Chapter 19: The Butterfly Effect Brought by Rebirth

Wen Fucheng’s "Goodnight, Jingbao" did not lull Ying Jing to sleep.

Instead, it kept her buzzing with excitement all night long.

The next day, Ying Zenan woke up, walked into the living room, and fell into deep contemplation as he faced a floor covered in cardboard boxes, foam, and various messy items, along with a watermelon on the dining table that had been half-eaten with a spoon stuck into it at an angle.

Had his house been robbed?

The man silently raised his phone, intending to call the police, when a hand reached out from behind the sofa and rested on the armrest.

Ying Jing, sporting two dark, bruised-looking circles under her eyes, had a vacant gaze.

"Brother, morning."

After saying that, she flopped back down.

Ying Zenan bent his knee onto the sofa and braced his hands on the soft backrest.

"Don't tell me you slept here all night!"

The person lying flat on the floor hummed and hawed.

"I'm very sleepy right now. If you have a memorial to present, speak; if not, court is dismissed."

Ying Zenan glared at her—this little girl. He lifted his foot and gave the sofa a nudge. "Get up and go back to your room to sleep."

Ying Jing climbed up reluctantly and headed toward the stairs.

Halfway there, Ying Zenan called her back.

Ying Jing yawned and turned to look at him.

"What is it?"

"In a few days, it’s Ye Qingyu’s grandfather’s seventieth birthday. Clear your schedule and come with me."

Ying Jing refused without a second thought.

"Not going, I'm busy. Can't you and Old Ying just go?"

"You and Ye Qingyu used to get along quite well; you’d even let him take the blame when you got into trouble. Why are you so distant now?"

It wasn't her, anyway.

Besides, that was in the past. She was grown up now, so naturally, she had to avoid suspicion.

"Grandpa Ye likes you so much. I’ll let your temper tantrums slide usually, but you have to go this time."

Ying Zenan didn't give her a chance to refuse, grabbed his things, and left the house.

Ying Jing’s sleepiness vanished by more than half.

She tightened her grip on the railing.

However, this negative emotion was soon washed away by the joy of knowing she would be seeing Wen Fucheng.

Ying Jing changed into a pretty little dress.

Before leaving, she received a call from a school teacher saying there was an issue with some documents she had submitted, and since they would be needed after the semester started, they hoped she could come in to handle it.

Seeing she still had some time before her meal, she took a taxi to Hucheng University.

The weather was a bit hot, so she quickened her pace toward the school building. It took less than half an hour to verify the documents. As she exited the administration building, she unexpectedly ran into Lu Zishu being bullied by several burly sports students.

What kind of bad luck was this? She ran into Lu Zishu being bullied everywhere she went.

The legendary male lead halo?

"So it’s you, you’re Lu Zishu? My girlfriend broke up with me for you and follows you around every day, yet you still reject her. You’ve just got a pretty face; you look so frail, I bet you couldn't even take one of my punches."

...

The spot where they were standing was a bit awkward; if Ying Jing wanted to leave, she had to pass by them.

She stood on the stairs, listening to their conversation without blinking.

She pricked up her gossiping ears.

With Lu Zishu’s build, he probably couldn't take a beating.

Anyone would know what to do in this situation, but the original book's male lead, Lu Zishu, was fearless, possessing an air of "you can hit me, but you can never knock me down."

He looked at the person in front of him with an expressionless face and said, "So, why don't you keep a better eye on your girlfriend instead of letting her come to me and act like a bitch?"

Wow!

She was stunned.

Even though Ying Jing already knew Lu Zishu wasn't the type to easily submit, she hadn't expected him to be this tough.

If he didn't get beaten up after that, it would be unreasonable.

Sure enough, the men were furious after hearing that, and the leader threw a punch directly at Lu Zishu. Even though Lu Zishu had some defensive moves, he couldn't withstand the group's punches and kicks.

In the end, other passersby found a teacher, and the crowd slowly dispersed.

By the time Ying Jing walked down the stairs, the area had returned to silence, and Lu Zishu was nowhere to be seen.

That suited her just fine; it was better not to see him.

Who would have thought that just as she finished the steps, Lu Zishu, who had been leaning against a stone lion, would suddenly stand up, looking at her with gloomy eyes. Ying Jing was startled.

"Why are you here?"

He had several injuries on his body, the worst being at the corners of his mouth and eyes.

Blood was still seeping out.

"You... maybe you should go to the hospital and get checked out." She swore she meant nothing else by it, and after saying that, she left without a moment's hesitation.

"Ying Jing."

Not listening, not listening, not listening.

Ying Jing quickened her pace toward the school gate.

"I'm in a lot of pain. Could you help me buy some medicine? It's right across from the school gate. Please, I'm begging you."

A wave of chest tightness hit her, making Ying Jing stumble.

She hurried to the pharmacy, explained the situation, had them pick out the medicine, and returned to the school gate, where she handed the medicine to the security guard with a smile.

"Uncle, could you please give this medicine to the person sitting on the steps across the street? Thank you."

Ying Jing was pretty and sweet-spoken, and since she was well-known at school, many people recognized her.

Back when Ying Jing was interviewed, he had been standing right next to her.

The reporter asked her why she chose to study science when most girls preferred liberal arts.

The security guard had been standing right beside her then, and he heard the girl’s crisp, bright voice: "To prove to my not-so-bright brother that his disappointing sister can study science too." She had accidentally ended up as the top scorer in the province, making her father so happy he gave every employee in the company a ten-thousand-yuan bonus.

With every "Uncle" Ying Jing called out, the security guard was overjoyed, so he took the medicine and went over for her.

She didn't wait for the person to return.

When Lu Zishu took the medicine, he was even lectured by the security guard.

"How did you make Miss Ying angry? She’s the one who follows you around every day. Young man, this attitude of yours won't do! I don't think you're uninterested in her, either! Why do you keep leaving her out in the cold? Even the warmest heart will turn cold if left in water for too long. Don't wait until it's too late to regret missing out."

Lu Zishu had a headache.

"Uncle, you're overthinking it. She and I have nothing to do with each other."

"What do you mean nothing to do with each other? The whole school knows Ying Jing likes Lu Zishu."

Is that so?

Then why couldn't he see a shred of love for him in Ying Jing's eyes?

Or was her acting so good that she had fooled so many people?

Lu Zishu had just taken the medicine and was about to leave when several men in suits and leather shoes walked up to him, supporting an elderly man in his sixties.

...

Ying Jing remembered that Lu Zishu hadn't paid her back for the medicine, and she couldn't afford to take that loss.

When she came back, she happened to see Lu Zishu being taken away by a few men.

Strictly speaking, it wasn't being taken away; Lu Zishu was clearly following them willingly.

When the face of the man in the lead came into her view, Ying Jing froze and quickly walked to a corner to hide.

Lu Hongsheng.

In this lifetime, even the Lu family had found Lu Zishu ahead of schedule.

As he got into the car, Lu Zishu seemed to have spotted her location, and their eyes met.

Her rebirth had created a butterfly effect.

When everything no longer counted...

Didn't that mean the male lead could also be changed?

Lu Zishu, huh!

He could also become a supporting character.

Thinking of this, Ying Jing’s blood began to boil.

(End of chapter)