Reborn, I Became a Male God - Chapter 51

When Jing Ling had just taken the phone from her hand, Tan Yunshu was merely surprised at his hearing ability. That he could clearly catch what Jiang Sijin was saying over the phone in such a crowded and noisy environment seemed unbelievable, even if the two were relatively close. But as she listened to him on the phone, she gradually felt something was off.

It was understandable that he knew Tan Yunzhong was favored in the Tan family—given the male-dominated social environment, it wasn’t hard to guess. But knowing that she and Jiang Sijin had been friends when they were little—that was a stretch to explain as mere speculation.

If it were only those two things, it might have been passable. But then when Tan Yunjin called and said those things, it was no longer something that could be explained away as coincidence. He knew she was at odds with her family, even that she hated some of them; he knew what kind of person Tan Kangcheng was, knew the ugliness that lay at the core of the Tan family members, even knew that the girls of the Tan family were nothing but tools to pave the way for men…

The Tan family was no ordinary household—these sorts of details weren’t known even among those in their social circle. And there wasn’t a single family with the surname Jing living on Shangxian Mountain.

Moreover, a question she had previously overlooked now resurfaced: apart from matters of the Tan family, Jing Ling also had a detailed understanding of her preferences. At the time, she had thought it was coincidence, but in hindsight, it seemed far too coincidental.

So where exactly had Jing Ling learned all of this?

Tan Yunshu couldn’t figure it out, and she wasn’t planning on making wild guesses in such a clueless state. After Jing Ling hung up the call, she directly pulled him into a nearby empty alley and said to Yang Xinyao as they walked, “Xinyao, I have something to discuss with Jing Ling, could you please wait here for a bit?”

Yang Xinyao was stuffing food into her mouth at the time. Upon hearing that, she waved her hand, “Go ahead, go ahead!”

At the end of the alley, a wall of blue bricks blocked the path. Due to the surrounding buildings shielding the sunlight, the floor beneath the dripping eaves had a thin layer of moss. Though the long street within view remained bustling, the noise had lessened considerably once it reached here.

Tan Yunshu let go of his hand, lifted her head to look at Jing Ling, her gaze serious. “Why do you know these things?” So many questions, and in the end, they were condensed into this one sentence.

Jing Ling looked down at her, his gaze calm and sincere. When he had said those things, he knew Yunshu would have doubts. But he said them anyway, because he didn’t want her to suffer. He knew what Jiang Sijin had said on the phone wasn’t intentional. She had grown up in an ivory tower, unaware of the hardships of the world; her family was both willing and capable of letting her live a simple and happy life—that was her fortune, one others could only envy. But the harm she had brought to Yunshu was real, too.

To be honest, Jing Ling didn’t dislike Jiang Sijin, but he didn’t want her to have any further involvement with Yunshu in the future. They weren’t people from the same world; there was no right or wrong in that.

“You mean the Tan family stuff? I thought something was off that day in the Jiang family’s garden. Later, when I met Old Master Jiang, I asked about it in passing. Since he needed a favor from me, making a small request wasn’t too much to ask,” Jing Ling explained.

At first glance, this explanation seemed full of holes, but thinking it through carefully, everything actually fit.

Tan Yunshu was well aware of her own situation—deeply mired in the swamp that was the Tan family. If someone didn’t know the truth, that was one thing. But anyone who did would never go to great lengths to get close to her, because being a daughter of the Tan family held no value. As for her as a person, while she had always been confident in her looks, that alone didn’t count for much in front of someone like Jing Ling.

Not for power, not for beauty—then it really did seem like it was just for her.

Destined to meet, and then be together.

And besides, someone who was willing to brave danger for her, who would answer her calls even amid gunfire and bullets, who spun lies only to put her at ease—what was there to doubt about a person like that? Even if he did have ulterior motives, how many people could resist such gentleness in the face of peril?

“Sorry, I was being too sensitive.” In the end, she still chose to trust him.

“No need to apologize, and no need to thank me. If one day I give you the whole world, it’s only what you deserve.”

Yang Xinyao, who had just finished eating and wandered over with nothing better to do, happened to overhear this line and instantly felt like she was falling apart. Of all the food on this entire street, why did she have to come over now and get force-fed dog food?

That afternoon, after seeing Yunshu and Yang Xinyao off at the airport, Jing Ling had dinner with Jing Qiu that evening. And just like that, the weekend came to an end. With the arrival of a new week, he began living like an ordinary college student again—going to class, eating meals, and resting on time. But unlike others who could sometimes skip class and have someone else answer roll call, Jing Ling didn’t have that privilege. All the professors remembered his face.

Because he had promised Shen Ze before to work a little harder, starting with posting one Weibo a day, updating Weibo had become part of his daily schedule. For the first couple of days, Shen Ze was afraid he’d forget, so he personally dropped by to supervise and only left after watching him post.

And so the fans were in for a treat. What they had expected to be another long hiatus with only one post to tide them over for half a month turned out to be a surprise when they refreshed the feed the next day and saw a new post. Just the words “Good morning,” paired with a photo of a corner of the Yizhou University campus. Morning sunlight spilled onto tender green leaves, creating a translucent glow.

The next day at the same time, another new post appeared. Still “Good morning,” but this time with a picture of soy milk and fried dough sticks. A simple breakfast, yet the photo looked unexpectedly appetizing.

The third day featured a photo of a morning jog. The boy in the picture had a tall, well-proportioned figure, broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and beautifully defined muscles on his arms.

The fourth day showed a graceful hand, fingers long and slender, with a little sparrow perched on the slightly curved index finger.

The fifth day…

After five straight days of “Good morning,” on Saturday morning, fans thought they were in for another routine update—only to be surprised by something different.

Jing Ling—Second Most Handsome Under the Heavens V: Fill in the blank from the picture. These are my favorite words. [Image]

The image was of a wooden desk. Laid on it was a sheet of xuan paper, bearing the calligraphy:

“Zhong shui ji jin lai” (中誰寄錦來) — the ink still fresh.

(Note: “中誰寄錦來” can be interpreted as “Among them, who has sent brocade to me?” Often part of poetic lines expressing longing or connection.)