Rebirth: Slice-of-life Cultivation-Chapter 52 Fellow Travelers

At night, the streetlights on the river dam went out.

At Yuzhou Fourth Middle School, the night self-study session ended at half-past nine, coincidentally the same time the streetlights along He Ba Road were extinguished.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

The mountain bike rode slowly, accompanied by the moonlight.

Xue Yuantong, sitting on the back seat, clutching her backpack, was unusually quiet.

Normally, she was all giggles and would always chat with Jiang Ning about class happenings.

Jiang Ning had guessed the reason, but he didn't ask.

There was a silence, and a slight chill accompanied the night breeze sweeping across their skin.

After the mountain bike descended the large dam, it arrived at the entrance to the bungalow.

Xue Yuantong hopped off the bike, unzipped her backpack, and fumbled out a white box.

She tilted her head, not looking at Jiang Ning, and pushed her arm forward, brushing the box against the hem of Jiang Ning's clothes.

Her profile was tinged with silver moonlight, her hair hung down, her small chin lifted, and she spoke with a crisp voice,

"I bought too many cups, can't return them. You probably don't have a cup to drink water from, do you? No choice but to give you one, though if you disdain it…"

"I don't disdain it," Jiang Ning took the box.

"Ah, go to sleep early,"

Xue Yuantong left those words behind and ran inside the house.

Jiang Ning pushed the mountain bike next door and went to his room, placing the box by the window. He still had to practice the 'Nine Heavens Divine Thunder Body Tempering Technique' later.

Xue Yuantong hid behind her own door, listening to the noises outside.

Jiang Ning had left the house again.

Xue Yuantong was irritated to the point of itching teeth, resigning herself to the fact that Jiang Ning never listened to her about going to bed early!

"Next time, I won't wait for him to return before I go to sleep. Anyway, with his strength, he won't be bullied."

The next morning.

Xue Yuantong had a sleepy-eyed look.

Jiang Ning didn't return until around one in the morning, and she had waited until that time. Only after hearing the door close did she finally fall asleep with peace of mind.

Riding on Jiang Ning's mountain bike in the morning, Xue Yuantong actually fell asleep halfway through.

It wasn't until they were about to enter the school gate that Jiang Ning woke her up.

Xue Yuantong's face pulled away from Jiang Ning's back, her arms loosened, and she was filled with a shy annoyance. So embarrassing, she had actually fallen asleep!

Fortunately, she hadn't been seen by acquaintances.

"It's all Jiang Ning's fault. Who told him to bike so steadily!"

After the two arrived at the classroom, their classmates looked at them with suggestive glances, but Xue Yuantong pretended not to see.

Once Jiang Ning reached his desk, Geng Lu couldn't help but inquire,

"Jiang Ning, are you and Xue Yuantong dating?"

She asked very cautiously, afraid of receiving an answer she couldn't accept.

Jiang Ning didn't reply to Geng Lu, but instead asked back,

"How do you know I'm dating Xue Yuantong?"

Geng Lu felt a jolt in her heart. So, he really was dating?

It hadn't been long, and Jiang Ning was already in a relationship!

Distracted, she answered, "The classmates are saying that. Someone said you got into fights twice, all because Xue Yuantong was being bullied."

Geng Lu felt a sour sting in her heart. Truth be told, through their interactions over this time, Geng Lu found Jiang Ning to be very outstanding. He was quite handsome, had a gentle demeanor, and always carried a calm composure, even his way of fighting was stylish.

He clearly had abilities, but never provoked others wantonly.

Previously, when she herself had been in an awkward situation, he had also helped her out, making her favorability for him sky-rocket.

If Geng Lu were to choose someone to date in high school, Jiang Ning would definitely be her best choice at this stage.

Therefore, seeing how close Jiang Ning and Xue Yuantong had gotten, she felt somewhat upset.

"I rented the house next to Xue Yuantong's. Her mother asked me to take her to school, and in return, she cooks me delicious meals every month," Jiang Ning explained.

For now, he did not want Xue Yuantong to bear the stigma of "puppy love."

In high school, such a mark wasn't beneficial, and instead, it would lead to people talking behind one's back; he knew too well the power of rumors, which could wound or even kill.

Hearing Jiang Ning's words, Geng Lu saw light in the darkness:

"Really?"

So they were just neighbors.

"What else? Do you believe me or them?" Jiang Ning calmly gazed at her.

"Of course, I believe you." Geng Lu flashed a radiant smile.

Jiang Ning watched Geng Lu's change of expression and easily guessed what was on her mind.

He shook his head inwardly; this was not good at all. Once one's emotions are controlled by someone else, it's easy to become distressed.

...

Chemistry Teacher Guo Ran's classes were the most popular.

During every chemistry lesson, the boys at the back of the room seemed to become model students, not playing with their phones, not drifting off, and speaking especially politely.

Today, Teacher Guo Ran wore a white short-sleeved shirt paired with slim-fit jeans. The outfit was simple, yet it looked exceptionally good on her, especially her round and slender legs.

Teacher Guo Ran liked to leave the podium during her lecture and walk through the aisles, passing by students.

Ma Shicheng whispered, "Teacher Guo Ran has put on perfume, did you smell it?"

"Mm." Jiang Ning, with his sharp senses, had already noticed when Guo Ran entered the classroom. The perfume scent was subtle, fitting for a teacher, not too strong or piercing.

"If I could take a photo with Teacher Guo Ran and post it on Kuaishou, I'm sure it would blow up," Ma Shicheng mused.

Just last week, the dorm next to theirs posted a video of eight people roughhousing, and it had received thousands of likes.

If he could feature a beautiful teacher, his post would certainly not be lacking in attention.

Imagining netizens envying him for his beautiful chemistry teacher and posting all sorts of jealous comments, Ma Shicheng couldn't help feeling delighted.

He was in such a good mood; he jiggled his leg and hummed:

"The world stirs, like in a lofty dream~

Wielding my arm before the masses, a forest of sword shadows, all for the grace owed to my brothers!"

This was his favorite rapid-fire rap song, "The Emperor's Saga." With ten minutes of domineering lyrics, Ma Shicheng felt it was just freaking brilliant!

Jiang Ning barely held back a laugh. These days, YY and Kuaishou were the hottest video streaming apps, with rap battles attracting massive audiences. Various MCs dominated the scene for a time, leading many to imitate them.

In two years, there would also be a song like "Drunk Alone" that would be popular across the Jiangnan region.

As Teacher Guo Ran continued circling the classroom, Ma Shicheng was full of hope that she would come closer to his side and stay for a while. He had no other thoughts; he simply wished to listen to the teacher's lecture a bit longer.

Unfortunately, Guo Ran had no idea what he was thinking. Instead, during the English class that followed, Chen Haiyang stood next to Ma Shicheng for over ten minutes, leaving Ma Shicheng wearing a look of profound melancholy, like a widow mourning her husband.

After the afternoon classes ended, there was a break for one hour and twenty minutes before evening self-study resumed.

Many students took this opportunity to grab a meal, and Jiang Ning called on Xue Yuantong to join him.

Xue Yuantong, overcome by laziness, didn't want to go out and asked Jiang Ning to bring her something.

"What will you eat?" Jiang Ning asked her.

"Whatever you're having, I'll have the same," she said.

"Okay, wait for me."

As Jiang Ning was about to leave, he happened to run into the precociously mature Huang Yuzhu. Jiang Ning's impression of him was still vivid; a good-natured person who conducted himself without revealing his sharpness.

"Yu Zhu, coming?" Jiang Ning called out.

Huang Yuzhu was startled. He had barely spoken three sentences to Jiang Ning since school started, and now the other was suddenly calling for him.

He quickly replied, "I'm on my way."

Huang Yuzhu considered Jiang Ning one of the hot topics in class.

The two walked side by side toward the school gate. With the Fourth Middle School Cafeteria's dishes not being particularly good and having some money to spare now, Jiang Ning preferred to eat out.

Huang Yuzhu walking alongside Jiang Ning, neither spoke, and Huang found it rather uncomfortable; it felt as if ants were crawling over him, always wondering if this silence was awkward.

If you walk with a close friend without talking, it's not awkward at all, but with someone you barely know, walking together in silence felt uncomfortable to Huang Yuzhu.

He wondered if Jiang Ning felt just as awkward as he did.