No One Understands Reincarnation Better Than I Do

Dim streetlights flickered along the bumpy stretch of cement road leading to the front gate of the school. Their glow scattered among the dark green shrubs lining the sides, occasionally catching the glossy surface of the teaching building’s ceramic tiles.

…

“We’re finally out! Let’s go go go!”

“Xu Hui, don’t you dare pick a machine in the corner again tonight. The mosquitoes are insane over there!”

“Hey hey, I’m not going. I almost got caught by my dad this afternoon…”

“Let’s go shopping tomorrow. A new Metersbonwe store just opened on Dongfeng Road.”

“Brother Xiong, wanna shoot some pool tomorrow? We’re having barbecue with a few girls from No. 1 High School tomorrow night.”

…

Listening to the mix of youthful voices near and far in the night, Guan Ren felt like he was strolling through an old movie from the 1990s.

“Youth is great. Rebirth is even better…”

He sighed in feigned world-weariness, then straightened his back, lifted his head, and took in his own youthful frame. His steps grew lighter as he walked home.

Pa~

“?”

But just as he picked up the pace, someone patted his left shoulder.

He turned his head to the left. Nothing there.

Then suddenly, his right shoulder was tapped.

“……”

The corners of Guan Ren’s mouth twitched. He didn’t bother turning his head this time and simply stared straight ahead, striding even faster.

“Hey hey hey!”

Sure enough, an urgent, bird-like voice chirped behind him, followed by a string of rapid footsteps. Thud thud thud.

Amused, Guan Ren suddenly spun around and, amidst a startled “ya!”, opened his arms and scooped up a small, light figure in a bear hug.

“Eiya…”

The soft waist nestled in his arms twisted a bit, and two small hands lightly smacked the backs of his hands. But it was futile.

How annoying…

Back when they were kids (oh, wait—not even that long ago, just two years ago), she had been stronger than him, taller too.

But time was merciless. In a blink, here she was, unable to struggle out of his arms at all. Hmph.

“Guan Ren, you’re cheating.”

“Luo Xiaobei, you’re childish.”

Pink panda-print sweatshirt, straight-leg jeans hugging her legs, crisp white sneakers, and twin ponytails swaying behind her…

Yep, it was definitely her.

…

Actually, Guan Ren had always thought that “childhood sweethearts” was a term full of Eastern romanticism.

But Luo Xiaobei in his memories never really fit the word “romantic.” She was better suited as a solid bro.

Even in his past life, despite always claiming to be uninterested in men or romance, Luo Xiaobei had never lost touch with him. She constantly checked in on how he was doing every now and then.

Hmm…

Now that he thought about it, quite a few women he knew—including Gu Youli and Luo Xiaobei—had stayed single all their lives in his previous life. Could this also be a consequence of quantum mechanics?

…

“Guan Ren, don’t turn the tables on me.”

In the dim light, the girl dangled like a little rabbit caught in an eagle’s talons. Her shoulder-length ponytails drooped like bunny ears. Her pitch-black eyes glared sullenly at the boy who was still holding her up.

“You were the one who used to mess with me like this, and now you’re calling me childish.”

“That’s not quite right.”

Guan Ren looked up at her too, sniffed lightly, and couldn’t help wondering why, after all these years, she still smelled just as sweet and pleasant. Holding her in his arms felt warm and comfortable, as always.

“Back then was back then. Now is now.”

“Says who!”

Luo Xiaobei protested.

The whole idea of childhood sweethearts was built on a lot of “back thens.” Those “back thens” were the foundation of the bond between them. How could you just separate them from the “now”?

“And anyway, why did you walk so fast after school? I couldn’t even catch up…”

“Why were you chasing me?”

“No reason. Just felt like it.”

It was completely natural for a childhood sweetheart to chase the other. When did that ever need a reason? Society was clearly going downhill…

“Also, have your arms gotten bigger again?”

Luo Xiaobei suspiciously squeezed Guan Ren’s forearm and felt like her hand couldn’t fully wrap around it.

“I don’t think so. I’ve always been this size.”

In high school, Guan Ren had been handsome, and at 1.81 meters tall, he had a decent build. But physically, he was more on the slender side—what people called “boyish.”

But Guan Ren didn’t think that was good enough anymore. The body was the foundation of so many things. If he didn’t lay the groundwork now, it’d be too late when he got older. He was already planning to work out seriously. Even now, he still wasn’t satisfied with the amount of muscle he had on his arms.

“Anyway, you’ve definitely bulked up again. Not as cute as when you were little…”

…

Well, there was no arguing with that.

Guan Ren had been adorable as a kid.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t be this handsome now.

As for Luo Xiaobei—people often said girls underwent dramatic changes as they grew up, but she clearly belonged to the type who had been cute as a child and stayed just as cute growing up.

Especially that tiny beauty mark just under her right eye—it added a unique charm to her already adorable appearance.

But Guan Ren had always felt that the tear-shaped mole didn’t quite match her personality.

They said girls with tear moles were emotional and prone to crying. But in all the years he had known her (both in this life and the last), he had never once seen Luo Xiaobei cry.

Just like how he had never seen Gu Youli smile.

…

“Okay, okay…”

Feeling the warmth of her childhood friend’s palm lingering at her waist, Luo Xiaobei lightly patted his arm and muttered a reminder.

“A bunch of students around are staring. Put me down already…”

“Oh.”

That was fair.

Even though she and Guan Ren had been close since they were kids, it was probably better to keep things modest in public.

A lesson they’d learned back in middle school. That time they went shopping together holding hands, some blabbermouth classmate tattled to their entire homeroom, and suddenly everyone was teasing them as “a couple,” even drawing their names inside a heart on the class bulletin board.

Guan Ren had calmly explained it away, but Luo Xiaobei was different.

Even if she could mess around freely when it was just the two of them, she was still a girl—and she’d been absolutely furious at the time, even taking three days off from school to cool down.

Since then, the two had been much more restrained in public, keeping their interactions low-key.

Only occasionally (like now, when old habits resurfaced and the moonless night offered some cover) would they get a bit playful again.

“So, should I put you down now?”

“Mm-hmm.”

Luo Xiaobei placed her hands on Guan Ren’s shoulders and gave a small nod.

Guan Ren gently set his childhood friend down, keeping his eyes on her feet, only letting go once he saw her white sneakers touch the ground firmly.

“You’re all big and bulky now… not gentle at all!”

“That’s called karma. Were you ever gentle with me when we were kids?”

“I don’t care.”

Luo Xiaobei emphasized the word don’t, then held up five pretty fingers.

“Five days… mm…”

She hesitated, pulled one finger back.

“Four…”

Thought about it again, then retracted another.

“Three days. You’re not allowed to hug me for three whole days.”

---

Past the school’s front gate lay rows of food stalls and pushcarts.

In 2011, when urban management in Jiangzhou County wasn’t particularly strict, this area turned into a mini-night market every evening. After evening self-study sessions, students would flock to stands selling grilled gluten, silkworm potatoes, and stinky tofu, eating and chatting as they went.

And tonight, to Guan Ren, those students had become part of a unique and nostalgic landscape.

As he strolled along, he took it all in with a smile filled with warmth and longing.

While walking slowly like this, suddenly, another shoulder—slightly soft and slender—bumped against his from the side, a bit lower than his own.

“Hey, can I ask you something?”

“Shoot.”

The good thing about messing around with your childhood friend was that afterward, your childhood sweetheart could just naturally fall into step beside you.

She couldn’t quite remember when she first picked up this “life hack,” but it had definitely proven useful.

“Um... it’s nothing really, I just wanted to ask…”

“Ask what?”

Guan Ren was a bit puzzled. In his memory, his childhood sweetheart wasn’t the hesitant type.

“It’s just…”

Luo Xiaobei’s left hand grabbed her right wrist behind her back, sliding it up and down awkwardly.

“I saw you chatting pretty happily with your new deskmate tonight. What’s the deal? Something going on?”

“What? No, we just got a little more familiar, that’s all. Blame Li Min for that.”

At the mention of Li Min, Luo Xiaobei quickly followed up, seizing the momentum.

“So why was Li Min looking for you this afternoon?”

“Sigh…”

Guan Ren let out a bitter laugh.

“All because of a little note.”

Luo Xiaobei’s pupils twitched ever so slightly, but her expression remained calm.

“Oh? What note?”

“There was a slip of paper stuck in Gu Youli’s book—a love confession.”

“Huh?”

Luo Xiaobei came to a halt and tugged on Guan Ren’s sleeve. A moment ago, her face had been all calm indifference. Now it was filled with confusion.

“Gu Youli… in her book?!”

“Yeah.”

Guan Ren pulled a face. It was frustrating just thinking about it.

“And it was a confession note, too.”

“Wait—you… you confessed to Gu Youli?!”

“Of course not. I’ve only just met her. I’m not that impatient.”

Luo Xiaobei stomped her foot.

“Then why did Li Min come after you?!”

Looking at his childhood friend, eyes blazing with righteous fury, Guan Ren thought to himself: this “brother” really was more dependable than Zhang Chi and the others. Those punks would’ve just laughed at him, but Luo Xiaobei was genuinely on his side.

“Here’s the thing. The note was a confession and was in Gu Youli’s book. But the worst part is—it wasn’t even real. Someone set me up. It said ‘I like you,’ and signed it with my name! So Li Min thought I was the one who confessed!”

Luo Xiaobei’s heart suddenly sank.

“Sig—wait, wh-what? Signed it?”

“Yeah. First line: ‘I like you.’ Second line: ‘From Guan Ren.’ But I swear—it absolutely wasn’t me!”

“……”

“Xiaobei? What’s wrong?”

Under the light from the street stalls, Guan Ren noticed Luo Xiaobei’s face rapidly shifting from red to pale until she looked downright ghostly. He found it baffling.

Sure, she was sympathizing with her old friend and all, but this was a bit too intense, wasn’t it?

But Luo Xiaobei simply took a deep breath and fell silent.

Moments later, the two of them reached the fork in the road below Guan Ren’s apartment complex. It was time to go their separate ways.

Noticing something felt off, Guan Ren was just about to ask when Luo Xiaobei looked up again. Her bright little face lit up with the same mischievous smile he knew so well, putting him at ease.

“Idiot~! You got played like that? You better go home and think hard about who you’ve ticked off~ I’m heading off~”

“Got it, got it. Go on.”

Guan Ren smiled wryly and waved as she walked away. In his mind, he still pictured her curved smile, the bend in her brows, and the exquisite tear mole under her eye.

Definitely a spirited girl who never cried…

…

About five minutes later.

Having walked far away, Luo Xiaobei looked down at her toes. Hidden in the pocket of her sweatshirt, her hand was clenched tightly around a wad of crumpled pink sticky notes. Her moist lips trembled slightly for a while, then finally pressed tightly together.

“…Idiot.”

---

At the same time, in the teachers’ housing complex.

“You’re back?”

“Mm.”

Gu Youli, carrying an Oxford-style schoolbag on her back, headed straight for her bedroom.

“Wait. What about switching seats? Have you made up your mind?”

“Oh… I’m not switching for now. Guan Ren explained. Said it was just someone playing a prank.”

“Really?”

“Mm.”

At least, that’s what Guan Ren had told her.

Even though Gu Youli didn’t quite believe it herself, for some reason she instinctively used his version of events to explain things to her sister.

“I’m going to my room.”

“Okay…”

On the sofa, the young woman who looked to be in her early twenties blinked her apricot-shaped eyes and took a sip of her coffee, watching as Gu Youli closed her bedroom door. She wondered if she was seeing things.

She could’ve sworn…

Just now, as her little sister turned around…

There had been… the faintest trace of a smile?