Rebirth to Save Myself

Chapter 135 Let's have some late-night snacks!

Although I spend summer eating, drinking, and chatting with everyone, I keep glancing at my phone. I'm afraid of missing my appointment with my mother, and it would be terrible if she just showed up at the door.

"What's wrong? Did some netizens criticize you?" Su Xia noticed Xia Tian's unusual behavior and leaned over to ask in a low voice.

"It's my mother. She wants me to finish by nine o'clock. I'm afraid of missing the time, so I'm checking the time," Xia Tian whispered to Su Xia.

"Okay, I'll take you downstairs in a bit."

"it is good."

At 8:50, Xia Tian started getting ready. It would take them a while to get to the basement, and if she arrived just in time, her mother would nag again. So Su Xia and Xia Tian took the elevator to the basement together, and in the distance, they saw a white car parked in the corridor. The car flashed its lights at them, and Xia Tian walked over.

"Hello, Auntie, I'm Xia Tian's friend, my name is Su Xia." Su Xia looked down and gave Xia Qiuyi a bright smile through the passenger seat.

"Hello, I've heard Xia Tian mention you before." Xia Qiuyi smiled as well.

"I haven't seen Xia Tian in a long time. I was thinking of going out for a late-night snack together. But Xia Tian said you were worried about her and came to pick her up. So I brought her down. You two have such a good relationship." Su Xia's ability to lie through her teeth made Xia Tian and Xia Qiuyi's eyelids twitch.

Xia Qiuyi felt that the girl in front of her was mocking her, but looking at her sincere smile, she didn't think so. So she said, "Thank you for your help. I didn't really want to come and pick her up. But she's a celebrity now, and her every move is being watched by paparazzi. I'm afraid she'll make headlines again tomorrow."

"Oh, is that so? Then let Xia Tian come with us for a late-night snack, and I'll take her home, okay? We have a lot of high school classmates with us, and chatting together can strengthen our bonds. Maybe tomorrow's headlines will be about her having a great time with her high school classmates." Su Xia pretended to be concerned for Xia Tian, ​​her sincere big eyes fixed on Xia Qiuyi.

"Summer, what are you thinking?" Xia Qiuyi didn't answer Su Xia's question, but looked through Su Xia's shoulder at Summer who was standing there.

“You want to come with us too, right?” Su Xia turned to look at Xia Tian, ​​following Xia Qiuyi’s words.

"Can I... Mother?" Xia Tian looked at Su Xia's face and mustered up the courage to say these words.

“Auntie, Xia Tian said it’s okay. As an open-minded elder like you, you shouldn’t refuse us, right?” Su Xia turned around and looked at Xia Qiuyi and said.

"Go ahead, remember to be home before midnight. Your name is Su Xia, right?" Xia Qiuyi was flattered by Su Xia and could only agree to her request before she could seriously observe the girl in front of her.

Her short, glossy black hair, slightly wavy, fell neatly to her shoulders, the perfect length. These soft curls seemed to hold endless playfulness and liveliness, exuding a simple yet vibrant aura. Her face was adorned with light makeup, perfectly highlighting her delicate features without any exaggeration or redundancy, showcasing a fresh and natural beauty. She radiated youthful energy and vitality, appearing clean and pure, like a blank sheet of paper untouched by dust. She wore a dark green short-sleeved shirt, the unique and deep shade adding a distinctive charm and elegance. The soft fabric of the shirt clung to her skin, further emphasizing her youthful vitality. She paired it with a black pleated skirt, the layers of pleats swaying gently with her movements, like flower petals dancing in the wind, displaying a graceful and elegant posture.

Xia Tian told me that she is already a graduate student. She seems well-behaved and doesn't seem to have much of a problem spending a lot of time with her.

"Thank you, Auntie. Everyone must be so happy to hear this. I promise I'll get Xia Tian home before midnight, don't worry." Su Xia happily turned around, took Xia Tian's hand, and stood not far from the car, looking at Xia Qiuyi.

"Thank you for your trouble." Xia Qiuyi said and drove away.

Watching the car turn the corner and disappear from sight, Xia Tian finally breathed a long sigh of relief. Then he turned to Su Xia and said, "My God, I really didn't expect her to agree."

"She'll probably only agree this once. Let's go."

"Where?"

"Let's go for a late-night snack. We just made plans with Lingling and the others to go get some late-night food together."

"I thought you were just making an excuse. I can't eat too much at night."

"You don't need to stay so thin. Look at you, you're all skin and bones." Su Xia said, pinching Xia Tian's waist.

"Even like this, some people still say I'm fat." Xia Tian hesitated.

"Come with me."

Su Xia took Xia Tian to a barbecue stall in Lu Jingnian's car. Su Xia originally wanted to sit in a private room, but Xia Tian refused, saying, "It's too hot in the private room, with air conditioning. Let's sit outside, it's cooler there."

"Exactly, exactly. If fans come, we can just take a photo and get an autograph." Chen Yuan disagreed, feeling there was no need to be so cautious.

Su Xia thought about it and realized that being photographed by paparazzi outside would be beneficial to Xia Tian's image, so she didn't insist anymore, and the group sat down at a table outside. Lu Jingnian and Chen Wenwei, the two boys, went inside to order food, and when they came out, they each asked the waiter for a bottle of Coke.

"I think I'll pass. Cola has too much sugar, and I don't want too much spice or sauce on my skewers." Although Xia Tian had agreed to come over for barbecue, she didn't dare to go overboard for the sake of appearing on camera.

"Just eat this one meal, and then you can increase your exercise afterwards." Su Xia winked at Chen Yuan and Ye Lingling.

“Exactly, eating and drinking is the greatest happiness!” Chen Yuan said as she picked up a skewer of beef and handed it to Xia Tian.

"We have to make a Coke!" Ye Lingling opened a Coke, inserted a straw, and stuffed the straw into Xia Tian's mouth.

Summer unconsciously took a sniff, and the sweet aroma filled her taste buds. It was a taste from a long, long time ago, when her grandmother picked her up from school and they went out for fast food.

Fried chicken, hamburgers, and iced cola—even after being beaten by her mother and told that her grandmother should never let her eat any junk food again, she was still happy after school.

Now, it tasted exactly like the one she remembered, and she couldn't help but take another drag.

"It's delicious, you should try it. It's much better than your boiled chicken breast!" Su Xia then handed over a skewer of pork belly, looking at Xia Tian with a beaming smile.

The pork belly is sliced ​​into moderately thin pieces, each with beautiful marbling, and the golden, charred edges are incredibly tempting. Taking a gentle bite, you first experience the crispy outer skin, a unique charm bestowed by the charcoal fire, followed by the tender, juicy interior, where the fat melts in your mouth, bringing a rich aroma.

The seasoning is perfectly balanced, with a subtle saltiness and just the right amount of spiciness that complements the natural umami of the pork belly. Every chew reveals the meat's elasticity and tenderness, creating a delicious symphony in your mouth.

The satisfying feeling of eating one bite after another made summer intoxicated, forgetting everything around and focusing only on the incredibly delicious grilled pork belly skewers.

Later in the summer, I no longer needed anyone to hand me the skewers, and I started to research which ones were delicious.

As night falls, wisps of smoke rise from the barbecue stalls on the street, and people sit around simple tables and chairs, enjoying this lively and bustling moment.

At the barbecue stall, the lights were dim and warm, casting shadows on people's faces. Holding fragrant skewers in one hand and ice-cold beer in the other, everyone chatted and ate, creating a lively atmosphere.

A group of friends sat together, laughter echoing throughout. A young man took a bite of a sizzling lamb skewer and excitedly recounted the amusing incidents from his workday, gesturing wildly in the air, making everyone burst into laughter. The girl next to him elegantly savored her grilled chicken wings, occasionally chiming in with a few words, her eyes full of smiles.

A group of middle-aged people sat around, enjoying their roasted pork belly while discussing the trivialities and pressures of life. Their words contained both their hopes for the future and their reflections on the past.

The children played and frolicked nearby, occasionally running over to take a bite of the roasted corn offered by an adult before happily running away again.

The entire barbecue stall was filled with laughter, everyday chatter, the enticing aroma of the skewers, and people's love and contentment with life.

Occasionally, fans who recognize Xia Tian will come to take photos with her. Xia Tian patiently takes photos with each of them and accepts their wishes.

Shortly after, Big Eyes posted a Weibo post showing a famous female celebrity eating barbecue skewers with friends on the street.

"My God, aren't female celebrities supposed to maintain their figures? This must be a staged photo."

"It's obviously fake. There were reports about her bullying people in high school not long ago, and she came to a friend's barbecue to refute the rumors."

"Hey, we don't need this at all in the summer, okay?"

"That's right, that's right. How could someone as kind as Xia Tian be bullied? It's definitely a lie."

"I ran into Miss Xia Tian, ​​she's so beautiful, kind, and well-mannered! (Attached photo)"

"Ahhh, I'm so envious of the person upstairs! I also want to bump into Xia Tian!"

"Summer is so gentle, she even reminded us to be careful on our way home at night. I love her, I'm a fan of her forever!"

"Summer wasn't staged at all; she was really eating. Those haters are just stirring up trouble for no reason."

"Ahhh, they really eat! Summer Goddess has such a great figure, I'm so envious of her ability to eat so much and not gain weight."

Summer soon received a text message from Xia Qiuyi:

Mother: Well done, you should befriend that person. Remember to be back before midnight!

Summer: Okay, Mother.

Seeing Xia Tian looking at her phone, Su Xia leaned closer and asked, "What's wrong? Is your mother urging you to go back?"

Xia Tian shook her head, then showed the text message to Su Xia. She then said with a blank expression, "This is the first time she's praised me for doing a good job."

"Because she sees you as a cash cow and a source of emotional support, she's unhappy when you're being slandered. But if you can handle things on your own, it's like you're studying at school and getting good grades. She's happy because she doesn't have to tutor you and can get praise from the teacher. Of course she's happy," Su Xia said as she fed Xia Tian.

"Mmm, that's enough, that's enough."

"It's a rare treat, so let's eat more."

Summer and Su Xia ate until almost 11 o'clock, and then Su Xia drove Lu Jingnian's car to take Summer home. Summer's mother had received the news and was waiting downstairs early. Her expression softened a little when she saw that only Su Xia and Summer got out of the car.

Su Xia looked up and saw her mother. She then smiled and waved, saying, "Auntie, we're back."

"Yes, thank you for bringing her back."

"Not at all. After all, Xia Tian is a celebrity, so she should be mindful of her privacy."

"Hmm, you didn't eat much, did you?" Xia's mother turned to look at Xia Tian, ​​waiting for Xia Tian to report on her itinerary for the evening.

"Mother, shall we talk about this when we get home?"

"Okay." Xia's mother thought about it. Indeed, they were in a public place downstairs. If someone with ulterior motives took a picture and posted it online, the little reputation they had managed to salvage tonight would plummet again.

"Goodbye summer, Auntie, I'm leaving now."

"Well, be careful on the road."

Su Xia got into the car and drove away from the residential area. Then she stopped by the roadside and said to Lu Jingnian, who was standing by the roadside, "Get in the car."

"Shall I drive?"

"I have a driver's license, get in. I've been making you drive all day, you must be tired."

"That's great, I can ride in my girlfriend's car."

"Have you finalized your employment situation with your new company?"

"I want to go to Xiamen University with you and attend classes with you."

Do your uncle and aunt agree?

“I agree. If I say I don’t agree, my daughter-in-law will run away. I’ll find them a husband later.”

"Hahaha, daughter-in-law. You have this kind of fetish?"

"Of course I was just joking. My dad happens to have a branch office there, so he arranged for me to intern there."

"Start from the bottom? Just like in the TV dramas, understand the company from the bottom up, eliminate the corrupt elements, and then make the branch company bigger and stronger!"

“I’ll watch less of these kinds of TV dramas in the future; they’re unrealistic. I’ve been to the company with my dad several times since I was little. Those uncles and elders have watched me grow up. Even though I spent four years abroad, my dad would organize a party as soon as I came back to let them know I was back. Moreover, my appointment letter was sent to everyone in the branch office and the head office via email, with my photo attached, so there was no situation where I secretly went to the grassroots level.”

"Oh, I thought you were going to hide your strength."

"If TV dramas didn't write it this way, how would the plot develop? According to their formula, the protagonist would definitely be searching for evidence while also having a romance, and this person would be someone who stands by him on the same side, shares the same goal, and never abandons him even in the face of hardship, right?"

"Yes, yes, yes, your summary is spot on!"

"It would be best if he found out he was the heir to the group, and then he realized that he and she were not on the same path, and then he made a scene and wanted to break up."

"Or her parents could step in, give her a few million dollars, and then make her leave him."

"Then, to avoid putting him in a difficult position, she left him without taking the money."

"After she left, she discovered she was unexpectedly pregnant, but she was reluctant to have an abortion, or the hospital advised against it. After the abortion, it became very difficult for her to get pregnant again."

"And that's how the storyline of running away with the ball came about, right?"

"Hahahaha, you told me to watch less, and you even made it sound so reasonable."

"That's because my girlfriend writes novels, so I need to read more of her works to give her ideas when she's lacking inspiration."