Why Settle for a Stranger When the Neighbor's Grass Is Greener?

Second chances for a broken relationship / Reborn back in high school / Spanning many years

Blurb:

Starting in high school, Mi Yuxin secretly loved Chen Jizhu for a full seven years.

After years of devoted waiting, she finally heard the words, “We’re right for each other.”

Their relationship had its sweet moments, but the little frustrations of everyday life always got in the way.

In their seventh year together, Mi Yuxin went out in the rain to deliver a meal and saw Chen Jizhu wiping the corner of a young woman’s mouth.

Mi Yuxin hadn’t seen that tenderness and concern in her for many years.

She turned away in a daze, was blinded by a car’s headlights, and got into an accident.

When she woke again, she was sixteen. She hadn’t met Chen Jizhu yet, and there was still time to change everything.

Mi Yuxin, her heart covered in scars, wanted nothing more to do with Chen Jizhu. But then she met Shen Tongfeng, who shouldn’t have appeared at this point in time.

After being given a second life, so many things seemed strange.

The woman who should have treated her like a distant moon began taking the initiative to win her over, becoming even more gentle and considerate than she had been during the honeymoon phase.

Meanwhile, her usually indifferent friend seemed like a different person, doing everything she could to keep Mi Yuxin from dealing with her ex.

*

What Mi Yuxin didn’t know was this:

The night she died, two people fell apart.

One was Chen Jizhu, her girlfriend, who had shared her bed but not her heart. The other was Shen Tongfeng, her college classmate.

For Chen Jizhu, it was the longest night of her life.

After watching Mi Yuxin, covered in blood, disappear into the emergency room, Chen Jizhu huddled in a corner of the hallway and wept uncontrollably.

Shen Tongfeng arrived in a rush, grabbed Chen Jizhu by the collar, and hauled her to her feet. She choked back sobs for a long time, but never said a word.

*

Shen Tongfeng was strange: cool and distant, rarely showing any emotion, as if nothing could hold her interest.

The boldest thing she did for someone she liked was write a graduation message and give her a flower as a friend.

The year Mi Yuxin graduated, Shen Tongfeng gave her a magnolia with a card that read:

“Though our paths may lead a thousand miles apart, may we both ride the same wind.”

A thousand miles apart, riding the same wind.

Years later, on the anniversary of Mi Yuxin’s death, Shen Tongfeng leapt from a high-rise on a rainy night, arms spread as if she could ride the wind.

Only later did Mi Yuxin learn that “a thousand miles apart, riding the same wind” was a vow hidden beneath the magnolia’s symbolism of enduring friendship.

The song she had sung on the athletic field had been a quiet farewell all along.

Perhaps this meeting after her rebirth was the secret admirer’s final act of devotion.

If you could choose again, would you be friends or lovers?

Mi Yuxin was just as confused as she was.

Looking at her strange deskmate, Mi Yuxin reached out and poked her clean, youthful cheek.

Shen Tongfeng caught her fingertip, pushed her hand open, and folded Mi Yuxin’s fingers down one by one.

[Blurb written July 8, 2024, at 5:21]

My next novel will be I Hate My Stepsister, Who Became My Teacher. I’m rolling around begging for follows, qwq.

[Blurb]

On the day Xu Mengxing turned eighteen, her mother took her to a restaurant that cost three hundred yuan per person for the first time ever. She slapped a bright red marriage certificate down in front of her and declared triumphantly:

“Your mom got married again. This time the guy’s decent. I’ll take you to meet him this afternoon. He’ll definitely give you a red envelope.”

Xu Mengxing had been shoving food into her mouth, ready to throw down her chopsticks and leave. But at the promise of a red envelope, she came back to the table.

She really did go meet him. A very tall woman followed behind the man, young and thin as a reed. She stood there, her pale skin almost glowing, and looked down at Xu Mengxing through the cold gleam of her glasses.

One look was enough for Xu Mengxing to sense her intense hostility. She guessed the woman’s identity immediately: the man’s daughter.

She definitely hated Xu Mengxing and her mother.

Xu Mengxing figured she wouldn’t last long in this lousy place, so she’d just put up with it. But after taking a year off school, she was dragged back to register. The moment she walked in, she froze on the spot.

Liang Yun, who had reprimanded her several times for deliberately showing up late, was standing at the front of the classroom with a tight, humorless smile.

Her stepsister had become her teacher. Now she was really doomed…

*

Ever since a rebellious punk moved into her home, Liang Yun hadn’t known a moment’s peace.

She got off work at midnight and had just lain down when Xu Mengxing came clattering upstairs. The door banged twice, then Xu Mengxing clattered away again, making Liang Yun’s heart race and leaving her on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

That alone would have been bad enough, but at six in the morning she also had to get up to deal with a problem student who had put off registering for a month and whose parents couldn’t be reached.

This wasn’t a life fit for a human being. Even with goji berries and herbal medicine every day, Liang Yun felt she might drop dead from exhaustion.

At last, the troublesome kid arrived. Liang Yun glanced up and saw Xu Mengxing, who had been out partying until two or three in the morning the day before.

How was this any different from seeing a ghost in broad daylight?!

Liang Yun’s temples throbbed and her blood rushed to her head. She had to brace herself against the podium just to stay upright.

She couldn’t stand Xu Mengxing anymore, so while she was out partying, Liang Yun grabbed her by the ear and dragged her home. Xu Mengxing’s brightly dyed hair bobbed around, and the metal chain at her waist clinked all the way. Liang Yun honestly felt like she was walking a dog.

She was prepared for Xu Mengxing to fight back and gave her a blistering scolding. But Xu Mengxing, eyes red like a dom’s, asked her:

“Can I really become a better person? Has my life been a mess from beginning to end?”

*

Thanks to Liang Yun’s tireless guidance, the rebellious punk actually got into college.

Everyone thought Xu Mengxing had gotten lucky. Only Liang Yun knew what it had taken, and quietly put money aside for her tuition and other school expenses.

During summer vacation, Xu Mengxing did nothing but work part-time and trail after Liang Yun, grinning like an idiot. Once she got into Liang Yun’s room, she refused to leave, wishing she could turn into sticky candy and cling to her.

The day her acceptance letter arrived, Xu Mengxing looked at her seriously.

“Liang Yun, don’t you still owe me a wish?”

Looking into those eager puppy-dog eyes, Liang Yun’s heart suddenly began to race, and she instinctively turned away.

Xu Mengxing edged closer and carefully kissed her cheek.

“You promised me. We’re going to have a home of our own.”

Theme: Life comes only once. Live it for yourself.