“Miss Zhang, I apologize for ‘accidentally’ knocking you over just now.”
Ji Rou spoke gently, her tone soft and composed.
“But Miss Zhang, you falsely accused me earlier. It’s not too much to ask for an apology in return, is it? Everyone here saw what happened—you were acting high and mighty, clearly aware that I had been pushed and only bumped into you by accident, yet you pretended not to know and pressed the issue. You should apologize.”
Zhang Xiaoxiao had thought she could humiliate Ji Rou, but instead, she ended up embarrassing herself.
If she refused to apologize now, everyone would see it—and the event sponsors were watching too. For the sake of her future, she reluctantly muttered a quick, unwilling “sorry.”
After that, she shot Ji Rou a fierce glare, turned around, grabbed her registration form, and left.
Ji Rou blinked innocently, confused. What had she done this time to offend the heroine?
Xu Qingmei finally understood Ji Rou’s move. Not only had she saved face, but she had also exposed Zhang Xiaoxiao’s baseless accusations.
Impressive!
Xu Qingmei looked at Ji Rou with sparkling eyes, full of admiration.
Ji Rou felt a little embarrassed—she didn’t think she’d done anything special.
“Next! Is anyone else registering or not?”
Hearing it was their turn, Ji Rou quickly replied, “Coming!”
“Let’s go, Qingmei—it’s our turn!”
She grabbed Xu Qingmei’s hand and pulled her toward the registration desk.
By the time they finished signing up, it was already dark.
Xu Qingmei checked the time and said, “It’s dinner time. Ji Rou, come on—I’ll treat you to hotpot.”
Ji Rou hesitated. She hadn’t seen Shen Xingbai in a while and wanted to check on him first, to figure out her next move.
“No, Qingmei. I haven’t been home in a long time. I want to go see Shen Xingbai,” Ji Rou said apologetically.
Xu Qingmei shook her head. “It’s fine. If not today, I’ll treat you next time. Didn’t you say Shen Xingbai hurt his leg? You should go check on him.”
That way, their relationship might improve—and once he understood everything Ji Rou had done, maybe he would forgive her.
After all, with how beautiful Ji Rou was, how could Shen Xingbai not forgive her?
Ji Rou hesitated about going to Shen Xingbai’s rented place. From the original owner’s memories, she rarely visited him except to ask for money.
And now, Shen Xingbai wasn’t the same person who used to treat her kindly.
Ji Rou felt a little wronged. Why did all the troublesome things always happen to her?
Even so, she still headed toward his apartment.
Looking at the run-down rental, Ji Rou couldn’t help but admire him.
Taking a deep breath to steel herself, she pushed the door open—only to find that he wasn’t home. For some reason, she felt a hint of disappointment.
Then she remembered—at this point, he had likely already made a fortune using his “golden eyes” (his special advantage). Why would he still live in such a shabby place?
Just as she was about to leave, the bedroom door opened. Shen Xingbai stepped out, froze when he saw her, and his expression immediately darkened.
Ji Rou could tell right away—he had misunderstood.
She felt flustered, wanting to explain but unsure what to say, so she could only stand there in silence.
“Ji Rou, are you out of money again?”
The implication was clear—he thought she had come to ask him for money.
Ji Rou felt utterly ashamed and quickly explained, “No, I just came to see you.”
“See me?” Shen Xingbai let out a mocking laugh. “I think you’re here to ask for money again.”
“No, I’m really not,” Ji Rou said weakly.
“I’ve also joined a talent selection competition recently. The top ranks get prize money. I… I’ll work hard.”
“What?”
Shen Xingbai was genuinely confused. In his previous life, Ji Rou had already gotten involved with that Young Master Bai. But that day, when he waited outside the Interstellar Hotel, Ji Rou hadn’t shown up with Bai— instead, it was Wu Xiaomei by his side.
At that moment, a thought struck him: could Ji Rou have been reborn too?
“Ji Rou, tell me the truth—were you reborn like me?”
Panic surged through Ji Rou, but she kept a confused expression. “What are you talking about?”
“So you want to break up with me?” she suddenly shot back. “Fine—so you don’t want to support your girlfriend anymore, is that it? Then let’s break up.”
Instead of answering him directly, she flipped the situation around.
It was the perfect chance to end things early with Shen Xingbai.
“What did you say?”
Shen Xingbai’s face darkened. He hadn’t even complained about her flirting with other men, yet she was the one bringing up a breakup?
Ji Rou shrank back a little. “Um… I said, let’s break up.”
Shen Xingbai let out a cold laugh. Even after being reborn, he still couldn’t escape being dumped.
“Why?” he demanded. “This time, I didn’t lose my leg. I can still earn money and support you. So why are you saying this? Do you have another man?”
“That’s nonsense!”
The original owner might have almost gotten involved with someone else—but not her.
Ji Rou felt wronged. With her strikingly beautiful face now showing a pitiful expression, she looked both stunning and vulnerable.
Shen Xingbai was momentarily at a loss. He had never seen this softer side of her before.
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “I shouldn’t have doubted you. But you’ve been getting close to other men lately. As your boyfriend, I have the right to ask.”
Even though things were different in this life and Ji Rou hadn’t gotten involved with those rich second-generation heirs, he knew her materialistic nature well. She might not be able to resist the temptations outside.
In his past life, he had been poor—and crippled—so being abandoned was inevitable. But if she betrayed him again in this life…
He would make sure she understood what true despair felt like.
Ji Rou suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. She glanced at the air conditioner in confusion.
Strange… it wasn’t even on.
So why did it feel so cold?