Can't Possibly Fall for My Wife Again After Rebirth, Right? - Chapter 23

When Zhao Yu saw Xu Yingran’s results from the monthly exam, her vision went black with shock.

“Ranran, what happened this time? How could you score so poorly?” Zhao Yu looked at her with an expression of pained disappointment. “With grades like these, how are you ever going to get into college?”

In the years to come, undergraduate degrees would become common, but in the present day, only about half of the students from a regular high school—those not in the elite “key” schools—could successfully get into a university. The rest either repeated a year, went to vocational colleges, or, if they had some connections, managed to scrape into a private “third-tier” university.

The Xu family was just a modest, ordinary household. They had no relatives in high government positions and knew no one with power or influence. Beyond the national college entrance exam, Zhao Yu simply couldn’t imagine a path forward for Xu Yingran.

“Mom, don’t worry. This was just a one-time lapse in performance. Next time, I’ll definitely be in the top thirty of the class,” Xu Yingran said with absolute certainty.

Zhao Yu sighed and slapped the test papers into Xu Chunjiang’s arms, gesturing for him, as the father, to say something.

Xu Chunjiang was a shy man. He performed technical work at the factory and found it difficult to summon the words to scold his daughter.

“Ranran,” Xu Chunjiang said after a long silence, “it’s fine that you did poorly this time. Just keep at it for the next one.”

For his trouble, Xu Chunjiang received a swift kick from his wife.

“What are you saying?” Zhao Yu hissed.

Xu Chunjiang replied to his wife with an aggrieved tone, “Well, it’s true. No one can guarantee a perfect score every time. Even you occasionally add too much salt to the food. Don’t be so harsh on the child.”

Zhao Yu was fuming and kicked her husband twice more.

Watching her parents bicker, Xu Yingran shuffled toward the wall and said to them, “I’m going to go do my homework now.”

Hearing this, Xu Chunjiang looked up. “Go ahead. I’ll call you when dinner’s ready.”

Zhao Yu intended to scold her further, but Xu Chunjiang wrapped his arms around her waist and dragged her away from Xu Yingran’s room.

Listening to the sound of her parents arguing in the outer room, Xu Yingran helplessly closed her door.

Clearing the messy test papers off her desk, she did something unprecedented: she pulled out her textbooks and began to review. She was determined to organize all the questions she had missed into a “Mistake Collection” notebook.

Her mother was right about one thing: how could she get into university with these grades?

She was well aware of her family’s situation. Xu Chunjiang was a factory designer—it sounded prestigious, but he was merely a slightly larger cog in the machine. He valued stability and comfort; it was a “stainless steel” bowl, safe but limited.

Zhao Yu worked as an accountant at the hospital, which was also a modest, steady job. With so many accountants in one hospital, most stayed in their positions for a lifetime without ever being promoted.

If Xu Yingran didn’t work hard, it was entirely possible she would end up as a street vendor.

Fortunately, the grilling skills she had learned from Fu Qiao’s parents in her previous life were still with her. Even if she did end up with a street stall, she probably wouldn’t starve.

However, Xu Yingran felt her life should be more than that. It should be more brilliant. But to achieve that brilliance, she first had to get into college.

After a quick dinner, Xu Yingran retreated back to her room to tackle more problems. She even went so far as to dig out old practice exams. She didn’t succumb to her exhaustion and head to bed until 11:00 PM.

The next morning, Xu Yingran woke up feeling unrested; she had spent her dreams solving math problems.

When Fu Qiao came to find her, she saw the heavy dark circles under Xu Yingran’s eyes. Surprised and worried, she asked, “What’s wrong? Did you not sleep well last night?”

“Yeah,” Xu Yingran yawned. “I was doing practice problems until 11:00, and then I spent the whole night dreaming about them. I almost couldn’t drag myself out of bed this morning.”

Fu Qiao remained worried. As childhood friends, she was already thinking of ways to help her.

However, Xu Yingran spoke first.

“Let’s go to the bookstore this weekend,” Xu Yingran said. “The practice problems I did yesterday felt too easy. The entrance exam definitely won’t be that simple. I need to get a different set of workbooks.”

Fu Qiao was puzzled. “Are you talking about the ones we bought together before school started? I think they’re okay. Have you finished them?”

“I did some,” Xu Yingran said. “I know all the types in there. There’s no way the actual exam will be like that. I need new material.”

“You… are certainly taking this seriously.” Fu Qiao walked backward with her hands behind her back, watching her. “Were you scolded very badly by Uncle and Auntie last night?”

It was bad, certainly, but that wasn’t the only reason.

Xu Yingran let out a long sigh and said to Fu Qiao, “Anyway, let’s go to the bookstore this weekend.”

“Why wait for the weekend? Let’s just go after school. The bookstore doesn’t close until ten.”

“Hmm… that works too.”

As they chatted, they saw Chen Yu emerge from the school gates.

She wasn’t wearing her school uniform. Her father accompanied her, and he was currently speaking with the Dean of Students, who was responsible for checking students at the entrance.

The two stopped walking and watched.

Ever since Chen Yu had apologized in front of the entire school, she hadn’t returned to class. Word was that she was preparing to transfer schools.

While transferring during the senior year was usually ill-advised, Chen Yu’s grades were poor to begin with. Even if she took the college entrance exam, she had almost no hope of getting in. Thus, her transfer was seen as inconsequential.

It was currently the morning rush. Students passing by whispered among themselves, and some of the bolder ones even pointed and stared.

Chen Yu kept her head down, her expression unreadable, looking quite dejected.

On the Monday before the monthly exams, Chen Yu had come to school to read her self-reflection during the flag-raising ceremony. She was now a campus celebrity.

Fu Qiao frowned with concern and instinctively grabbed Xu Yingran’s hand. “Chen Yu isn’t here to pick a fight with you again, is she?”

Xu Yingran looked at their joined hands and said, “Probably not.”

At that moment, Chen Yu happened to look up. Seeing Xu Yingran and Fu Qiao standing nearby, she froze.

But she immediately averted her gaze, biting her lip in an expression of distress.

Xu Yingran said nothing. She tightened her grip on Fu Qiao’s hand and walked toward the school gate.

Some students noticed Xu Yingran and excitedly began waiting for a scene. Someone even shouted at Chen Yu, “Chen Yu, the person you offended is here! Why haven’t you knelt down and apologized yet?”

Chen Yu’s face went pale, and her entire body began to tremble slightly.

High school students often lacked a filter, but Xu Yingran found it quite satisfying to hear.

The Dean of Students and Chen Yu’s father also heard the shouting. They turned to look at Xu Yingran but remained silent.

Seeing the situation, Fu Qiao became nervous, her hand in Xu Yingran’s becoming slightly sweaty.

Xu Yingran wasn’t nervous at all. She walked calmly and stopped not far from Chen Yu. Someone in the crowd whistled, hoping for drama, which made Chen Yu look even worse.

However, Xu Yingran ignored Chen Yu entirely. Instead, she turned to the Dean and said, “Good morning, Teacher.”

This “good morning” was incredibly deliberate. There was no need to specifically greet the Dean, yet she had gone out of her way to do so.

She was pointedly ignoring Chen Yu.

The Dean’s expression stiffened. He nodded at Xu Yingran and Fu Qiao. “Good morning, you two. Hurry inside; morning self-study is about to start.”

“Okay,” Xu Yingran said with a bright smile. “We’ll head to class then. Goodbye, Teacher.”

Without looking at Chen Yu’s expression, she led Fu Qiao away.

Fu Qiao stole a quiet glance back at Chen Yu. She saw that the girl’s face had turned green with humiliation as she stared in disbelief at Xu Yingran’s back. Finally, Chen Yu crouched down, buried her face in her knees, and began to sob.

Fu Qiao looked back at Xu Yingran.

“What?” Xu Yingran didn’t look back, speaking calmly. “Do you feel sorry for her?”

“No,” Fu Qiao whispered. “She bullied you first. Letting her off with just a transfer is already a bargain.”

It was rare to see Fu Qiao being so protective. Xu Yingran stopped walking, looked at her, and let out a small smile.

“What are you laughing at?” Fu Qiao felt self-conscious under the gaze and realized they had been holding hands the entire time.

“Just looking at you. What’s wrong?” Xu Yingran said. “My little childhood friend is so pretty; can’t I look at her for a few extra seconds?”

Fu Qiao’s face immediately flushed red. She shook off Xu Yingran’s hand and retorted, “You’re a childhood friend too.”

“Whatever you say.” Xu Yingran was in a great mood. Looking at Fu Qiao’s crimson cheeks, she smiled and said, “Let’s get to class. We’ll get scolded if we’re late.”

When they arrived at the classroom, Xu Yingran saw Yao Jin already dutifully sitting in her seat, reading.

Xu Yingran gestured for Fu Qiao to go to her seat first. Then she walked over to Yao Jin and tapped on her desk to get her attention.

Yao Jin looked up, her clear eyes blinking. “Is something up?”

Xu Yingran replied, “I saw Chen Yu at the gate. It looks like she’s transferring.”

Yao Jin: “Oh.”

After that, she lowered her head to continue reading her textbook. Xu Yingran slapped a hand down on the desk, leaning over to stare at her. “You’re the one who did the work, yet I’m the one getting all the ‘credit.’ You’re quite a nice person, aren’t you?”

Yao Jin caught the hidden meaning in Xu Yingran’s words. She looked up with a smile and said, “You were bullied, so I bullied her back. Isn’t that what friends do?”

Xu Yingran was stunned for a moment before laughing helplessly. “You’re right.”

After all, they were going to be friends for decades to come. If Yao Jin were ever bullied, Xu Yingran would be more than happy to step in for her too.

Chen Yu’s transfer was only mentioned briefly by the homeroom teacher before class began. It was treated as simply as a fly buzzing away from the room, to the point that no one really paid it any mind.