Can't Possibly Fall for My Wife Again After Rebirth, Right? - Chapter 18

For the Xu Yingran who had returned to her eighteen-year-old self, only two things mattered above all else.

The first was to draw a clear line between herself and Fu Qiao; they were to remain only friends, with no romance involved. As for what kind of girlfriend she might look for in the future, Xu Yingran didn’t have a clue yet. She simply felt that she could not live through those old days again.

She needed to change.

The second matter concerned her parents, who had passed away in an accident during this very year of her life.

In her previous life, it was because Xu Yingran realized she liked girls and wanted to come clean to her family that her parents—who weren’t supposed to get off work so early—headed home ahead of schedule. As a result, they crossed paths on the road and were caught in a car accident together.

This was something Xu Yingran could never forgive herself for. Every year when she visited her parents’ graves, she would return home consumed by a guilt that hadn’t faded even after ten years.

But now, having returned to age eighteen with the knowledge of everything to come, she had the power to prevent it.

The anniversary of her parents’ death was in October. Xu Yingran remembered clearly that it was a Friday. A light rain was falling, and as Xu Chunjian and his wife, Zhao Yu, were preparing to cross the street, a black sedan suddenly came careening toward them.

The rain that day hadn’t been heavy—just a drizzle—but amidst a chorus of screams, Xu Chunjian had shielded his wife. The two of them were thrown far like broken kites, slamming straight onto the hard concrete.

That accident had claimed other lives besides her parents—seven people in total, including a child in a stroller and a pregnant woman.

Xu Yingran remembered it vividly. The drizzle had been incessant. Her parents, who had agreed to be home by 5:00 PM, never arrived. She waited and waited, only to receive the notification from neighbors and the police at 7:00 PM.

What had been a happy family of three was shattered in an instant. She later learned the driver was under the influence and harbored severe anti-social tendencies; he had specifically chosen that rainy day because people would be using umbrellas, obscuring their vision and making it harder for them to dodge, before driving straight into the crowd.

The incident caused a huge stir, and the driver was eventually executed. But even so, what did it matter? Those who were lost would never return.

When Xu Yingran opened her eyes, the sky was still dim and gloomy.

Outside the windowsill, the light rain pitter-pattered against the glass. She glanced up and saw it was five minutes until 6:00 AM.

Having forced herself to sleep before 11:00 PM had given her an excellent internal clock. She woke up at six every morning, and a cup of coffee at work would keep her energized all day.

She sat up in bed, listening intently to the sounds outside.

Xu Chunjian and Zhao Yu were already awake, whispering in the outer room, seemingly complaining about the weather.

In her memories, today was the day the original Xu Yingran would have asked her parents to come home early, leading to the tragedy.

But now, Xu Yingran had a new plan.

She fished out a bottle of beer she had secretly bought the night before from her wardrobe. It was just a standard can, round and stout. She opened it carefully and gulped it all down.

Last time at the barbecue stall, she had tapped out after a bottle and a half. Now, drinking 300ml of beer wouldn’t necessarily make her drunk, but it would certainly go to her head.

Sure enough, within five minutes of drinking it, she saw her cheeks flush with an unnatural redness. It didn’t quite look like drunkenness; it looked more like a fever.

Looking at herself in the mirror, she muttered in bewilderment, “Was my tolerance always this bad?”

Before she could examine herself further, her alarm set for 6:00 AM began to ring.

Zhao Yu heard the sound from the outer room and called out, “Ranran, it’s raining outside. Remember to take an umbrella. I’ve brought out your rain boots; wear them to school.”

Xu Yingran quickly replied, “Okay!”

When she finished dressing and came out, she intentionally messed up her hair to look listless. Combined with her flushed cheeks, she looked as though she had fallen seriously ill.

Zhao Yu was startled by her appearance. She immediately dropped what she was doing and rushed over. “What’s wrong? Why do you look like this?”

Xu Yingran feigned ignorance. “What’s wrong?”

Hearing this, Xu Chunjian walked over as well. Seeing his daughter’s bright red face, he said in surprise, “Ranran, are you feeling unwell?”

“Yeah,” Xu Yingran said, clutching her head. “My head hurts a bit, and I feel uncomfortable all over…”

Zhao Yu hurriedly pulled Xu Yingran to the sofa to sit down, feeling her forehead. “Does your throat hurt? Do you feel like coughing?”

Upon hearing this, Xu Yingran covered her mouth and let out a few “cough, cough, coughs,” then wrinkled her brow and whispered, “Mom, am I sick?”

“Probably.” Zhao Yu felt her daughter’s forehead again and said to Xu Chunjian, “Go get the thermometer. Let’s see if she has a fever.”

Once the thermometer was brought over, Xu Yingran leaned back against the sofa with it tucked under her arm, acting as frail as possible.

“What are we going to do?” Zhao Yu looked at her daughter with worry, stroking her brow. “How did you get sick so suddenly?”

Xu Chunjian sat nearby and said, “It’s likely the temperature over the last few days—it’s been jumping up and down. It’s easy to catch a cold or fever like this.”

Zhao Yu thought that was likely. She said to her husband, “Go downstairs and see if the pharmacy is open yet. I won’t go to work today; I’ll stay home with the child.”

Xu Chunjian nodded, grabbing his jacket. “Alright, I’ll go take a look.”

Watching her father push the door open and leave, Xu Yingran blinked and said to Zhao Yu, “Mom, I think I’m okay. It doesn’t feel like a fever.”

“You’re right, you don’t feel hot,” Zhao Yu said, still worried. “But your complexion is so poor that I’m not comfortable letting you go to school. Take the day off.”

Xu Yingran nodded. She was more than happy to do so.

Now that Zhao Yu was staying home, the next step was her father.

Xu Chunjian, holding an umbrella, was returning from the pharmacy across the street when he saw Fu Qiao walking toward their house. He quickly closed his umbrella and greeted her, “Xiao Qiao!”

Fu Qiao turned and saw him, greeting him back, “Good morning, Uncle.”

“Morning,” Xu Chunjian said. “Are you here to walk to school with Ranran?”

“Yes,” Fu Qiao asked. “Has she finished breakfast?”

“She probably won’t be going to school today. You’ll have to help her ask for leave.”

“Huh?”

Fu Qiao asked immediately, “What’s wrong with Xu Yingran?”

Xu Chunjian said helplessly, “It might be the fluctuating temperatures lately. She wasn’t right the moment she woke up. I just went to the pharmacy to get her some medicine.”

“Is it serious?” Only then did Fu Qiao notice the bag of medicine in his hand; she had thought he was carrying breakfast.

“It’s hard to say. Her mother took the day off to stay with her. We’ll have to see.” Xu Chunjian looked at Fu Qiao, thought for a moment, and asked, “Do you want to come in and see her?”

Without hesitation, Fu Qiao nodded and followed him inside.

Xu Yingran was still sitting on the sofa acting “weak” when Zhao Yu looked at the thermometer in her hand, puzzled.

She doesn’t have a fever.

Xu Yingran knew she didn’t have one, of course, yet she still asked frailly, “Mom, is it high?”

Zhao Yu frowned. “You don’t have a fever at all. What’s going on?”

Just as the two were staring at each other, Xu Chunjian led Fu Qiao into the room.

Upon entering, Fu Qiao was also taken aback by Xu Yingran’s appearance. She saw her cheeks were frighteningly red and she looked completely “sickly,” as if she truly had a severe illness.

“What happened?” Fu Qiao walked over and looked at her, concerned. “Are you really sick? You were fine when school let out yesterday.”

Xu Yingran felt a bit guilty under Fu Qiao’s gaze. She turned her head and coughed twice more, saying to the three of them, “Maybe the wind was too strong last night and I caught a bit of a chill.”

“Is that so?” Fu Qiao looked at her suspiciously.

Xu Yingran didn’t say a word. Xu Chunjian pulled Zhao Yu away so they could prepare something for the child to eat, leaving Fu Qiao to talk to her.

Once they were in the kitchen, Fu Qiao stood in front of Xu Yingran, studied her, and then lightly kicked her toe. She whispered, “You’re faking it, aren’t you?”

Normally, Xu Yingran was as strong as an ox. How could a little night breeze make her fall ill? Furthermore, those flushed cheeks didn’t look like a fever; they actually looked rather familiar.

Being kicked by her made Xu Yingran feel a tingle through her body. She looked back at Fu Qiao and said, “I’m really sick. If you don’t believe me, touch my face. It’s burning.”

Skeptical, Fu Qiao sat on the sofa and reached out to touch her cheek. It really was quite hot to the touch.

“Really?” Fu Qiao looked at her with suspicion. “It shouldn’t be. Are you secretly plotting some kind of mischief?”

Xu Yingran thought to herself: You really are my wife; you’ve got my internal schemes figured out exactly.

But outwardly, she maintained a serious and solemn expression. “I’m really sick. Why won’t you believe me?”

After examining her for a long while, Fu Qiao finally said helplessly, “Fine. Do you need me to ask the teacher for leave? You certainly can’t go to school like this.”

“Yes, I need you to help me with that. Tomorrow is the weekend, so I’ll also have to trouble you to bring my homework back for me.” Xu Yingran spoke to Fu Qiao with a frail and obedient expression. “Thank you for your hard work.”

Though Fu Qiao felt something was off, she still agreed. She exhorted her, “Since you’re sick, just stay in bed. I’ll go to school and ask for leave for you.”

Zhao Yu walked in with a bowl of porridge just as Fu Qiao finished her sentence. She smiled warmly and said, “Then thank you, Xiao Qiao, for helping our Ranran.”

“You’re welcome, Auntie.” Fu Qiao stood up from the sofa and said, “Then I’ll head to school now.”

“Go on, go on. Be careful on the road, and don’t be late.”

“Okay, Auntie.”

Zhao Yu watched Fu Qiao leave, her eyes crinkling with a smile. She sat down beside Xu Yingran and sighed, “Xiao Qiao is such a good child. I wonder who will be lucky enough to marry her in the future.”

The one who was supposed to marry her, Xu Yingran, sat stiffly on the sofa in silence.