Can't Possibly Fall for My Wife Again After Rebirth, Right? - Chapter 34

The shy yet resentful look in Fu Qiao’s eyes made Xu Yingran’s heart itch. She wanted nothing more than to pull the girl into her arms and kiss her recklessly.

She wanted to taste Fu Qiao’s soft lips and slide her hands under that oversized school uniform to do the things only adults should do.

Xu Yingran realized it had been a month since she arrived in this timeline, and she hadn’t been intimate with Fu Qiao at all. Combined with the three months of abstinence before her rebirth, it had been nearly half a year. She felt like she was about to explode.

I really want to kiss my wife…

Xu Yingran’s mouth felt dry. The hand resting on Fu Qiao’s waist tightened, intending to pull her down.

However, Fu Qiao’s arms had truly reached their limit. Her strength gave out, and she collapsed forward, her face crashing directly into Xu Yingran’s. Specifically, her teeth slammed right into Xu Yingran’s front teeth.

“Ouch!” “Ah!”

Two cries of pain rang out simultaneously. Xu Yingran reflexively let go and clutched her mouth. She tasted the metallic tang of blood; her finger came away red. Her lip had been split open by the impact.

Fu Qiao was in no better shape. Her lip was also bleeding. She scrambled off the bed, clutching her mouth, her eyes welling with tears from the sheer sting of it.

“What are you doing?!”

Fu Qiao was on the verge of crying, her eyes rimmed with red—it was hard to tell if it was from anger or embarrassment. That “collision” had been tooth-on-tooth. Considering that was technically her first kiss, she felt a mix of shock, frustration, and grievance. She looked like a startled little rabbit.

Xu Yingran sat up, her lower lip already starting to swell. Looking at the equally disheveled Fu Qiao, she didn’t know whether to laugh or apologize first.

A kiss had happened, yes, but the atmosphere was completely wrong. It felt less like a romantic moment and more like a suicide attack.

“Sorry, are you okay?” Xu Yingran asked through her hand. “I just wanted to tease you. Where did you get hit?”

Fu Qiao stared at her, tears shimmering at the corners of her eyes. Xu Yingran looked at the wound on Fu Qiao’s lip apologetically. “Does it hurt a lot? Do you want some medicine?”

“How do you even put medicine on a lip?” Fu Qiao snapped, genuinely annoyed now. She turned away.

Xu Yingran scrambled off the bed and stood before her, cupping Fu Qiao’s face to inspect the damage. “It doesn’t look too deep. Let me see what the infirmary has.”

Seeing her about to leave, Fu Qiao grabbed her sleeve. “Forget it. By the time you find medicine, it’ll probably have healed on its own.”

Fu Qiao looked at Xu Yingran’s injury and noticed it actually looked worse than hers. She wanted to stay mad, but seeing Xu Yingran’s pathetic, swollen state, her anger dissipated.

Fine, Fu Qiao thought. So my first kiss was like this. We’re so close anyway; a kiss is just a kiss, even if it was a total accident.

After assessing the “battle damage,” Fu Qiao gave a helpless sigh and decided to forgive her.

“I packed your things. Yao Jin will bring them in a moment,” Fu Qiao said, tidying the bed. “Let’s go home.”

Xu Yingran nodded, but before she could speak, Yao Jin walked in carrying their backpacks. She froze at the door, staring at their swollen, bleeding lips. After a long pause, she asked, “Am I interrupting something? Should I go take another lap around the school?”

Fu Qiao’s face exploded into a deep crimson. “It’s not like that! You misunderstood!”

Yao Jin blinked, looking at Xu Yingran. “Did I really?”

“Misunderstand what?” Xu Yingran’s face also heated up as she took her bag. “It was an accident.”

“Ohhhhh~” Yao Jin dragged out the syllable so long that Xu Yingran wanted to hit her.

At the school gates, as they parted ways, Yao Jin reminded Xu Yingran: “Don’t forget your business.”

Watching the black Maybach drive off, Fu Qiao asked, “What business? Why are you two keeping secrets from me?”

Xu Yingran looked at her and said, “I’ll tell you tonight. Let’s go home first.”

At home, Zhao Yu and Xu Chunjian both noticed the mark on Xu Yingran’s lip and froze. Xu Yingran felt incredibly awkward. What do you do when your parents catch evidence of you kissing your wife?

There’s only one option: deny everything.

“I bit my lip while eating lunch,” Xu Yingran lied. “Maybe go easy on the chili in dinner for a few days.”

Zhao Yu continued picking over vegetables, remarking dryly, “I don’t usually put that much chili in, do I, Old Xu?”

Xu Chunjian rubbed his nose awkwardly. “Go cook, I have to head to the factory for the night shift.”

Later that evening, Xu Yingran knocked on Fu Qiao’s door.

With evening self-study starting tomorrow and the barbecue stall being quiet, Fu Qiao was at home doing homework. She let Xu Yingran into her room.

“What did you want to tell me?” Fu Qiao asked.

The layout of their apartments was identical, but Fu Qiao’s living room was basically a warehouse, packed with supplies and several freezers for frozen goods. There was a faint scent of raw meat in the air, though thankfully not in Fu Qiao’s bedroom.

Xu Yingran sat on the bed, looking at the neatly organized room. “You have so many things kept here.”

“Mostly books and notebooks,” Fu Qiao said, pulling up a chair. “I sold the ones I didn’t need, but I kept my textbooks from over the years.”

“That’s good.” Xu Yingran watched her for a moment before speaking seriously. “Fu Qiao, go to the broadcasting classes.”

“Huh?”

“I know you didn’t tell your parents. But I’ve thought about it—since you’re interested, you should learn. Don’t worry about anything else.”

Fu Qiao looked down, but Xu Yingran pressed on. “I’ve already secured the tuition money. We’re going to sign you up this Saturday.”

“The tuition?” Fu Qiao looked up in shock. “Where did you get that much money?”

Xu Yingran smiled. “Don’t worry about that. Just listen to me and go.”

Fu Qiao shook her head. “You shouldn’t involve yourself. I’ve decided not to waste the money.”

“How is education a waste?” Xu Yingran argued. “I can see how much you love it. I’ve solved the money problem, so you don’t need to stress.”

When Fu Qiao tried to protest again, Xu Yingran cut her off. “You might not say it, but you’re envious of those who go. If you miss this chance now, it will be so much harder to learn later. We’re going on Saturday.”

“Xu Yingran…”

Fu Qiao’s expression softened. She stared at the other girl with bright eyes and asked softly, “Why are you being so good to me?”

Why find the money? Why push me like this? Aren’t we just ordinary friends? Is it necessary to go this far?

Xu Yingran didn’t know how to answer. She couldn’t exactly say, “Because you’re my future wife.”

Even now, Xu Yingran was still sorting out her own feelings. She had a deep affection for Fu Qiao—they were childhood friends who had been together for ten years in her “previous” life. Even if there hadn’t been passion, there was a profound bond.

But her love for Fu Qiao wasn’t the “fire and brimstone” type. it was more like a long-flowing stream. She could no longer distinguish if what she felt was friendship, romantic love, or a sense of family.

But regardless of the label, she wanted to be good to Fu Qiao. If Fu Qiao wanted something, she would work to get it. If Fu Qiao was bullied, she would fight for her. Earning tuition was just a task.

“I actually don’t know,” Xu Yingran said honestly. “I just feel that since you like it so much, I should work hard for the sake of that ‘like’.”

Fu Qiao’s eyes flickered. She pursed her lips, feeling the slight sting of the wound. She wanted to ask if Xu Yingran did this because she “liked” her, but the words wouldn’t come out.

What if she doesn’t feel that way? What if she says she does? Should I accept?

The idea of friends becoming lovers felt strange to her. But if she rejected her, would they lose their friendship? The thought of losing Xu Yingran made her feel cold.

“Um…” Fu Qiao thought seriously. “Can you let me consider it?”

“Consider what?” Xu Yingran, completely oblivious to Fu Qiao’s internal romantic struggle, jumped off the bed and grabbed her hands. “You’re signing up this Saturday no matter what. I already have the money ready.”

Fu Qiao looked at her. She still couldn’t fathom how a fellow eighteen-year-old could suddenly produce over ten thousand yuan. “I’ll agree on one condition. You have to tell me exactly where the money came from. If you stole it or robbed someone, I’m not letting you go to jail on my account.”

Xu Yingran laughed. “Nonsense. My money is perfectly legal.”

“Then tell me. Only then will I agree.”

Xu Yingran relented and explained the arrangement she’d made with Yao Jin, omitting the part about her knowing the future of the stock market.

Hearing the end of it, Fu Qiao frowned. “What if you can’t pay Yao Jin back? What then?”

“If I can’t pay her back, I’ll just be her personal servant in college—bring her tea, fold her clothes,” Xu Yingran joked. “Don’t worry, even if I have to do work-study, I’ll pay her back.”