Rebirth: Slice-of-life Cultivation-Chapter 1648 - 899: Real-Life Make-Believe

January 9th, 8:30 AM, the winter sun bathed the river dam.

Zhang Ruyun was wiping his motorcycle at the door again, using a cloth soaked in warm water, wiping it bit by bit, very earnestly. But when he thought of his gradually fading away girlfriend, the sadness on his face couldn’t be concealed.

Little padded jacket Tongtong quietly said to Jiang Ning, "He looks like he’s about to cry."

Jiang Ning held a porcelain bowl, inside was honey date rice porridge, he took a sip gently, and said, "Men don’t shed tears, merely because they haven’t reached the point of heartbreak."

Zhang Ruyun’s mouth twitched, glancing at him, he retracted his gaze.

He was dissatisfied in his heart: ’I at least have a girlfriend holding hands every day, what do you have, Jiang Ning? Always hanging around with Xue Yuantong, a little girl, what can she do for you?’

Yes, Zhang Ruyun had a girlfriend.

Chuchu, wearing a plain colored down jacket, walked out from the house, holding two big steamed buns made at home, the buns were very white, but compared to Xue Chuchu’s fair and slightly pink slender hands, they paled in comparison.

"Eat some buns, don’t just drink porridge," said Xue Chuchu.

Jiang Ning replied, "Your porridge is really tasty, lots of rice soup, very thirst-quenching."

Xue Chuchu listened, just lightly smiled. Jiang Ning always praised her like this, even though he rarely worked, he always complimented her, and certainly, Chuchu saw through it, but each time she couldn’t help but feel joyous from within.

Probably from the young environment, she lacked a sense of recognition.

Jiang Ning took a bite from the bun, gave Zhang Ruyun a sidelong glance.

Xue Yuantong thought to herself, ’Hmph, silly Jiang Ning is so childish.’

Zhang Ruyun felt numb.

"Eh, today at noon, I’ll find my girlfriend for a meal, let her treat!" Zhang Ruyun suddenly spoke.

The damned competitive spirit made him take out his phone and dial a WeChat call to his girlfriend.

The call quickly connected.

Zhang Ruyun’s voice instantly turned gentle, asking with concern, "Ah Yue, are you up yet?"

A girl’s voice came from the receiver, "Brother Yun, I’m up, what about you?"

Zhang Ruyun immediately put on speakerphone, braggingly letting Jiang Ning and the others hear.

But as they chatted, Ah Yue mentioned that her dating partner gave her a gold bracelet.

Zhang Ruyun’s complexion suddenly changed.

Being young, love is both pure and possesses a strong sense of possession, easily ignites and gets furious, Zhang Ruyun’s tone sharply rose, "Ah Yue, I really don’t understand, when he gives you a gift, why do you accept it?"

Ah Yue: "I didn’t know, when he gave it, it was in a handbag, I only found out it was Zhou Dafu’s bracelet after I opened it."

Zhang Ruyun: "It’s not about the bag or not, if you don’t like it, why accept someone else’s gift?"

"How can you be such a person?"

"If it were me, no matter what gift I would directly reject it."

Being extremely agitated, he continuously used sharp words to criticize Ah Yue’s mistake.

Ah Yue, being spoken to the point of being unable to bear it, stirred up her instinct to resist, "Just because you don’t accept, doesn’t mean I can’t accept? Why must I be like you, why must I stand in your shoes, I think it’s okay, mutual exchange, nothing’s wrong!"

Zhang Ruyun’s phone was trembling as if it were sick, "Do you know what accepting a gift implies? What does it imply?"

Watching the drama, Xue Yuantong softly said to Jiang Ning, "Don’t accept gifts recklessly, even corrupt officials dare not to take things without doing something in return."

Jiang Ning gave her a thumbs up.

Xue Yuantong, arms folded, thinking, hmph, she understood this principle long ago, during the time Jiang Ning just moved in, offering to bike her to school, she didn’t bother, as that would incur a favor.

She was always cool, never troubling others.

Only now...

The young couple quarreled fiercely, Ah Yue added fuel to the fire, "My mom wants me to go have a meal with him today too."

Zhang Ruyun nearly exploded, "A man and a woman, you think it’s appropriate for you to go out for a meal together?"

Ah Yue: "I’m not you, I won’t cross boundaries, just go ahead, he and I are just friends."

After saying this, Ah Yue hung up the WeChat call. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

When Zhang Ruyun tried to call again, it wouldn’t connect.

He stared at the phone, mumbling, "Why? Why does a person change so quickly?"

He remembered back in school, meeting, getting to know each other, that time Ah Yue was very pure, even though life was simple, they could strive together, as a respected student council member, Zhang Ruyun would always take her to do part-time work, dreaming of a beautiful future together.

However now, why did merely an introduction from home to a dating partner turn everything upside down, changing a person’s nature?

His weighty rules seemed like nothing in front of Ah Yue.

True feelings change in an instant.

Zhang Ruyun smiled bitterly, mockingly, "A couple can’t even compare to friends, haha, what can I do?"

Jiang Ning ate the bun, drank porridge, and said, "If you pretend not to know, all three can live in peace."

Zhang Ruyun, distraught, painfully asked, "But how can I pretend not to know?"

Xue Yuantong suggested, "Then be friends with her too, ask her if you can go to eat too."

Zhang Ruyun’s silence was deafening.

Xue Chuchu inwardly criticized, ’A timely way to cut losses and join in.’

...

AM.

Jiang Ning was still frolicking at the door, sitting on a small stool, playing chess with Xue Yuantong.

Nearby the chessboard, Dongdong wore mature clothes, dressed in adult-like attire, standing on the ground, gazing towards the west, guarding a piece of peace.

Jiang Ning said, "Dongdong, you’ve now been promoted with a raise, as the deputy director of the strawberry greenhouse, do well in the future!"

Xue Yuantong painted a grand picture, "The future is promising."

Dongdong grinned, showing a kind smile.

Dongdong’s promotion wasn’t without reason, one of the reasons was Xue Yuantong bragging in the group last night, reported by Tang Jing to Huang Yuzhu.