Chapter 33: The Accidental Encounter and a Familiar Gaze

If anyone had been nearby to witness the scene, they would surely have assumed Bai YuYang was bullying a young girl.

His towering height cast a dominating shadow over the girl, who was still trembling. It certainly looked as if he were picking on her.

Yet, Bai YuYang felt utterly wronged. ‘She was the one who ran into me!’

He looked at the girl with a perplexed expression, only then noticing the tears welling up in her eyes.

‘Why are you crying now?!’

She apologized once more, her words tumbling out in a panic.

“I’m sorry! I’m truly sorry! I really didn’t mean to… I know it’s wrong not to apologize properly, but I’m in such a hurry right now… What should I do? I’m running out of time…嗚, I bit my tongue…”

‘Why is she acting cute now?’

‘And if you’re out of time, then hurry up and leave!’

However, was this girl crying out of sheer urgency?

How incredibly important must the matter be to make her so frantic?

From her words and tone, Bai YuYang instinctively sensed she was an innocent, kind, and naive girl, unfamiliar with the ways of the world. Though he had no idea what her situation was, he wouldn’t let her continue to misunderstand.

“If you’re in a hurry, then go on ahead. Don’t misunderstand; I’m not blaming you. It was just a bump, completely insignificant. Did you understand me this time?”

Perhaps, in her haste, the girl hadn’t grasped that he wasn’t upset with her earlier.

This time, he had spoken clearly, so there should be no problem.

Indeed, that was the case. The girl looked up in surprise, and seeing Bai YuYang’s nonchalant expression, she quickly broke into a smile.

The girl bowed again, her twin pigtails bobbing up and down.

A grateful smile graced her face. This time, she didn’t run, but instead walked, though she quickened her pace considerably.

Bai YuYang couldn’t help but think, ‘This child is truly sensible. She corrected herself immediately when I told her not to run. She must be someone who accepts advice well.’

As she walked, she didn’t forget to glance back and say,

“Th-thank you! I’ll definitely be more careful next time. W-well, I’ll be going now!”

To translate her words: she was making a quick escape!

It was as if she feared Bai YuYang might change his mind and drag her back.

‘Honestly… you can relax and go. Bai YuYang isn’t that petty.’

After being bumped into, Bai YuYang lost the mood to tease Luo Hao about his terrible basketball skills.

Too lazy to type, Bai YuYang raised his phone and used voice input to send Luo Hao a message.

“–It’s not certain whether you’ll win or not, so don’t rush. No matter how strong the opponent is, they’ll surely have a weakness, haha… I remember you used to say something like… ‘My fate is decided by me, not by heaven’? Then win a game and show them. Occasionally, fight for yourself.–”

A basketball team without Bai YuYang wouldn’t necessarily lose. As long as they fought hard, perhaps… there was still a ten percent chance of victory?

However, what Bai YuYang didn’t know was this:

After he finished sending that voice message on his phone, the girl who had been walking quickly ahead, but hadn’t gone too far, suddenly paused.

She turned back in surprise, thoughtfully observing Bai YuYang’s retreating figure for a long moment. Only when she remembered how urgent her situation was did she quicken her pace and leave once more.

***

On his way to the library, Bai YuYang pondered a question.

Were the events unfolding in this life exactly the same as in his previous one?

From his observations so far, the conclusion was that if Bai YuYang maintained the exact same actions as in his previous life, the progress would be identical.

However, it was impossible for Bai YuYang to completely replicate his previous life’s actions; it simply wasn’t realistic. Even if he remembered everything he had done before, there would inevitably be deviations in the timing of execution.

This led to the scene that had just occurred—the collision with the unfamiliar girl—an event that had never happened in his previous life.

Bai YuYang quickly understood the reason. He had likely stayed a little longer in the classroom, which caused him to coincidentally run into that girl.

The only reason they hadn’t collided in his past life was a slight difference in their timing as they passed that corner.

‘What a coincidence… haha,’ Bai YuYang mused, even cracking a joke to himself.

‘Could it be that the girls from the previous life haven’t even been avoided yet, and this life will add an extra one?’

‘No way, no way, surely no one is that unlucky!’

He was only teasing himself, making a joke. He genuinely believed such a thing was impossible.

The collision was just a coincidence. Qifeng No. 1 High School was so vast that he probably wouldn’t see that girl a second time before graduation. How could there be a new encounter?

Dismissing these fanciful thoughts, Bai YuYang arrived at the entrance of the library.

Whether before or after his rebirth, Bai YuYang always marveled at how impossibly large Qifeng No. 1 High School’s library was.

Even the university libraries he encountered later couldn’t compare to the sheer size of this high school’s facility.

Qifeng No. 1 High School boasted impeccable hardware facilities, especially this library. It felt as though if all the rows of bookshelves were emptied, an entire teaching building could be constructed within the space.

The reason for such luxurious equipment was singular:

Qifeng No. 1 High School was funded by the Tang family.

Wealth equated to willfulness, enabling them to do as they pleased.

‘Ah,’ Bai YuYang sighed, though he had nothing to say about it. Still, it was rather good, at least benefiting the vast student body of Qifeng No. 1 High School.

Borrowing any book was incredibly convenient.

Bai YuYang first retrieved a book he had previously borrowed from the library from his backpack. It bore the library’s serial number tag. He then proceeded to the front desk librarian to return the book.

Next, he began to recall Mo Sishi’s current location.

Well… he didn’t really need to recall it. Mo Sishi only ever went to one fixed spot in the library.

It was in the most secluded corner of the most remote row of seats on the third floor.

In short, she always sat wherever she would be least conspicuous.

The library, divided into three floors, felt more like an office building. The circular wooden staircase exuded a classical charm, and the overall environment was quiet, making reading within it quite comfortable.

What’s more, school had already ended, so the number of people reading in the library was sparse.

Even so, Bai YuYang was accustomed to maintaining silence in the library. He tiptoed from the first floor up the stairs to the third, following the direction etched in his memory, and looked directly towards the most secluded corner to the east.

Sure enough.

She was there.

Just as in his previous life, she sat there gracefully, quiet and well-behaved, occasionally reaching out to turn a page.

Behind the utterly unappealing black-rimmed glasses and thick bangs across her forehead, her eyes were completely obscured, making it impossible to discern what she was thinking.

But the one thing that was certain was the inexplicable sense of familiarity Bai YuYang felt upon seeing her.

Yet, there was also a feeling of profound nostalgia, as if separated by an epoch.

‘What? Reborn? Isn’t it naturally separated by an epoch?’

‘Cough, cough… If you put it that way, then yes.’

In any case, Bai YuYang didn’t go directly to talk to her. Instead, just like in his previous life, he casually picked a book from a shelf, sat on the floor beside the bookshelf, and began to read.

Yes, Bai YuYang did not sit in the designated seating area.

Before his rebirth, during high school, he had a habit of leaning against a bookshelf and reading on the floor. He felt it helped him concentrate better and enjoy the peaceful reading time more deeply.

This time, however, his mindset was undeniably different…

It was precisely because of this habit that Mo Sishi hadn’t noticed Bai YuYang nearby back then, and had unsuspectingly taken off her glasses.

Now, all Bai YuYang had to do was wait.

He read, observing Mo Sishi through his peripheral vision.

‘When you take off your glasses, that will be the moment we meet again.’