The phone ran so smoothly…!
That was Ye Zhibai’s most immediate impression after borrowing Ye Zhiyun’s phone.
Whether she was sliding across the screen or tapping on apps, everything felt incredibly silky smooth.
She tapped once, and the interface switched without the slightest lag!
In truth, pretty much any modern phone could manage that these days.
It was just that in her previous life, Ye Zhibai had never used a phone that cost over a thousand bucks.
She had been too broke for that—scavenging online for refurbished old models long since outdated by the times. Even opening a single app meant silently counting down a few seconds in her head before it finally loaded.
Ye Zhiyun pressed close to Ye Zhibai’s shoulder, brushing aside a lock of her black hair as she asked in confusion, “Sis… why do you want to look at the map?”
“Don’t ask. I just want to.”
“Got it!”
Which was to say, Yun’er was so obedient and asked so few questions—she was a real lifesaver.
That said… the wallpaper on her phone screen was downright adorable.
The girl on the screen—hey, a silver-haired beauty, looking so cute even asleep. Wait a minute…
This wallpaper! That’s me!!
It just proved once again that Yun’er was a hopeless siscon.
Ye Zhibai sucked in a sharp breath and hurriedly pretended not to notice the wallpaper.
She quickly tapped open the phone’s built-in calendar.
—June 1, 2022, 2:43 PM.
Ye Zhibai frowned slightly.
She clearly remembered that in her previous life, she’d been run down by a car around noon that same day.
Which meant… only a little over two hours had passed since her previous life’s end?!
Talk about a seamless rebirth!
Ye Zhibai remembered the time crystal clear because when she’d gone to the bubble tea shop to buy a drink, the clerk had mentioned that it was June 1st—the start of the month—and they had a promo for two bucks off with purchase.
If it weren’t for that discount… Ye Zhibai never would’ve splurged on bubble tea just to “chase” after that girl. Way too wasteful.
And no! She wasn’t some desperate simp like that jerk Light Orb had called her! Light Orb had no clue—she and that girl had just shared some fateful bad karma, nothing more. She wasn’t actually pursuing her!
Ah, whatever. No point dwelling on it now.
One smack from a car, and poof—gone. What was there to say?
Bad karma was bad karma. No point getting nostalgic. They wouldn’t cross paths again anyway, so no use thinking about it.
Ye Zhibai closed the calendar and fumbled her way to open the Degenerate Map.
Then…
Her eyes slowly widened in surprise.
Ye Zhiyun asked with concern, “What’s wrong?”
“Let me ask you, Ye Zhi—er, Yun’er.”
Reminded by a glance from Ye Zhiyun, Ye Zhibai switched to a more affectionate nickname.
Her fingers kept sliding across the map, almost unable to believe it.
“The place we’re at… is Qihai City Central Hospital?”
“Yes, Sis. You’ve been staying here for two years. We booked out this entire room, with maids from the Combat Maid Corps guarding outside around the clock.”
“No, I mean… are we in Qihai City?”
“Qihai City Central Hospital? Of course we’re in Qihai City…”
Ye Zhiyun kept her expression neutral, but in truth, her lips were trembling with excitement!
Sis was looking at the map!
Sure, her questions were a bit weird… but that was fine!
Ye Zhibai’s mind was a whirlwind she could scarcely describe.
Not only had the time of her rebirth into this body been mere hours after…
Her death by car crash.
Even the city where she lived… was exactly the same!
Yes, in her previous life, Ye Zhibai had lived in Qihai City too, attending the city’s top school—Qihai University.
An average student like her had fought tooth and nail just to get in!
Back then, the apartment she’d rented had been in East City District of Qihai City.
And now, Qihai City Central Hospital was in West City District.
Though separated by East and West Districts… Ye Zhibai searched for her old apartment on the phone.
Just over ten kilometers away!
Had she been reborn right on her own doorstep?!
Ye Zhibai had no idea if this was pure coincidence or the handiwork of that self-proclaimed deity, Light Orb.
Either way, driven by anxiety and a spark of cleverness, she hurriedly opened the local Qihai City public account to check the daily news!
She scrolled rapidly… oh.
No need to scroll that fast.
Because the headline was right there at the top of today’s posts.
“Breaking! Qihai University sophomore undergrad student involved in car crash near School Field Street! Killed on the scene!”
Ugh, no need to rub it in—that’s me.
Staring at the headline… Ye Zhibai just felt so pitiful.
She almost didn’t want to click into the full story.
Ye Zhiyun had been hovering attentively at her side the whole time. She gently grasped Ye Zhibai’s hand as it stopped scrolling on the phone.
“Sis, did you see the car crash story… and remember what happened to you? I’m sorry… no one was with you then. You must’ve felt so helpless. Everyone was busy with their own things… no one noticed you’d wandered out into the street, right into the path of an oncoming minivan… Ah! Sis, don’t worry… from now on, I’ll always, always… watch over you. Things like that… won’t happen again!”
A minivan?
Not hard-hitting enough, sis—I got launched by a truck this time!
But… the soft warmth of Ye Zhiyun’s palm truly gave Ye Zhibai a sliver of courage.
It let her furrow her brows and slowly tap open that top news story.
The content inside wasn’t much different from the headline.
Just a bit more detail, plus some on-site photos.
“The deceased was a sophomore in Qihai University’s Medical Department. Specific identity still under verification. Preliminary determination: truck driver was driving under the influence. Students, please prioritize safety and check both directions before crossing the street.”
Throw the book at him! He deserves the max sentence!
Drunk driving scum—you know that, right?!
Ah… though it felt a bit weird coming from Ye Zhibai herself, she was furious!
The on-site photos showed no body—probably already carted away.
Just the truck skewed off to the roadside.
Exactly the one fixed in Ye Zhibai’s memory from her final moments.
She was done looking.
A pang of sourness hit Ye Zhibai’s heart, and she decisively closed the public account app.
She handed the phone back to Ye Zhiyun.
To sum it up: previous life’s me… rest in peace.
You tried so hard, so… be at ease!
Wahhh! No matter how I spin it, I was way too pitiful!
Ye Zhiyun watched her big sis’s face, which showed no particular expression.
Yet somehow, she could sense… her sudden loneliness.
Sometimes, Ye Zhiyun felt so powerless.
When Sis was asleep or unconscious, she couldn’t wake her.
And now, when Sis’s eyes were open but lost in melancholy, what comfort could she offer beyond holding her hand?
No matter how little…
She had to try.
Ye Zhiyun was a woman of action—thinking took a backseat to doing.
She infused her voice with as much energy as she could muster, even though she wasn’t naturally bubbly or outgoing except around Ye Zhibai.
“S-Sis! To celebrate you waking up, is there any gift you want? Anything at all! Whatever you say, Yun’er will get it for you!”
“A gift…?”
“Yeah! Just name it—anything goes!”
Ye Zhibai thought for a moment.
She didn’t really need anything…
Oh, wait.
There was one thing—a total must-have for any modern teen!
Couldn’t go anywhere without it!
“Then… could you get me a phone? The cheapest one is fine…”
“A phone? Got it!”
Ye Zhiyun wasted no time, calling out toward the door without hesitation. “Little Guang!”
“Coming, Second Miss! What are your orders?”
The maid who entered was the same one from before—Little Guang, tasked with protecting Ye Zhibai’s safety, a member of the Ye Family Combat Maid Corps.
Ye Zhiyun issued her instructions word by word, her tone steady to the point of intimidation, her logic crystal clear.
“Go procure the highest-performance smartphone on the market. Price is secondary—performance is paramount. Do your research, no delays. Once acquired, airlift it back by helicopter. The sooner, the better!”
“Understood!!”
Little Guang accepted the mission without a word and bolted out the door to carry it out!
What the heck was this?!
Ye Zhibai’s mouth fell slightly open. “No… I meant… the cheapest…”
“Ah, I get it, Sis,” Ye Zhiyun said, interpreting on her own. “I understand your thinking—you mean price isn’t the only measure of value, right? Yeah, I agree. Performance is what counts. As expected of Sis, always so thorough!”
You get jack squat!
I never thought anything like that!
I just wanted to save money!
Ah… wait.
When Ye Zhiyun was giving those orders earlier, wasn’t there something wildly over-the-top?
Ye Zhibai figured it unlikely, but better safe than sorry to ask.
“Yun’er… you didn’t happen to arrive here by helicopter, did you…? Your own…?”
“Hm? Yeah, Sis. Ah! Do you want a helicopter? Got it! We’ll get a few more, Xiao…!”
Ye Zhibai hurriedly cut her off before she could summon the maid!
“No, I don’t! I was just asking.”
“Ohh… Sis, you’ve got some really weird questions today.”
You’re the weird one!!
Helicopters aren’t something you just “get a few more” of on a whim?!
