Can't Possibly Fall for My Wife Again After Rebirth, Right? - Chapter 35

Grade 12 evening self-study ran from 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM, with one break in between. For the rest of the time, students were expected to work quietly in the classroom. Since it was just the beginning of the term, the teachers simply assigned homework for everyone to complete on their own. Later in the year, subject teachers would be scheduled to give supplementary lectures during these hours.

The teachers couldn’t watch the students every second, so usually, the homeroom teacher would just stroll through to check on things before leaving a class representative in charge of discipline. Li Yuwen appointed Fu Qiao as the discipline monitor, responsible for maintaining order whenever the teacher wasn’t present.

Initially, the students found evening self-study quite novel. Having nowhere else to go after dinner—and since the school gates were locked early—most gathered in the classroom early to chat.

Fu Qiao wrote the assignments on the blackboard and distributed three sets of practice papers for different subjects. These were to be completed during the session.

“Fu Qiao, this is too much!” one student complained. “We didn’t have this much homework when we didn’t have evening classes. Three papers plus extra exercises? How are we supposed to finish all this in one night?”

Fu Qiao gave a dry laugh while handing out papers. “Don’t look at me, I can’t help it. This is what the teachers assigned.”

“Why don’t we just let the top students finish and then we’ll all copy them?”

“Sure,” Fu Qiao replied. “Try copying during the Gaokao and see if they let you get away with it then.”

“Tsk…”

When Fu Qiao reached Xu Yingran’s desk, she looked at her and whispered, “If there’s anything you don’t understand, just ask me.”

Xu Yingran looked up and smiled, signaling that she understood.

At 7:30 PM, evening self-study officially began. Li Yuwen walked in clutching her lesson plans. “Everyone, work quietly on your assignments. No talking.”

The students grumbled but pulled out their pens. Xu Yingran also looked at the work and began writing seriously.

The students of Class 5 were still quite restless. While Li Yuwen sat in an empty seat in the back row working on her plans, several students who couldn’t sit still began passing notes. One note accidentally landed on Xu Yingran’s desk. She looked up and saw it had been tossed by Yao Jin.

Opening the crumpled piece of scratch paper, she saw a single sentence: How much have you finished?

Xu Yingran curled her lip. It hadn’t even been two minutes; how much could she have finished? She rolled the note back into a ball, dropped it in her drawer, and held up her blank paper to show Yao Jin that she hadn’t written a single word yet.

“Ahem—”

Li Yuwen coughed from the back, her voice stern. “No more little tricks. Focus on your own work.”

Xu Yingran shrank her neck and quickly buried her head in her paper, making Yao Jin giggle. Fu Qiao, noticing the commotion, turned around to see Xu Yingran’s look of chagrin, guessing that Teacher Li’s reprimand had been directed at her.

An hour into the session, Li Yuwen capped her fountain pen and stood up. She walked over to Fu Qiao and lowered her voice. “I have something to do in the office and won’t be back for the second half. You’re in charge. Watch the class and don’t let them get too rowdy.” Li Yuwen liked Fu Qiao and often relied on her for help.

Fu Qiao nodded. “I understand, Teacher.”

As soon as Li Yuwen left, the room exhaled in relief. Someone whispered, “Teacher’s gone!”

That single phrase turned the quiet classroom into a buzz of activity. Students began whispering and moving about, the noise level rising quickly. Fu Qiao tapped the desk. “Get back to work. Teacher Li will be back soon.”

A mischievous boy sitting near her countered, “Fu Qiao, don’t lie. I heard her. She said she has business and isn’t coming back.”

“Who said she isn’t coming back? Don’t talk nonsense,” Fu Qiao snapped. “Quiet down and do your homework.”

“The monitor isn’t supposed to lie~”

“That’s enough.”

Suddenly, Xu Yingran raised her voice. “You’re already seniors and you’re still playing around? Do you all think your grades are so good that you don’t need to study?”

Whether it was because Xu Yingran’s tone was too sharp or because she was making sense, everyone shrugged helplessly and went back to their papers. Fu Qiao glanced back at Xu Yingran, only to see her already head-down and focused on her work.

During the ten-minute break after the first session, Fu Qiao walked over to Xu Yingran’s desk and whispered, “Thanks for earlier.”

Xu Yingran looked up, propping her head on her hand. “And how do you plan to thank me?”

Fu Qiao blinked. I say thank you and you immediately start acting smug?

But thinking about how Xu Yingran had indeed helped her, Fu Qiao decided to play along. “Fine. How do you want me to thank you?”

Xu Yingran showed her small tiger teeth in a grin. She rummaged through her drawer and pulled out a chocolate candy, pressing it into Fu Qiao’s hand.

“I saw you didn’t eat much for dinner. You’ll be hungry by eight or nine,” Xu Yingran said, looking up at her. “Take this. Consider it your repayment to me.”

The chocolate was warm from being in the drawer. Fu Qiao looked at it in surprise, her face flushing slightly. “Just this?”

“Mhm.” Xu Yingran nodded. “That’s all I’ve got. If you’re still hungry later, we’ll grab something on the way home.”

“I am a little hungry.” Fu Qiao peeled the dark wrapper and popped the small chocolate into her mouth. The sweetness felt like it was melting her heart.

“So sweet,” Fu Qiao said, wrinkling her nose. “And the outside is all soft.”

“It’s been sitting there for a while. I’ll buy you a fresh one next time.”

“Okay.”

As Fu Qiao chewed the chocolate, looking at Xu Yingran’s familiar face, she felt a wave of sweetness that had nothing to do with the candy. She watched Xu Yingran, rolling the chocolate over her tongue, and asked softly, “What do you want to eat tonight?”

The way back to their neighborhood passed through the Old Street and other districts. Being locals, they knew every good food spot and their closing times.

Xu Yingran thought about it. “Rice noodles or fried noodles? I wonder if the noodle shop we usually go to closes at 9:30.”

“Probably not,” Fu Qiao said. “They close at 10:00. We’ll make it just in time.”

“Great. Let’s take the long way home after school.”

“Mhm.”

The two fell silent for a moment. Fu Qiao looked at Xu Yingran and suddenly felt awkward, her mind flashing back to their accidental “kiss” in the infirmary. Her lips still felt a bit tender when she thought about it. Her ears turned red. To stop her mind from wandering, she looked away. “I’m going back to my seat. I’ll find you after class.”

Before Xu Yingran could respond, Fu Qiao hurried away. Xu Yingran was baffled. Why did she run off like that?

Thwack—

Before she could solve the mystery, a paper ball hit her forehead. She turned to see Yao Jin staring at her, gesturing toward the floor.

Is she crazy? It’s break time, she can just talk to me. Why keep throwing notes?

Muttering a curse under her breath, Xu Yingran unfolded the paper. It read: I heard what you guys were talking about. I don’t want rice noodles. I want fried noodles.

Xu Yingran couldn’t sit still after reading that. She marched over to Yao Jin and grabbed her collar, shaking her. “What does us eating rice noodles have to do with you!!!”

The two bickered until the second session began.

At 9:30 PM, Li Yuwen returned. Seeing everyone working or reviewing, she nodded in satisfaction. When the bell rang, she announced, “Be safe on your way home. Dorm students, stay until 10:00. Day students, leave promptly so you don’t disturb those still studying.”

Most students grabbed their bags and dashed out. Xu Yingran packed quickly and stood by Fu Qiao. “No rush. Take your time, then we’ll go eat.”

“Mhm.” Fu Qiao nodded but didn’t look at her, packing her things before walking out with her.

Yao Jin was already waiting at the door. Seeing them, she remarked, “Where are you going to eat? I want to go too.”

Xu Yingran realized Yao Jin was like a child; wherever others went, she wanted to follow. “Isn’t your driver coming for you?”

“If your driver isn’t coming, the three of us can go together,” Xu Yingran added as they walked.

Yao Jin pouted, her hands in her pockets. “Never mind. My dad made the driver wait at the gate. I guess I can’t join you.”

“Tomorrow lunch, then,” Xu Yingran said. “It’s not far. We have enough time to walk there, eat, and come back.”

Yao Jin’s eyes lit up. Her family’s chef made great food, but eating alone at a giant table was boring. She much preferred being with Xu Yingran and Fu Qiao, even if it was just for a cheap bowl of noodles.

“It’s a deal! Tomorrow we eat together,” Yao Jin said excitedly. “I’ve never eaten at a roadside noodle shop. I wonder if it’s good.”

The three of them walked toward the school gate, chatting and laughing. Because it was the first day of evening self-study, there was a large crowd of parents waiting outside.

Just as Xu Yingran was about to say something to Fu Qiao, she saw several familiar figures waving at them.

Xu Chunjian, Zhao Yu, Fu Jun, and Hu Mei were all there. The four parents were sitting on a nearby flower bed. Seeing the girls emerge, they stood up to meet them.

“Mom? Dad?” Fu Qiao hurried over. “Why are you here? Didn’t you open the stall tonight?”

“Business is slow anyway, so we closed early to pick you up,” Hu Mei said with a smile, patting Fu Qiao’s head. She then turned to Xu Yingran and Yao Jin. “Ran-ran, is this the classmate you guys got drunk with last time?”