It Seems I’m Not The Only One Who Reincarnated

That sentence was definitely prone to misunderstanding.

Shi Hai quickly coughed and rearranged his words.

“Ahem, I meant—are the three of us sitting together?”

The two girls immediately understood, and the atmosphere grew even more awkward.

Zhu Lingjie forced herself to act calm and explained,

“Y-yes! The two of us are pretty slim… if we snuggle closer to you, it shouldn’t feel too uncomfortable…”

“This doesn’t feel right… wouldn’t it make more sense for you two to sit together while I sit next to you? After all, we did buy four tickets—”

“No.” x2

Their rejection was immediate and unanimous.

This was when holding Shi Hai’s hands came into play.

Each girl grabbed one of his arms and ushered him into the couple’s seat.

As it turned out, the seat was smaller than expected. Jian Sichun and Zhu Lingjie had to twist their bodies to fit on either side of him.

With no other choice, their legs had to rest against Shi Hai’s knees to avoid being squished.

It really did look like Shi Hai was living the “A Lady on Each Arm” trope.

Shi Hai felt like he’d become one of those movie villains who always had two beauties draped over him in every scene.

But he wasn’t a villain and couldn’t comfortably accept having two beautiful women by his side.

After all, he wasn’t a saint, nor was he Liu Xiahui, who famously resisted temptation.

He couldn’t remain unfazed by one woman sitting so close—let alone two.

Because he knew he couldn’t completely resist temptation, he always tried to avoid these kinds of situations.

His mental sparring with Senior Tian Shui was proof of that.

But now, the girls had used a “physical restraint” method to drag him into this whirlpool of benefits.

Both of his hands were firmly held, making escape impossible.

Of course, he could forcibly break free, but that would mean creating a scene.

Shi Hai didn’t have gynophobia, nor did he want to appear overly afraid of women.

So, he chose to stop struggling.

Instead, he tried to shift his focus by chatting about something else.

“By the way, this must be an old movie for you two, right?”

Zhu Lingjie nodded and replied, “Yeah… I think they’re on the third installment now.”

“There’s already a third one? What about The Avengers? Does Spider-Man appear in The Avengers?”

Shi Hai had watched The Avengers back in May, which sparked his interest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Jian Sichun excitedly answered, “Yes! He’ll appear in the future!”

“Really? That’s something to look forward to.”

Since they had already seen it, Shi Hai figured he’d live to see it too.

He put on his 3D glasses, blocking out the pleasant scent and soft sensations from his surroundings, and focused entirely on the movie.

Meanwhile, the two girls didn’t watch the movie at all. They spent the whole time observing Shi Hai.

Having already seen the movie, they weren’t interested in the plot. In truth, they’d only suggested going to the movies to create this close-contact scenario.

Earlier this morning, they’d sensed a growing distance between themselves and Shi Hai.

If this continued, Shi Hai might gradually drift away, and their relationship would revert to being “just friends.”

Once that happened, returning to anything “beyond friendship” would be much harder.

That’s why they proposed a three-person outing instead of taking turns—so they could get used to the idea of “another woman being by his side.”

Jian Sichun and Zhu Lingjie weren’t foolish. They already understood that monopolizing Shi Hai was impossible.

If things kept going this way…

Even staying by his side might become a luxury.

<+>

By the time the two-hour movie ended, it was almost 4 PM.

Shi Hai hadn’t gone to the restroom during the movie, so as they exited, he asked, “Can I go to the restroom now?”

Surely they wouldn’t insist on holding his hands even there. That would be crossing into absurd territory…

Jian Sichun, in fact, had anticipated this scenario and deliberately bought only one drink to minimize restroom trips.

She had also intended it as an opportunity for indirect kisses.

Shi Hai had guessed wrong—both girls cared deeply about indirect kisses, treating them as a kind of personal reward.

If they couldn’t “have the meal,” at least they could “sip the soup,” right?

Reluctant to let go, Jian Sichun said wistfully, “Okay, but you have to keep holding hands when you come back…”

“If I don’t agree, are you not going to let go?”

“Correct.”

“Then am I supposed to wet my pants?”

Zhu Lingjie chimed in, “That’s okay, I’ll wash them for you.”

“That’s not the point!” Shi Hai groaned.

Jian Sichun added, “We don’t mind being embarrassed.”

Shi Hai felt a tingling on his scalp.

He knew this couldn’t go on.

Things were starting to drift into the realm of “unreasonable.”

“Fine, I get it. I’ll keep holding your hands when I come back… but after that, let’s find a place to eat.”

Originally, Shi Hai didn’t plan to bring up any serious topics today.

But judging by how things were going, if he didn’t address it directly, this ambiguous situation would just continue.

Sure, it was enjoyable for him, but he couldn’t bring himself to heartlessly indulge in the two women’s selfless affection.

When he returned from the restroom, his hands were once again held by the two women, though they had swapped sides this time.

They eventually found a restaurant, and, predictably, the three of them sat on the same side of the table.

Shi Hai sighed and said, “Ladies… don’t you think it’s about time to ‘let go’?”

The phrase carried a double meaning: releasing his hands and, more importantly, letting go of him.

Jian Sichun and Zhu Lingjie exchanged glances, both nervously swallowing.

They knew that today’s ultimate “trial” was upon them.

It was time for Shi Hai’s attempt to “convince” them.

“Honestly, I was hoping today would just be a casual outing to help you both lighten your moods… but it seems you already had plans of your own.”

Jian Sichun bit her lip, unable to hold back her thoughts any longer.

“That’s right! We—”

But Shi Hai interrupted her and said, “Wait. Don’t rush. Calm down, listen to me first, and then think it over again, okay?”

Shi Hai began his “performance.”

His greatest strength was his ability to reason.

“First of all, I’m not a dense idiot, so I’ve noticed your feelings for me.”

“I imagine that, in each of your futures, I have a very close relationship with you both.”

Perhaps as a boyfriend, perhaps even as a husband. One way or another, they ended up together.

“I feel deeply honored and happy about that, but I have to admit—I don’t feel it.”

“It’s not that I’m denying your feelings for me. It’s just that your affection seems… unfounded.”

“You like the future version of me, after all. The affection you have wasn’t earned by the present me. I don’t have those memories.”

Love should be mutual.

But right now, their love was overwhelmingly one-sided.

Shi Hai couldn’t immediately return that love with all his heart, which made him feel like he was in their debt.

Because he couldn’t give them the love they wanted, he felt unworthy of having them in his life.

“You might say I can slowly become the version of me you remember… but I need to tell you, that’s impossible.”

“Because if you’re both my future wives, how am I supposed to love you both at the same time?”

“And what about you? Could you really accept me loving another woman?”

Impossible, right? Love is inherently selfish.

So, let go…

For now, it’s not too late.