Chapter 31: The Burden of Rebirth and the Adorable Tsundere

Attending class diligently, Bai YuYang remained blissfully unaware of the unfolding events within the student council.

Throughout the afternoon, his mind constantly drifted, preoccupied either with the perplexing reality of his rebirth or the pressing matters of the student council.

Despite Bai YuYang’s earnest attempts to adjust his mindset and fully re-immerse himself in the joys of campus life, reality proved stubbornly unyielding.

Yet, the most vexing concern stemmed from the impending part-time job he was soon to undertake.

‘Alas, such is the life of a worker, where the spirit of labor alone could sustain his dear little Xi.’

Despite Bai YuYang’s distraction, the afternoon’s tightly scheduled lessons proved remarkably simple for him.

The dismissal bell rang precisely on time.

“Yang-ge! Want to go play ball?”

For Luo Hao, the dismissal bell was a salvation. Having understood nothing all afternoon, he immediately rose, eager to invite Bai YuYang to the sports field.

Back in their first year of high school, it had been customary for the boys to play ball after classes before heading home.

However, with the second year only just beginning, they had forgotten some significant changes.

Bai YuYang shook his head, a hint of apology in his eyes.

“As for playing ball… Haozi, you guys can go ahead. I have some other commitments, so I likely won’t be able to join you for a while.”

Luo Hao’s initial reaction was to believe Bai YuYang had a sudden, temporary engagement, and he was about to inquire further.

Then, a memory surfaced: during their chats over the summer break before school started, Yang-ge had mentioned wanting to take on a part-time job for the new semester.

Realizing this topic might be sensitive, Luo Hao said no more. He grabbed the basketball from under his desk and, turning back as he walked away, added,

“Yang-ge, you just focus on your work. But remember, if you ever run into any trouble, don’t hesitate to tell your brothers.”

“Understood,” Bai YuYang replied without ceremony. “But don’t overthink it. I’m just earning some extra cash to cover my mobile game spending. So stop worrying unnecessarily, just go, go!”

It was in his nature to avoid troubling others or causing them concern; Bai YuYang would never utter a single superfluous word.

“Alright then! Just contact me whenever you’re free, Yang-ge. We’ll always keep a spot open for you on the court—come whenever you like, no waiting needed.”

“I truly appreciate that.”

Unfortunately, he doubted he’d have the chance to sweat it out on the court during his high school years.

Though Bai YuYang was physically in high school, his reborn self possessed a maturity far beyond his teenage peers. To work a shift and then immediately play ball?

He truly wished they would spare him such a fate; it would surely exhaust him to death.

Only after seeing Luo Hao off did Bai YuYang rise, preparing to leave the classroom himself.

Oh, right. Before leaving, he still needed to tell Lin QingYu a few things.

Mo Sishi had already departed earlier, and as a few more students trickled out, the classroom suddenly grew empty, leaving only Bai YuYang and Lin QingYu.

As Bai YuYang lifted his gaze towards her seat, he saw the silly loli slumped over her desk, her head tilted as she stared in his direction.

Her backpack was already packed and slung over her shoulders, yet she hadn’t moved, her brows furrowed in silent contemplation.

‘Was she still upset?’

‘Well, it was to be expected. Without sweet and sour fish, Lin QingYu transformed into a relentlessly sulking machine.’

Bai YuYang walked forward through the aisle between the desks, and Lin QingYu’s gaze slowly tracked his movement.

However, the haughty expression on her face showed no signs of diminishing.

Only when Bai YuYang reached her desk did the Lin loli avert her eyes, burying her face in the table as if studying the blackboard.

She ignored Bai YuYang, but he couldn’t ignore her.

Just as he was about to offer words of comfort, Lin QingYu unexpectedly spoke first.

“Let’s go home.”

“Eh?”

“I said, let’s go home, you blockhead!” Lin QingYu stood up, revealing a small canine tooth as she spoke fiercely. “Didn’t you notice I’ve been waiting here for ages? You didn’t leave after class. Are you waiting to continue lessons tomorrow?”

‘Oh, oh… It seemed the time Bai YuYang spent sending off the basketball players had made Lin QingYu a bit anxious waiting.’

‘No! Had this silly loli reached a certain pinnacle of tsundere behavior?’

Her earlier state could be summarized in one sentence:

‘I want to go home with you, but I don’t want to call out to you. If you don’t leave, I’ll just keep waiting here.’

Bai YuYang said with a slight headache,

“No, Lin QingYu… You’ve been ignoring me all afternoon, so I didn’t get a chance to tell you. Starting today, I’ll be working part-time in East City after school. So from now on, you should go find little Xi in the first-year building after school and go home with her. The first-years finish a bit later; she should be done in about five minutes, so you can head over now.”

“……”

‘Part-time work?’

Truly, because Bai YuYang’s life after high school graduation had been so incredibly smooth, Lin QingYu had almost forgotten this period of his high school life when he worked part-time.

After a long silence, Lin QingYu stood up, looking directly into Bai YuYang’s eyes.

“Why are you working part-time?”

Lin QingYu, of course, knew the answer to this question, but she hoped to gauge Bai YuYang’s true feelings by asking.

Unlike his demeanor with Luo Hao and the others, Bai YuYang had nothing to hide from Lin QingYu.

“Sigh… You know our family’s situation, don’t you? If it weren’t for my outrageous parents, I wouldn’t want to work part-time, but this isn’t…”

Before he could finish, Lin QingYu interrupted him, asking again, “Bai YuYang, are you and Bai YuXi running short on living expenses right now?”

“You could say that.”

“Then you absolutely don’t need to work part-time.” Lin QingYu was no longer sulking; instead, she analyzed the situation very seriously.

“I know you’re reluctant to accept help from others, but our family isn’t ‘others,’ right? You two actually don’t need that much money. I can ask my parents to send you a bit more living expenses each month—not too much. Would that be a problem?”

Listening patiently until Lin QingYu finished speaking, Bai YuYang smiled with genuine warmth.

However, he didn’t nod. Instead, he reached out his right hand and gently, dotingly stroked Lin QingYu’s cherry-blossom hair.

Lin QingYu, who had been in serious mode, instantly broke down, trembling all over.

‘W-what’s wrong? He suddenly patted my head.’

Seeing her quiet down, Bai YuYang smiled and said,

“Lin QingYu, thank you for thinking of little Xi and me. Let me make this clear: I don’t believe there’s any distance between our two families. But if Uncle and Auntie were to provide my living expenses, I still find it very difficult to accept… You understand me, don’t you?”

“How should I put it, for me, this isn’t me boasting, but I am very confident in my ability to be self-reliant.

That’s also my code of conduct. So I want to tell you, don’t worry, working part-time is my choice. I will take good care of little Xi, and I will take good care of myself too.”

“Mmm…”

Lin QingYu hadn’t fully caught everything Bai YuYang said, only grasping the general meaning.

As for why she hadn’t heard everything, wasn’t the reason obvious?

With her head being stroked and him speaking so gently by her ear, Lin QingYu’s little brain had almost crashed a moment ago!

Bai YuYang had no idea how powerful his unintentional gesture was against Lin QingYu!

Still, she had at least understood Bai YuYang’s resolute stance: he didn’t want to accept help and was determined to work part-time.

Bai YuYang was still looking at her so tenderly from up close…

She felt her cheeks growing redder and redder; surely he would notice soon…

‘Ah, no, I can’t hold on! I need to escape here!’

Lin QingYu reached out her small hand, batting away Bai YuYang’s hand from her head. She then adjusted her backpack and ran out of the classroom without looking back, not forgetting to hurl a threat as she went.

“Bai YuYang! I’ve already told you! When you’re working part-time, don’t you dare complain to me about being tired!”

Before Bai YuYang could reply, Lin QingYu had already dashed out the door.

“Alright, alright… I won’t complain to you.”

Bai YuYang watched her retreating figure, shaking his head with a wry smile, and couldn’t help but muse,

‘My childhood friend, is she perhaps too adorable?’

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