Next to the school stood an old restaurant serving delicious spicy boiled fish—a place I often visited with friends in my previous life.

Generous portions at a good price, the old chef guarded his secret recipe and used quality ingredients. The fish slices, boiled in vibrant red chilies, were as white as snow, coated in numbing-spicy sauce. One bite sent a ball of fire burning down my esophagus to my stomach. Then fiery heat rose from my belly straight to my brain, scorching a heavenly path.

The few of us, yelping from the spice, immediately grabbed the warm water prepared beside us and gulped it down.

Ahh, so refreshing! So satisfying!

But unfortunately, it wasn’t the best time for spicy boiled fish now. This little girl’s body—prone to low blood sugar since childhood—couldn’t handle such intense flavors.

So I could only watch Bai Su in front of me, holding a bowl of plain rice and eating the spicy boiled fish. He sweated heavily, his face a mix of bliss and agony.

Oh my! I really wanted to eat it!

Bai Su suddenly stopped. He looked at me, staring longingly at the fish, and asked softly, "Su Su, do you want some spicy boiled fish?"

Huh?! Why was this dummy so good at pleasing girls today?

I didn’t overthink it. I widened my eyes at him, nodded vigorously, and put on a pitiful act: "Yes, yes, yes! Brother, I want to eat it!"

"Eh~" Bai Su’s tone shifted. "If you wanted it, you should’ve told me earlier."

I watched him longingly as he gently picked up a snow-white fish slice with his chopsticks, swaying it slightly left and right before me.

My gaze followed the fish slice, moving with it.

"Hahaha, it’s like fishing," Bai Su thought to himself.

Then he flipped his wrist and popped the slice into his own mouth.

"If you’d told me," he said, "I’d have just said you can’t eat this spicy stuff now—to crush your hopes completely."

Bai Su grinned mischievously.

I was fuming!!

I finally understood why I couldn’t find a girlfriend in my previous life. With this kind of dummy, what patience would a girl need to date him? Was she the reincarnation of a goddess of mercy?

My expression darkened.

Indeed, some people shouldn’t be spoiled. Give them an inch, they take a mile. The only way to deal with them was strict, authoritarian policies from start to finish!

"Brother," I said softly, "forget about your allowance for this month."

Bai Su, buried in his bowl eating, suddenly froze. He slowly lifted his head, a blank smile on his face.

"Huh?"

"I said," I repeated slowly, "Brother, forget about your allowance for this month."

"Eh?! Su Su, what do you mean?"

"You idiot Bai Su, did you forget your bank card is still with me? All our money is on that card."

"Huh?! Could it be..."

"Yes—Bai! Su! You! Won’t! Get! Any! Allowance! This! Month!"

"No! Su Su! Please spare me!"

"Begging is useless!" I declared coldly. "Where was this realization when you tricked me? Regret is too late now!"

Coincidentally, the rice noodles in my bowl were down to the last bite. I put down my chopsticks, stood up, pushed the chair back, and snorted, "Go ahead and keep eating your spicy boiled fish! Let’s see if that whole pot lasts you a month!"

I turned and left, leaving a dumbfounded Bai Su—spoon in one hand, chopsticks in the other—sitting there dazed. What was that idiom again? Dumb as a wooden chicken.

Hahaha.

After laughing, my mood improved. I stopped not far from the restaurant’s entrance.

Hmm, the joke had gone far enough. I knew he had enough cash to cover the meal, so I walked out confidently. I’d wait for him to finish.

I stood in place, taking in the incredibly familiar scene from my memories. Every detail was buried deep from fifteen years ago—the stationery store owner at the school gate with his hearty, accent-tinged Mandarin, the sweet aroma of the first honey pies baked daily by the older sister at the corner pastry shop—all vividly etched in my heart.

These people and things, taken by time, now stood before me, real and touchable. So real it made me want to burst into tears.

I suddenly felt an inexplicable wave of emotion. Thank you, the god of fate who sent me here. I once resented him for turning me into a frail little girl, trapping me in this whirlpool of destiny, for forcing me to relive my parents’ death and my own pathetic downfall. But now, I wanted to thank him. Those people in my memories, the lost things, the regrets—just to reclaim them, I shouldn’t resent that unknown god. A human life happens once; how many get a second chance like me? He gave me such a generous gift, yet I met it with resentment. It was... shameful...

I smiled.

Just as I was about to make a firm vow, hands suddenly covered my eyes from behind. A clear, innocent voice sounded in my ear: "Su Su~ Guess who I am?"

Huh?!

Wait... what is this feeling?

The person pressed their whole body against me, clinging tightly. Soft—definitely a girl—but oh, how bony her chest was against my back.

Wait! Bony back = flat chest = extremely flat!

I suddenly remembered who this was! Among all my female friends in my previous life, only one had such a flat, bony chest. After all, flat chests are a rare resource.

I smiled helplessly, remembering my current identity. "Sister Wu, I guessed it’s you! Let go already!"

"Eh?!" She gasped, releasing my eyes but not my body. "Su Su, how did you know?"

She clung to me like a sloth, rubbing her face against my cheek frantically.

I wisely avoided the "extremely flat" topic. "Of course—I’m so familiar with you, Sister Wu. The moment you touched me, I knew it was you~"

Wu Qingning, this fangirl, finally stopped rubbing and switched to pinching my cheeks. "Hehe, Su Su, you’re still so good with words."

"Of course," I retorted, "among people I know, only you cling to me the moment we meet!"

[To be continued]