Rebirth at the Start: This Fate is Too Explosive!

Chapter 34: Transnational Musings, Youth Captured in Graduation Photos

Ye Fan glanced at the timer:

[Sophia, I have to hang up now. When you come to China, I'll definitely take you to eat all the delicious food in China. By the way, I'm going to Jinling University to register in September.]

A hurried response came from the other end of the phone:

[Wait! Did I say something wrong? (Her sudden switch to her native language revealed her nervousness.) Or did I disturb your studying?]

"How could that be!" Ye Fan couldn't help but laugh. "Chatting with you is the most enjoyable thing. It's just..." He sighed helplessly, "If we chat for another minute, I'll have to pay an extra hour of VPN fees."

【Oh my... Climb over the wall?】 Sofia repeated the Chinese-accented English in confusion, 【Ye, is there construction going on over there?】 (completely misunderstanding the meaning)

"It's not a real firewall!" Ye Fan was amused by her naivety. "I mean..." He hesitated, wondering how to explain this "Eastern specialty" of VPNs.

【Ohhhhh—】Sophia's voice suddenly trailed off with a delighted realization, 【I get it! So every time you chat with me you always... oh my god!】Her voice softened suddenly, 【You really are the most special friend. Then tomorrow...】

"Actually..." Ye Fan gently interrupted her, his knuckles unconsciously tapping the table. "I'll be in seclusion for the next two months preparing for the college entrance exam." He thought for a moment and added, "It's like your A-levels, but more... intense."

If it weren't for taking the college entrance exam, who would be willing to spend 10 yuan an hour to bypass the Great Firewall and chat online?

But then I thought—this is much cheaper than having an English tutor at a cram school.

Those foreign teacher classes cost hundreds of dollars an hour, and you have to sit up straight and listen to grammar. Unlike now, I can not only practice my spoken English, but also hear Sofia's unique little lilt when she's being amused, like decorative notes dancing on piano keys.

What's more... that photo of Sofia rowing in Cambridge, which she sent me, suddenly popped into my head.

The sight of the blonde girl turning around and smiling in the sunset suddenly made him feel that the data charges weren't so painful after all.

Most importantly, this girl is really pretty...

-----------------

After hanging up the phone call, Ye Fan glanced at the QQ group again.

Tang Yanning and Pei Yi'an's profile pictures had long since turned gray, and the last message was still Zhao Mingzhe's post.

He pursed his lips, too lazy to even reply, and switched directly to Green Bubble.

Liu Ruyan sent him a message ten minutes ago saying she was going to sleep. He casually replied with a "goodnight" emoji, tossed his phone onto the bedside table, and fell asleep immediately.

The next morning.

Ye Fan stood in front of the mirror, completing his "three-piece set of the highest gentlemanly etiquette":

1. I thoroughly rubbed my hair with shampoo.

2. Use a hairdryer to create a fluffy style.

3. I squeezed out two pumps of facial cleanser and scrubbed my face until it felt clean and refreshed.

After putting on his ironed suit, he nodded in satisfaction at his reflection in the mirror—this was already the pinnacle of straight men's aesthetics.

When Ye Fan yawned and pushed open the door, he was almost dazzled by the sight before him—Zhao Mingzhe was dressed in a sharp, tailored suit, shiny Oxford shoes, and had even used mousse to style his hair, looking incredibly flamboyant.

Ye Fan washed his hair, dried it, washed his face with facial cleanser, and went out wearing a suit.

Washing your hair and face with facial cleanser is the highest level of etiquette for a man when going out.

Seeing Lao Zhao's meticulously styled hair, Ye Fan couldn't help but laugh.

But to be fair, with a little dressing up, Lao Zhao still has a roguish charm.

Her appearance score went from 70 to 80.

Seeing his appearance, Ye Fan was reminded of how this guy looked when he got married in his previous life.

This guy married a virtuous and beautiful wife, and he was really in high spirits. But in this life, he wants to invite Old Zhao to study in Jinling.

So, based on his current trajectory, he probably won't meet the wife he met in Hangzhou again.

Ye Fan was thinking about when he should take Lao Zhao to Hangzhou so that the two of them could meet by chance. He couldn't let such a good daughter-in-law be missed just because he had called Lao Zhao to Jinling.

Ye Fan knew exactly how the two of them went from meeting to getting together. He could say that as long as Lao Zhao met this girl once, he wouldn't need to worry anymore; the two would naturally be a perfect match. Those who know, know...

Zhao Mingzhe fiddled with his meticulously styled hair as he walked towards Ye Fan: "How's it, Lao Ye! Isn't Brother Zhe handsome?"

Ye Fan squinted and looked him over, then suddenly grinned and said, "Not bad, not bad. He has three-tenths of my spirit. He's worthy of being my son."

After saying that, he darted three meters away in one stride.

"Fuck your grandpa!"

"You son of a bitch! Would it kill you to praise me first thing in the morning?!"

Zhao Mingzhe realized what was happening and chased after him, yelling insults.

According to the school's arrangements, two class periods were specially set aside this morning for taking graduation photos—don't ask why it takes so long, the author is still resentful that his high school graduation photos were taken in just twenty minutes, and now he wants to make up for it here.

Class 2 of Senior Three is their class.

The students of Class 2, Grade 12 lined up neatly in front of the teaching building.

The steps were packed with 45 students, their teachers, grade heads, and even the principal himself.

Ye Fan and Zhao Mingzhe stood in the back row, on the left, while Pei Yi'an and Tang Yanning stood in front of them.

Pei Yi'an is 178 cm tall, and Tang Yanning is 173 cm tall. With the addition of high heels, the two are almost the same height, standing right in front of Ye Fan and Zhao Mingzhe.

"This is probably what youth looks like..."

Ye Fan stared at the camera, a sudden wave of disorientation washing over him.

Sunlight filtered through the camphor tree leaves, casting dappled shadows on the students' faces. He quietly pinched his palm—the real pain reminded him this wasn't a dream. There shouldn't be... a third rebirth, right?

As Ye Fan muttered to himself, the photographer shouted, "One, two, three!"

The entire faculty and student body shouted, "Cheese!"

A click.

Forty-five smiling faces bloomed in the early summer morning light, like sunflowers suddenly bursting into bloom.

Each youthful, innocent, and adorable smiling face was forever captured by the camera, becoming a precious memory!

Perhaps this is the true meaning of a camera!

After taking the group photo, the next step was for everyone to find someone to take a group photo with.

Class teacher Ms. Jiang and English teacher Ms. Lu Qinghe were immediately surrounded by a swarm of students—after all, who wouldn't want to take a photo with these two most popular teachers?

Ye Fan was no exception.

He squeezed past Teacher Jiang, grinning as he hooked his arm around the teacher's shoulder: "Teacher Jiang, let's take a picture of our Class Two's most handsome duo first!"

A chorus of boos erupted from the crowd. The boys smiled on the surface, but inwardly they were rolling their eyes to the heavens.

The other boys from Class Two who heard this were thinking to themselves, "Ye Fan, you're shameless! The most handsome? Are you as handsome as me?"

However, none of them spoke up. Firstly, they dared not refute the claim that Lao Jiang was the most handsome, and secondly, they wanted to refute Ye Fan, but who could argue with that guy who undeniably had the face of an idol drama male lead? They could only sourly console themselves in their hearts: So what if you're handsome? Our "endurance" will definitely crush you!

Of course, Ye Fan was unaware of their inner thoughts and complaints. If he had known, he would have definitely brought them up for comparison. How dare they say their software is better than his? That's outrageous!