142: I won't bother you anymore.

"In high school, a lot of people called me 'Dairy Cow.' Both boys and girls talked about me, not just making disgusting jokes, but even spreading nasty rumors... I was very self-conscious during that time. I walked with my head down and felt like nothing I wore looked right."

"But you were never like them. I remember one time, the boys in the back row started jeering again, and you turned around and warned them. You probably forgot, but I almost cried right there."

"You were always so cheerful, as if you never had a worry in the world. You made me feel like I didn't have to be ashamed of something I was born with. I started trying to hold my head high, trying not to care about other people's stares. I worked hard to improve myself, studied hard, learned how to dress up... A large part of that motivation was because I wanted you to see a better me."

"So, Yu Heng, I like you. It's not just gratitude; the slightly better person I am now wants to tell you that I want to be with you. I'm no longer the timid, self-conscious girl who only walked with her head down. I want to be by your side, attend classes with you, eat meals with you, and do everything you want to do, whether it's running the Club or pursuing any wild idea. I want to be your girlfriend, okay?"

She finally said it; she blurted everything out in one go.

Yu Heng fell silent. He inwardly clicked his tongue—it finally came.

He looked into her eyes. Being stared at with such high expectations was actually a bit troublesome and stressful.

He licked his lips, his voice slightly lower than usual: "Yu Tong, I know you like me."

Ning Yutong softly hummed in acknowledgment, waiting for him to continue.

"I like you too," Yu Heng said. "You are wonderful—you could even be called the ideal girlfriend."

This was the truth. Ning Yutong was beautiful, had a great figure, and a good personality. He had no reason not to like her.

"I actually don't want to reject you," Yu Heng continued, "but I have no choice but to reject you."

"Why?" Ning Yutong's voice was slightly urgent, and she stepped half a pace closer. "Is it because of Yue Ling? Are you two already together?"

"No," Yu Heng shook his head. "It's because I don't want to date."

Ning Yutong was stunned: "You don't want to date?"

"Yes." Yu Heng looked at her. "What I'm about to say might sound outrageous to you, but I genuinely don't want to be constrained to one person by a romantic relationship—not because of you, and not because of Yue Ling."

Ning Yutong's brows slowly furrowed. She didn't quite understand. "What do you mean by... not being constrained to one person?"

Yu Heng took a breath. Since the conversation had reached this point, he decided to be clear: "I want to have many women in my life."

Ning Yutong's eyes widened slightly. Many women?

Her lips moved, and her voice was a little dry: "Like Zhang Yuchen?"

"No, it's different," Yu Heng paused before saying. "I won't hide anything. I will make sure all my women are aware of each other, and only under the premise of voluntary acceptance."

Ning Yutong was dumbfounded, her mind a mess.

Many women? Aware of each other? Voluntary acceptance?

"So," Yu Heng continued, "I don't know if you would accept this situation, which is why I have to reject you first."

Ning Yutong stood rooted to the spot, silent for a long time.

The night wind blew over, and she shivered, realizing she had been holding her breath.

She slowly released her fingers clutching her jacket. So that was it.

It wasn't that she wasn't good enough, nor was it that Shen Yueling had claimed the spot first.

It was that Yu Heng never planned on being in a relationship with anyone. He didn't want a girlfriend, and he wanted more than one.

"I understand." Ning Yutong raised her head, her face devoid of expression, her voice calm. "Then I won't bother you again in the future."

She said it so straightforwardly that Yu Heng was somewhat surprised.

He thought she would at least ask more questions, or perhaps curse him out.

After Ning Yutong finished speaking, she turned to leave.

"Yu Tong." Yu Heng called out to her.

Ning Yutong stopped, but didn't turn back.

"The watch and the scarf," Yu Heng raised his hand. "Thank you. I really like them."

Ning Yutong, with her back to him, nodded slightly, then quickly walked away.

Her footsteps grew fainter on the stone path, finally disappearing around the corner.

Yu Heng stood there, lit a cigarette. He didn't chase after her; there was no point in pursuing her.

He took a drag and slowly exhaled.

Yu Heng turned his head and saw that it was He Mengyao.

She was leaning against a streetlamp pole not far away, her hands tucked into her jacket pockets. He didn't know how long she had been standing there.

"Why are you here?" Yu Heng asked, frowning.

"Heh heh, I followed you," He Mengyao said, stepping out of the shadows. The streetlamp illuminated her face.

"Why follow me?"

"You sing Jay Chou's songs, aren't you afraid that he might have already written them by now, just not released them?" He Mengyao looked at him with an ambiguous smile.

Yu Heng's heart skipped a beat. He stared into He Mengyao's eyes.

"How do you know?" Yu Heng was startled, then his eyes widened. "He Mengyao, did you also Rebirth?"

He Mengyao didn't speak, just looked at him, the slight smile on her lips slowly receding.

"When did you come back?" Yu Heng asked.

"September 26th?" He Mengyao walked up to him. Less than a meter separated the two of them.

"How did you get here?" Yu Heng narrowed his eyes.

"I had just gotten home when I received a call saying you were in a car accident. By the time I reached the hospital, you were already gone," He Mengyao collected herself and said, frowning. "I was going to handle your paperwork, and when I got distracted, I ran a red light."

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself lying in her dormitory bed, realizing her pillow was soaking wet.

When she rushed to the hospital, she saw Yu Heng lying there motionless. No matter how many times she called “Husband Yu Heng,” he didn't respond.

The doctor came over and said there were no signs of life, and she was completely stunned.

Driving out of the hospital, she cried while driving, not even noticing the red light.

After Rebirth, she had been keeping an eye on Yu Heng. When Yu Heng and his friends approached her for WeChat on the sports field, she realized it was Hao Junran who asked this time.

She refused without a second thought. She didn't want Yu Heng to misunderstand her as the type of girl who gave out her WeChat easily.

Later, she ran into him again at the supermarket, during her 'Magic Period,' and his concern moved her heart again.

In their previous life, Yu Heng had been quite good to her. It was just that after she stopped working, being cooped up at home every day made her irritable, and she was so angry that day that they divorced.

Now she figured that since she had the experience of a previous life, she could surely control the direction of some events this time, right?

But she noticed that Yu Heng seemed different from before. He hadn't been involved in Club activities like this previously, and it seemed like he had many women around him?

This made her a little angry again. To think she had considered getting back together with him!