The System Suddenly Came Back to Life, Why Is My Ex-Girlfriend Here

The intensity of the military training went up a notch on the second day. If the first day was an appetizer, then today's thirty-minute standing-at-attention drill was the main course. The instructor had really turned up the heat.

Heatwaves rolled across the sports field, distorting the baking air.

Under a patch of shade stood the formation of Class Three, Grade Seven, currently undergoing their training.

"Heels together! Lean forward! Hands glued to your trouser seams! If I can pull anyone's hands away, you'll run five laps!"

Instructor Tang paced back and forth through the formation, his eyes more scorching than the sun overhead.

Most of the freshmen were already at the end of their ropes. Sweat soaked through their camouflage uniforms, clinging tightly to their backs in agonizing discomfort.

Standing next to Chen Zhi, Li Jiahao was trembling slightly all over.

He felt like his feet no longer belonged to him, especially his heels, which were enduring torture with every passing second. Clenching his teeth, he fixed his peripheral vision on Chen Zhi beside him.

Why?

Why could this guy still stand as straight as a javelin?

Chen Zhi was actually quite comfortable at the moment.

The thick layer of "Sophie 420" sanitary pads under his feet was soft and sweat-absorbent, insulating him from the hardness and heat of the ground.

Lin Wanwan was in the front row. Although her small face was flushed from the sun, her stance remained steady. Occasionally, when the instructor turned his back, she would secretly wiggle her toes to relax a bit.

Just then, a sudden commotion broke out on the girls' side of the formation.

"Instructor! Someone fainted!"

A cry of alarm disrupted the neat formation, followed by restless murmurs.

Everyone's attention was instantly drawn over. In the middle of the ranks, a figure slumped limply to the ground. The girl next to her scrambled to catch her but was dragged down into a stumble.

Chen Zhi looked back.

The person who collapsed was Pei Ningxue.

Her eyes were shut tight. Her already fair skin was now deathly pale, giving her a fragile appearance beneath the blazing sun.

"Nobody move! What are you looking at!"

Instructor Tang roared and strode over.

Just as Chen Zhi was about to look away, the system suddenly popped up before his eyes.

Chen Zhi's pupils shrank sharply.

What the hell?

When he first reincarnated as a baby, this thing had chimed twice, giving him two tasks to flirt with his childhood sweetheart, and then went completely silent.

It had been over a decade. He had almost lived his life like a normal local, so why was this broken system suddenly rising from the dead?

[Task Issued: Save Your Ex-Girlfriend]

[Target: Pei Ningxue]

[She is the precious daughter of a listed company's director; you are a rookie intern who just entered the workplace.]

[At the age of 23, you had just started working and met her at a business cocktail party. She was suffocating under family pressure, and you were overwhelmed by performance quotas. Two frustrated souls met at the entrance of a convenience store. After chatting, you added each other as friends, and soon after, you started dating.]

[She said: "I'm willing to ride an e-bike and squeeze into a rented room with you. I'm willing to work hard to build a life together. Take me away."]

[You said: "You can be naive, but I can't be."]

[The gap in reality was like a chasm. Her father threw a million-dollar check at you and told you to get lost. Her suitor drove a Ferrari, splashing you with muddy water on a rainy night, mocking your overestimation of your own abilities. Youthful inferiority consumed your entire heart, and you chose to run away.]

[Until the age of 33, reeking of alcohol, she cried until she fainted at the door of your thirty-square-meter rented apartment...]

[Task Objective: Understand your ex-girlfriend's troubles and change her destined tragic fate.]

[Task Reward: High School Science (Mastery).]

Looking at these lines of text, Chen Zhi was completely dumbfounded.

No, seriously, who are you?

Finally decided to show up?

Was this the original timeline that would have happened if he hadn't been reborn?

He instinctively looked at Pei Ningxue lying on the ground.

Right now, she was only twelve or thirteen. Though her features hadn't fully matured, one could already tell she would grow up to be a beauty. It was just that she was usually too quiet—so quiet that it was easy to ignore her existence.

Who would have thought that this girl would later become a hopeless romantic willing to elope with a poor boy for love?

"Class Monitor! Where is the monitor for Class Three?"

Instructor Tang's urgent shout interrupted Chen Zhi's wild thoughts.

Chen Zhi snapped back to reality, immediately took a step forward, and answered loudly, "Here!"

Instructor Tang was already crouching beside Pei Ningxue. After a quick check, he looked up with a deep frown. "This girl has heatstroke, and it's quite serious. She needs to go to the infirmary immediately. Where is your homeroom teacher?"

"Ms. Wang went to a meeting just now," a student answered quietly.

Instructor Tang clicked his tongue and pointed to the two girls next to Pei Ningxue. "You two, help her to the infirmary. Class Monitor, go contact the homeroom teacher."

The two girls looked thin and weak. Hearing this, they hurriedly bent down to pull Pei Ningxue up.

But an awkward scene unfolded.

Although Pei Ningxue looked thin, she was still a living person, and dead weight while unconscious. The two girls were already weak in the knees themselves. Taking one arm each, they tried twice but failed to lift her, almost dropping her to the ground instead.

"Oh no, I can't do it, I have no strength..." one of the girls said, on the verge of tears.

The scene fell into chaos for a moment.

Instructor Tang was a grown man. In this era, although there was nothing inherently wrong with an instructor carrying a female student on his back, he still had to be mindful of appearances. Just as he was about to call another male soldier over, a figure stepped in front of him.

"Instructor, let me do it."

Chen Zhi walked over, looked at the two girls who were about to cry, and sighed helplessly.

"You guys go find Ms. Wang. I'll take her."

Before the instructor could speak, Chen Zhi had already crouched down.

He didn't opt for the romantic princess carry seen in idol dramas—that was not only exhausting but would also easily make the person nauseous while running. He simply grabbed Pei Ningxue's arms, expertly draped them over his back, engaged his core, and hoisted her up steadily.

Light.

That was Chen Zhi's first impression.

This girl seemed to come from a wealthy family, so why was she as light as a cat?

"Alright, be quick! Watch your step!" Seeing Chen Zhi's agile movements, Instructor Tang didn't waste words and waved him on.

Carrying Pei Ningxue on his back, Chen Zhi stretched his long legs and sprinted toward the infirmary.

The entire class was dumbfounded.

Especially the boys, whose eyes were practically popping out of their heads.

"Holy crap... is the class monitor really that hardcore?"

"He stood at attention for half an hour, and he can still run with someone on his back?"

Li Jiahao watched Chen Zhi's retreating figure, his mouth open wide enough to fit an egg. He looked down at his own legs, which were shaking like leaves, and then back at the swiftly running Chen Zhi. A deep sense of defeat welled up inside him.

Did this guy have motors installed in his legs?

Equally shocked was Lin Wanwan.

Standing in the front row, she watched helplessly as Chen Zhi hoisted Pei Ningxue onto his back and ran off.

Although she knew he was doing it to save someone and it was serious business, seeing Pei Ningxue's soft body pressed tightly against Chen Zhi's back, with her head resting near his shoulder... Lin Wanwan inexplicably felt a sour twinge in her heart.

It felt like someone had suddenly touched her secretly hoarded favorite toy.

"Hmph, what a bleeding heart," Lin Wanwan muttered under her breath. She ground her toes hard against the ground, as if she were stepping on Chen Zhi's face.

...

On the way to the infirmary.

Chen Zhi ran at a brisk but steady pace.

The girl on his back was burning hot. Her breathing was rapid and scorching, puffing against his neck with a faint scent of jasmine.

"Mmm..."

Pei Ningxue seemed to regain a bit of consciousness, letting out an uncomfortable moan as her arms subconsciously tightened, choking Chen Zhi's neck.

"Hey, loosen up a bit, you're going to strangle your savior," Chen Zhi complained breathlessly, tossing her up slightly by the back of her knees to adjust his grip.

Through the system's introduction, he had a rough understanding of this ex-girlfriend's persona.

The root of the ex-girlfriend's personality had already been planted here in middle school. A wealthy heiress whose parents were too busy with business, lacking love, a classic beautiful, strong, but tragic character trope.

Looks like this task won't be easy, Chen Zhi sighed inwardly.

Save the ex-girlfriend?

Please, I'm only twelve right now. Am I supposed to start dating early? My mom would break my legs.

However, that High School Science Mastery reward was incredibly tempting. With it, he could basically breeze through the science curriculum in the future. His current knowledge base was only enough to get him through middle school; once he hit high school, he'd be doomed, having long forgotten everything he learned back then.

Middle school knowledge wasn't too hard; a little review and he could remember it.

A few minutes later, Chen Zhi kicked open the door to the infirmary.

"Doc! We got a patient!"

The school doctor, who was drinking tea, jumped in fright and nearly threw his thermos.

"What are you shouting for! Keep it down!" The doctor glared at him, but upon seeing the unconscious girl on his back, immediately put down his cup and pointed to a hospital bed. "Put her there, lay her flat."

Chen Zhi carefully placed Pei Ningxue on the bed.

The girl's cheeks were flushed, her forehead covered in fine beads of sweat, and a few strands of hair stuck to her face, making her look pitiful.

The doctor expertly checked her eyelids, felt her pulse, and took her temperature with a thermometer gun.

"Thirty-eight point five degrees Celsius. A bit of heatstroke, and slight hypoglycemia."

As the doctor mixed some glucose water, he scolded, "Students these days have such poor physical fitness. Did she skip breakfast? Standing at attention in this heat without eating, it's a wonder she didn't faint sooner."

Chen Zhi stood to the side, only now feeling the fatigue.

With his adrenaline pumping earlier, he hadn't noticed, but now that he stopped, his calves were cramping a bit. He pulled up a chair and wiped the sweat from his face.

"Drink some medicine." The doctor handed him a bottle of herbal liquid. "Protect yourself too, we don't want the rescuer collapsing right after."

Chen Zhi grimaced as he chugged the extremely foul-tasting medicine, his gaze falling on Pei Ningxue on the bed.

Is this the woman who would break ties with her family for him in the future?

To be honest, looking at this immature face now, Chen Zhi found it really hard to connect her with the mature woman reeking of alcohol, crying until she passed out at the door described by the system.

Just then, Pei Ningxue's eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.

Her eyes were dazed and unfocused, like a startled fawn.

Her vision slowly cleared, finally settling on Chen Zhi sitting by the bed.

The boy sat against the light, his school uniform collar open, collarbones slick with sweat, casually wiping his neck with a tissue. Seeing her awake, he raised an eyebrow and flashed a wide, bright smile.

"Awake? How do you feel? Do you remember who you are?"

Pei Ningxue stared at him blankly, her mind completely empty.

Her memory was still stuck on the suffocating heat of the track field and the sudden encroaching darkness.

"I..." she opened her mouth, her voice incredibly hoarse.

"Alright, don't talk, save your strength." Chen Zhi stood up and handed her the glucose water the doctor had just prepared. "Drink this first. The doc says you've got hypoglycemia and heatstroke. You almost checked out."

Pei Ningxue tried to sit up but found herself completely weak.

Chen Zhi sighed, resignedly reaching out to support her back, helping her adjust into a comfortable position before bringing the cup to her lips.

"Open up."

Pei Ningxue subconsciously opened her mouth. The warm, sweet liquid flowed down her throat, helping her regain a bit of strength.

She looked at Chen Zhi, who was right in front of her.

This boy... is he the class monitor of Class 3?

Usually, in class, he was always lazy, joking around with the guys, sleeping and reading novels every day, yet his grades were ridiculously good. She had never spoken a single word to him before.

"Thank you..." she said softly, her voice as quiet as a mosquito.

"Don't mention it, just serving the people." Chen Zhi placed the empty cup back on the table, sat back down in his chair, and crossed his legs. "When you're better, just remember to buy me a drink. Preferably an ice-cold cola. Not Pepsi, it has to be Coca-Cola."

Watching his carefree, slacker attitude, Pei Ningxue's initially panicked mood miraculously calmed down.

Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps came from the infirmary door.

"Chen Zhi!"

Lin Wanwan appeared at the door, panting heavily, holding Chen Zhi's water bottle in her hand.

At a glance, she saw Chen Zhi sitting by the bed, locked in a deep gaze with Pei Ningxue.

Lin Wanwan's small face instantly puffed up. She strode in and shoved the water bottle hard into Chen Zhi's chest.

"Drink yourself to death!"

Chen Zhi clutched the water bottle, looking completely bewildered. "What's going on? Who ticked you off?"

Lin Wanwan ignored him and turned to Pei Ningxue, her expression instantly switching to one of concern. "Pei, are you okay? You scared us to death just now."

Pei Ningxue shook her head, feeling a bit awkward. "I'm fine... thank you."

Lin Wanwan's gaze darted between the two of them, finally landing on Chen Zhi with a murderous glare that only he could understand.

She lowered her voice, leaned into Chen Zhi's ear, and asked through gritted teeth:

"Felt pretty good carrying her just now, didn't it? How was the feel?"