you should be riding in a coffin instead."

The old lady's face turned extremely ugly, her mouth opening to curse.

Yang Sheng calmed down, crossed her arms, and confidently said, "Cursing isn't a skill. If you're capable, let's get off the bus and have a one-on-one. I'll show you how I can pin you to the ground."

"Do you dare?"

"We can have a one-on-one down there."

Yang Sheng gestured toward the roadside grass.

"Fine, you little brat, come on, you'll see how I tear your mouth apart!"

Riled up, the old lady immediately got off the bus.

She purposely ran to a clear area, pointing at Yang Sheng and shouting, "You little slut, come down here!"

Street-savvy old ladies often have plenty of fighting experience.

Yang Sheng, arms still crossed, didn't move.

She glanced at the driver, who immediately got the hint, quickly closed the door, and stepped on the gas.

Yang Sheng waved out the window, leaving the old lady jumping up and down on the roadside.

...

Morning self-study.

When Yang Sheng arrived at the class, her eyes swept over to Jiang Ning's desk.

'He hasn't arrived yet.'

Perhaps last night, when her bike broke down and Jiang Ning accompanied her to the security office, a connection had formed, and Yang Sheng gradually began to trust him.

'Having someone to help isn't bad.'

Thinking about last night's events, Yang Sheng felt pretty good.

...

Five minutes before morning self-study began, Jiang Ning entered the classroom, stopping in the aisle.

His follower, Xue Yuantong, pulled out a tissue and wiped his desk and chair for him.

Jiang Ning then sat down.

This was their agreement, Xue Yuantong never expected free rides.

Xue Yuantong, holding a Chinese mandatory textbook, recited,

"Although lacking the grandeur of strings and pipes, a drink, a recital, also suffice to express the deepest emotions."

She leaned against the window to memorize.

Normally, that was Jiang Ning's spot, but every time Xue Yuantong memorized, she would switch with Jiang Ning, claiming that overlooking the landscape outside improved her memorization efficiency.

After a while, Xue Yuantong had memorized it.

Then, she fluently recited it backward.

She became tired, her mouth dry. She needed a drink.

Xue Yuantong, holding her cup, planned to go behind Jiang Ning to get to the water cooler.

The gap behind Jiang Ning to Geng Lu's desk was quite large, Xue Yuantong said,

"Jiang Ning, watch, I don't need to squeeze through sideways, I can go straight out."

Hearing this, Jiang Ning tipped his toe, moving his chair backwards until it blocked Geng Lu's desk.

He smiled, "Not anymore."

Xue Yuantong pouted, "Ridiculous."

Jiang Ning blocked the back path, unbeknownst to him, leaving an opening in front.

Sideways, Xue Yuantong lifted her leg, struggling to step over Jiang Ning's leg. She used the edge of the desk for support, her other leg lifted high, making a hard reach for the aisle.

Xue Yuantong successfully crossed in front of Jiang Ning.

She turned her head, "Ignorant, I am destined to be more than you could ever imagine!"