Can't Possibly Fall for My Wife Again After Rebirth, Right? - Chapter 52

During the first period of evening self-study, Xu Yingran and Yao Jin sneakily made their way to a low wall behind the school gymnasium.

“Are you really going to climb over the wall?” Yao Jin followed behind Xu Yingran, walking hunched over.

“Of course.” Xu Yingran found the lowest point of the wall. She looked up at several holes where bricks were missing; it looked very easy to climb. This was the most suitable spot for skipping class that she had found after scouring several school forums.

“These were probably made by people skipping class. Look, you can climb up by stepping in these holes,” Xu Yingran said to Yao Jin.

“But once you’re up, how do you get down?”

“…Hmm, that’s a good question.” Xu Yingran rolled up her sleeves and told Yao Jin, “I’ll figure out how to get down once I’m up there. A-Jin, you wait for me inside first.”

Seeing Xu Yingran raising her foot to climb, Yao Jin hurried over to act as a human stepping stool and gave her a push.

While pushing, she couldn’t help but ask, “I’m not trying to nag, but our self-study ends at 9:30. Wouldn’t it be the same if you went to that high school to find Fu Qiao then? Do you really have to skip class?”

“You don’t understand!” Xu Yingran said while clinging to the top of the wall. “That place is far away, and I don’t even know how to get there yet.”

After a lot of huffing and puffing, Xu Yingran finally managed to sit atop the wall with great effort. She looked down at Yao Jin and said, “Throw my backpack up.”

Yao Jin shook her head helplessly, found the backpack in the dark, and threw it into Xu Yingran’s arms. “Why don’t I call the driver and have him take you there? It’s late; I’m afraid you won’t be safe on the road.”

“It’s not even 8 o’clock yet. How is that late?” Xu Yingran held her backpack and reached out to Yao Jin. “Come, I’ll pull you up.”

Just as Yao Jin was about to reach out, the back door of the gymnasium opened. Two security guards on duty immediately spotted Xu Yingran sitting on the wall and Yao Jin still on the ground. They instantly swung their flashlights and shouted, “You there! Which class are you from?!”

Both Xu Yingran and Yao Jin were startled. With a silent understanding, neither even looked at the other—one jumped down holding her backpack, and the other took off running.

The two guards hesitated for a moment and chose to chase the one who ran.

Xu Yingran, who had jumped from the wall and landed with numb legs, looked back at the courtyard wall and silently prayed that Yao Jin would be okay. However, she had no time to worry about others now. She quickly put on her backpack, shook out her numb legs, and ran toward the bus stop.

There were quite a few buses going to the East District, and since it was past the evening rush hour, Xu Yingran jumped on a suitable route to get away from the school before transferring.

She had climbed the wall before 8:00, but by the time the bus reached the gates of the provincial key high school, it was already past 9:00.

After getting off the bus, Xu Yingran couldn’t help but frown. She checked the last bus time at the stop; the final one was at 10:30. She didn’t know what time Fu Qiao’s evening self-study ended.

Xu Yingran didn’t have a cell phone right now, so she didn’t know how to contact Fu Qiao or which class she was in. She could only sit on a stone bollard by the gate to pass the time.

The security guard saw Xu Yingran and, noticing her school uniform, let her wait inside the guardroom. He didn’t want a young girl wandering alone outside so late at night.

From the security guards, Xu Yingran learned that the third-year evening self-study lasted until 10:00 PM. She waited patiently.

As soon as 10:00 arrived, the dismissal bell rang. The entrance was flooded with parents picking up their children. Xu Yingran stood in the crowd, her uniform looking quite conspicuous.

Fu Qiao was among the first to leave the classroom because most of the students were still quietly working on practice papers; she heard they were boarders who would study until the dormitories closed at 11:00.

After a full day of school, Fu Qiao’s impression of this place was one of oppression. Everyone was racing against time to study; eating and sleeping schedules were compressed to the limit, as if they wished they could break 24 hours into 48. Without the teachers needing to watch them, everyone consciously recited texts and worked on papers, arranging their own study plans.

If teachers like Li Yuwen saw this, they would be envious to death. Under this intense atmosphere, Fu Qiao had indeed finished two more practice papers than usual today, but she also felt she had overexerted her brain; her temples were throbbing with pain.

Especially when she saw Xu Yingran, wearing her school uniform and standing among a group of parents at the school gate, her temples throbbed even harder.

Why is she here?

Fu Qiao froze. How did Xu Yingran get here? Even if she came after her own self-study ended, the bus ride would take over an hour. Did she… skip class?

Realizing this, Fu Qiao’s expression soured.

The kiss from Saturday afternoon was still vivid in her mind. Fu Qiao subconsciously bit her lip, and her face darkened. That was her first kiss in the true sense—the accidental collision in the infirmary didn’t count. It was a conscious kiss, one filled with emotion. Even now, Fu Qiao could vaguely recall Xu Yingran’s soft lips and skillful tongue, a mastery that had nearly left her unable to resist.

Thinking of this, Fu Qiao’s expression grew even darker. Why is Xu Yingran so skillful at kissing? What has she been doing behind my back!

The more Fu Qiao thought, the angrier she became. She walked out of the school gates and pretended not to see her, turning to walk away.

Xu Yingran saw Fu Qiao from a distance and instinctively wanted to flash a smile, but the girl didn’t even look at her and walked away. Startled, Xu Yingran hurriedly sprinted after her.

“Fu Qiao! Fu Qiao, Fu Qiao, wait for me!”

Leveraging her long legs, Xu Yingran caught up in a few strides and grabbed Fu Qiao’s arm. “Why are you walking so fast?”

Fu Qiao was forced to turn back and look at her. “Xu Yingran, can you stop being so persistent? I’ve already transferred schools and you still follow me here?”

Xu Yingran was thick-skinned. she simply ignored the biting parts of Fu Qiao’s words and said with a smile, “I just missed you and came to see you.”

Several people passing by in brown uniforms glanced at them, making Fu Qiao feel a bit uncomfortable. She didn’t want to deal with Xu Yingran, but the other girl’s strength was surprisingly great. She didn’t know what this girl grew up eating—not only was she taller than her, but she was also incredibly strong.

Fu Qiao couldn’t break free, so she stood by the road and said seriously, “Xu Yingran, you’re in your third year. Can’t you be a bit more mature like an adult?”

Xu Yingran said, “You’re the first person to call me immature.”

Fu Qiao was so angry she didn’t want to talk to her. Xu Yingran wasn’t in a hurry. She held Fu Qiao’s hand and asked with a smile, “How are you doing at the new school?”

Fu Qiao looked at her before saying, “Pretty good. The study atmosphere here is much better than at our old school.”

“I see,” Xu Yingran replied. “But I feel like everyone’s faces are dark, like they have no vitality at all. They look like the walking dead.”

Fu Qiao was startled. she hurriedly covered Xu Yingran’s mouth and said, “What are you saying in the middle of the night? Be careful someone hears you and comes over to beat you up!”

Xu Yingran, whose mouth was covered by her “wife,” wasn’t angry. Her eyes remained curved in a smile. “Why are you so scared? Are they very fierce?”

Fu Qiao didn’t respond. In truth, after a day there, she also felt the atmosphere was oppressive, but she said nothing.

Seeing Fu Qiao’s silence, Xu Yingran leaned in and whispered, “I’m hungry. Is there anywhere to eat around here?”

Fu Qiao glanced at her. “Did you not eat dinner?”

“I did,” Xu Yingran said. “I’m hungry again.”

Fu Qiao felt helpless. Although she wanted to draw a line between them, they had known each other for over a decade. A bond starting from kindergarten couldn’t be severed just like that. She could see through it—Xu Yingran was being shameless precisely because she knew Fu Qiao was soft-hearted.

“I don’t know what there is to eat around here either,” Fu Qiao turned her head away and said. “It’s only my first day.”

“Then let’s look along the road.” Xu Yingran took the initiative to hold Fu Qiao’s hand and smiled. “In which direction is your new home?”

The temperature of Xu Yingran’s palm was scorching. Even though it was late autumn, she was still so warm. It was a heat that made Fu Qiao want to pull away, yet feel reluctant to. Thus, she could only pretend to ignore the burning warmth in her palm, pointing at the road ahead. “Just keep going along this road. The residential area is just ahead.”

“Oh.” Xu Yingran looked at the buildings not far away. “That is pretty close. Closer than our house.”

Fu Qiao felt as if she had been zapped by Xu Yingran’s use of “our house,” and her heart felt tingly.

Finally, the two found a small eatery that was still open and ordered two bowls of rice noodles. After taking a few bites, both set down their chopsticks in unison.

It wasn’t good. It wasn’t as good as the rice noodles at the place they usually went to.

Xu Yingran secretly nudged Fu Qiao’s knee under the table and leaned in to whisper, “Should we find another place?”

Fu Qiao didn’t want to waste food. Although these noodles weren’t particularly good, they weren’t inedible. She shook her head, picked up the vinegar and chili oil, and said to Xu Yingran, “We can’t waste it. We must finish it.”

Knowing Xu Yingran loved spicy food, Fu Qiao scooped a large spoonful of chili and vinegar for her, and quite a bit for herself as well. With these seasonings, the food became slightly more palatable.

After finishing, Xu Yingran dutifully paid the bill. Turning around to see Fu Qiao standing at the door, she trotted out happily.

“When are you going back?” Fu Qiao asked with her hands in her pockets, glancing at the late sky.

Xu Yingran thought for a moment before asking, “What time is it now?”

Fu Qiao looked at her watch and said, “10:30.”

As she spoke, she saw a bus traveling from the East City toward the city center slowly pass by them. Fu Qiao pointed at the bus and said, “See? You should take that one.”

Xu Yingran nodded silently, then turned to Fu Qiao and said, “I see it. But that looked like the last bus.”

Fu Qiao: “…”

This person did it on purpose!!!

She finally understood why Xu Yingran insisted on eating as soon as she arrived—she was waiting for this!

“You!” Fu Qiao barked at her in frustration. “Did you miss the last bus on purpose?!”

“No.” Xu Yingran looked at Fu Qiao with an innocent face and explained, “I don’t have a phone or a watch. How was I supposed to know what time it was?”

Fu Qiao shouted, “There was clearly a clock in the shop when we were eating rice noodles!”

Xu Yingran said frankly, “I didn’t see it.”

Fu Qiao was so angry she ignored her and turned to walk toward home. Xu Yingran quickly followed, smiling so much her little canine tooth showed.

“Fu Qiao, Fu Qiao, Fu Qiao,” Xu Yingran asked, “Can I stay over at your house tonight?”

Fu Qiao: No!!!