EFB 002 Rebirth Begins with Flirting
002 Rebirth Begins with Flirting
From the small square at the school gate to his own residential area, this journey to school should only take ten minutes on a normal day, but it took Wang Zhe more than half an hour just now.
I took a leisurely stroll while reflecting on myself.
In his previous life, he was bound to Song Zhiyi for too long and too intensely, to the point that many of his habits were influenced by her. It was like walking on a predetermined track, lacking any real freedom.
To break free from this path, Wang Zhe felt that simply rejecting her confession wasn't enough.
Having finally been reborn, of course I want to experience something new...
Once inside the residential area, he noticed the figure of a delinquent girl.
That's Jiang Di.
She sat on the swing, a freshly lit cigarette dangling from her lips, her school uniform jacket loosely tied around her waist, revealing a black short-sleeved shirt and skirt underneath.
The girl's hair fell loosely, almost reaching her shoulders, with the ends slightly curled inwards. Somehow, in the sunlight, her hair seemed to be coated with a reddish-brown sheen.
Isn't that a coincidence?
Wang Zhe stepped forward and asked, "Can I borrow a cigarette?"
The girl was stunned: "What did you say?"
Wang Zhe then said, "Give me one, and I'll treat you to a Coke later."
"A bottle of Coke costs much more than a cigarette. And I don't even smoke any good cigarettes, why don't you buy your own?"
"Because I only smoke one."
Hearing him say that, the girl handed him a cigarette and lit it for him with a lighter in her other hand.
Although Wang Zhe had never smoked, he had seen his colleagues smoke at work and knew a little about common sense. For example, it's polite to cover your mouth when someone lights a cigarette for you.
And, it's not enough to just light the flame; you have to take a drag for the smoke to ignite.
But Wang Zhe only took one sip before he started coughing.
The girl laughed and said, "Haha, you've never smoked before, have you? A good student like you, a well-behaved kid, shouldn't learn to smoke."
Wang Zhe stared at the cigarette glowing red, lost in thought for a moment.
In his previous life, he lived to be thirty and never smoked, for a simple reason: Song Zhiyi disliked the smell of cigarettes. If it weren't for her, Wang Zhe would definitely have given it a try.
But after trying it today, he felt that there was really no need to smoke this stuff. It was too strong, and he couldn't handle it.
But now, I feel a little embarrassed to just cut it off.
So Wang Zhe took a few shallow puffs of the cigarette, making sure the smoke didn't go into his lungs, which made it more palatable.
The girl, however, sensed something was amiss and teased, "Smoking a hookah?"
Wang Zhe's expression remained unchanged as he changed the subject: "How should I address you?"
"Jiang Di," the girl took a drag, "I know you. Your name is Wang Zhe, right?"
Wang Zhe was slightly taken aback: "How did you know about me?"
"Because my mom knows your mom and often uses you as an example to urge me to study. So even though you don't know me, I've heard your name many times."
At this point, Jiang Di pushed off the ground, causing the swing to rock gently.
Wang Zhe glanced at the cigarette butt, flicked it with his finger, and a piece of ash fell out.
At this moment, Jiang Di added, "You must be really happy right now, right? You've graduated from high school, no homework this summer, you can play to your heart's content. And since you have good grades, your parents must treat you well too, you can ask them for money for whatever you want to buy..."
The girl's tone was calm, but also somewhat downcast, as if she was in a bad mood.
So Wang Zhe asked, "Haven't you started summer vacation yet?"
"Final exams are over, but..." Jiang Di chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Besides not having to go to class, there's not much good about it. I still have a ton of summer homework to do, and I'll have to find someone to copy it from."
Wang Zhe: "Do you still need to hand in homework?"
Jiang Di: "Hey, even the worst students get help from teachers. And I'm not even in the absolute bottom tier. But my mom definitely won't sign me up for tutoring classes this summer, because we don't have the money."
The girl spoke of what sounded dejected with a calm smile.
Wang Zhe didn't take another puff of smoke; he simply watched the cigarette burn to ash before flicking it away.
He asked, "Why are you broke this summer?"
Jiang Di laughed again, "You know about the recent European Cup, right? You know, the football tournament. My dad bet on Holland, and Holland lost all three games. Haha, even I, a girl who doesn't watch football, know the result. Thanks to my dad."
The European Cup? Wang Zhe fell into deep thought.
Before his rebirth, he was a long-time football fan. He remembered that the final of this year's European Championship was between Sibaía and Itdelli. In the end, Sibaía successfully defended his title, establishing a new era of possession-based football.
In his previous life, he never bet on football, having witnessed countless mishaps and knowing that even seasoned fans struggle to predict outcomes. But things are different now…
Seeing him lost in thought, Jiang Di asked, "What are you thinking about? Hey, you don't mean you're thinking of betting on football too, do you?"
Wang Zhe smiled slightly: "We can give it a try."
Jiang Di immediately stood up: "Are you crazy? I already told you, my dad lost tens of thousands of yuan on this! Not hundreds, not thousands, but tens of thousands!"
Wang Zhe said confidently, "I'm different from your dad."
Jiang Di: "How is it different?"
Wang Zhe: "I have a good eye for it."
Jiang Di pointed at him and said, "You..."
Wang Zhe added, "Besides, I'm using my allowance and New Year's money, so it doesn't matter if I lose it all; I can afford to lose it."
Jiang Di paused for a few seconds, slowly lowered her hand, and said in a low voice, "Fine, it seems you're determined. Go ahead and gamble, it's none of my business if you lose it all. But you promised to buy me a Coke."
Seeing that the cigarette in his hand was mostly burned, Wang Zhe stubbed it out on the trash can and casually said, "Of course, no problem."
Jiang Di also stubbed out his cigarette.
Then, the two walked out of the residential area and bought a bottle of iced cola at a convenience store.
After drinking the icy-cold soda, Jiang Di let out a long breath and squinted his eyes with a satisfied expression.
Wang Zhe bought a bottle of jasmine tea, but when he unscrewed the cap, he couldn't help but pause slightly.
Choosing tea over cola seems to be influenced by Song Ji-yi...
He chuckled self-deprecatingly and took a sip.
Oh well, if it affects us, it affects us. Let nature take its course.
As the two walked back to the apartment complex, Jiang Di suddenly asked, "Are you really going to bet on the football match?"
Wang Zhe glanced at her: "Any other questions?"
Jiang Di hesitated for a few seconds, then said in a low voice, "If you lose all your money and don't even have money for a drink... I was thinking, I could tell my mom to ask you to tutor me. You're definitely cheaper than those tutoring centers and private tutors, right? What do you think?"
Wang Zhe was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "Thank you, if I lose."
He wasn't sure he wouldn't lose. More importantly, given his previous life before his rebirth—having graduated from university and worked for several years—he'd forgotten almost everything he knew from high school. Luckily, he was reborn after the college entrance exam; otherwise, he'd be in serious trouble.
Even so, tutoring Jiang Di, who is about to enter her senior year of high school, will probably be quite a challenge.
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
In 2012, betting on sports was mostly done offline, and payments were made in cash. These days, very few people have heard of mobile payments.
Wang Zhe walked into a sports lottery shop that also sold cigarettes and alcohol.
A balding, overweight middle-aged boss was smoking a cigarette while reading "Sports Weekly." On the wall was a chart showing the odds trends for "Puta vs. Czech Republic."
This is exactly the match Wang Zhe wants to buy.
In his previous life, he stayed up all night to watch this match because Cristiano Ronaldo was playing. Although Wang Zhe wasn't a die-hard fan of any particular superstar, a performance by such a top-tier star in a major tournament was certainly worth staying up all night to watch.
As a result, Putá advanced, and Ronaldo was named the best player of the match.
Wang Zhe slammed the money on the counter: "One thousand yuan, I'm betting on Putai Ya to win!"
A few minutes later.
Wang Zhe walked out of the shop with a lottery ticket and a football magazine in his hand.
The odds are 1.8, which means you can collect 1800 yuan tomorrow.
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.