Have you taken a liking to it?

“Jiang Ci, are you coming with me to the Sun family, or will you stay with your grandmother in the old house?” Jiang Nanyan crossed her arms, her face full of impatience.

Her words snapped Jiang Ci back to reality.

Grandmother stood beside Jiang Ci, hunched over. Seeing Jiang Ci’s sudden action, she was startled and worried, her voice full of concern and tenderness: “Ah Ci, why are you pinching yourself all of a sudden? Does it hurt?”

The pain in her arm and grandmother’s tender voice echoed in Jiang Ci’s mind, and suddenly a thought sprang forth—she had been reborn.

Jiang Ci lifted her eyes to meet Jiang Nanyan standing before her, pressing her lips tightly, suppressing the hatred swelling in her heart.

“Ah Ci, it’s alright. You can go with your mother; grandmother will be fine here,” her grandmother comforted, holding Jiang Ci’s hand.

Jiang Ci shook her head gently, holding her grandmother’s wrinkled hand warmly. “Grandmother, I want to stay and keep you company.”

In her past life, her greatest mistake was leaving her grandmother. She never imagined that Jiang Nanyan would, for her own sake, not even visit her biological mother as she lay dying at home.

This time, she would not make the wrong choice again.

“Think carefully. If you don’t go to the Sun family, you’ll be stuck living in this shabby house for the rest of your life!” Jiang Nanyan’s eyes grew more disdainful upon hearing Jiang Ci’s refusal.

Jiang Ci’s rejection was firm. “No, I won’t go. I won’t stand in your way from becoming the mistress of the Sun family.”

Jiang Nanyan’s anger flared, her teeth clenched tightly. When did Jiang Ci turn into such a wild rose with thorns—touch her and you’d get pricked?

She was tired of the standoff and spoke bluntly: “Fine, suit yourself. It’s your choice. Don’t blame me later.”

“Take good care of yourself and grandmother here. I’ll send you living expenses every month,” Jiang Nanyan said, placing the nourishing supplements she had brought from the Sun family on the table, along with a bank card. “Call if you need anything.”

Jiang Ci helped her grandmother to sit down and watched Jiang Nanyan leave.

She sighed deeply, then looked out the window at the clear blue sky.

August in Nancheng was unbearably hot, waves of heat rolling in one after another beneath the bright, burning sun hanging like a fiery orb—blinding and oppressive.

“Ah Ci, why did you suddenly decide not to go with your mother to the new house?” Grandmother recalled how a few days ago, upon hearing Jiang Nanyan say she was coming to take her to the new home, Jiang Ci had excitedly leaned on her lap, saying she wanted to see the outside world and take grandmother along.

Jiang Ci smiled faintly, rubbing her grandmother’s back. “I just don’t want to go. It’s such a hassle getting used to a new life over there.”

“You child, grandmother knows what you’re thinking—you can’t bear to leave this old woman, can you?” Grandmother’s calloused hand caressed Jiang Ci’s arm gently. “You really don’t have to worry. I’m doing fine on my own.”

“Grandmother, I want to stay and keep you company. Don’t try to persuade me anymore.” Jiang Ci’s mind was made up; she would not listen, so grandmother gave up.

After spending some time with her grandmother, Jiang Ci helped her to bed for an afternoon nap. Once her grandmother was asleep, she went to sit on a wooden chair in the living room.

Suddenly, melodious singing drifted from another room, pulling Jiang Ci back to her senses. She got up quickly and hurried inside.

She picked up the phone lying on the bed. The screen flashed the name “Aunt Gao.” She suddenly remembered that Aunt Gao had once been her employer at a convenience store where she had worked.

Holding the phone, her finger hovered over the answer key before she finally tapped to connect.

“Aunt Gao?” Jiang Ci asked. “Is something wrong?”

Gao Wanqing replied, “You said you took leave yesterday, right? I have to go out today, and no one’s here to run the store. Do you have time now?”

Jiang Ci thought it over and agreed.

After hanging up, she glanced at the time on her phone—it was the summer vacation after her second year of high school.

She wrote a note for her grandmother on a piece of paper, then changed clothes and headed to the convenience store.

From memory, the store wasn’t far from grandmother’s home. Following her recollections, it took her just ten minutes to arrive.

Gao Wanqing had just finished tidying up when she saw Jiang Ci approaching.

“Xiao Ci, I’m counting on you in the store today!” Gao Wanqing patted Jiang Ci’s shoulder lightly. “Your wage will be normal, don’t worry.”

Jiang Ci nodded and replied with a “Okay,” then walked inside.

The afternoon was quiet, with few customers. Jiang Ci restocked the shelves, beads of sweat forming a thin layer on her fair forehead.

She sat behind the cash register, wiped the sweat away, opened the book Gao Wanqing had left in the store, picked up a fan nearby, and leisurely began to read.

Occasionally, a customer came in, but overall it was a rare moment of peace.

—

Time slipped away unnoticed until the sun dipped low, its dazzling light fading.

Jiang Ci was engrossed in her reading when laughter shattered the tranquility.

“Yu Ge, you’re the man! Otherwise, we’d definitely lose to those brats from No. 5 High!” Huo Chensi clapped his hands around a basketball, loudly flattering someone.

“Huo Chensi, your flattery’s too much!” Fan Mian couldn’t bear it anymore. “Honestly, if you hadn’t played in that last game, we’d have won even faster.”

One of the boys chimed in, “Huo Chensi, you’re a black hole on the basketball court, huh? If you can’t play, don’t play! Hahaha!”

“Ha ha ha!”

Huo Chensi rolled his eyes and, annoyed, tossed the ball to Fan Mian. “Shut up, you annoying friends!”

Then he glanced at the person beside him. “Yu Ge, want some water? Let’s hit the convenience store!”

Zhang Heyi lazily lifted his eyelids to look at Huo Chensi, wiping sweat from his face with the towel around his neck. Perhaps because he had just finished exercising, his voice was low and hoarse. “It’s on me.”

When the eldest son of the Zhang family spoke, his friends naturally didn’t refuse.

The group swarmed into the store, interrupting Jiang Ci’s reading. She looked up and her gaze met the young man entering behind them.

He was about seventeen or eighteen, dressed in basketball gear, tall and upright, with clear, sharp features—high nose bridge, defined jawline, and a nonchalant expression that carried a lazy charm.

Amidst the noisy crowd, the young man’s gaze dropped, yet never once did it disturb the rhythm of her heartbeat.

This was the first time Jiang Ci had seen Zhang Heyi since her rebirth.

Seventeen-year-old Zhang Heyi.

Jiang Ci swallowed unconsciously, her hand still poised to turn the page, nervously clutching the corner of the book.

Their eyes met for only a few seconds, but her heart had already begun to surge like ocean waves.

She dared not look up, afraid of revealing any sign.

“Bill, please.” Huo Chensi slammed a bottle of Gatorade and a Coca-Cola on the counter.

Jiang Ci didn’t dare meet his eyes, quickly scanning the barcodes and tallying the bill. When she picked up the slightly chilled Gatorade, her movements hesitated for two seconds.

Zhang Heyi only drank Gatorade after exercise.

Huo Chensi chatted loudly with the others, creating a ruckus. Yet one person remained silent.

Jiang Ci could feel the burning gaze from above, scorching her.

“That’ll be sixty-three yuan and twenty cents.” Jiang Ci looked up, strands of hair falling gently on her cheeks. Her rosy face lit up with a smile, dimples forming on both sides, utterly adorable.

Her soft voice and sweet appearance made her seem doubly charming.

Everyone except Zhang Heyi fell silent upon seeing Jiang Ci.

She blinked, unsure what to say, when that deep voice came from behind.

“Scan it.” Zhang Heyi held out his phone, his brows relaxed. His voice was usually cold, but now there was unmistakable impatience.

Jiang Ci stiffened and scanned the machine over his phone.

After they left, Huo Chensi gradually came to his senses, muttering, “I think I’m falling in love!”

“What nonsense?” Fan Mian took a sip of water, tightened the cap, and glanced at Huo Chensi.

“Did you hear that just now?” Huo Chensi grinned broadly.

“Hear what?”

“My heartbeat.”

Fan Mian shuddered at the thought and promptly kicked him. “Get your head checked if it’s not working right. You’re just disgusting.”

Huo Chensi rubbed his sore backside, cursed, then turned his gaze to Zhang Heyi.

“Yu Ge, did that convenience store girl catch your eye?”

The group looked toward Zhang Heyi.

He ignored them, leisurely twisting open a bottle cap and taking a few slow sips. The liquid slid down his throat, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

A delicate, fair face flashed before his eyes—bright apricot eyes, rosy lips, white teeth, and smooth, pale skin.

Indeed, she was beautiful.

But not his type.

“Yu Ge, you’ve seen plenty of seductive girls, but you’ve never seen a pure, sweet one like this, right?”

Zhang Heyi cast a cold glance. His thin lips curled slightly. His tone was casual. “You know why no one likes you?”

Huo Chensi scratched the back of his head. “Why?”

“Because you don’t know how to respect girls.”

Huo Chensi was speechless.

“Dead right, Yu Ge cuts straight to the point!” Fan Mian chuckled quietly.

After everyone left, Jiang Ci sat alone on the chair, feeling as if she were in a different world.

Touching her wildly beating heart, she recalled the moment she met Zhang Heyi, that familiar face flashing before her eyes once more.

Not bad—at least in this world, Zhang Heyi hadn’t seen her die in such a miserable way.

Before long, Gao Wanqing returned from outside.

“Xiao Ci, thank you.” Gao Wanqing said, “If it weren’t for an issue with a supplier that I had to rush to fix, I wouldn’t have suddenly called you in.”

“No problem.” Jiang Ci packed up her things and heard Gao Wanqing ask, “Want to stay for dinner before you head back?”

Jiang Ci shook her head. “No, I’m going home to eat with grandmother.”

Gao Wanqing sighed looking at Jiang Ci. “It’s rare to see such a filial child. Your grandmother must be very lucky.”

“She is,” Jiang Ci replied. “I’ll go now, Aunt Gao.”

“Alright.”

Jiang Ci stepped out of the convenience store. The sunset had long faded, and the sky had darkened, the suffocating heat dissipating.

Walking home, she passed by a street vendor’s shop, bathed in warm yellow light. Hanging in the air were roasted ducks, glistening with oil and exuding an irresistible aroma.

Grandmother probably hadn’t had roast duck in a long time, she thought.

With that, Jiang Ci bought some roast duck and carried the bag home.

As she reached the doorstep, the rich scent of black sesame wafted through the air. She guessed grandmother was making black sesame porridge.

Because Jiang Ci liked it, grandmother often made it.

Calming herself, Jiang Ci pushed open the door.

Grandmother was still busy in the kitchen. Jiang Ci put down her things and walked toward her.

“Grandmother!” Jiang Ci looked at the elderly woman with graying hair, unable to hide her concern. “Don’t work so hard. Go rest outside; I’ll finish up.”

Grandmother shook her head, refusing. “It’s nothing. I’m almost done. You’ve been busy all afternoon. Go wash your hands and eat.”

Seeing her grandmother’s determination, Jiang Ci didn’t insist further and helped her in the kitchen.

The meal came together quickly. Grandmother ladled a bowl of black sesame porridge, the rich aroma filling the room. “Ah Ci, you haven’t had this in a long time, have you?”

“Yeah, it’s been a while.” Jiang Ci smiled. “I just love it when you make it. It tastes the best.”

Grandmother blushed at the praise, feeling shy. “You’re just sweet-talking me. Hurry up and eat before it gets cold.”