Can't Possibly Fall for My Wife Again After Rebirth, Right? - Chapter 60

Xu Yingran didn’t know how Yao Jin had introduced her to her father, but after all, she was someone who had rolled around in the business world in her previous life, so she naturally found common ground with Yao Heng.

Yao Jin was already over 18 years old. According to the law, she could possess independent assets. Therefore, Yao Heng was currently doing his best to transfer assets belonging to himself into her name. This way, even if Yao Jin’s mother tried to pull any tricks, she wouldn’t be able to do anything to Yao Jin’s wealth.

Yao Heng had already given up hope on his marriage; he only hoped to leave a substantial fortune for Yao Jin so she could live a safe and prosperous life. However, Yao Jin was still a child. The stocks he gave her to practice with were “green” (down) every day. The money wasn’t much, so Yao Heng treated it as paying for her experience. But soon he discovered that, starting from some unknown point, his daughter’s terrible stock picks began to turn “bullish.”

Later, Yao Jin gave him some suggestions—practical and subtle ideas. Yao Heng knew his daughter didn’t have that level of observation, so he inquired indirectly and learned that it was all Xu Yingran’s credit. This made him very much want to meet her.

Seeing this classmate named Xu Yingran now, she seemed a bit different from what Yao Heng expected. She was too young—truly just a teenager. How on earth did she come up with those ideas?

“Regarding that mini-program you proposed, there are still a few areas I haven’t quite figured out.” Although Yao Heng saw how young Xu Yingran was, he didn’t look down on her. He stood up and said, “As it happens, the project manager is in the office today. I’ll have him come over in a bit so the two of you can have a good talk.”

“Alright,” Xu Yingran smiled. “I’ll certainly tell you everything I know.”

Yao Jin, bored, drank juice and played games. She even ordered a portion of fried chicken and two cups of milk tea. Occasionally, when she got tired of playing, she looked up at Xu Yingran, who was in a deep discussion with the project manager, tilted her head, and went back to idling.

For the entire afternoon, Xu Yingran did her best to answer the questions raised by the manager. A prototype sample was already beginning to take shape.

By 4:00 PM, the manager left the office with his laptop, looking satisfied.

“Are you all done?” Yao Jin looked up at Xu Yingran and said, “The fried chicken is cold. Want me to heat it up for you?”

Yao Heng glanced at her and said helplessly, “Don’t always eat this junk food. Why don’t you listen?”

Xu Yingran added, “I won’t eat. It’ll be dinner time soon anyway.”

Yao Jin pursed her lips, stood up, and asked, “Since we’re done, let’s go downstairs for dinner. I’m hungry.”

Yao Heng originally planned to take the two kids out for a nice meal, but Yao Jin didn’t want her father involved. She pulled Xu Yingran and prepared to leave.

Before they left, Yao Heng said to Xu Yingran, “I will help implement your request. Once the teacher is contacted and the time is set, I’ll have A-Jin tell you.”

Only then did Xu Yingran nod to him. “Thank you, Uncle Yao.”

The two left the office building, hailed a cab, and went to a Malatang shop in a commercial area. They ordered a portion with extra meat.

“I say, do you really not want the money my dad offered?” Yao Jin asked while eating the spicy Malatang. “Just having him help find a teacher for Fu Qiao and pay the tuition… I feel like you’re losing out.”

One had to understand that when Yao Heng heard the details of that mini-program, his eyes were glowing. If nothing else, Yao Jin knew what her father was like; she was certain Xu Yingran’s idea was worth a lot of money.

“Actually, it’s not a matter of losing out,” Xu Yingran said, eating a piece of potato. “If someone is observant enough, they would eventually think of this. I’m just saying it earlier than others.”

Furthermore, the urgent task was finding a teacher for Fu Qiao. Yao Heng had said he would be responsible for finding the teacher and paying for the subsequent training fees. Wouldn’t that save tens of thousands? Besides, Yao Heng was a businessman. Even if he gave Xu Yingran money, it would be at most 100,000 yuan, and she would still have to exhaust her efforts to find a teacher. Calculating it all, this way was more cost-effective.

Consider it a favor to the Yao family.

Yao Jin shook her head and asked, “Then when do you plan to tell Fu Qiao about this?”

“I made her angry last time, and she didn’t give me a good look on Saturday. I plan to tell her once things are finalized.”

“That works. I’ll notify you when it’s set.”

Very soon, Yao Jin’s father had things settled. A teacher was contacted—a professor who was willing to take a student for one-on-one sessions, but an interview was required first.

“He’s a professor of broadcasting and media. Originally, he didn’t take students, but Yao Jin’s father used his connections to find him, and he eventually agreed.” Xu Yingran massaged Fu Qiao’s wrist as they sat on the bench at the bus stop. “However, this professor has a condition: he needs to meet you. He’ll only take you if you pass the interview. If not, we’ll have to find another teacher.”

“Huh?” Fu Qiao’s eyes widened in surprise. “Why didn’t you tell me about this?”

“I wanted to, but I was afraid of getting your hopes up for nothing. So I waited until things were certain to tell you.” Xu Yingran frowned while massaging her wrist. “Does it still hurt? How many papers do you write every day? I never saw your hand hurting like this before.”

Fu Qiao looked down at her wrist, which was red from the massage, and tried to shake it out. “It doesn’t hurt that much anymore.”

Xu Yingran was still worried. She grabbed her hand to continue the massage. “The pressure on you is just too high. Wouldn’t it be better to come back? When did your wrist ever hurt from writing papers back then?”

“It’s the ‘sea of problems’ tactic; you have to do a lot of papers.”

“How is that okay? I should find some time to take you to the hospital.”

“No need,” Fu Qiao said. “The school doctor already looked at it. It’s just overuse. Some medicated patches will be enough.”

Xu Yingran was heartbroken.

“But about that professor you mentioned,” Fu Qiao’s dark, bright eyes looked at her as she asked softly, “Will it be very expensive? I haven’t told my parents. They don’t have much money on hand right now.”

Xu Yingran didn’t want to see Fu Qiao worrying about money, so she said in a low voice, “Don’t worry. I helped Yao Jin’s father with some things. We don’t need to pay for the teacher’s search or the lesson fees.”

Fu Qiao stared at her. “Did you promise the other party something again?”

“No, don’t overthink it. I’m just a student; what could I possibly promise them?” Xu Yingran said dismissively. “Don’t worry about this. Yao Jin can vouch for me. Just rest easy.”

“Alright then,” Fu Qiao said helplessly. “I’ll call Yao Jin later and ask her, then I’ll know if you’re lying.”

Xu Yingran’s eyes curved into a smile. “By the way, are your midterms this week?”

“Mhm,” Fu Qiao nodded. “Exams are on Friday.”

“Then after the exams, you go to class on Saturday morning, and we’ll go meet that professor in the afternoon.”

“Okay.”

Fu Qiao felt her wrist was mostly better, so she awkwardly pulled it away and whispered a few words to Xu Yingran.

At this hour, there weren’t many people at the bus stop. Most families of students at the provincial key school weren’t stingy; they would either have the child board at school or rent a place nearby to accompany them. Only those who didn’t live too far away would have their children take the bus.

When He Qiao arrived at the bus stop, a bus had already left. It had taken away most of the people, leaving only Fu Qiao and Xu Yingran sitting together. She saw the two of them leaning their heads together, talking. She didn’t know what was said, but Xu Yingran was laughing very happily, her eyes narrowed into slits.

When she walked onto the platform, Xu Yingran looked up at her and greeted, “Oh, it’s you.” She still hadn’t memorized He Qiao’s name.

Fu Qiao also turned around. Seeing He Qiao, she smiled. “Qiao-qiao, if you had been a minute earlier, you would have caught the one that just left.”

He Qiao nodded slightly and said dismissively, “It’s okay. There’s still the last bus.”

“That’s perfect,” Fu Qiao said. “Xu Yingran is also taking the last bus back. You two can keep each other company.”

Only then did He Qiao fix her gaze on Xu Yingran’s face, remaining silent.

Xu Yingran was unhappy when she heard Fu Qiao call He Qiao “Qiao-qiao,” but she did her best to control her expression. She pinched Fu Qiao’s hand and said, “You’ve never called me that.”

Fu Qiao stared at her curiously. “Call you what? Ran-ran?”

“That works,” Xu Yingran said. “Ran-ran sounds good. Calling me by my full name sounds quite distant.”

“But if I call you that, won’t I be the same as your parents and mine?” Fu Qiao tilted her head and smiled. “You want to lower your seniority?”

That won’t do; seniority must be maintained.

The two chatted for a bit longer. He Qiao didn’t interrupt, just stood to the side, looking a bit lonely in that scene. Fortunately, the bus arrived quickly. Xu Yingran stood up reluctantly and said to Fu Qiao, “I’m leaving then. Remember what I told you—Saturday afternoon, don’t schedule anything else.”

“I know.” Fu Qiao waved at her and said to both Xu Yingran and He Qiao, “Hurry and get on the bus.”

Xu Yingran didn’t dawdle and boarded the bus with He Qiao. After a reluctant farewell to Fu Qiao, the two sat in the back row, one on each side. The last bus was empty; aside from the driver, there was only Xu Yingran and He Qiao.

“Which stop are you getting off at?” Xu Yingran asked, trying to find a topic.

He Qiao hugged her backpack and said calmly, “In two stops.”

“Oh, that’s very close,” Xu Yingran said. “It’s so close you could actually ride a bike. It feels more convenient than the bus.”

“I can’t ride a bike,” He Qiao said, lowering her eyes. “I didn’t learn when I was little, and now that I’m older, I can’t.”

“Huh?” Xu Yingran curiously scrutinized this short-haired top student. She noticed He Qiao didn’t know how to dress up; she wore sneakers and a school uniform. Her backpack looked like it was of good quality and likely wasn’t cheap. Her thick glasses made it hard to see her expression clearly.

It was evident that He Qiao’s family condition was likely good; everything she bought was from big brands. She was probably the type of child whose grades were excellent from a young age and whose family didn’t let her do anything besides studying.

Xu Yingran blinked and said, “Actually, it’s no big deal if you can’t ride a bike. Everyone drives in the future anyway. Just get a driver’s license after the Gaokao is over.”

He Qiao didn’t reply. Xu Yingran rubbed her nose and fell silent.

After an unknown amount of time, the consistently quiet He Qiao suddenly spoke: “Are you and Fu Qiao… dating?”