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Around six o'clock, it was already dark. In the cold weather, the air was filled with frost and fog, and the whole night was foggy.

Sporadic fireworks were set off, and the night was filled with light and darkness, like a soothing prelude to a piano piece.

The fire in the grill also lit up. Xu Honghan went to get the seasoning and ingredients for the barbecue, while Xu Qingbo stood in front of the grill and took three slices of beef to grill. The fire shone on his face, flickering.

"Are you and Li Rongrong and the others okay?" Xu Qingbo suddenly asked.

"fine."

"I saw that Lu Xiye's grades were in the top 50 in the grade. He's actually quite smart. I admit that I misunderstood him before. However, this is more due to you."

Jiang Zhizhi smiled faintly, "It's okay... How are you? Are you not used to skipping a grade?"

"A little bit." Xu Qingbo looked at Jiang Zhizhi. "However, even if we didn't skip a grade, we would still go our separate ways in the future. Thinking of this, I don't feel any regrets. As long as we move forward towards our set goals and focus on doing our own things, that's fine."

"I feel like you've matured a lot more than before."

"Really? I really want to grow up quickly, because there are many things that can only be done when you grow up. However, after not seeing you for so long, you have become much gentler, not as sharp as before."

"Sharp? I used to be sharp?" Jiang Zhizhi was surprised by this comment.

"Yeah, don't you know? The evaluation of you in the school forum is that you are a cold campus beauty. Apart from talking to me, Lin Qingyu, Li Rongrong, Lu Xiye, and a few of us, you never pay attention to others."

"Ah? Is that so?" Jiang Zhizhi scratched her head and thought about it carefully. It seemed to be true. Apart from them, she had never spoken to other classmates.

However, there was nothing much to say. She always had her own things to do and was busy every day. She didn't care about people who had nothing to do with her. Moreover, after her rebirth, her mental age was more than ten years older than her classmates. The age gap also made it difficult for her to get along with her classmates normally.

"Yeah." Xu Qingbo smiled as he flipped the barbecue. "But it's precisely because of meeting someone like you that I'm encouraged. Thinking that we're all working hard towards our goals, just like you, I'm filled with motivation. Even though we're not in the same grade now, you're still my role model."

"I'm glad I could help you. I hope we can both achieve our goals in the future."

I thought it would be awkward since we hadn't seen each other for a long time, but the atmosphere was surprisingly harmonious.

Compared to the Xu Qingbo who used to occasionally show a bit of arrogance, his temperament has become very gentle now.

As the night deepened and the fireworks ended, Xu Honghan drove them home. Jiang Zhizhi said goodbye to them at the gate of the community and returned to her house, only to find it locked and empty.

She called Chen Yuping and found out she was shopping at Changming Lake with some friends from the community. After hanging up, Jiang Zhizhi felt a sense of comfort. In her previous life, Chen Yuping was always busy and her free time was spent with her husband and children, but now she had her own friends and a new life.

Around ten o'clock, Chen Yuping came back happily. As soon as she got home, she excitedly went into Jiang Zhizhi's room and said, "Zhizhi, I have good news for you. After the Chinese New Year, I will have a formal job."

"Official job?"

"Well, your uncle Gao introduced me to a job as an administrator at the community library. The job has already been finalized. They asked me to start work on the eighth day of the first lunar month. The monthly salary is 2,500 yuan. Every day, I will be responsible for cleaning and tidying the bookshelves. It's a very easy job."

Chen Yuping's eyes sparkled with excitement. Compared to her corn-selling job, this one was not only respectable but also offered a stable income. Someone from the community library who went shopping with her today said this job offered a pension when she retired.

What makes her even happier is that this job is relatively leisurely. When she has nothing to do, she can study and read in the library. This has always been her dream. Although she cannot open a bookstore of her own, she is already very content to be a librarian.

"That's great, Mom. You don't have to get up early and work late anymore." Jiang Zhizhi hugged Chen Yuping and said happily.

Chen Yuping gently stroked Jiang Zhizhi's hair. "The community library is close to home. From now on, Mom can go home earlier, and you won't have to wait so late every day."

"Mom, you don't have to go home early. You can make more friends in the community, hang out together, and live your own life. I'm grown up now and can do a lot of things on my own."

Chen Yuping smiled and said, "Silly child, you are my life. As long as I see you doing well, I will be happy."

"Mom, if one day you meet someone who treats you well and whom you like very much, you don't need to consider me. I hope you can make the choice according to your own heart..." Jiang Zhizhi held Chen Yuping's hand and said seriously: "No matter what, I will always be your backer. You have enough room for error and can choose the life you want."

Chen Yuping was stunned when she heard this. It took her a while to realize what Jiang Zhizhi meant. She said helplessly, "What are you imagining? Mom and your Uncle Gao are just ordinary friends. He's highly educated and hasn't married in all these years. How could he be with me? Mom is content as long as she can be by your side."

Jiang Zhizhi laughed and said, "I didn't say it was Uncle Gao, I was just giving an example."

"You, how old are you? Why are you so worried? Don't worry, Mom won't look for you again." Chen Yuping pinched Jiang Zhizhi's cheek, as if she didn't want to talk about this topic anymore. "Okay, it's too late, you should go to bed early."

*

On February 10th, the school officially opened, and Jiang Zhizhi entered the second semester of the second year of junior high school.

After receiving the textbooks at school, she finished school early in the afternoon. Li Rongrong took her to Shangyuan Street to eat snacks. On the way back, she received a call from Shen Li.

When Xu Jiaojiao was brought back from L City last semester, winter vacation was almost over, so Shen Li arranged for her to officially start school this semester and go back to the first grade of junior high school.

"I understand. You don't need to tell me about her affairs anymore." Jiang Zhizhi said in a cold and distant tone.

"Really? I thought you cared about her."

Did she care? Perhaps from the very beginning, what she cared about was not Xu Jiaojiao, but her own clear conscience.

Seeing that Jiang Zhizhi didn't answer, Shen Li tactfully changed the subject, "I may not be in Nanshi for the next six months. Is there anything I can help you with? Feel free to ask."

Since that time, Jiang Zhizhi never took the initiative to look for him again, which made Shen Li even more curious.

He really wanted to get involved in Jiang Zhizhi's world. Perhaps as he got deeper and deeper, he would know Jiang Zhizhi's real secret.

"No."

After hanging up the phone, she had already entered the community.

Of course she knew what Shen Li meant, but she didn't want to get too deeply involved with Shen Li. Maintaining a certain sense of mystery was the best solution.

She returned home as usual. Today was the first day of school and also Chen Yuping's first day at work at the community library. Jiang Zhizhi felt happy when she thought that Chen Yuping had dressed up specially this morning for the first time.

She could already imagine that after returning home, Chen Yuping would happily tell her about her work day.

The door was wide open. Chen Yuping had arrived home before her. She could even hear voices coming from Chen Yuping's room.

Are those friends you made in the community recently coming over?

"Mom, I'm back." Jiang Zhizhi came in and shouted towards Chen Yuping's room.

But when he walked into the living room, he was stunned.

There were two large snakeskin bags in the living room, and worn-out bags of all sizes were piled on the coffee table.

This packaging bag doesn't look like Chen Yuping's new friends, but rather like...

Jiang Zhizhi's heart skipped a beat and she rushed to the door of Chen Yuping's room. Chen Yuping just came out of the room and she bumped into her arms.

But he still saw what was happening in the room out of the corner of his eye, and his face turned pale.

A suffocating feeling suddenly gripped her heart, causing her vision to go dark and she almost fainted.

"Oh, Zhizhi is back! Come and let grandma see you. I haven't seen you for a long time..." Wang Cuihua pushed Chen Yuping away, pulled Jiang Zhizhi in front of her, and looked her up and down with joy on her face.

Jiang Zhizhi was caught by Wang Cuihua, her whole body went limp and she didn't even have the strength to struggle.

She felt like she was dreaming and everything before her was an illusion.

"Zhizhi, your grandpa is sick, and your grandma brought him to Nanshi for treatment. They have no place to stay here..."

"vomit--"

Jiang Zhizhi couldn't help but dry heave.

nausea!

nausea!

The painful memories in her mind came flooding back, almost bringing her to collapse.

Why……

Everything is obviously getting better...

"Zhizhi, what's wrong with you?"

Seeing that Jiang Zhizhi was in trouble, Chen Yuping anxiously supported her.

"Don't touch me..."

She took a step back, not even willing to look up, "I want to go out for a while... I want to go out..."

Jiang Zhizhi didn't know how she walked out of that room. Everything seemed like a dream, as if she had worked so hard for so long, but suddenly she was back to square one.

The suffocating feeling surrounded her, making it hard for her to breathe.

"Jiang Zhizhi? What's wrong with you?"

Lu Xiye's voice came to my ears.

Jiang Zhizhi looked up at him, but his face was already in tears.

Lu Xiye was stunned. He had never seen Jiang Zhizhi like this before.

Unlike the last time she cried for Xu Jiaojiao, this time, her face was expressionless and dull, like an unconscious puppet, but her tears couldn't stop flowing out.

She seemed to be defeated by something, and a huge sadness emanated from her. Just standing in front of her made people feel suffocated, as if they were as sad as she was.

Lu Xiye met her eyes and suddenly lost his voice, unable to utter a word.