Can't Possibly Fall for My Wife Again After Rebirth, Right? - Chapter 49

Staring at the thick stack of cash in front of her, Xu Yingran didn’t process the meaning of Fu Qiao’s words for a moment.

“Why are you saying this out of the blue?” Xu Yingran frowned slightly as she held the tote bag. “I told you, I can help you. Take this money back.”

Fu Qiao took a step back, refusing to take it. Instead, she looked up at Xu Yingran, her eyes as dark as ink and completely devoid of emotion.

“The money has already been withdrawn. Besides, my parents know about this now; they feel that we should pay for the tutoring ourselves,” Fu Qiao said calmly. “Yao Jin’s money didn’t blow in on a gust of wind either. You should return it to her.”

Every word Fu Qiao said made perfect sense, but Xu Yingran just felt that something was wrong.

Politeness. She was being far too polite.

Fu Qiao had never been this formal with her. In her memories of their life together, they shared everything; if Fu Qiao wanted to buy something, she’d just mention it to Xu Yingran or buy it outright—spending thousands or tens of thousands without a second thought.

But now, Fu Qiao was creating distance over a 12,000-yuan tutoring fee. This sent a wave of panic through Xu Yingran’s heart. She felt as if Fu Qiao was drifting further and further away.

“Fu Qiao.” Xu Yingran’s brow furrowed deep. She grabbed Fu Qiao’s hand to give the bag back. “I can’t take this. Don’t be so polite with me. Does our relationship really come down to caring about ten thousand yuan?”

Fu Qiao looked at her quietly. After a long moment, she stopped trying to force it. “Alright then.”

“I’ll bring the money to school and give it to Yao Jin myself,” Fu Qiao said, turning her head away. “It’s the same whether it comes from you or me.”

With that, Fu Qiao left Xu Yingran’s house without looking back, acting as if she couldn’t stand to stay for even another second.

Fu Qiao’s abnormal behavior left Xu Yingran feeling like her heart was being squeezed. On the way to school, she walked on eggshells, terrified that a single wrong word would upset Fu Qiao again.

Yet Fu Qiao seemed completely indifferent. She continued to walk to school, eat lunch, and go home with Xu Yingran just as she always had. It was as if she hadn’t been affected by that day’s “misunderstanding” at all.

Everything was exactly the same.

And that was precisely what made Xu Yingran more terrified by the day. She felt goosebumps rising all over her body. This felt like the calm before a massive storm—Fu Qiao was definitely holding something big back!

Yao Jin felt helpless after hearing her concerns. She patted Xu Yingran on the shoulder and said, “I think you’re overthinking it. Didn’t you want Fu Qiao to act like nothing happened? Why are you worried now that she’s doing exactly that?”

“I did want that, but the fact that she’s acting this normal is what’s abnormal,” Xu Yingran argued righteously.

Yao Jin sighed. “You’ve got an answer for everything. What else can I say?”

She stood up, grabbed her backpack, and told Xu Yingran, “Come on, let’s go. Don’t distract the other students from their self-study.”

Xu Yingran had no choice but to shoulder her bag and leave the classroom. She glanced toward the teacher’s office and wondered aloud, “What does Teacher Li want with Fu Qiao again? She’s calling her in every other day—is something wrong?”

At that moment, Fu Qiao was standing by Li Yuwen’s desk, waiting quietly with her head down for a signature.

Li Yuwen looked at her and asked, “Have you really made up your mind?”

Fu Qiao nodded. “I’ve already contacted the teachers over there. I’m going to meet them this Saturday. If all goes well, I can start classes there next Monday.”

Since she had put it that way, Li Yuwen could only shake her head and sign the papers. After putting them away, she looked up. “Alright. Then you don’t need to come to school next Monday. I wish you even better results at your new school.”

Fu Qiao remained silent for a long time before giving Li Yuwen a deep bow.

As she left the office, she saw the two familiar figures waiting in the corridor. Her expression faltered for a brief moment, and she paused for a few seconds before walking toward them.

“Fu Qiao!” Xu Yingran waved first. “What did Teacher Li want? She kept you so late.”

Fu Qiao looked at her and took her backpack. “Nothing much. We just talked about my grades.”

“Your grades are so good, what is there to talk about?” Xu Yingran muttered. “You’re in the top ten every year—eighth place at your worst.”

Fu Qiao didn’t respond. she walked toward the school gate in silence.

Xu Yingran didn’t mind the silence and continued, “Tomorrow is Saturday. Don’t you have your broadcasting class? I’ve already asked my mom to borrow the electric scooter; I’ll drop you off, okay?”

Fu Qiao finally glanced at her. “No need. I have some business tomorrow. I’ll go by myself.”

“What ‘business’ could you have tomorrow? The Bureau of Education doesn’t even allow weekend tutoring anymore. You should just stay home and rest.”

“I have my own things to do.”

In the end, Xu Yingran couldn’t convince her. When she ran over to the Fu house the next morning, she was told that Fu Qiao had already left.

Seriously… she said we were friends just two days ago, and now she won’t even let me drive her to her lessons.

Xu Yingran, having woken up early for nothing, couldn’t go back to sleep. She was forced by her mother, Zhao Yu, to stay in her room and do homework.

But what was the point of homework? It was just a bunch of problems she couldn’t solve. How could homework be more interesting than her wife?

Xu Yingran stared at her mock exam, thinking that when Fu Qiao came home, they could do them together. With that thought, she began twirling her pen.

Pen spinning was a popular skill among students. Xu Yingran might not be a scholar, but her fingers were incredibly nimble. The pen danced across her knuckles without ever falling—it moved so fast it looked like a blur, reminiscent of the Monkey King’s staff.

She sat there spinning her pen and staring out the window. Suddenly, she noticed a moving truck parked in the courtyard below.

Xu Yingran watched, initially amused. Neighbors in these old districts often bought similar things. Look at that dark brown patterned cabinet—she remembered Fu Qiao’s family had one just like it.

And that peeling chest of drawers… that dark square table… that chaise lounge with a missing armrest…

The color of those flower pots was the same as the Fu family’s. That table was too. That peach-wood bookshelf…

Wait.

Xu Yingran froze. Then, she bolted upright. The pen she was spinning flew out of her hand and hit the windowpane with a sharp clink.

“Mom! Mom, Mom, Mom!”

The usually steady Xu Yingran was now in a full-blown panic. She scrambled out of her room searching for her mother. When she saw Zhao Yu enter the living room, she asked with a pale face, “Whose house is that moving company clearing out downstairs?!”

Zhao Yu looked at her daughter in confusion. “What’s wrong with you? Haven’t you heard that Qiaoqiao’s family is moving?”

Fu Qiao’s family was moving?!

“When did this happen? Why didn’t I know anything about it?!”

“Qiaoqiao didn’t tell you?”

Xu Yingran was practically jumping in place with anxiety. “No! She never said a word about moving!”

Zhao Yu blinked. “Is that so…”

Xu Yingran was frantic. She had felt something was wrong over the past few days—Fu Qiao’s “normal” behavior was the red flag. She had returned the tutoring money; in hindsight, those were all omens!

But this hadn’t happened before!

Xu Yingran searched her memories. Fu Qiao had moved in the previous life, but that was after they had both started university. Fu Qiao only told her during the winter break and invited the then-orphaned Xu Yingran to spend the New Year with them.

But that was supposed to happen after the college entrance exams! Why was it happening now?!

Looking at her shocked daughter, Zhao Yu said, “Maybe Qiaoqiao just forgot to tell you. Your Uncle Fu Jun has been running that stall for over ten years; they finally saved enough to buy a house in the East District and a large storefront. They won’t have to pay rent to anyone anymore. It’s a good thing.”

It was a good thing, but…

Xu Yingran’s voice rose an octave. “But why didn’t she tell me!”

Zhao Yu’s ears rang from her daughter’s shout. She rubbed her ear and said, “I heard Qiaoqiao is transferring schools, too. She’s going to the best high school in the city; it happens to be close to their new home.”

Xu Yingran’s eyes went wide.

One shock after another. She had been thinking Fu Qiao was being a bad friend for not telling her about the move, but now she was hearing about a school transfer! Such a major event—why didn’t she know when she was with Fu Qiao every single day?!

Why didn’t I know?!

Xu Yingran was reeling. She grabbed her mother’s shoulders, her mind refusing to accept it. Zhao Yu didn’t know how to comfort her, so she simply said, “Maybe Qiaoqiao didn’t want to see you sad.”

That’s impossible.

Xu Yingran thought: Fu Qiao must be retaliating against me because I made a different choice this time.

She ran back to her room, grabbed her phone, and called Fu Qiao. She called again and again, but Fu Qiao wouldn’t answer. Eventually, the phone was turned off.

Listening to the mechanical automated voice, Xu Yingran felt a chill run through her entire body. It was like the wings of a butterfly lightly brushing against her ear.

She finally understood.

Details she had ignored in her previous life finally clicked together, revealing a truth that had been hidden beneath the surface.

In her past life, Xu Yingran thought Fu Qiao had confessed to her, so she had proactively accepted. But in reality, Fu Qiao had been delivering a letter for someone else, only to end up with Xu Yingran due to a misunderstanding. Because Xu Yingran had just lost her parents and wasn’t yet close with Yao Jin, her entire world consisted of only Fu Qiao and her family.

Perhaps the Fu family had always planned to move at this time. But because Xu Yingran had lost her parents, Fu Jun and Hu Mei—being the kind neighbors they were—couldn’t bear to leave her alone and destitute. They must have postponed their move for an entire year, waiting until she and Fu Qiao got into university before moving to their new home that had sat empty for a year.

It was all because Xu Yingran had been alone. A child who had just become an adult and lost her parents couldn’t afford to lose Fu Qiao and her kind neighbors as well.

But this time, Xu Yingran’s parents were fine. They were alive and well. And so, the butterfly’s path had shifted.

Fu Qiao hadn’t ended up with Xu Yingran, so there was no longer a reason to stay and look after her. Naturally, she chose to move and transfer schools.

They were like two parallel lines that, because of one decision by Xu Yingran, were now diverging into different worlds.