Can't Possibly Fall for My Wife Again After Rebirth, Right? - Chapter 42

Xu Yingran felt that this never-ending rain was naturally at odds with her.

Beyond the fact that she had lost her parents in the mist and rain in her previous life, many other significant events had been accompanied by such weather—shrouded in fog, blotting out the sun as if preparing to swallow something whole.

As luck would have it, today was another rainy day.

Fu Qiao likely hadn’t expected Xu Yingran to come out. After their eyes met, Fu Qiao turned her head and hurried toward her home. Xu Yingran reacted quickly, tossing her umbrella aside and rushing after her.

“Fu Qiao! Fu Qiao!”

Just as Fu Qiao turned to close the door, Xu Yingran nimbly slipped inside.

With a click, the door shut. Fu Qiao stared blankly at the person in front of her. After a long moment, she recovered, averting her gaze from Xu Yingran’s eyes and asking in a low voice, “Why did you follow me?”

“I…”

Xu Yingran didn’t know why she had followed her. She simply looked at the rain-drenched Fu Qiao and felt she was inexplicably beautiful.

The autumn rain was cold and crisp. Water had soaked the stray hairs on Fu Qiao’s forehead; the wet strands framed her pale, petite face, giving her a sudden, fragile beauty. It made Xu Yingran instinctively recall the kiss they had shared in the infirmary not long ago.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t even a kiss—it was an accident.

In the past, she and Fu Qiao had done plenty of things together. Never mind kissing; they had shared every kind of intimacy imaginable. Yet now, when Xu Yingran tried to remember, the memories were a blur. She could only vividly recall that “accident” in the infirmary.

Fu Qiao is so beautiful right now. I really want to kiss her again.

Xu Yingran stared at Fu Qiao’s soft, pink lips, her throat feeling dry with the urge to lean in. But then, she saw Fu Qiao decisively turn around and head further into the house.

“Hey?!” Xu Yingran looked at Fu Qiao’s back with a grievance. “Where are you going?”

I haven’t even kissed you yet. Why are you leaving?

Fu Qiao ignored her. She went to the bathroom, grabbed a dry towel to wipe her hair, and decided she should probably take a shower. She looked back at Xu Yingran and asked, “I’m going to shower. Is there something you need?”

Stunned, Xu Yingran shook her head. “No… nothing… well, not exactly nothing. I just wanted to ask why you suddenly asked me that question at noon today…”

Her voice trailed off, becoming quieter and quieter. No matter where Fu Qiao walked, Xu Yingran followed right behind her like a shadow.

Xu Yingran watched as Fu Qiao gathered her clothes and slippers, then went to the balcony to retrieve some dried underwear that hadn’t been brought in yet. When Fu Qiao turned and saw Xu Yingran still following her, she gave her a helpless look. “Are you going to follow me into the shower, too?”

“I, I, I…” It’s not like I haven’t before.

Xu Yingran’s face turned bright red. When they had traveled together in the past, it wasn’t as if they hadn’t shared a bath. They had soaked in hot springs, too. Besides those things, they had done so many other… things.

Fu Qiao had no idea that Xu Yingran’s mind was currently blooming with lewd thoughts. Assuming the girl was just feeling awkward, she took her things and stepped around her. “If you have nothing to do, help me take the clothes from the balcony and put them on the living room sofa.”

It wasn’t until the bathroom door closed that Xu Yingran belatedly let out an “Oh.”

Outside was the pitter-patter of the rain; inside was the sound of Fu Qiao showering.

After folding the clothes, Xu Yingran sat stiffly on a stool by the dining table, her face flushed deep red.

Oh dear, what should I do?

Xu Yingran couldn’t help but look around. She wondered where Fu Qiao’s parents were. Since it was raining, they couldn’t set up their street stall—why weren’t they home? If Auntie Hu Mei and the others were here, Xu Yingran might not feel so embarrassed.

She didn’t know if it was just her, but she felt as though the sound of the rain outside was fading away, becoming inaudible. Instead, the sound of the water in the bathroom grew so loud it seemed to drum against her eardrums.

It was as if Fu Qiao were showering right in front of her.

When she realized where her thoughts were drifting, Xu Yingran vigorously shook her head to drive them out. But new images immediately crawled back in.

She couldn’t shake them. Xu Yingran was familiar with every inch of Fu Qiao’s body. She even knew about the mole on the inner part of her thigh. Every time they reached the peak of intimacy, Xu Yingran loved to lick that mole until the tiny spot turned bright red.

The sound of the water stopped abruptly. Soon, Xu Yingran heard the rustle of fabric.

That was Fu Qiao drying herself.

Xu Yingran could imagine it: she would certainly use a clean towel to dry her pale neck first, then her slender, soft arms. Once the white towel wrapped around her slim waist and hips, Fu Qiao would lift one long leg to dry that tiny mole on the inner thigh. Finally, she would put on her underwear, her full chest rising as she reached behind her back to hook the bra.

Now, Fu Qiao would be pulling on a long nightgown and switching to clean slippers before walking out of the bathroom while drying her damp hair.

Sure enough, when Fu Qiao appeared, she had a white towel draped over her shoulders and had changed into a pair of pink-and-white fluffy slippers.

The two girls locked eyes, both with cheeks flushed red.

Fu Qiao’s was from the heat of the shower. Xu Yingran’s was from the sheer shame of what she had been imagining.

“You’re finished?” Xu Yingran asked, knowing full well she was. “Let me help you blow-dry your hair so you don’t catch a cold.”

Fu Qiao originally wanted to say she could do it herself, but she saw that Xu Yingran had already gotten the hairdryer from the living room cabinet. She beckoned Fu Qiao to sit in the chair she had just occupied.

Looking at the “sincere” expression on Xu Yingran’s face, Fu Qiao hesitated for only a moment before walking over and sitting down in front of her.

The hairdryer whirred with hot air. The noise was so loud it drowned out the rain outside; even the voice of the person behind her seemed distant.

“…Where did you go this afternoon?” Xu Yingran asked quietly from behind.

Fu Qiao thought for a moment before saying, “I went to the bookstore to read for a while.”

Xu Yingran didn’t believe her, but she didn’t argue. Once she finished drying Fu Qiao’s hair, she reached out and ran her fingers through the soft strands.

Fu Qiao’s hair was exceptionally soft. Unlike Xu Yingran’s hair, which was coarse enough to prick someone, Fu Qiao’s hair felt as delicate as water. Given her young age, her long black hair was even smoother than usual.

She looked like a pampered little pet.

Feeling those soft strands, Xu Yingran felt as if the silky texture was brushing against her heart, making it itch with a restless ache.

“Fu Qiao,” Xu Yingran said after a long silence. “Regarding the fact that I like girls… can you keep it a secret for me?”

Fu Qiao paused slightly, turning back to look at her. “A secret?”

Xu Yingran nodded. “I don’t want my parents to know yet. If my mom knew I liked girls, she would definitely be distressed. I don’t want them to worry about me.”

In her previous life, Zhao Yu and Xu Chunjian never had the chance to hear her say it. Although Xu Yingran had no intention of hiding it forever, she wanted to find the right moment to explain it herself.

Seeing Xu Yingran’s solemn expression, Fu Qiao remained silent for a long time before nodding. “I understand. I won’t tell Uncle or Auntie.”

Having reached an understanding, Xu Yingran couldn’t help but smile at Fu Qiao. As she put away the hairdryer, she asked casually, “Where are your parents? Are they still out at the stall in this rain?”

“No.” Fu Qiao walked over to take the hairdryer from Xu Yingran’s hand. She said softly, “It’s getting colder lately, so they don’t plan on setting up the stall anymore. They went out today for some business and won’t be back until tonight.”

Xu Yingran asked curiously, “What kind of business?”

Fu Qiao looked at her, lowered her head, and said, “Nothing much. I don’t know the details.”

Xu Yingran didn’t doubt this. Parents always treated them like children and never told them anything, so she didn’t plan on prying further.

Once a person relaxes, they tend to lower their guard against the obvious.

Xu Yingran had never imagined that Fu Qiao would leave her. Even after Yao Jin had mentioned those “possibilities,” Xu Yingran still felt such a thing could never happen.

What was the nature of her relationship with Fu Qiao? If they could be separated, it would have happened long ago. Why wait until now?

So, Xu Yingran stayed in the room with Fu Qiao until her parents returned. When Fu Jun and Hu Mei entered, they seemed to be discussing moving something, but Xu Yingran didn’t pay it any mind. She headed home with a light step.

Watching her daughter leave the house looking like the world was ending only to return full of joy, Zhao Yu couldn’t help but shake her head.

She’s just a child after all. Fu Qiao’s whole family is preparing to move, yet she’s still smiling so mindlessly.

On Monday, Xu Yingran went to school with Fu Qiao as usual.

After the flag-raising ceremony, the school kept the seniors behind to give a high-sounding speech. The gist of it was that they had too much break time; they shouldn’t just play at home but should focus on their studies instead.

Back in the classroom, Xu Yingran was about to talk to Fu Qiao when she saw her being called to the office by the class advisor.

Bored, Xu Yingran could only lean against the corridor railing with Yao Jin, absentmindedly tugging at Yao Jin’s hair. “A-Jin, why does the teacher always look for Fu Qiao? She’s not the class president, just a discipline monitor at most. What kind of tasks does the teacher have that require daily talks?”

Yao Jin propped up her head, letting Xu Yingran pull at her split ends. She felt like they were two monkeys on a mountain, passing the time by grooming each other for lice under the sun.

“You’re asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?” Yao Jin fiddled with her hair, looking at her split ends with a gloomy face. She felt her hair must be splitting because she was overusing her brain.

“Oh?” Xu Yingran said, trying to find a conversation starter. “About seeing your mom last Saturday… did you tell your dad?”

Yao Jin didn’t say a word, just stared blankly at her split ends.

Seeing her like this, Xu Yingran knew she hadn’t said anything. She sighed. “I hope your parents’ divorce lawsuit finishes quickly.”

Yao Jin felt the same way. There had been no affection when they got together; after nearly twenty years of going in circles, they just couldn’t make it work anymore. It was fine to separate.

But it wasn’t okay to hook up with a mistress before the divorce papers were even finalized.

Yao Jin still remembered what that assistant looked like—a cold, beautiful woman. Why was she so willing to be a mistress to a married woman?

“Some people really will do anything for money,” Yao Jin said coldly.

Xu Yingran was baffled by the sudden comment. Just as she was about to speak, she saw a familiar figure coming up the other end of the corridor.

Zhou Wan was seen walking toward the teacher’s office, clutching something in her arms. She knocked, entered, and closed the door right in front of them.

Xu Yingran narrowed her eyes and gave Yao Jin’s hair a sharp tug. “My love rival is here.”

A-Jin: Your rival is here, so why are you pulling MY hair?