Can't Possibly Fall for My Wife Again After Rebirth, Right? - Chapter 68

The winter sunset always carried a touch of laziness, casting a slanted glow from behind Xu Yingran that made her features appear luminous.

Fu Qiao stared, a bit dazed. She had to admit: Xu Yingran was a very beautiful girl. In the past, she was aware of this fact, but she never felt it mattered much. After all, they were childhood friends who had known each other since before they could wear their own pants; no matter what Xu Yingran looked like, Fu Qiao would never have looked down on her.

But now, Fu Qiao realized her heart was acting strangely.

When she saw Xu Yingran waving at her, her mood was actually buoyant. Though she used to be happy to see Xu Yingran before, it felt different now. In the past, it was like meeting up with a friend to go out; once you met up, you had a partner, someone to accompany you wherever you went, and so you were happy.

Now, seeing Xu Yingran made her happy, but beneath that happiness was a layer of tension. It was an indescribable nervousness and awkwardness—her heart would flutter when Xu Yingran smiled at her, and when they were close, she didn’t want to pull away.

It was entirely different from before.

As Xu Yingran drew closer, Fu Qiao’s cheeks involuntarily reddened. It had only been one week since that night of intimacy last Friday…

“Why is your face so red?” Xu Yingran asked as Fu Qiao walked over sluggishly. Seeing those ruddy cheeks, she reached out to touch them and her eyes widened in surprise. “So hot! You aren’t running a fever, are you?”

“I am not.” Fu Qiao irritably brushed Xu Yingran’s hand away and turned her body aside, looking displeased.

Xu Yingran didn’t know what she had done to upset her “wife” again. She could only quietly tug on Fu Qiao’s sleeve and say, “Alright, I won’t touch you. Get on the bike; if we finish making the cookies, we can head over there early.”

Fu Qiao shot her a glance before silently sitting on the back of the little electric scooter. Seeing her “wife” sit down obediently, Xu Yingran smiled, revealing a small tiger tooth, and hummed along as she rode away.

Xu Yingran had booked a session at a DIY cookie shop. Besides hosting sessions for people to make their own treats, the shop also sold ready-made cookies; it was the best place within a five-kilometer radius for both ambiance and flavor.

Since they had a reservation, they were led straight into the kitchen upon arrival. The pastry chef explained the process and helped them put on aprons. Upon learning the cookies were a birthday gift, the chef brought out a custom mold that allowed them to stamp “Happy Birthday” onto the dough.

Xu Yingran was nimble. She picked up the techniques after one demonstration—kneading, rolling, and molding in one fluid motion. Fu Qiao, however, struggled a bit. She didn’t add enough water at first, making the dough impossible to roll out. She had to start over from scratch before things improved.

The first batch in the oven was Xu Yingran’s, and the results were excellent. The second batch was Fu Qiao’s; although the cookies were a bit thicker and slightly “uglier,” they were still quite decent.

Making the cookies took half an hour, and baking plus cooling took up a significant amount of time. By the time everything was packaged, it was nearly 6:00 PM.

“This was a lot more exhausting than I thought,” Fu Qiao remarked, clutching her cookies as she sat on the back of the scooter against the wind. “Should we buy something else too?”

“I ordered a bouquet of flowers. They’re at the security booth at the entrance of the complex. We can grab them on our way in.”

“You’re quite thorough.” Fu Qiao thought for a moment, then leaned forward to ask, “How much did all this cost today? I’ll pay you back later.”

“Huh?” Xu Yingran’s internal alarm bells went off. She already couldn’t understand why Fu Qiao had been angry lately; if Fu Qiao started giving her money, it would mean she was trying to draw a clear line between them! Their relationship was already strained because they were “long-distance” at different schools; if they started splitting costs this strictly, she’d never catch her “wife” again!

“No need,” Xu Yingran said. “It didn’t cost much. Don’t worry about it.”

Fu Qiao wrapped her arms around Xu Yingran’s waist and said, “No, you don’t have much money either. Let’s go Dutch.”

Xu Yingran grit her teeth. The thing she hated hearing most right now was “Go Dutch” or “Split the bill.”

“Really, it’s fine,” Xu Yingran told her. “Didn’t all your pocket money go toward study guides? Besides, the cookies were my idea and I picked the flowers. You don’t need to give me money. If you really want to pay me back, just… stop hanging up on me, okay?”

Fu Qiao froze. She thought about it, then gripped Xu Yingran’s jacket. “Fine. Next time there’s something to pay for, it’s my treat.”

Xu Yingran finally let out a sigh of relief and gave a happy response.

Upon arriving at the villa district, Xu Yingran parked the scooter in a shed behind the security post. She and Fu Qiao picked up the flowers and walked into the complex. This was Fu Qiao’s first time there. As a girl from an ordinary family, her eyes lit up at the sight of the various villas.

“Living in a villa must be so happy, right?” Fu Qiao asked as she walked with the flowers.

“It’s alright,” Xu Yingran said. “Running up and down the stairs is a hassle. When you have too much stuff, you have to flip the whole house upside down to find anything. The space is so big that the electricity bills for heating and cooling are astronomical. Plus, you have to trim the plants in the yard, or by next year it becomes a wilderness.”

Fu Qiao looked at her curiously. “How do you know all that so clearly?”

Xu Yingran lamented inwardly—how could she not? In the future, the two of them would live in a villa together. But she couldn’t let that slip yet.

“Jin told me,” Xu Yingran lied. “She flexes her wealth to me every day, saying these are the ‘troubles of the rich’.”

“I suppose that makes sense,” Fu Qiao said, convinced. She still looked at the garden houses with envy. “I wonder if I’ll ever have the chance to live in a place like this in this lifetime.”

Xu Yingran leaned in and said, “We definitely will.”

Fu Qiao shot her a look and gave a little huff. “What does it have to do with you? If I live in one, I’ll be living alone.”

Xu Yingran countered, “You can’t live there without me. Truly.”

Fu Qiao: “Liar.”

The two chatted as they walked and soon arrived at the Yao residence. Today was Yao Jin’s birthday; though it had been delayed, Yao Heng had still organized a grand affair. The entire villa was decorated with lights and lanterns. The yard was filled with people, and Yao Jin stood at the entrance like a spokesmodel, greeting guests.

Yao Jin was wearing a white dress with a small shawl. The fluffy collar accentuated her fair skin and beauty; she had clearly been meticulously made up. The usually listless Yao Jin brightened up the moment she saw Fu Qiao and Xu Yingran. She said a word to Yao Heng, who was standing nearby, and ran over cheerfully, lifting her skirt.

“You guys finally made it!” Yao Jin said, shifting her weight. “If I had to stand any longer, my feet would be ruined.”

Xu Yingran noticed she was wearing thick-heeled leather shoes today, looking noble and beautiful. Fu Qiao handed her the flowers and smiled. “Happy birthday, Jin. You look beautiful today.”

No one dislikes being called beautiful. Yao Jin took the flowers with a smile, then looked at Xu Yingran. “Where’s my gift?”

“Didn’t you say we could come empty-handed?” Xu Yingran joked before handing over two packages of cookies. “The cranberry cookies were made by Fu Qiao, and the butter ones were made by me. I tasted them for you—they’re both good.”

Yao Jin acted huffy. “How can you be the first to taste a gift meant for me? You two are so insincere.”

“How would we know if they were good if we didn’t taste them? If they were too salty or bland, you’d be complaining.”

“Even if they were salty or bland, I should be the first to eat them. It’s called a ‘sense of ritual’.”

“Fine, fine. Next year on your birthday, you can be the first to eat.”

Yao Jin felt that was a fair compromise. She happily carried the flowers and cookies toward the house. “Why are these sunflowers, though? I like blue roses.”

“Blue roses are so expensive! Who can afford those? Besides, sunflowers are pretty.”

“But I like blue roses.”

“…I’ll buy you blue roses next year, okay?”

“Deal!”

Watching his daughter walk over with her two friends, a smile appeared on Yao Heng’s face. He said to the three girls, “Jin has been waiting for you for ages. She’s been nagging about it all day.”

Xu Yingran and Fu Qiao greeted him together: “Hello, Uncle Yao.”

“Hello, girls,” Yao Heng said warmly. “Dinner isn’t for another half hour. You can go upstairs and play for a while.”

“Okay, Uncle Yao.”

Yao Jin happily clutched her gifts and said to the two, “Let’s go upstairs! I’ll show you the cool stuff I’ve collected!”

The three didn’t linger in the yard. It was full of adults talking business—Yao Jin didn’t like it, and Xu Yingran and Fu Qiao liked it even less. As they passed the dining room, Yao Jin had Xu Yingran carry a plate of sunflower seeds upstairs so they could chat while snacking.

“I am exhausted!” Yao Jin kicked off her shoes the moment she entered her room and walked around barefoot. She set the flowers on the table, sat on the sofa, and eagerly opened the cookies. After a bite, she evaluated: “Delicious! Fu Qiao is so skilled; everything she makes is good.”

“But the one you’re eating is the one I made,” Xu Yingran pointed out.

“Is it? Doesn’t matter. You definitely only made it because Fu Qiao taught you.”

Xu Yingran didn’t bother arguing. She pulled Fu Qiao onto the sofa and said, “You sit here. I’ll go get us some drinks.”

Fu Qiao nodded. After sitting down, she fed Yao Jin a butter cookie and said with a smile, “Is this your first time at my house? Don’t be shy, make yourself at home. My place is just a bit bigger than yours, that’s all.”

“Thank you.” Fu Qiao ate the cookies, which were still slightly warm, her mouth filled with the sweet, fragrant taste of butter. It was clear Yao Jin truly liked Xu Yingran and Fu Qiao. Having the three of them reunited after a long time naturally led to a long chat around the table. Fu Qiao was a bit reserved at first, but she soon relaxed.

About half an hour later, the housekeeper knocked on the door to call them down for dinner.

“Let’s go,” Yao Jin said, putting her shoes back on. “I’m starving. Let’s head down and eat.”

When they came downstairs, they saw the large round table, capable of seating 20 people, was already full. Yao Heng sat at the head of the table and had reserved seats for Yao Jin and her two friends right beside him.

“Sit, everyone, sit.” Seeing that everyone had arrived, Yao Heng raised his glass to toast the group. “Thank you all for taking the time to attend my daughter’s 18th birthday banquet. I’d like to propose a toast to everyone.”

The guests rose to return the toast. Xu Yingran nudged Fu Qiao, showing her how to join in. However, the liquid in the girls’ glasses was fresh fruit juice, not alcohol.

Just as they were about to sit down after the toast, the housekeeper hurried over and whispered something to Yao Heng. His expression darkened instantly.

“I understand. Go ahead,” Yao Heng dismissed the housekeeper, then turned his gaze toward Yao Jin.

“What is it?” Yao Jin asked curiously.

“Jin,” Yao Heng said, his voice heavy. “Your mother is here.”