Can't Possibly Fall for My Wife Again After Rebirth, Right? - Chapter 72

When it comes to chasing your wife, there is no such thing as being “shy.” Xu Yingran was terrified that if she said too little, Fu Qiao would think she didn’t love her anymore and turn to someone else’s embrace.

She now clearly understood her own heart. Regardless of the reasons Fu Qiao had agreed to be with her in the past, the current Xu Yingran was truly in love with this little childhood friend. The mere thought that if she didn’t win her over, Fu Qiao might become someone else’s wife, made Xu Yingran so anxious she couldn’t sleep.

“Fu Qiao, no one at your school is pursuing you, right?” Xu Yingran suddenly realized the possibility, grabbing Fu Qiao’s hand. “You’re so beautiful. If some guy is blind enough to fall for you, you must reject him!”

Fu Qiao glared at her, shaking off her hand. “What nonsense are you talking about?”

Xu Yingran grabbed her hand again, insisting, “I’m serious!”

“No,” Fu Qiao said helplessly. “Our school cracks down on ‘early love’ much harder than yours. Boys and girls can’t even sit at the same table during meals.”

“Just boys aren’t the only concern,” Xu Yingran said solemnly. “Are there any girls in your class who are especially nice to you?”

“Girls?” Fu Qiao stared at Xu Yingran with displeasure and gave a muffled huff. “Do you think every girl is like you? I’m not as narcissistic as you are.”

Xu Yingran countered, “It’s not about narcissism. Look at how great you are; you’re bound to be liked by girls as well as boys. Anyway, if someone confesses to you, you absolutely cannot agree. Even if they want to be a ‘backup,’ they have to wait in line, right?”

Hearing Xu Yingran’s increasingly ridiculous talk, Fu Qiao was moved to exasperated laughter. She checked the time, seeing it was nearly 10:30 PM, and urged her, “Alright, finish your noodles and take the last bus back. You definitely didn’t tell your parents you were coming here. I’ll call them once I get home so they don’t worry about you.”

Xu Yingran didn’t want to leave. She hadn’t seen Fu Qiao in a long time. As the saying goes, “one day apart feels like three autumns.” To Xu Yingran, days without her wife felt like years.

However, she didn’t dare disobey Fu Qiao’s words. She felt as if they had returned to their dynamic from ten years in the future—Fu Qiao managing her every move, nagging endlessly in her ear. Yet, the current Xu Yingran found those “nagging sessions” to be quite adorable. Only someone who truly cared would take the trouble to repeat the same things over and over. If the day came when Fu Qiao stopped scolding her, Xu Yingran would probably be the one to panic.

When the last bus arrived, Xu Yingran waved to Fu Qiao from inside with a mournful face, looking like a soldier heading to a minefield to face certain death. Fu Qiao stood there calmly with her hands in her pockets, completely unmoved.

Only after the bus pulled away did Fu Qiao let out a helpless sigh. She went home and called Zhao Yu. Upon learning that Xu Yingran had run off to see Fu Qiao in the middle of the night, Zhao Yu hung up the phone grumbling and cursing.

Meanwhile, He Qiao—who had finished washing up and was sitting at her desk—could not settle her mind to solve the problem in front of her. She kept remembering the scene at the school gate: Fu Qiao holding Xu Yingran’s hand, her face filled with concern.

Fu Qiao likes Xu Yingran. He Qiao could see it clearly.

But why did her own heart ache so much?

He Qiao frowned, lost in thought. Just then, her mother pushed the door open and placed a glass of warm water on the desk.

“I called your homeroom teacher today,” He Qiao’s mother said. “I asked about your recent studies and life. She told me your performance is stable, but that you have a new desk-mate named Fu Qiao.”

He Qiao looked up, staring at her in disbelief. “Why did you call my teacher??”

“Why?” Her mother’s face darkened. “Because you’ve been absent-minded lately, and I suspect you’re in a relationship. Do you know how critical senior year is? How can you waste time on such random people?”

Something in her mother’s words triggered her. He Qiao stood up abruptly and shouted, “This is my privacy! Why do you have to pry into my privacy? My grades haven’t dropped—isn’t that enough? I’ve already stopped talking to boys; is even talking to girls forbidden now?!”

Her mother was shocked. “How can you speak to your mother in that tone? I do these things for your own good. Why are you so sensible-less?”

Sensible? He Qiao didn’t understand what she had done wrong or why she was being accused of lacking sense.

Seeing He Qiao staring at her in silence, the woman sighed and said, “I looked into that girl. Her grades aren’t very good; she hasn’t even made it into the top five of the class. Stop hanging out with her. If you want to make friends, pick those with excellent grades. You shouldn’t bother with someone so ordinary…”

“Get out.”

The woman froze. “What did you say?”

“Get out!” He Qiao yelled. “I want to rest. Get out!”

With that, He Qiao pushed her mother out of the room and double-locked the door.

Bang, bang, bang—

The woman shouted from outside, “He Qiao, open this door! How dare you speak to me like that? I’ve raised you for all these years and this is how you treat me?!”

He Qiao covered her ears and slid down to a crouch against the door. The woman continued to shout and kick at the door until He Qiao’s father came out from the adjacent bedroom to coax his wife back to their room. But He Qiao remained on the floor, her hands still over her ears.

She felt such agony. To He Qiao, coming home every day was a terrifying ordeal. This house held a controlling mother and endless nagging; a woman who wanted to dictate every aspect of her life, even down to which friends she should have.

It was too painful. He Qiao closed her eyes, feeling that the boring, dark school had become her only harbor—because there, she could see someone she looked forward to.

The next morning, He Qiao sat at the dining table eating breakfast while hearing the metallic sounds of tools behind her. Her mother was directing her father to remove the lock from the bedroom door. As they worked, her mother looked at her daughter’s back and sneered, “Weren’t you acting so tough yesterday, locking the door? Now that I’ve had the lock removed, I dare you to try closing that door again!”

He Qiao continued eating her breakfast, her eyes lowered and devoid of emotion.

On Wednesday, Yao Jin finally returned to school after a two-day absence. Not long after arriving, she was dragged into the hallway by Xu Yingran for interrogation.

“Why didn’t you reply to my messages?” “Where have you been all this time?” “Is your mom okay?” “Is your dad okay?” “Are you okay?”

“Aiyya,” Yao Jin shrugged off Xu Yingran’s arm and said helplessly, “I’m fine, my dad is fine, and my mom… she’s doing okay for now. We’ll have to wait until after the surgery to know more.”

Xu Yingran leaned in closer. “Tell me the details.”

“My dad and I went to the hospital to see her that night,” Yao Jin said, leaning against the hallway railing. “She’s doing a bit better than I imagined. They found the most authoritative doctor in the country, but they’re still consulting on whether the surgery will be a success.”

Yao Jin’s eyelashes fluttered slightly as she looked down. “She… she looks much older without makeup. She’s only in her early forties. Based on the average human lifespan, she’s only just halfway through.”

Xu Yingran remained silent, patting Yao Jin’s shoulder.

“The surgery is next Monday morning at 8:00 AM,” Yao Jin said, turning back to Xu Yingran. “My dad and I have been at the hospital accompanying her these past few days. It’s funny, really. Before, our family was like enemies—we wanted to bite each other’s heads off. But now that we know she might not live long, all those conflicts seem to have vanished into thin air.”

Yao Jin continued, “My dad personally made soup and took it over, making sure she finished it and ate the meat. He even took her laundry home for the housekeeper to wash. My mom didn’t argue with him either; they actually chatted for a bit. She stopped giving me the cold shoulder too. She asked about my studies and which university I want to attend.”

She laughed at herself, looking at Xu Yingran with a sense of helplessness. “You know, if she had been like this earlier, we would have been a very happy family of three, wouldn’t we?”

Xu Yingran looked at Yao Jin but didn’t speak. She didn’t know how to comfort her. Though she had experienced the loss of her own parents, she couldn’t find the right words; in the face of death, all language feels hollow.

“Xu Yingran.” Yao Jin looked at her and suddenly asked, “You said you came from ten years in the future. Can you tell me… was my mother still alive then?”

Xu Yingran looked up in surprise, suddenly understanding the meaning behind Yao Jin’s words. She was afraid. Afraid that her mother wouldn’t make it off the operating table; afraid that every thing they did and every word they said now was the last. Yao Jin had come to her specifically seeking psychological comfort.

After a long silence, Xu Yingran said, “Your mother was still alive then. Although I never met her, I occasionally heard you mention her.”

“So, her surgery will be successful, right?”

“…Yes.” Xu Yingran looked at Yao Jin and said firmly, “Your mother’s surgery will definitely be successful.”

Only then did Yao Jin’s lips curl into a smile. “That’s good. Then I can rest easy. She can live another ten years after the surgery.”

Though the days might be limited, knowing that each passing day meant one less remaining made her look forward to tomorrow even more.

On Monday, Xu Yingran secretly brought her phone to school. Yao Jin wasn’t coming in, and Xu Yingran wanted to stay in touch.

At 8:00 AM sharp, Lyu Qing was wheeled out of her ward. Yao Heng and Yao Jin stood before the operating room. They had been there every day; Yao Jin had taken leave, and Yao Heng had set aside his work to accompany her.

“You both came?” Lyu Qing’s spirit was still quite good. She looked at Yao Jin and slightly raised her hand. “Jin, come here to Mama.”

Yao Jin walked over and awkwardly took her hand.

“I’ve been truly happy that you could be here these past few days. You’re an adult now,” Lyu Qing said, holding her hand tightly. “If anything happens during the surgery, it’s just my fate. Xie Qing will tell you both about my will; don’t blame Mama.”

Yao Jin looked down at her and said, “I don’t lack money, and I don’t want anything from you. Give the inheritance to whoever you want. Your surgery will be a success, so stop talking like that.”

Lyu Qing offered her a smile, glanced at Yao Heng, and was wheeled into the operating room.

The surgery was very, very long. Yao Jin sat on a bench by the door, staring at the pale walls and the “Surgery in Progress” sign in a daze.

Xie Qing saw Yao Jin from a distance. After a moment’s thought, she walked over and sat beside her. Yao Jin had always spoken harshly to her in the past, but today she seemed to have no energy for it. She merely glanced at Xie Qing and returned to staring at the wall.

Xie Qing didn’t speak either, quietly sitting beside Yao Jin to wait with her…