Who's in love now that we're all reborn?

"Three hundred thousand yuan for the bride price, not a penny less!"

"The money doesn't matter to me; I just want to know how much I mean to you."

"Also, your apartment can't be in your mother's name; it has to be transferred to mine."

In Shenzhen, a window seat at the Gray Whale Café.

Thirty-eight-year-old Jiang Qin looked at his marriage partner and suddenly felt her face was unfamiliar.

They had met through a blind date and had been together for over six months. Since they were no longer young and didn't have time to delay, they had been discussing marriage.

To be honest, Jiang Qin didn't have much affection for her, and he believed she felt the same way.

After all, he was approaching forty. Was marrying and having children still about love?

Perhaps he just didn't want to end up alone...

But he didn't say anything. Instead, he silently drank the water in his glass and gazed out the glass window, automatically blocking out the other person's voice.

He felt that life was actually pretty fucked up.

Because his parents said knowledge changes destiny, he had studied hard since he was young, believing he would eventually become rich and noble, extraordinary. But it wasn't until he started working that he realized he wasn't even an ordinary person.

When he first started working in 2016, he was forced to drink alcohol by a table full of clients and ended up in the hospital, never seeing the grandmother who raised him one last time.

When his project collapsed in 2019, he was forced to take the blame. He spent five months in his rented apartment eating instant noodles, unable to distinguish between dreams and reality.

His subsequent job was relatively stable, but it was far from where he lived. He worked himself to the bone, working so hard that he saved up even for his pee twice, just to buy a car.

After 22 years, he finally bought a car, but found he couldn't afford the gas and couldn't pee all the time.

After turning 30, he noticed that rents were rising faster than his salary, so he started saving desperately and told his parents about his plan to buy a house in Shenzhen.

From that day on, there was no more meat on his parents' table.

But he still couldn't come up with enough for the down payment, so his father kept it a secret from him. He worked during the day and drove for Didi at night, nearly suffering a cerebral hemorrhage.

Is poverty really related to laziness? Jiang Qin has been pondering this question for years.

He feels he's diligent enough, fully worthy of his name.

But what about the money?

Who earns it?

When he was a child, his parents earnestly told him that as long as he's willing to endure hardship, he'll succeed.

But as he grew up, he discovered the truth: as long as you're willing to endure hardship, there's no end to the suffering you'll endure.

Now, his blind date is asking for a 300,000 yuan dowry. "Jiang Qin, are you listening to me?"

"Yes, I've been listening the whole time."

"Then why don't you say anything? I've been talking for ages, my voice is hoarse, and you don't even care!"

Jiang Qin put down his water cup and, after a long pause, said, "Why don't we just not get married?"

The woman was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage: "What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing, I'm just tired and want to go home and get some sleep."

"Jiang Qin, you coward! No wonder no woman wants you even at 38!"

Jiang Qin ignored the woman's rant, walked out of the restaurant, and wandered aimlessly down the street.

When he reached a construction site, he saw a banner hanging on the wall that read, "Workers are the best of the best."

So he lit a cigarette, took two puffs, and burned a hole in it.

He didn't really have many complaints about the woman; he even thought her demands were normal.

She was already 35, so what was wrong with being realistic?

He was just pondering a question. When will this kind of life end?

People who've never worked frantically preach that working people are superior, while those who've always worked dare not say a word, only nodding in agreement. "Yeah, right, right."

But how exactly do I look like someone superior?

I've only managed to get two pairs of AJ shoes in my life, from Putian. And you call that superior?

As for love?

Jiang Qin doesn't even know if it exists.

He's been on a few blind dates and met a few girls introduced by friends. Any of them could have gotten by, but the saddest part is that they were just enough.

Looking back on his life, he has so many regrets...

Jiang Qin sighed and fished his phone out of his pocket, hoping to find a friend to drink with. But when he opened it, he saw four text messages.

A credit card payment reminder, a phone bill overdue warning, and a "Brother, I'm nearby. No one's home today." The last message came from his direct supervisor, a heartfelt message telling him that the company's recent performance has been poor and that employees are encouraged to voluntarily take a pay cut to help the company weather the storm.

Jiang Qin instantly lost his drinking mood and continued smoking downstairs in the construction building.

In this day and age, if you want to be rich, you absolutely can't work, because the distribution of resources in this society is inherently unfair.

But when he thought of his age, Jiang Qin couldn't help but smile.

Isn't it a bit unrealistic to start a business at 38?

He's broken his waist from overwork over the past two years, and his cervical spine is also in trouble. The pain from the cross neuralgia is more frequent than his frequent urination.

If he dragged his broken body into starting a business, even if he succeeded, he'd be 50. What would there be to enjoy in life?

If he could do it all over again, he wouldn't work for anything and would just hook up with a rich woman.

If all else failed, he'd start his own business. He firmly believed that money could be earned again, but losing his conscience would earn him more.

Jiang Qin took a deep breath, pinched his sore neck, and couldn't help but glance upward.

Hmm? What's that black mass? And it's coming straight at him?

"..."

"Give him a shot of adrenaline, quick!"

"..."

"Welcome the Olympics, be civilized, set a new trend!"

"..."

"Where's Director Liu? Ask if the operating room is vacant. Hurry!"

"..."

"My door is always open, waiting for you with open arms."

Jiang Qin suddenly felt a glare in front of his eyes, a clamor in his ears, his skin burning, and his head a little dizzy.

Blurred, he saw a very beautiful little girl, about seventeen or eighteen.

She was wearing a fluffy floral dress, revealing a small section of her fair, smooth legs, a straight nose, rosy, thin lips, delicate, curled eyelashes, and a pair of bright eyes.

Jiang Qin smiled.

In all the years he'd worked diligently to buy cars and villas for his boss, he'd never even dreamed of such a beautiful girl.

If he slapped such a beautiful girl, would she cry for a long time?

"Jiang Qin, I really don't want to date. I'm sorry."

Jiang Qin couldn't smile anymore, as he noticed the girl before him becoming increasingly vivid and clear.

She wore a floral dress printed with daisies, and stood gracefully on the red plastic track, her arms, as sturdy as snow, slightly shielding her eyes from the sun.

Even so, the scorching heat still made the beautiful young woman appear a little irritated.

"If you don't say anything, I'll take that as your consent. We'll still be good friends, right?"

Jiang Qin's brows furrowed, and a hint of solemnity flashed in his eyes.

He knew this girl: Chu Siqi, the class beauty from high school. She should be married now.

Through high school and college, he had pursued her for seven years, and her rejection nearly drove him to the point of doubting his life.

Jiang Qin wasn't a dog-eat-dog, and he wouldn't do anything like clinging to her. But the problem was that Chu Siqi constantly meddled in his life, acting as a friend, asking him to do this and that, and forbidding him from dating other girls. She would occasionally offer him a glimmer of hope and a few sweet nothings, which truly tormented the young Jiang Qin.

"I'll consider being your girlfriend after freshman year!"

"I didn't expect sophomore year to be so demanding. Let's talk about it in junior year."

"I have so many competitions to participate in junior year, I don't have time for a relationship."

It wasn't until the second semester of their junior year that she arrived hand-in-hand with a tall, thin boy wearing matching outfits.

That day, her face was full of tenderness, her eyes glittering like stars, and she smiled and asked her boyfriend if he was handsome.

From then on, he was completely frozen in time, never again entertaining the idea of a relationship, leading to the story of him reluctantly finding someone at 38 with the intention of getting married.

In 2008, the concept of a backup plan didn't exist. It wasn't until the internet became so popular that Jiang Qin realized he was one.

She simply hadn't found the right person yet, so she kept flirting with him, flirting when she was happy and ignoring him when she wasn't. To put it bluntly, he was just a tool for her to pass the time when she was bored.

The past was vivid in her mind, yet Jiang Qin felt a little dizzy and a little ringing in her ears.

The memory of Chengnan High School, the class beauty of Girls' Generation.

Is this... a rebirth?

Or is this a dream?

If it's a rebirth, then where's the ding? Why not a ding?

Jiang Qin stretched out a trembling hand and pawed at the air twice, but no virtual screens appeared.

Is this a fake reborn? He didn't even give her all the equipment?

"Jiang Qin, do you hear me? I really don't want a relationship right now."

"Okay, I'll do as you say."

Jiang Qin replied casually, then closed his eyes, trying to see if he could activate the cheat code with his mind, but alas, he failed. There really was no system. Chu Siqi was unexpectedly taken aback by his blunt response. Jiang Qin's attitude was filled with indifference, leaving her feeling like punching cotton, powerless.

"Didn't you hear me? I just rejected you!"

"I did. I'm not deaf."

"Then...then don't you have anything to say to me?"

Jiang Qin accepted the reality of not having a system, his gaze fixed on Chu Siqi's hand: "What's that in your hand?"

Chu Siqi proudly held up the envelope: "This is the love letter you just slipped me. I told you I don't want it, give it back. Don't write next time."

"Can you give it back to me? I need it."

Jiang Qin took the letter back without waiting for her to agree. He then removed the inner page, crumpled it up, and stuffed it into his pocket. He then unfolded the envelope, spread it flat on his knees, and quickly wrote two lines.

"I won't work for anything. I'll just hook up with rich women if I can." You can earn money again if you lose it, but you can earn more if you lose your conscience.