Can't Possibly Fall for My Wife Again After Rebirth, Right? - Chapter 77

Yao Jin froze at those words. She turned to look at Xu Yingran and asked, “You want me to… ask her directly?”

“Yeah.” Xu Yingran leaned on the desk, tilting her head to look at her best friend. “Instead of guessing back and forth, why not just ask? If she likes girls, you still have a chance. If she doesn’t, you can pull yourself out of it early.”

Yao Jin fell silent. She gave Xu Yingran’s suggestion some serious thought and felt it might actually work.

Seeing Yao Jin’s serious expression, Xu Yingran curiously leaned in and whispered, “Jin, tell me—how far have things developed with the ‘older sister’? Have you guys kissed yet?”

Yao Jin’s face flushed instantly. She shot Xu Yingran a look of disgust. “How can you be so vulgar? Does liking someone have to involve kissing?”

“Doesn’t it?”

“…Not necessarily.” Yao Jin, blushing, looked at Xu Yingran. With her heart fluttering like a trapped rabbit, she finally leaned into her ear and whispered, “We’ve taken a bath together.”

Xu Yingran: “…”

What’s the big deal?

She had been bathing with Fu Qiao since they were little; sometimes they even scrubbed each other’s backs.

But then Xu Yingran thought about it again. Looking at Yao Jin’s innocent expression, she realized it wasn’t easy for her. Bathing with the person you like must indeed be a massive test of willpower.

“So, did you two just… purely bathe?” Xu Yingran asked. “And then?”

“And then?” Yao Jin blinked, sounding mournful. “And then there was no ‘and then.’ She just walked out after finishing her shower.”

With that, she slumped onto the desk with a wronged expression, asking Xu Yingran gloomily, “Do you think she just doesn’t like my type? I saw how close she was with my mom—shopping and eating together. Do you think she doesn’t like younger girls?”

“Um, normally speaking, people don’t really like those who are too much younger.”

“But she only just graduated university this year! She’s only four years older than us.”

“The problem isn’t that she’s four years older. The problem is that you’re only 18.”

Yao Jin knit her brows tightly, blowing imaginary bubbles in frustration. “I didn’t choose that! It’s not my fault my mom didn’t give birth to me two years earlier. What can I do?”

Xu Yingran patted her shoulder in comfort. “Chasing an older sister is never easy. you’ve got a long road ahead of you.”

Yao Jin let out a long, heavy sigh. The road to winning over her “older sister” was indeed long and full of obstacles…

Fu Qiao stared at the test paper in front of her, her mind beginning to wander.

What was wrong with her? Why did she let Xu Yingran have her way every time? Whether it was pinning her down for a kiss or doing even more “outrageous” things.

The most troubling part was that after their last session of intimacy, Fu Qiao hadn’t felt angry. Instead, she felt a sense of unprecedented fulfillment.

Fu Qiao began to panic. Is there something wrong with me?

Am I sick? Why does it feel… comfortable… after letting Xu Yingran mess around with me?

Fu Qiao clutched her head in agony, her face glowing red. A massive question mark occupied her small brain.

Dammit, could I really have fallen for Xu Yingran???

He Qiao returned from outside and saw Fu Qiao with her head pressed against her test paper, looking as if she were in pain. Assuming she was anxious about her grades, He Qiao felt a flash of sympathy.

After taking her seat, He Qiao glanced at the score on Fu Qiao’s paper and said, “Actually, your score is already quite good. Don’t be too sad.”

Fu Qiao looked up, glanced at her paper again, and sighed. Thanks to He Qiao, her sources of anxiety had suddenly doubled.

“The drop in my ranking is far too obvious. If this continues, I’ll slip out of the top 200,” Fu Qiao said as she tidied her desk, looking helplessly at He Qiao. “If only my grades were as stable as yours, I’d have a lot fewer worries.”

He Qiao wasn’t particularly happy to be praised. Others might not know, but she knew exactly how much money and effort her family had poured into her education to achieve these results. She herself had suffered quite a bit.

“Even with good grades, my mother is never satisfied,” He Qiao said, her voice very soft.

Fu Qiao turned to look at her. “What’s wrong? Did she scold you again?”

The results for this monthly exam were out. Fu Qiao’s drop was expected, but He Qiao’s rank had also slipped slightly—from second in the class to fifth. That was the reason Fu Qiao had dragged a moody He Qiao out for wontons last Saturday.

The moment He Qiao’s mother saw the grades, she exploded, nagging and scolding for days, putting immense pressure on He Qiao. The girl felt she had worked very hard, yet she could never meet her mother’s standards.

“Fu Qiao, do you think… I’m just not suited for studying?” He Qiao asked softly.

“Of course not!” Fu Qiao took He Qiao’s hand and comforted her. “If you aren’t suited for studying, then what about those of us who can’t even match you? One bad exam doesn’t mean anything. Look at Xu Yingran—she came in dead last in her class during the midterms, but she’s still happy every day.”

At the mention of Xu Yingran, He Qiao looked at Fu Qiao and pursed her lips into a small smile. “You’re right. I really should learn from her.”

Fu Qiao’s eyes crinkled. “Learn what from her? Being a happy idiot all day? I don’t even know what she finds so exciting every day. Don’t learn from her—learn from me! My mindset is pretty good too, right?”

He Qiao couldn’t help but laugh along with her.

“By the way, Qiaoqiao, I… have something I want to tell you.”

Seeing He Qiao so happy, Fu Qiao didn’t want to hide it from her anymore. Since He Qiao was her good friend now, she couldn’t keep the arts exam a secret forever.

“Hmm?” He Qiao looked at her, questioning what she wanted to say.

“Last Saturday… you remember when we went for wontons?” Fu Qiao looked at her nervously. “Actually, that morning, I went to take an arts exam.”

He Qiao’s eyes widened slightly. She was silent for two seconds before asking, “An arts exam?”

Fu Qiao nodded. “Yes.”

He Qiao frowned in confusion. “Your grades aren’t that bad; getting into a standard university wouldn’t be a problem. Why take an arts exam?”

Fu Qiao explained, “I’ve actually been preparing for it for a long time. It’s for Broadcasting and Hosting. I want to be a presenter.”

“Nonsense.” He Qiao frowned, grabbing Fu Qiao’s wrist. “Is being a presenter something you can just be? How many presenters are there in the whole country? Can you be sure you’re that one in ten thousand? You’re gambling with your future!”

Perhaps because He Qiao’s voice was too loud, it drew the attention of other classmates. Fu Qiao hurried her to lower her voice.

He Qiao stayed silent with a dark face. She stared at Fu Qiao for a long time before saying slowly, “If you’re going into Broadcasting, does that mean… we are destined not to go to the same university?”

Fu Qiao looked at her guiltily and gave a small nod.

He Qiao felt a sharp pang in her chest. She said to Fu Qiao, “So, when you said we’d get into the same university… you were lying to me from the very beginning.”

“Qiaoqiao, I didn’t…”

Fu Qiao had never actually promised to go to the same university. Every time the topic came up, she had always steered the conversation away. However, it was true that she had allowed the hope to remain, and in that, she was at fault.

The two fell into silence. Fu Qiao didn’t know how to explain, and He Qiao felt betrayed. When the bell rang for class, He Qiao ignored her and turned away.

“Qiaoqiao…”

Fu Qiao frowned slightly and tugged on He Qiao’s sleeve. The other girl coldly pulled her sleeve back and stared silently at her textbook. For the entire day, He Qiao didn’t speak to Fu Qiao, and they didn’t even go to lunch together.

Fu Qiao knew she was angry.

“I know it’s mostly my fault for keeping it from her.”

At 10:00 PM, Fu Qiao was huddled under her covers, venting to Xu Yingran on the phone. “But I really didn’t mean it. Xu Yingran, do you think Qiaoqiao will stop talking to me?”

Xu Yingran’s feelings were a tangled mess. She asked Fu Qiao, “You know I don’t like that little desk-mate, yet you spend the whole night talking about her. Are you trying to annoy me on purpose?”

Fu Qiao blinked and laughed. “Why don’t you like her? Qiaoqiao is just a bit introverted; she’s actually a very good person.”

Xu Yingran gave a muffled snort.

Fu Qiao looked at the call interface and sighed softly, her voice turning sweet and mellow. “Xu Yingran, I’ve had a big enough headache today. Don’t add to it by being angry too, okay?”

She didn’t know where this person found so much jealousy to eat; it was baffling to her.

Xu Yingran let out a helpless sigh and spun her pen. “If you ask me, your desk-mate is just angry because she only found out today. She probably feels that since your relationship was so good, you shouldn’t have hidden it for months.”

“Mm.” Fu Qiao clutched a plushie. “I think so too. So… how do I coax her?”

Coax her?

Xu Yingran stopped spinning her pen. She wanted to reach through the phone, grab Fu Qiao, and spin her around to see what she was thinking.

“You never coaxed me when I was angry!” Xu Yingran said through gritted teeth. “You little heartless thing—we’ve only been apart a short time and you already have someone else!”

Fu Qiao’s eyes crinkled with laughter. “You have a big heart. I don’t need to coax you; you’re only mad for two minutes and then you’re fine on your own. Why should I waste the effort?” She chuckled. “Hurry up and give me an idea. You wouldn’t want me to have no one to talk to at this school, would you?”

In truth, Xu Yingran really wanted to say, “If you have no one to talk to, then come back,” but she knew Fu Qiao’s personality. Besides, the school she was at was excellent; there was no reason to pull her away.

“Speaking of which, your parents’ barbecue and hotpot shop is opening soon, right?” Xu Yingran asked suddenly.

“Huh?” Fu Qiao was startled by the jump in topic. “I think so. My parents said it has to open before New Year’s Day. Business is good during the holidays, so they can make a lot.”

“Then that’s easy,” Xu Yingran said. “Just tell your little desk-mate that your family’s shop is opening and invite her over as a guest. What do you think?”

“That’s a great idea!” Fu Qiao rolled over in bed and praised her, “Xu Yingran, I didn’t realize your brain was actually quite useful.”

“Of course it is.” Being praised by his “wife” made Xu Yingran feel very smug. However, she quickly added, “Make sure to tell me once the opening date is set. My parents have been nagging about going to support them.”

“I know,” Fu Qiao said. “It’s late. Let’s talk tomorrow. Goodnight!”

Before Xu Yingran could say another word, Fu Qiao hung up. Xu Yingran curled her lip, thinking that Fu Qiao really was the type to use people and then toss them aside. So mean!