[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-rebirth-slice-of-life-cultivation":3,"chapter-rebirth-slice-of-life-cultivation-rebirth-slice-of-life-cultivation-chapter-416":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Rebirth: Slice-of-life Cultivation",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},548745,797,"Chapter 416: 293: The Invisible Hand","rebirth-slice-of-life-cultivation-chapter-416",416,"\u003Cp>Chapter 416: Chapter 293: The Invisible Hand\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guo Kunnan hastily snatched back his phone, and without even bothering to look for Xu Yan, he began explaining to a female classmate:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sorry, my cousin just took my phone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a result, the girl clung to it, bringing up the love confession from before and declaring she would post it on Moments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guo Kunnan was threatened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dong Qingfeng entered the classroom through the front door, carrying several food containers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the moment he stepped onto the school grounds, he had attracted the attention of the surrounding students.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, Dong Qingfeng didn’t care; he walked confidently back to the classroom, his head held high and chest puffed out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What he was carrying wasn’t just food, but a collection of adorable girls’ lovingly prepared dinners.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dinner’s here!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dong Qingfeng carefully distributed the meals among the students: Jiang Yanan’s was an egg and vegetable fried rice; Shen Qing’e’s was chicken noodle soup; Yu Wen had ordered more, spicy hot pot and two bubble teas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, there was also Dong Qingfeng’s own dinner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yanan took her meal and her gaze softened considerably as she looked at Dong Qingfeng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She still remembered, last semester when she made a bet with Yang Sheng, she was forced to take out the trash late at night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that time, she felt particularly helpless and lost, the night so dark, she so scared—how she had wished for someone to come out and protect her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then, Dong Qingfeng stepped forward to take out the trash for her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could such a helpful boy not be popular?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, Dong Qingfeng was good-looking, academically successful, and decent in sports—the type of guy that girls tend to like.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘It’s just… a pity,’ Jiang Yanan sighed inwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Wen took the bubble tea: “Dong Qingfeng, you’re really such a warm guy!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Eh! She’s calling me a warm guy?’ Dong Qingfeng was excited; he had learned online that junior high school girls liked bad boys, while high school girls preferred warm guys.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A warm guy is meticulous and considerate, a mature man who takes care of girls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dong Qingfeng felt pleased with himself—was he already so outstanding?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He remained composed: “It’s okay, I just did what I had to do.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Wen took one of the bubble teas and placed it on her desk, buying two because one was for herself and the other for the class president.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where you fall, there you must get up!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite being a woman, when it came to willpower, Yu Wen was no less strong than a man, even stronger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if shattered to pieces, she stood up time and again, a girl fighting for love, fearing no trials and tribulations!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was who she, Yu Wen, was!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Qing’e received her chicken noodle soup, thanked him, and prepared to eat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when she opened the container and looked at the noodles inside, her expression became distant for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In middle school, there was a similar noodle shop in town that never made chicken noodles as tasty as the ones sold outside Fourth Middle School now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One afternoon after school, hungry and without any money, and with rain outside, she asked Jiang Ning to buy chicken noodles for her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without a word, Jiang Ning grabbed an umbrella and went out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time he returned, he was soaking wet but still smiling as he handed her the food.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike now, even though she only asked for chicken noodles, Jiang Ning had also brought her a bubble tea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was just his way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Qing’e would only ask him to bring food, but Jiang Ning always bought something extra—bubble tea, desserts, fried skewers or snacks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back then, if it was something tasty, she was happy; if not, she’d get angry at Jiang Ning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She hadn’t noticed before, but now, seeing this bowl of chicken noodles brought all those memories rushing back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Qing’e looked toward Jiang Ning’s usual seat to find it still empty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After noticing Shen Qing’e’s actions, Jiang Yanan glanced out the window and said, “Qing E, it’s still raining outside.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound brought Shen Qing’e’s thoughts back to the present. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her features a classic oval face with willow-shaped eyebrows:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, it’s still raining.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After coming to the city, none of her classmates knew about her close past with Jiang Ning; even when she looked toward his seat, no one noticed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wasn’t this what she wanted?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then why was her heart feeling so heavy?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her heart suddenly weighed down, making it hard to breathe, filled with inexplicable sadness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was as if she could no longer see the light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Qing’e pulled out her chopsticks and stirred the chicken noodles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She picked up a few strands and put them in her mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, she chewed quickly, but gradually she slowed down, as moving her face made the corners of her eyes burn hot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fighting back tears and preventing them from falling, her heart was filled with bitterness:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“These noodles aren’t tasty at all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Class president Huang Zhongfei hadn’t returned yet, as Yu Wen looked around the classroom and stood up to step onto the podium.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She turned on the multimedia computer, and the projector hanging from the ceiling whirred to life, casting the image onto the side screen of the blackboard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Wen entered a video website and played a dance video.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She returned to her seat and said to Jiang Yanan, “This is EXO’s latest MV, check it out quickly!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Usually during lunch break, some students used multimedia to play videos, so this action wasn’t considered excessive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Ma Shicheng looked up, he saw on the screen in front of the classroom several fancy-dressed men dancing extravagantly on a colorful stage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, the sound of music processed through autotune filled the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Shicheng thought for a moment, then decided not to pay attention anymore; the issue with Guo Kunnan hadn’t been settled yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Wen’s eyes sparkled: “So handsome! He’s so hard-working!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She shared with Jiang Yanan, “I really want to go to an EXO concert, I’ve decided, I must go to an EXO concert once in my lifetime.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I like every member so much!” Yu Wen said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yanan dreamily said, “I want to visit their country and become part of their fan support group.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Wen said, “I joined a group chat, and there are so many people in it who love EXO.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s like finding a big family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There are so many girls in the group who are going crazy trying to lose weight just to meet EXO.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yanan added, “Some people became exchange students just to see them, I’m really envious.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two had a friendly discussion over their favorite EXO stars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, Korean group stars can easily annoy people, especially the hot-blooded male students, who couldn’t stand the sight of those stars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Yu jumped in, pointing at the video of dancing figures on the screen, and purposely asked,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are they transvestites?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice was loud; Yu Wen heard her idols being insulted and immediately exploded, blurting out,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re the transvestite, your whole family are transvestites!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Yu, whose family was brought into it, immediately lost his temper, even forgetting about his crush Jiang Yanan as he retorted,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I really can’t tell if they’re male or female; don’t they just look like sissies to you, all with earrings, hilarious!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Wen’s face soured, “They are manlier than you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Yu continued to jab at Yu Wen, “Hey, I just think they’re women.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Wen sneered sarcastically, “Do you even know how talented they are? They are one hundred times better than you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Yu’s expression turned exaggerated as he clapped his hands, “I’ve heard, they work really hard, they dance 48 hours every day even with a high fever of 90° and a body full of fractures!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I really can’t do that, respect, respect!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Wen caught his mocking tone, but as a fan girl and loyal fan, she was not to be underestimated in a fight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They are more successful than you, they make millions from just one MV, what about you, what do you have to compare with them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The most infuriating thing is, they are not only more talented than you but also more gifted.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Wen added, “Have you ever seen the sun at four in the morning in Han City?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Xiaoqi, who had been asleep at the back, immediately looked up, speaking earnestly,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve seen the sun at four in the morning in Yuzhou.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Wen gestured at the dance MV being played and said, “They can pull off a dance you couldn’t manage in your lifetime!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Yu quipped, “What nonsense, broken dance, I wouldn’t watch it even if you paid me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Wen laughed even more proudly, “You may not like it, but there are plenty who do.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not waiting for Cui Yu to respond, she added,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re free to keep disliking the things you don’t like, but please allow for their existence.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At these words, Cui Yu was stunned, and for a moment, he didn’t know how to retort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The playthrough of the EXO MV concluded, and Yu Wen glanced contemptuously at Cui Yu, triumphantly going to play another EXO dance, wanting more people to like her idol.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s when Ma Shicheng looked forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Wen was feisty, her voice loud enough to reverberate through the entire classroom, naturally, he heard it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Shicheng didn’t like EXO and didn’t want this stuff to appear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What kind of nonsense about not liking something but still allowing its existence? He didn’t like murderers either, did that mean he should allow them to exist?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Wen stood at the podium, moving the mouse around, getting ready to click and play a new Korean group dance video.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Shicheng quietly pulled out his phone – his personal wifi was plugged into the back of the computer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He opened the long-unused wifi killer app. Despite the name suggesting it only killed wifi, anyone who had used it knew it could disable a computer connected via Ethernet as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Shicheng fired up the app, blocking the internet connection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next moment, as Yu Wen eagerly clicked to play the video, the internet suddenly cut out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite her clicking, she couldn’t play anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Wen, puzzled, exclaimed, “What happened to the internet, why is it gone?”\u003C\u002Fp>",1747,"2026-05-30T14:39:42.569Z","2026-06-01T04:31:29.709Z",1,"novelbin.me","50eadc68a9732a380e34439ec18f55813b80e436523dc7267469082df4ef86f3","rebirth-slice-of-life-cultivation-chapter-417","rebirth-slice-of-life-cultivation-chapter-415",1809,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frebirth-slice-of-life-cultivation-cover.jpg"]