Can't Possibly Fall for My Wife Again After Rebirth, Right? - Chapter 63

“Huh?” Yao Jin sat in the chair in front of Xu Yingran and tilted her chin toward her.

“Yeah,” Xu Yingran nodded.

Yao Jin sighed, propping her head up with her hand as she asked, “What are we going to do?”

“What can we do?”

Staring at the failing grade on the exam paper before her, Xu Yingran could only clutch her head and cry out in agony, “I have to get my parents to sign this!”

The school had organized midterms on Monday, and the results had come out quickly. Xu Yingran had dropped over a hundred places in the rankings, and she had failed one subject entirely.

Seeing her best friend fretting over her studies, Yao Jin let out a long sigh. “Don’t take it too much to heart. It’s normal for grades to fluctuate.”

“Is it normal?” Xu Yingran looked up at her. “Is failing a subject normal too?”

“…Actually, it’s not that bad. Who hasn’t failed a subject at some point?”

“Don’t talk as if it’s easy for you. What did you get?”

“Top ten in the whole school.”

Xu Yingran spoke through gritted teeth. “So I’m the only one whose grades plummeted?”

Yao Jin couldn’t help but chuckle as she broke it down for her. “Think about it. You go to see Fu Qiao every Tuesday and Thursday, and you spend all of Saturday with her. Senior year is already intense, yet you’re only focused on your romance. It’s only natural for your grades to drop.”

Xu Yingran felt like her world was ending. She leaned back in her chair, devastated. In her previous life, her grades hadn’t been exceptional—certainly not a match for the brilliant Fu Qiao—but she had at least been able to reach the Tier 2 university cutoff.

But now, not only was she dead last in the class, she had even failed a subject. What did that mean? If this continued, she might not even make it into a vocational college; she’d end up at New Oriental learning how to toss a wok. Not that there was anything wrong with being a chef, but she didn’t think she should be tossing woks now.

She felt she could still be resuscitated.

Just then, Li Yuwen walked into the classroom and tapped on the blackboard, signaling everyone to return to their seats.

“The midterm results are out.” Li Yuwen scanned the room, her gaze settling coldly on Xu Yingran. “The students whose names I call, come to my office.”

The classroom fell silent instantly.

“Xu Yingran,” Li Yuwen said calmly. “Let’s start with you.”

Xu Yingran: “…”

Let the heavens know she refuses to yield!

“Dad, Mom.”

Xu Yingran brought her exam papers home and stood before the sofa like a frightened quail. “The homeroom teacher asked if one of you could find some time to go to school tomorrow.”

Zhao Yu felt her vision go dark when she saw the grades.

“How are your grades getting worse the more you study?” Zhao Yu looked at her in disbelief. “Don’t you stay out studying until almost midnight every night?”

Xu Yingran didn’t dare make a sound.

Whenever she went to see Fu Qiao, she wouldn’t get back until 11:30 PM. She had made up a story about going to tutoring sessions with Yao Jin to use as cover, and it had worked up until now. But not studying was not studying. Once the results were out, the three family members were all stunned.

Xu Chunjian was also baffled. He was an engineer at a factory, which made him a high-level intellectual in an era where many people lacked an education. Even though he knew his daughter wasn’t a top student, she had still made it into a decent high school, so he thought things were mostly fine.

But now, the problems were starting to snowball.

“Ranran,” Xu Chunjian frowned. “What have you been doing lately? Are you in a relationship?”

Xu Yingran swallowed hard. “How is that possible? I was just… distracted by playing.”

Zhao Yu shot her a look. “You used to play before, and your grades were never this bad. Tell me, are you dating someone? Which boy is it?”

“It’s really not that, Mom,” Xu Yingran said. “I’m not interested in boys.”

Zhao Yu froze.

Xu Yingran paused, then acted spoiled toward her parents. “I’m really not dating. Does a drop in grades have to mean a relationship? You guys are making ‘early love’ sound like some kind of monster.”

“Then explain yourself. What happened with these grades?”

“Um…”

Xu Yingran stammered, unable to come up with an excuse. She was lectured by her parents all night until finally, Xu Chunjian decided he would go to the school tomorrow to talk with the teacher.

Before bed, Xu Yingran surreptitiously took out her phone to call Fu Qiao. The “ring-ring” of the dial tone made her heart race with nerves; after all, Zhao Yu didn’t want her spending too much time on her phone.

Soon, Fu Qiao answered.

“Hello?” Fu Qiao had just finished her shower. She was drying her hair while using the speakerphone. “What’s up? Do you need something?”

“Nothing,” Xu Yingran whispered, huddled under her covers. “I just wanted to call you.”

Just as she finished speaking, Zhao Yu appeared at the door. “Who are you talking to, Ranran?”

Zhao Yu was now seriously suspicious that Xu Yingran was in a relationship, so the moment she heard noise in the room, she hurried over.

“Huh? I wasn’t talking, Mom.” Xu Yingran quickly clutched her phone as she watched her mother push the door open and walk to her bedside, narrowing her eyes.

Xu Yingran’s heart tightened as she stammered, “Ma-Ma-Mom, I was just calling Fu Qiao to ask what she scored on her exams.”

As she spoke, she handed the phone over to show the calling interface. Zhao Yu didn’t believe her at first, thinking she might have changed a contact’s name to use Fu Qiao as a front. She had to listen for herself.

Taking the phone, Zhao Yu put it to her ear. “Xiao Qiao?”

“Oh, hello Auntie,” Fu Qiao replied. “Have Xu Yingran’s midterm results come out?”

Hearing that it really was Fu Qiao, Zhao Yu relaxed. “Yes. She came in dead last. Your Uncle and I are worried sick; we thought she was in a relationship.”

Fu Qiao blinked. A relationship?

Remembering the time she and Xu Yingran had kissed in the alley and were nearly caught by Zhao Yu, Fu Qiao’s face turned bright red.

Seeing that there was no sound from the other end, Zhao Yu said, “Xiao Qiao, is the renovation on your parents’ shop finished? Do they need any help?”

“I think it’s almost done; they don’t need help,” Fu Qiao said softly. “I’m not entirely sure about the details, but I’ll ask for you.”

“Good, good. If they need anything, just say so. We’ve been neighbors for twenty years, don’t be shy.” Zhao Yu then added, “Alright, I won’t disturb your chat with Ranran. Don’t talk too long, get some rest early.”

“Okay, Auntie.”

When Zhao Yu handed the phone back to Xu Yingran, she gave her a stern look that clearly meant: If you dare to start a relationship, don’t blame your parents for being ruthless.

Xu Yingran took the phone sincerely. Once she saw Zhao Yu leave and close the door, she let out a quiet sigh of relief, dove back under the covers, and whispered, “Fu Qiao? You still there?”

“Huh? Yeah.” Having mostly dried her hair, Fu Qiao leaned against her headboard. “You really came in dead last in the midterms?”

“Yeah,” Xu Yingran said, lying on her back. “I even failed one subject.”

Fu Qiao went silent. She thought for a moment, clutching her towel. “Is it because you’ve been coming to see me so often lately?”

“No, don’t overthink it,” Xu Yingran said. “I’m the one who wanted to go see you.”

But Fu Qiao was a sensible girl. How could she not know how much Xu Yingran’s frequent visits would disrupt her studies? Dating in senior year was a major taboo, especially at a provincial key school where teachers were constantly on guard—boys and girls weren’t even allowed to walk together, let alone sit together at lunch.

“You should focus on your studies. Don’t come to see me during the week anymore,” Fu Qiao said in a low voice. “If your grades drop any further, you won’t even get into a vocational school.”

Xu Yingran remained silent. She knew she had to work hard, but the thought of not seeing Fu Qiao made her chest tighten.

“Fu Qiao,” Xu Yingran said. “I agree to your previous suggestion. I won’t go see you during the week and I’ll study hard. But I still want to see you on Saturdays, even if it’s just for lunch.”

Fu Qiao didn’t respond immediately.

“Is that okay?” Xu Yingran asked again.

After a long pause, Fu Qiao sighed on the other end, rubbing her fingertips. “Fine. We’ll have lunch together on Saturdays, but you go back in the afternoon. I’ll go to Professor Chen’s classes by myself.”

This was the only way for now. Xu Yingran felt that after this exam, Zhao Yu would be watching her like a hawk, and she didn’t want to drag Fu Qiao down with her.

“Alright, then it’s a deal.”

“Mm.”

Xu Yingran’s eyes curved into a smile. She rolled over and asked, “I can’t go see you, but I can still call, right?”

Fu Qiao said awkwardly, “Calling also takes up a lot of time.”

“I’ll just call you every night before 11:00. We’ll go to sleep together at 11:00.”

“…It can’t be for too long. Just five minutes.”

Xu Yingran wouldn’t agree. “What can we talk about in five minutes? How about twenty?”

Fu Qiao rejected her. “I can finish a major exam question in twenty minutes. No.”

“Then fifteen minutes?”

“Five minutes.”

“Ten minutes?”

“How about ten minutes, okay?”

Hearing Xu Yingran’s soft, persistent coaxing, the tips of Fu Qiao’s ears turned red. She thought… ten minutes. Ten minutes shouldn’t disrupt things too much.

“Alright then,” Fu Qiao said. “A ten-minute call every night, and you must be asleep by 11:00.”

Hearing these familiar rules, Xu Yingran felt a warmth in her heart. Why hadn’t she realized before how wonderful it was to go to sleep by 11:00?

“Then let’s start tonight.” Xu Yingran checked the time. “Ten more minutes of chatting, then sleep.”

Fu Qiao felt helpless. She put down her towel, slipped into her covers, and leaned against the headboard. “Fine. Then let’s talk about why your grades dropped so severely.”

Xu Yingran: “…”

If you don’t mention that, you’re still my dearest wife.

The midterm results for Class 7 of the Provincial Key High School were also out.

Fu Qiao was a transfer student, but her results were quite good. she ranked in the top fifty of the whole school and in the top ten of her class.

He Qiao looked at her own exam paper. Her grades were also excellent—top ten in the school and second in the class.

The top student was a boy, who was currently laughing and chatting with his friends, clearly satisfied with his performance.

Fu Qiao sat in her seat clutching her textbooks. She looked at He Qiao’s paper and remarked, “Qiaoqiao, I heard you ranked in the top ten of the whole school this time? That’s amazing.”

The rankings were posted downstairs, so everyone’s scores were clear for all to see. At Xu Yingran’s school, Fu Qiao was considered a star student—always in the top ten of the school and top three of the class. But here, she was only in the fifties. Realizing she would be spending every weekend at Professor Chen’s classes from now on, she worried her grades might slip further and let out a couple of long sighs.

Hearing Fu Qiao’s words, He Qiao looked up from behind her thick glasses and gave her a small, quiet smile. “Thank you.”