Who Would Fall in Love After Being Reborn?

TL: Etude Translations

In front of a crowded square, throngs of tourists followed a flag-waving guide, making every corner seem lively. Among the bustling crowd, many individuals with cameras hanging around their necks were using their keen eyes to select customers.

Their first targets were beautiful girls, preferably those with boyfriends, as such couples were most likely to spend money.

Next were those traveling with their parents, as filial piety often meant they were willing to spend more.

So, when Jiang Qin and Feng Nanshu appeared, numerous eyes converged on them, faces displaying a very cunning smile.

Jiang Qin was all too familiar with such smiles, as he saw them every night when he looked in the mirror.

“Shit, someone’s going to scam my money!” He thought. His little rich ladyfriend had recently taken a family portrait and was still excited about it. If she saw this and heard that the photos could be developed immediately, she would surely throw her wallet at them.

Jiang Qin quickly pulled Feng Nanshu away and rushed into the city gate tower.

Feng Nanshu, dressed in a fairy-like floral dress and wearing square black sunglasses, looked cold and ethereal. Unknowing people might think she was a high-class, aloof beauty, but she was actually just a silly and adorable girl inside.

Facing the tall, vermillion city gate tower with a similarly colored plaque reading “Wu Men,” they felt a chill down their spines, even swallowing became difficult. (TL: Meridian Gate)

“This is where they beheaded people in ancient times, right?” Lu Feiyu recalled the saying about being executed outside Wu Men.

Dong Wenhao shook his head, “Only high-ranking officials had the privilege of being beheaded here. Ordinary people didn’t qualify. The most beheadings happened at Caishikou.”

“Those in ancient times really strived hard.”

“Yes, even in death, there was a difference in how you were treated based on your efforts.”

After hearing this, Jiang Qin couldn’t help but take a deep breath, “Good employees really know how to self-deprecate. Keep going, I like hearing it.”

Su Nai narrowed her eyes at the men, “Can you talk about something more auspicious?”

“Let’s not talk then. The Forbidden City closes at five, and if we keep chatting, we might not make it out.”

“Let’s hurry then. I want to see what the Dragon Throne looks like.”

The group of fifteen bought tickets, entered the palace, and upon exiting the gate, were astonished by the grandeur of the palaces before them.

So this is where the emperor lived. Such extravagance must have cost a fortune. The last emperor, Puyi, was said to have had a tragic end, eventually having to buy a ticket to visit his own home.

While marveling, they walked through the palace’s ornate architecture, taking countless photos. Visiting a museum like this without a guide meant just enjoying the hustle and bustle. But with limited time, they couldn’t hire a guide, so they focused on photography.

Lu Xuemei loved taking photos of the cool and aloof boss lady because she looked good from any angle, which boosted her confidence in her photography skills.

Of course, they weren’t the only ones frantically taking photos. Especially in the Taihe Hall Square, there were three couples taking wedding photos, their trailing gowns shimmering in the sunlight.

“Boss lady, look over there, someone’s taking wedding photos, wow, so beautiful!”

Feng Nanshu, with her large black sunglasses, looked over coolly, “Xuemei, that’s a family portrait.”

“Eh? Isn’t it a wedding photo?” Lu Xuemei was confused by the boss lady’s confidence.

“That’s a family portrait, really, I’ve taken one like that.”

“?”

Feng Nanshu took out her phone to show her the electronic version of the family portrait, but Jiang Qin suddenly appeared and whisked her away.

Lu Xuemei was puzzled, “No, that must be a wedding photo. It’s common knowledge.”

Dong Wenhao coughed, “Xuemei, I bet you haven’t seen the boss and boss lady’s QQ space.”

“What space?”

Dong Wenhao took out his phone, opened the menu, selected the features, 3gQQ, and entered the Space feature.

Lu Xuemei glanced down and noticed a recent post in the boss’s feed from a few days ago. The caption consisted of two smiling emojis, beneath which was a photo of him and his wife.

In the picture, the boss was impeccably dressed in a suit, while his wife stood gracefully beside him. Both of them looked straight ahead, their eyes shining, and their expressions joyful. The image was so stunningly beautiful that it left one breathless.

However, in stark contrast to the harmonious scene, the comments under the post were filled with harsh insults.

Seeing this, Lu Xuemei froze slightly, thinking to herself, So the boss’s name is Jiang Qin? I always thought it was Jiang Qian!

“See? That’s the family portrait the boss talked about. What do you think?”

“It looks like a wedding photo…”

Dong Wenhao nodded solemnly, “So you understand why the boss lady said that, right?”

Lu Xuemei paused, “Oh, so that’s why she said it was a family portrait. Did the boss deceive her again?”

“I doubt it. There’s more to this story. It’s unclear who’s deceiving whom.”

As they were talking, the newlyweds taking photos started to leave. Jiang Qin wiped his sweat and called everyone over for a group photo to put in their brochure.

In the sweltering heat of summer, just standing felt sticky, especially in an unshaded square. So the group quickly gathered together and enlisted a willing passerby to take their photo.

Jiang Qin and Feng Nanshu, as the boss and boss lady, naturally stood at the center, while the others arranged themselves by seniority.

“I’ll count to three, and everyone should shout ‘eggplant’,” the passerby instructed enthusiastically.

Jiang Qin smacked his lips, “Let’s not shout ‘eggplant’; it doesn’t sound good, and purple is not an auspicious color. Let’s shout ‘make money’ instead, everyone yells ‘make money.’”

“You really have greed etched into your bones.”

“No, I have my bones etched into greed.”

As the shutter clicked, everyone shouted “make money,” freezing the moment at 4:13 PM on July 15, 2009.

This was the first major group photo of the core members of Room 208, unaware that this photo would become one of the most classic images in the field of entrepreneurship and widely used by numerous media outlets in the future.

After six o’clock, the group left the Forbidden City Museum and arrived outside the Shenwu Gate.

Truth be told, the trip was physically exhausting, leaving everyone with sweaty foreheads.

Jiang Qin had Lu Feiyu and the others buy some traditional ice pops from a street cart. They then leaned against the bridge pillars of the moat, sucking on their ice pops, admiring the sunset and its red glow reflecting off the glazed tiles of the Forbidden City.

“I never thought my university life would be so extraordinary; I expected it to be as ordinary as everyone else’s.”

“Yeah, if I hadn’t joined Room 208, I’d probably be bored at home right now, not even knowing who to hang out with. Who would have thought I’d be in the capital in a blink?”

“I posted about our company-sponsored trip on my social space yesterday, and my dorm mates are so envious.”

“I feel like my junior year has been more fulfilling than my freshman and sophomore years combined.”

“The sunset in the capital… it’s so beautiful.”

“The boss may be tough, but he’s actually a good person.”

“I think even after graduating and leaving Room 208, I’ll always cherish this busy year and the memories of our collective struggle.”

“Lu Feiyu, are you crying?”

“No, I… just got dust in my eyes from the smog.”

“…”

Jiang Qin propped himself up on the bridge pillar and jumped up to sit on the railing, gazing at the darkening sky, the dispersing tourists, and the women selling ice pops in the streets. His eyes suddenly deepened, as if the evening breeze blowing through the glazed tiles was touching his worn forty-year-old soul.

In life, many times, we live for the sense of existence.

You hope someone will remember you, that your journey through this world wasn’t in vain, and that you’ll leave stories for others to tell.

Not to live like an invisible person, unable to illuminate life even by burning oneself out.

He felt that so far, he had done reasonably well, deserving a score of about 70.

Jiang Qin put an ice pop stick in his mouth, his lips curling slightly.

“Boss, where are we going next?”

“Let’s go to Wangfujing, do some shopping, and then have dinner together.”n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Jiang Qin jumped down from the railing, leading everyone to take a bus to Wangfujing. Upon arrival, he grandly declared, “Go ahead, grab whatever you like, don’t worry about the price, just don’t get caught.”

The team let out a collective “tsk” but still dived into various malls and shops along the way.

Truth be told, as core members of Room 208, whether they were managers like Su Nai or hard workers like Lu Feiyu, they were all financially comfortable and didn’t hesitate to spend.

So before long, they were laden with shopping bags, a true testament to a successful outing.

“Boss, where are we going tomorrow?”

“Let’s go to the Great Wall. As the old saying goes, ‘He who has not been to the Great Wall is not a true man.’”

Dong Wenhao pondered, “Okay, let’s get up early and head to the Great Wall, play until the afternoon, and then visit the Olympic Park on the way back.”

Jiang Qin nodded, “Okay, that’s settled. Get up early tomorrow, we’ll take a long-distance bus, and nobody is allowed to fall behind!”

…

AN: Marriage is approaching, and time is pressing…