Rebirth in a Shura Field, but in an Abstract Version

011 Unexpected Visitor

When Liu Wei returned home, she opened the door and saw a pair of unfamiliar shoes at her doorstep.

Those were white sneakers, clearly a women's style.

The last time Song Zhiyi came to visit, she wasn't wearing these shoes, but rather black leather shoes. But besides Song, what other girl would come to your house?

Besides, there were sounds coming from the study. Is there any need to think about that?

Liu Wei felt the situation was quite clear. She walked to the study, opened the door, and said, "Zhiyi's here. Your uncle bought some new black tea. I forgot to let you try it last time, so this time..."

He stopped mid-sentence, his words stuck in his throat.

No, who is this girl in the study?

With long, flowing hair, wearing a black short-sleeved shirt and skirt, her school uniform tied around her waist, she sat with her legs crossed, exuding a carefree and unrestrained air. She seemed quite different from the well-behaved and pretty Song Zhiyi.

But it's just as beautiful and attractive.

Liu Wei stood frozen at the door of the study.

Wang Zhe then introduced them: "Mom, this is Jiang Di. You should know her mother. Jiang Di, this is my mom. You can just call her Auntie."

Jiang Di quickly changed to a more upright sitting posture and greeted her politely, "Hello, Auntie!"

"Okay, hello..." Liu Wei responded with a polite smile, but then she waved to her son, signaling him to come out quickly.

Wang Zhe let the show "Friends" continue playing on the screen, and then followed his mother out of the study.

Liu Wei deliberately closed the study door, then pulled her son a few steps away and asked in a low voice, "I remember who Jiang Di is now. Isn't she the one a grade below you, the one with bad grades?"

Wang Zhe nodded: "That's right."

"What do you mean, 'right'?" Liu Wei asked hurriedly. "You didn't know her much before, so why did you bring her home?"

Wang Zhe explained, "Because her grades weren't good this semester, and her parents were having problems at home, so they took their anger out on her. That's why she ran away from home yesterday, and she happened to run into me, so I took her to an internet cafe to spend the night."

My mom paused for a couple of seconds, then suddenly realized: "So that's why you weren't coming home all night! You were at an internet cafe with a girl! Where did you learn all this from?"

Wang Zhe: "This is a perfectly normal way to handle it. She ran away from home; I can't just send her back to get beaten up. Any other place would be even less appropriate. Mom, you tell me, I can't exactly take her to a hotel, can I?"

"Ahem, you little rascal..." Liu Wei was starting to get tense. "So what do we do now? Do her parents know she's here?"

Wang Zhe smiled and said, "I already spoke with Jiang Di's mother at noon today. She said not to hit her, and I can help with her studies by supervising and tutoring her."

Liu Wei immediately asked, "Is it just about urging and guiding?"

Wang Zhe shrugged and retorted, "Then what else?"

Liu Wei: "What are your thoughts on Zhiyi's side?"

Wang Zhe: "Song Zhiyi and Jiang Di are both my friends."

Liu Wei was at a loss for words when her son appeared so calm.

After hesitating for a moment, she could only change to a more direct approach: "No, what are you thinking? Don't you even understand that Zhiyi... sigh, you two studied together all those years in high school, your scores were almost the same, and you even applied to the same university. Such a wonderful girl, don't you understand how she feels?"

Wang Zhe smiled and said, "Hey, don't fall in love too early, isn't that what you told me, Mom?"

Liu Wei: "But you've already graduated from high school!"

Wang Zhe sighed, "Alright, then I'll be honest. Zhiyi is putting a lot of pressure on me. I'm only eighteen, and I don't want to settle down so early."

Liu Wei was stunned: "Where did you learn that kind of talk, kid..."

Wang Zhe said seriously, "This isn't just an excuse, it's the truth. It's precisely because Song Zhiyi is so familiar with me, and with our whole family, that I dare not act recklessly. I haven't thought about matters of the heart yet, and I really don't want to tie myself to her."

Liu Wei sighed and asked, "What about Jiang Di? She's not familiar with our family, so you dared to act recklessly?"

Wang Zhe: "I didn't do anything reckless. I was just tutoring her, not actually dating her."

"You..." Liu Wei pointed at her son, but her arm finally fell to her side. "Forget it, it's none of our business as adults!"

Wang Zhe laughed: "Hey, that's right."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The following morning, Wang Zhe went straight to the lottery shop again.

The shop owner already recognized him. Seeing him hand over the lottery ticket, the owner verified it while exclaiming, "Young man, you're really something!"

Wang Zhe smiled to himself.

This is nothing! You're already saying this after just over two thousand yuan. What will you say when you've guessed all the remaining games correctly and the snowball has grown to over two hundred thousand?

"Here you go, two thousand five hundred and twenty. Count it carefully." The shopkeeper handed him the money and then lit a cigarette.

Amidst the swirling smoke, Wang Zhe finished counting the money and then handed it all back.

The boss's brow twitched slightly, a hint of anticipation flashing in his eyes: "Understood. Which side to buy this time?"

Wang Zhe decisively replied, "Sibya."

The boss nodded: "Sibaia is indeed stronger than Francia, but haven't you heard that the hottest star always dies?"

Wang Zhe smiled slightly: "Of course I've heard of it, but I'll analyze it."

"Analyze the odds?"

"No, I analyze it from a football perspective. I look at tactics, player form, and try to guess their mentality. In that respect, I might know a little about football."

No one understands football better than a reborn veteran fan.

"Understood..." The shopkeeper stopped trying to persuade him and even seemed somewhat expectant. If this young man guessed correctly again, should he buy from him?

Soon, Wang Zhe received the lottery ticket for the third round of the knockout stage.

Then he turned and walked out of the lottery shop.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Wang Zhe made an appointment with Jiang Di over the phone to come to his house at noon and have another meal cooked by him.

So when he saw the girl at the entrance of the apartment building around noon, he wasn't surprised at all. What was strange was that there was another man standing next to her.

He was an unfamiliar middle-aged man with many wrinkles on his face, looking to be nearly fifty years old. But in his eyes, there was a surge of emotion that did not belong to someone of his age.

Seeing Wang Zhe approach, Jiang Di introduced him, "This is my father."

Seeing the girl's evasive gaze, Wang Zhe immediately understood and smiled, "Hello, Uncle Jiang."

"Hello, hello..." Uncle Jiang rubbed his hands together. "I heard from Xiao Di that you've already bet on two matches correctly, is that true?"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.