It Seems I’m Not The Only One Who Reincarnated

“I definitely don’t want to end up like that in the future.”

Shi Hai spoke firmly.

“Don’t say that~ Don’t deny your own possibilities!”

“Oh? So, are you hoping I turn back into my future self, Senior Tian Shui?”

“This…”

Tian Shui was caught off guard by the question.

Let this man… turn back into his future self?

Gulp

She instinctively swallowed hard.

Did she want it or not?

Of course not! Why would she want to be trampled underfoot by this man again?

However, a different voice echoed in her mind.

“Of course! It’s time to welcome Master back!”

Shut up!

Tian Shui immediately slapped her forehead to quiet her thoughts, quickly realizing she’d zoned out again.

This man! He did it on purpose! Even his shy demeanor was an act!

How infuriating, being tricked twice in a row… This time, Tian Shui was genuinely annoyed.

She had already resolved to face him openly and fairly, yet he was still playing dirty?

In her frustration, Tian Shui grabbed Shi Hai’s collar.

“You deliberately asked that question, didn’t you?”

“Senior, calm down. I didn’t cheat.”

“Wh-what—!”

“Let go of me and check the phone screen. The points are still there; I haven’t cleared the board.”

Tian Shui released Shi Hai and glanced at the screen.

Indeed, the points remained: 3 points, landing on the “stay for one turn” square.

“…”

So, he didn’t cheat?

Shi Hai adjusted his collar and said, “See? My principle is: ‘If someone crosses me, I’ll return the favor.’ So, if you want to play fair, Senior, I’m happy to play fair with you.”

The implication was clear: “If you don’t cheat, I won’t cheat.”

Looking at his “harmless” expression made Tian Shui angry. He was clearly being sarcastic.

Now, Tian Shui really had no way to resort to any tricks.

Though, to be fair, she had already planned to rely purely on luck for a legitimate victory.

Keep calm… Stay composed.

“Let’s agree not to use any underhanded tactics. We’ll settle this purely with luck.”

“Fine by me. That’s exactly what I wanted.”

With that, she didn’t have to worry about his peculiar words affecting her mood anymore.

Tian Shui decided to talk about something else—like herself.

This would allow Shi Hai to know more about her, get closer to her, and feel her presence.

“Didn’t you just say you didn’t know me well enough, Junior? To help you understand me better, I’ll let you ask some personal questions, okay?”

“Any questions?”

“Of course. Even if you want to ask about the color of my underwear, it’s fine. Though, you seemed to have seen part of it earlier… By the way, I always wear matching sets.”

“Oh…”

So, the bottom is also black lace, semi-transparent, and hollowed-out? Shi Hai pictured Senior Tian Shui dressed only in black lace lingerie, and it stirred something within him.

How should he put it…

When Tian Shui’s clothes were disheveled earlier, because he could directly see the “benefits,” he managed to suppress his obvious desires by simply chanting in his heart: Don’t stare, don’t stare.

But now, precisely because Tian Shui was fully covered and nothing was visible, his imagination ran wild, making him a little excited.

On the other side, Tian Shui was secretly overjoyed.

It worked!

As expected, this man is just a closet pervert!

But it’s best to leave it at that. If she went further and said something like, “If you want to see, I can show you,” it might have the opposite effect.

Continue to tease his imagination…

Let him develop thoughts like, “I want to see more,” or “I want to take it off myself!”

This was the proper way to seduce Shi Hai!

On the other hand, Shi Hai finally suppressed the wild ideas in his mind. He coughed twice and said,

“Ahem, I won’t ask any questions that could be considered harassment…”

After thinking for a moment, he decided to start with something more neutral.

“Senior Tian Shui, do you live alone?”

“Yes, it’s just me. No one will disturb us here…”

“…”

Shi Hai’s lips twitched. He rubbed his temples, trying to banish unnecessary thoughts from his mind.

He realized that Senior Tian Shui had suddenly mastered the art of seduction.

This time, Shi Hai truly had no countermeasures.

After all, Tian Shui wasn’t doing anything outrageous—she was just saying things that provoked his imagination.

No matter how you looked at it, Shi Hai was still a young man in his twenties. To claim he had no interest in the stunning beauty before him would be pure self-deception.

Earlier, he had managed to stay calm because the things he could see were things he could actively avoid.

But clearing his mind of thoughts entirely, reaching a state of complete tranquility, was beyond him.

That kind of enlightenment was reserved for monks. A fiery young man like him couldn’t possibly achieve such mental clarity.

He had to admit, Tian Shui was sharp and skilled at creating an ambiguous atmosphere.

Shi Hai could only try to distract himself by talking more.
“Honestly, I thought you’d live somewhere even fancier, Senior.”

Although her current apartment was already a spacious, high-end place, Shi Hai felt it wasn’t quite fitting for someone as extraordinary as her.

“I’m not a princess. Did you think I’d live in a castle?”

“Not that extreme. I just thought it’d be something like a standalone villa.”

“My mom does live in a villa. This place is more like my secret base.”

“Why don’t you live together? Are you two not on good terms?”

“Quite the opposite. My mom is a severe daughter-con. If we lived together, she’d cling to me every day… a little too overprotective.”

“Ah, I see. No wonder she specifically built a university for you.”

“This university already existed long ago. It was just a third-tier school originally, but it has decades of history.”

Shi Hai wasn’t particularly interested in the university’s history but vaguely recalled the date on the school emblem being 1969.

That ruled out the possibility of Senior Tian Shui’s mother founding it.

It was likely that she made a massive investment, effectively buying it out.

“My mom is actually quite young. She had me when she was only 18, so she’s just 40 now. There’s no way she founded the university.”

“That makes sense…”

“In reality, she started investing in the school about ten years ago. She renovated the teaching buildings and dorms, hired renowned professors from home and abroad, expanded laboratories, and established numerous high-tech research programs. She raised the school’s standard by sheer force.”

“No wonder the admission scores jumped from the low 300s to over 600 in just a few years…”

“Exactly. In just ten years, she turned what was essentially a no-name school into a top-tier university.”

“That’s incredible… That’s not something money alone can achieve. You need connections and influence too.”

Shi Hai grew curious about what kind of person Senior Tian Shui’s mother was.

But Tian Shui shook her head and said, “Junior, you’re missing the point.”

“The point?”

“How she did it isn’t what matters. What matters is why she did it.”

“Isn’t it for you?”

“Yes, it’s for me. But the reason she did it wasn’t because she cared about my academics or future. In fact, from elementary school to now, every school I attended, she’s done the same thing. And the reason she chose those schools has always been the same—‘proximity to home.’”

“Uh…”

“My mom just wants to keep me close to her.”

Ah, so that’s how it was. Shi Hai finally understood what Tian Shui meant.

This was indeed overprotection.