Hechino sat at his desk, now sharing it with Wen Liang.

"What's my favorite movie?"

"'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.' You said if you could recommend only one movie in this lifetime, it would be this one. And you also mentioned Brad Pitt is one of the few actors who could turn you."

"...And what about my favorite song?"

"You have a wide taste and listen to all styles, but your favorite is Mayday's 'If We Never Meet Again.'"

Hechino clicked his tongue. "That's right again... It's a great song, and the lyrics are beautiful."

Wen Liang laughed, lying on the desk and wiggling her fingers. "No, no, that's your second favorite. Mainly because every time you hear it, you imagine a tragic love story, hahaha... It's almost second."

Hechino covered his face with one hand in embarrassment and asked, "Is our future really that good?"

"Guess!"

Wen Liang straightened her back and looked at Hechino with a smile. "Guess, what's our relationship in the future?"

The ambiguous question from a girl!

Hechino's toes curled. What was this? Wasn't this the kind of doubt you only see in stories? Now it's happening to him!

Is it reasonable?

Unreasonable!

But if this is through rebirth... then...

Still unreasonable!

Hechino sighed and gave an answer. "In short, we're not a couple because I don't want to get my hopes up."

Wen Liang turned her head and rested her chin in her hands. "Bingo! Correct answer!"

"See? I knew it!"

Hechino felt neither loss nor extra imagination. After all, his motto was:

I won’t be disappointed if I don’t hope! Horizontal motto: Invincible!

"From this point, there’s really no difference between you and the person you'll become..."

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

She glanced at the handwriting left on the blackboard, softly whispering, then put on a hurt expression. "What, is it deliberately emphasized that I’m not pretty?"

Sure enough, girls have no correct answer. Hechino thought that if she had said they were a couple, she would have accused him of overthinking. Would that lead to a confession?

Hechino anticipated the outcome and analyzed it rationally, saying, "Because you can't like me at all. I even sometimes dislike myself, let alone have any qualities that would attract girls."

Wen Liang paused, then laughed after a moment. "Do you know what kind of person you will be in the future?"

This statement piqued Hechino’s curiosity. "Tell me."

Wen Liang gave him a look. "What do you think I am, a fortune teller?"

The boy chuckled awkwardly, listening as she continued slowly, "I’m a big star in the future, and you... are a screenwriter! We first meet on the set of our collaborative project."

"Screenwriter? I like to imagine and write things, but am I really a screenwriter?"

"You're like the protagonist from 'The Life of 13 Writers.'"

Hechino recognized the reference immediately. The movie's protagonist is a talented screenwriter, but circumstances and personality lead to his tragic end. It's a movie he loves, so he understood its meaning.

The atmosphere grew somewhat silent, prompting Hechino to speak. "The first thing you said was that I’m still alive. Does that mean my future is..."

Wen Liang nodded, a touch of solemnity in her voice. "It’s a long story. At 31, you struggled as a screenwriter. You managed to save some money, hoping to direct a film, but someone stole your script. Years of hard work were destroyed, and you nearly lost everything..."

Wen Liang's tone grew heavier, but Hechino didn't dwell too much. Given his nature, this outcome seemed better than he'd imagined. He smiled and mocked himself, "With my character, can I really be a director? Even if I start a film, I wouldn't be able to handle it."

Wen Liang disagreed, "It's that very character that gets you bullied!"

Hechino shrugged it off and asked, "Weren’t we doing well in the future? Why didn't I cast you as the lead?"

Wen Liang's expression darkened, but before she could speak, Hechino found an excuse for himself.

"Right, right, I don't usually take initiative. You’re a big star, and your pay must be high. I’d be afraid to owe you."

"You've always been like this..." she muttered.

"What did you... say?"

Wen Liang stood up and exclaimed loudly, "I said, you've always been like this! You never offend anyone, and you're afraid others will be upset; you swallow your words instead of speaking up; you could do things well, but you hesitate out of fear. When will you work hard? When will you be good to yourself?"

Faced with her outburst, Hechino was taken aback.

Is this a typical Japanese-style reprimand?

Am I not being good enough to myself?

I’m a typical homebody! I stay in my comfort zone and don’t provoke anyone. How could this become a point of contention?

"Are you thinking of escaping now?"

Wen Liang seemed to see through Hechino's thoughts, pointing at him.

The boy shrank back, cautious. "I... I don’t know. I haven’t experienced these things, and... I’m innocent right now..."

Wen Liang’s chest heaved with emotion, and Hechino turned away, avoiding eye contact.

"Look at me!"

"Okay..."

"Look at me, where are you looking?!"

"Ah, yes!"

Wen Liang crossed her arms over her chest and declared, "From today, you must change! Change your lazy and weak ways to avoid future tragedy!"

Hechino felt innocent, truly innocent, and scratched his head. "I think I’m... pretty good now..."

"I don’t want you to feel, I want my feelings! I think you’re terrible right now! For both the present and future, nothing! Is! Good!"

"What’s wrong..."

Wen Liang’s eyes glinted. "You peek at my chest, yet you don’t have the courage to confess!"

Goodness, is this an improvement after rebirth?

Wen Liang teased, "Your eyes were darting, like two bouncing billiard balls. I wish I had a mirror to show you!"

What? Can rebirth let you read minds?

And what a strange analogy this is!

"I... can I think about it?"

Wen Liang sipped her drink. "No! After today, you’ll think tomorrow is just another peaceful day!"

"You know that too?!"

Hechino was surprised, and Wen Liang’s tone softened. "Hechino, I’m here to help you, not hurt you..."

"Then... can’t it wait?"

"Now!"

"What should I do?"

"Start by doing something you've never done before—skip your evening self-study!"

With that, Wen Liang suddenly grabbed Hechino's hand and marched out of the classroom with him.

Unbeknownst to them, they'd been talking for a long time. As they walked, many students heading to evening study saw them. Wen Liang was quite famous, so people were surprised by the scene.

Wen Liang seemed to deliberately take more paths through the building, ensuring more people saw them together.

Especially Ye Jiaqi, who had been discussing a popular celebrity online with her friends.

Wen Liang even stopped and greeted her!

"Hi, Jiaqi, long time no see!"

"Wen... Wen Liang, you're back? You and... Hechino..."

The girl glanced back and forth between their clasped hands.

"Yeah, I'm going out to eat with Hechino and skipping self-study. What's up? Let's talk later, love ya!"

Wen Liang blew a kiss to Ye Jiaqi and continued down the stairs with Hechino.

Meanwhile, Ye Jiaqi and her friends exchanged looks, eyes alight with gossip.

(End of this Chapter)