It Seems I’m Not The Only One Who Reincarnated - Chapter 25: Advantage

Meanwhile, Shi Hai and Jian Sichun had just returned to school.

They were still discussing what had just happened on the way back.

“Hey, your childhood friend is quite the beauty now! She could totally be a campus belle!” Jian Sichun remarked.

“Yeah, she’s changed so much I almost didn’t recognize her,” Shi Hai agreed.

Thinking back to high school, the last time he saw her, she wore glasses and a headband, with her hair tied in a single ponytail.

Paired with her blue and white sports uniform, she looked every bit the top student—basically a bookworm.

But now, with a makeover, she had transformed into an alluring ‘temptress.’

“I noticed she was dressed up. Do you think she came to see you on purpose?” Jian Sichun continued.

“Only a self-absorbed person would think that.”

“But she did specifically stop you!”

“Yeah…”

It was indeed puzzling.

But Shi Hai felt that Zhu Lingjie’s transformation was just part of her personal growth and had nothing to do with him.

They say girls change a lot as they grow.

She was a goody-two-shoes in high school, and it’s possible she only learned to dress up in college.

“Since she’s a neighbor, it’s natural to interact a bit. After all, my mom has a great relationship with our neighbors.”

“Stop making excuses! Can’t you consider she might have feelings for you?”

“I’ve known her for over ten years, not like you and Senior Tian Shui who only met in college. Zhu Lingjie and I were classmates for a long time, so thinking too much about it is pointless.”

If every interaction had some hidden meaning, sparks would have flown ages ago.

Besides, Shi Hai had never seen any change in her expression or any sign of emotion.

He only remembered her looking at him as if he were a corpse, giving him chills even in the summer.

“It’s our second year in college now, a whole year has passed. If she really had feelings for me, why didn’t she come sooner?”

“Well, maybe she was preparing herself mentally?”

“Wow, a whole year of mental preparation? No, if we count from the beginning of college, it’s been more like three years since we chose our majors in sophomore year.”

“Well, girls do need a lot of time to sort out their feelings…”

Despite saying this, Jian Sichun’s tone lacked confidence.

However, she didn’t give up and thought that perhaps learning more about Zhu Lingjie might reveal something.

So she continued asking questions.

But after asking many questions, Shi Hai just kept shaking his head, which made Jian Sichun half-annoyed.

The other half of her, however, felt glad.

It showed that Shi Hai really was incredibly loyal since he didn’t even know much about a girl he’d known for so long.

But outwardly, she still had to complain.

“Wow, some childhood friend you are! How do you not know anything?”

“I told you, I’m not close to her…”

“Fine, then! Just tell me everything you know about her!”

“Why are you so interested in her…”

“She moved back, right? So now she’s also my neighbor, same age, and classmate. I should build a good relationship with her.”

Of course, these were just surface reasons.

Jian Sichun’s womanly intuition told her that this girl, Zhu Lingjie, probably had feelings for Shi Hai.

And being his childhood friend, she was the perfect ‘girlfriend candidate.’

Shi Hai thought for a moment and finally remembered a piece of information about Zhu Lingjie.

“Well… I know her birthday.”

“Why do you remember such an important detail!”

“Because we share the same birthday… It’s hard to forget.”

“You two have the same birthday?!”

What kind of destined childhood friends were they?

Same birthday, living across the street, being classmates from kindergarten to college…

The advantage was so overwhelming it was almost unfair.

If she had known there was such a naturally advantaged childhood friend, Jian Sichun would have felt she had no chance.

But she won without ever meeting this childhood friend.

Maybe childhood friends really couldn’t win?

“No way! I can’t understand how you two aren’t close. If this were an anime, you’d already have kids!”

“You’re overthinking it… I’m not entirely sure, but I guess she might have a psychological condition, probably something like androphobia or a severe cleanliness obsession, making her reluctant to interact with others,” Shi Hai explained.

After all, he had never seen her talk to a boy.

“Oh, I see… Androphobia, huh? By the way, my birthday is April 4th,” Jian Sichun mentioned.

“Qingming Festival, huh? What an auspicious date,” Shi Hai teased.

Wait, why did she suddenly mention her birthday?

But since she brought it up, he should share his too, Shi Hai thought.

“My birthday is—”

“I know, December 21st.”

“Alright then…”

Of course, as a reincarnated person, she knew that.

“I’ll prepare a gift for you, so remember to prepare one for me too!”

“I got it, I’ll remember.”

“Hehe~”

Jian Sichun suddenly mentioned her birthday because she thought there was no point in asking more questions.

She wasn’t getting any useful information from Shi Hai.

She decided she would figure out what kind of person Zhu Lingjie was by interacting with her herself.

Shi Hai walked Jian Sichun to the dormitory building and was about to say goodbye when Jian Sichun suddenly said, “Well then, to thank you for walking me back, I’ve decided to give you a gift!”

“A gift? What is it?”

“Hold out your hand first.”

Shi Hai did as instructed, extending his right hand to Jian Sichun.

Jian Sichun mysteriously pulled something from her skirt pocket and placed it in Shi Hai’s hand.

It felt damp and like fabric…

It couldn’t be…

Realizing what it was, Shi Hai almost dropped it in shock.

“Hey! What kind of gift is this?”

Jian Sichun showed no embarrassment, even pouting slightly as she said, “Ah, it’s better if it’s unwashed. I should’ve left it unwashed…”

“May I ask, in the future, do I become some kind of serious pervert?”

“No, no, I think it’s normal. Most healthy boys are interested in women’s intimate apparel, right?”

Shi Hai narrowed his eyes and countered, “Even if that’s true, is it really okay for you to give me yours?”

Jian Sichun blinked playfully and pointed at Shi Hai with both index fingers, speaking in a buddy-buddy tone, “Come on, what’s the big deal between us?”

“Do guys receive intimate apparel as gifts from their female friends?”

“Male friends are still men, right? And men have needs! I get it!”

You get nothing! Shi Hai thought, convinced it was Jian Sichun who was out of her mind, not him.

Jian Sichun, hands on hips, declared, “Even if you don’t use it, you can’t throw it away! Keep it well! It’s a girl’s second-to-last line of defense, after all. If you just discard it, my self-esteem as a girl will be shattered!”

Doesn’t giving it away damage your self-esteem?

“Why is it the second-to-last line of defense?”

“The body has the last line of defense, of course~”

“……”

Facing Jian Sichun, who had completely let go after revealing her rebirth secret and was now unashamedly making lewd jokes, Shi Hai couldn’t even muster a retort.

It was almost lights-out time, and Shi Hai didn’t have time to argue with her, especially not holding onto this thing…

People would definitely misunderstand.

So he decided to take it home and return it to her when she moved in tomorrow.

Of course, he had no intention of using it.

“See you tomorrow~ Bye~ Good night~ Sweet dreams~ Kisses~”

“Sigh…”

After seeing Jian Sichun off, Shi Hai turned and dragged his exhausted body home.

He felt today had been the most tiring day of his life so far.

He was planning to go straight to sleep once he got home… but upon arriving, he saw the door of the house across from his slightly ajar.

Why didn’t they close the door… were they organizing the place?

Shi Hai initially wanted to close the door for them, but upon getting closer, he noticed the house inside was dark.

What’s going on?

Puzzled, he opened the door.

Inside, he found Zhu Lingjie unconscious on the floor.

It seemed the day’s troubles were not yet over.