Rebirth begins with studying hard

Chapter 22 Accompany Me

Lu Jie was a little nervous.

It's a tension that's hard to describe or explain.

Even in his previous life, he rarely felt this way.

When Zhong Muqing proposed the competition, he never thought he would lose, so he didn't discuss the details with her.

For example, what things violate principles and are unacceptable, and what things should not be done.

If he knew, he would definitely add restrictions, at least the condition that it wouldn't seriously affect the learner.

After all, his initial intention in agreeing to the competition with Zhong Muqing was to motivate her to study harder.

If this original intention is violated, the competition loses its meaning.

It does seem to be effective, and the effect is quite noticeable.

The only bad thing is that he lost.

He was a little nervous. What should he do if Zhong Muqing made a request that he couldn't accept at the moment?

For example, she might bring up the idea of ​​dating him again.

Given his current situation, he definitely cannot agree to it.

Although Zhong Muqing has changed a lot, she is no longer the kind of "spirited younger sister" he rejected.

However, he can't start dating in his first year of high school, as that would definitely affect his studies.

Moreover, they are all too young now, and too many things can change in the future.

He didn't want to put in another ten years of effort, and they broke up for some inexplicable reason.

He absolutely does not want to repeat the bad experiences he had in his past life in this one.

It's impossible to add detailed rules on the spot; it feels like we can't afford to lose.

We can only react to each move as it comes.

His mind was racing, trying to figure out how to refuse in a way that wouldn't make the situation awkward or embarrassing, while also maintaining the tacit understanding between them and allowing Zhong Muqing to continue studying diligently.

Zhong Muqing stopped in front of the corridor railing and said, "I want you to come to Shanghai with me in July."

"Huh?" Lu Jie felt his mind go blank for a moment.

Is it really that simple, just a trip to Shanghai?

Although it's a bit inappropriate for a single woman to travel to Shanghai, it's much more acceptable than something like early romance.

"The two of us? Going to Shanghai?" He hesitated for a moment before confirming.

"Yes, come with me. Including travel time, it will probably take four or five days. Is that alright?" Zhong Muqing looked at Lu Jie with anticipation in her eyes.

"Okay." Lu Jie nodded, feeling much more relaxed.

Although it seems like he's a bit narcissistic and overthinking things, it feels good to not have to face the awkward situation he anticipated.

If the anticipated scenario actually occurs, his poor handling could cause Zhong Muqing to give up on herself again and revert to her old delinquent ways.

It may not have anything to do with him, but he still feels very uncomfortable.

No need for that now, I'm just accompanying her to Shanghai.

It's a small matter.

By then he was earning royalties, so he could afford the expenses, which was also a way of repaying a favor.

"Thank you." Zhong Muqing smiled, then paused and asked curiously:

"Why didn't you ask why we were going to Shanghai? You just agreed like that, aren't you afraid I'll do something to you?"

"Am I a guy? Do you think I'm afraid you'll sell me?" Lu Jie said, somewhat amused and exasperated.

But since Zhong Muqing brought it up, he went along with it and asked, "So, why do you want to go to Shanghai?"

Zhong Muqing continued:

"The National Middle School Track and Field Championships will be held in Shanghai in July. If nothing unexpected happens, I should be able to qualify for the competition through the provincial preliminary rounds."

"I want to win a place in this competition and strive to break through the standard of a national first-class athlete."

"I hope you can cheer me on at the game."

It turned out to be the case.

Lu Jie realized that he seemed to have misunderstood again.

Even without this competition, if Zhong Muqing wanted him to go and cheer her on, he would have gone anyway.

After all, they can now be considered to have a relatively good relationship as classmates.

It's perfectly normal to go to a competition to cheer on a close friend.

"Thank you for agreeing to come with me. If all the other contestants have someone to cheer them on, but I'm the only one without anyone to cheer me on, it feels...uncomfortable," Zhong Muqing said softly.

Lu Jie sensed something was off about what was said, but couldn't quite put his finger on it, so he went along with it:

"No way! Besides me, there are your teachers, your parents, everyone there will be cheering you on!"

Zhong Muqing said she still had a smile on her face, but the emotion behind that smile was somewhat downcast:

"But the teacher wasn't cheering me on alone..."

"Hmm... my dad should be in Shanghai around July or August..."

Lu Jie sensed that her emotions were a bit off.

Zhong Muqing has always projected an image of confidence, assertiveness, and vitality.

She seems to be able to handle everything, and even if problems arise, she doesn't care about what others think.

And now, he actually saw a sense of fragility in her, even a hint of negativity and vulnerability.

Especially when she said the last sentence, her emotions were so intense they were almost overflowing.

This is completely different from the past.

Was it because of her father?

Judging from her words, her father is not with her right now.

We don't even keep in touch much, and it feels like our relationship isn't very good.

Lu Jie sighed inwardly.

Every family has its cupboard.

Her family background was not ordinary, but her family relationships were also not ordinary.

He wanted to offer some comfort, but because he didn't know much about her family situation, what he thought were words of comfort might have been offensive to her.

He thought for a moment, then fell silent and did not reply.

Zhong Muqing realized that her emotions were a little off, so she immediately concealed them and smiled again:

"Oh, thank you anyway! Without you, I would have been all alone, and it might have been difficult for me to improve my grades."

Lu Jie shook his head: "You're being too polite."

"Even if I win this competition, I can still go with you to the competition."

"If I participate in the competition, I hope that my close classmates and friends can come to the venue to cheer me on."

Zhong Muqing blinked: "Then... it sounds like I'm at a disadvantage."

"I wasted this chance to beat you."

"How about you promise me one more thing?"

"This..." Lu Jie was both amused and exasperated.

It's not that it's impossible, it just depends on the situation.

If you treat her to a nice meal, that's perfectly fine.

But if he makes a request that might be awkward, he's just asking for trouble.

"Just kidding!" Zhong Muqing chuckled. "But if you have time, I hope you can come and cheer me on at the Anhui Provincial Preliminary Round of the Middle School Track and Field Championships next month, at the Municipal Sports Center."

"No problem." Lu Jie would definitely agree to something like this.

After receiving an affirmative answer, Zhong Muqing happily ended the topic and changed the subject:

"We all did pretty well on the exams this time, shall we go celebrate?"

"Since Shu Panpan and I are both free tomorrow, if you're free too, how about we ask Sun Bo if the four of us can go hiking and sing karaoke?"

Lu Jie hesitated for a moment. He had originally planned to stay home and write for the next two days, but he had already missed that time this afternoon. If he went out again tomorrow, he would miss even more time.

But the fact that Zhong Muqing mentioned Shu Panpan means that she asked Shu Panpan in advance and that Shu Panpan was also willing to go.

His outright refusal was somewhat disappointing, since he didn't actually have anything important to say.

He also happened to want to visit Women's Street to see the future milk tea giant of Anhui Province, so he nodded:

"Okay, I'll ask Sun Bo."

I had just sent a text message when I received a call from Sun Bo:

"Shu Panpan is going too? I'm going! I'm going! I'm going!"

"Brother Jie, you're a true friend! Even on a date with Sister Qing, you still remember to lend your brother a hand!"

Zhong Muqing, who was standing to the side, covered her mouth and laughed.

Lu Jie's eye twitched involuntarily. Sun Bo was such a loose tongue. Going hiking and singing karaoke was one thing, but what did he mean by going on a date?

The knock-off phone was loud, and even though it wasn't very close to Zhong Muqing, she could still hear the voice coming from the microphone.

He immediately interrupted the excited Sun Bo, lest he spout any more nonsense:

"Okay, that's all for now. I'll message you when we confirm the time."