Can't Possibly Fall for My Wife Again After Rebirth, Right? - Chapter 11

Chen Yu’s words stuck in the hearts of the three girls like a thorn.

Chen Yu didn’t show up for the afternoon classes. The homeroom teacher checked the room, sighed, and left; as a teacher, there wasn’t much they could do if a student refused to attend, other than notifying the parents.

However, Chen Yu was clearly the type whose parents didn’t care. Consequently, as the final bell approached, she was still nowhere to be seen in the classroom.

Fu Qiao was distracted all afternoon. When the three of them had locked eyes with Chen Yu’s group at the crosswalk at noon, her palms had turned ice-cold, and they hadn’t regained their usual warmth even now.

She glanced back at Xu Yingran from time to time, only to find her staring at her textbook and taking notes as if nothing was wrong.

Ring, ring, ring—

The bell for the final period rang out. The teacher assigned homework, packed up, and left, leaving the majority of the students to breathe a sigh of relief.

“Hey, transfer student~”

The students sitting around Yao Jin began to tease her. “Is your driver coming to pick you up today? Can we see your luxury car?”

Other students who were about to leave crowded around upon hearing this, grinning as they leaned in. “We want to see it too! I’ve never seen a luxury car up close.”

“I heard one luxury car costs as much as a house. Is that true?”

“What’s the difference between a car that costs a house and a regular taxi?”

Most of the students were simple-minded and curious. They surrounded Yao Jin with a barrage of questions. Since school was out and they weren’t in a hurry to go home and do homework, Yao Jin was a fascinating topic of conversation. Plus, after she took the fall for Xu Yingran that morning, everyone saw her as a loyal and cool classmate.

Yao Jin replied indifferently, “There isn’t much difference. Though, I’ve never actually ridden in a taxi.”

“Whoa…”

The classroom erupted in another wave of hushed excitement.

Xu Yingran glanced at Yao Jin, whose metaphorical fox tail was practically wagging at the attention, and walked over to Fu Qiao. “When we leave in a bit, don’t walk with me.”

Fu Qiao looked up, her delicate brows furrowing. “What are you planning to do? Don’t do anything stupid.”

Fighting and brawling would lead to a disciplinary demerit.

“We’re seniors now. Let’s try not to go looking for trouble,” Fu Qiao said softly, taking Xu Yingran’s hand. “Let’s just… stay away from Chen Yu. We’ll stay in the classroom and do homework for now. They probably won’t wait that long.”

Xu Yingran didn’t see it that way.

You could hide for a moment, but could you hide for a year? They had just started their senior year and already provoked a “delinquent.” If she didn’t deal with this troublemaker now, how was she supposed to live in peace later?

Besides, Xu Yingran was an adult in spirit. Was she really going to let an eighteen-year-old girl bully her?

“Don’t worry.”

Despite her inner thoughts, Xu Yingran comforted her gently, “I won’t go out of my way to provoke her.”

Fu Qiao still wasn’t at ease. The scene from noon had been too shocking for her young heart, the kind of thing that caused nightmares. Fortunately, Fu Qiao was always a well-behaved child; her parents wouldn’t say much if she came home late once in a while.

After calling home, Fu Qiao looked up at Xu Yingran, who was sitting beside her. “Let’s do our homework first. We’ll go home once we finish.”

Xu Yingran nodded in agreement.

Senior year homework was essentially about reinforcing what they had already learned—over and over again. They were mostly given stacks of practice exams. Although there were many, they weren’t too difficult to get through. If they hit a hard question, they’d skip it; the final long-form questions and bonus problems were mostly left to luck.

The two sat close together, writing in silence. Fu Qiao was very meticulous, reading every question two or three times. She only put pen to paper once she was certain of her answer, making her progress much slower than Xu Yingran’s.

By the time Fu Qiao finished one exam paper, Xu Yingran was already on the second page of her second set.

The classroom was almost empty now, and the hallways were silent. The entire campus seemed to transition from noisy chaos to a deep tranquility.

“How do you finish so fast?” Fu Qiao asked, pressing her pen cap against her chin. She playfully lifted the corner of the paper under Xu Yingran’s arm and peeked. “Why did you leave so many blank? Do you not know how to do them?”

Xu Yingran glanced at her and smiled. “It’s not that I don’t know how; they’re just a bit tedious, and I’m too lazy to use my brain.”

Fu Qiao sighed helplessly. “Fair enough. You can finish the easy ones first and do the rest later.”

After speaking, Fu Qiao turned to look out the window. From their building, they had a clear view of the school gates.

The autumn days were beginning to shorten. It was just past 7:00 PM, and the sky was already dimming. The students who had been playing basketball on the courts were packing up to head home.

The setting sun stretched their shadows long across the tree-lined paths until they seemed to merge with the dense branches.

Fu Qiao dazed off while watching the scene. When Xu Yingran finished the questions she knew on the second page, she looked up to see Fu Qiao lost in thought.

The faint, yellowish sunlight filtered in from outside, casting a hazy golden glow over Fu Qiao. As the evening breeze blew, Fu Qiao’s clear, bright eyes slowly turned back toward her.

When their eyes met, Xu Yingran’s heart skipped a beat.

Fu Qiao was fair and tender; her youthful face was both innocent and beautiful. Xu Yingran found herself staring blankly.

In the past, Xu Yingran only thought her childhood friend was pretty and well-behaved, but she had never harbored any “indecent” thoughts toward her at this age.

But it was different now. Fu Qiao was Xu Yingran’s wife. They had spent ten long years together, from falling in love to getting married. Their “pure friendship” had long since been ground away. Looking at Fu Qiao now, only one thought occupied Xu Yingran’s mind:

My wife is so beautiful.

Moved by her heart, Xu Yingran subconsciously let the word slip out: “Wife…”

Fu Qiao froze for a moment and asked softly, “What did you just call me?”

Just as Xu Yingran was about to explain, a knock sounded at the door.

Knock, knock, knock—

Their homeroom teacher stood at the door, looking at the two of them. “What are you doing? Why aren’t you home yet at this hour?”

Xu Yingran’s face flushed instantly. She felt the flustered panic of a student caught in a “forbidden” romance.

Fu Qiao, however, was much calmer. She stood up and said to the teacher, “We were just doing homework, Ms. Li.”

Li Yuwen noticed the test papers spread out before them and nodded, softening her tone. “You can do your homework at home. It’s late; your parents will be worried.”

Fu Qiao nodded. “We understand, Teacher. We’ll pack up and leave right now.”

Once the teacher left, Fu Qiao turned to Xu Yingran. “Let’s go.”

Xu Yingran thought for a moment and nodded.

After packing their bags, they walked out of the teaching building. The school was empty, and the sky had grown dark. Fu Qiao peered cautiously out the gate for a long time. Only after confirming that Chen Yu’s group wasn’t there did she signal for Xu Yingran to follow.

Xu Yingran found Fu Qiao’s worry amusing. She walked over and said, “Why are you so scared? It’s fine. It’s not like they can eat me.”

Fu Qiao didn’t agree. “It’s better to avoid conflict. If you lose a fight, you end up in the hospital; if you win, you end up in jail. Either way, you lose.”

Xu Yingran countered, “What if there’s a way to avoid both the hospital and jail?”

Before Fu Qiao could ask what she meant, a sharp whistle echoed from the alleyway.

“Finally decided to come out, huh?”

Chen Yu was there, her school jacket still tied around her waist. Several people stood behind her, all looking impatient.

Fu Qiao had never faced such a situation. Before she could react, Xu Yingran pulled her to the side.

Chen Yu glanced at Fu Qiao. She naturally disliked high achievers; she felt they were all insufferable. If it weren’t for people like them acting as “benchmarks,” would she be scolded by teachers and parents all the time?

If everyone had bad grades like her, no one would have anything to say.

Thus, Chen Yu hated Fu Qiao just as much as she hated Xu Yingran. Seeing this “perfect child” who was both smart and obedient made her incredibly bitter.

Xu Yingran saw the venom in the girl’s eyes. She stepped across to block Chen Yu’s view of Fu Qiao. Frowning, she said, “Chen Yu, is this really worth cornering me over? It’s so hot today; I don’t see you buying your friends any cold drinks.”

Hearing this, Chen Yu shifted her full attention to Xu Yingran. “You sure talk a lot. Why don’t you treat us to some drinks then?”

Xu Yingran chuckled. “Why should I? I don’t even know these people.”

“You don’t know us now, but we can get to know each other after we ‘chat,’ right?” Chen Yu stepped closer, invading Xu Yingran’s space. “I heard your family is pretty loaded. Why don’t you lend us some cash to spend?”

“Who told you my family is rich?” Xu Yingran retorted. “And even if I had money, I wouldn’t spend it on you.”

At this point, there was no turning back.

Besides, Chen Yu hadn’t come here to make friends. Her face twisted, revealing the same fierce expression from noon. She said to Xu Yingran, “Since you want to be like that, don’t blame us for being rude.”

“Shasha, Brother Kun,” Chen Yu said without looking back. “I’m sick of seeing this person at school. You guys have to help me teach her a lesson today.”

Xu Yingran shoved her backpack into Fu Qiao’s arms and told her, “Stay back.”

“Xu Yingran…” Fu Qiao frowned. She looked toward the school, wondering if it was too late to run and find the security guard.

Just as Xu Yingran was about to roll up her sleeves to take on Chen Yu’s trio, she caught something out of the corner of her eye. Several black sedans had pulled up at the curb. Four or five burly men in camouflage fatigues stepped out of each car, their muscles bulging with power.

They walked straight toward the group, forming a squad of over a dozen men.

The leader, a man with a buzz cut and a prominent scar across his eyebrow, stood before them. He scanned the group of teenagers and asked:

“Which one of you is Xu Yingran?”