Can't Possibly Fall for My Wife Again After Rebirth, Right? - Chapter 79

He Qiao’s mind was numb. When she saw Fu Qiao and Xu Yingran kissing, her brain had gone completely blank.

Navigating through the bustling crowds, she left the shop and walked briskly toward the bus stop.

“He Qiao!”

Before she could take more than a few steps, Xu Yingran’s voice called out from behind. He Qiao instinctively stopped and turned to look at the person catching up.

Xu Yingran was wearing a black hoodie today with a ginger-yellow down jacket over it, making her complexion look very pale.

Is this the kind of person Fu Qiao likes?

He Qiao didn’t understand. Hadn’t Xu Yingran said they weren’t dating? Then why were they kissing?

As Xu Yingran approached, she saw He Qiao questioning her with her eyes. Even without words, Xu Yingran could vaguely guess what was being asked.

“Regarding my relationship with Fu Qiao, I hope you won’t tell anyone,” Xu Yingran said, getting straight to the point. “She’s very thin-skinned, and she hasn’t technically agreed to be with me yet. If her parents find out, it’ll be a huge mess.”

He Qiao listened calmly. In a light, airy tone, she asked, “Does Fu Qiao like you?”

Xu Yingran was silent for a moment, looking at her before saying uncertainly, “She probably does…”

If she didn’t, how could I have kissed her so many times?

“But I like her too.”

He Qiao’s words caused Xu Yingran to freeze. She stared at the short-haired girl, frowning as she asked, “You like Fu Qiao?”

The other girl didn’t deny it. She even raised her head candidly to look at Xu Yingran and said, “I do like her. If you two aren’t officially dating, then I still have a chance.”

“Student He Qiao.” Xu Yingran’s brow furrowed. Her sixth sense had been right all along; she had felt from the start that this desk-mate’s attitude toward Fu Qiao was off. She hadn’t expected her to actually try to “dig at the foot of her wall” (steal her girl).

Xu Yingran spoke with a serious expression: “She won’t like you. I suggest you don’t waste your energy.”

He Qiao didn’t respond; she simply looked at her with a calm gaze.

Just then, a bus pulled into the station. He Qiao glanced at it to confirm it was her route, then turned back to Xu Yingran. “Go back and tell Fu Qiao that I won’t talk loosely.”

Xu Yingran watched with a dark face as she boarded the bus and departed.

Can He Qiao’s words be taken seriously? She won’t go spreading rumors at school, will she?

Xu Yingran pondered this all the way back, but eventually decided it was unlikely. Since He Qiao claimed to like Fu Qiao, she probably wouldn’t do anything to harm her.

With that thought, Xu Yingran walked back into the shop.

“Eh?” Hu Mei saw Xu Yingran enter and walked over. “I saw Fu Qiao’s desk-mate leave just now. Didn’t she go looking for you? Did you two have a fight?”

Xu Yingran’s stern face immediately broke into a smile. She said to Hu Mei, “Nothing like that, Auntie. She had something to take care of and had to head back, so she won’t be staying for lunch. We didn’t fight—how could we? We’re all good friends.”

Hu Mei relaxed. “That student seems like a very nice girl, she even brought a gift for the shop. You two must get along well and learn from each other. Especially you, Ranran—you need to focus on your studies. I heard you came in last in your class recently, is that true?”

“Aiyya, Auntie, that was ages ago! In the last monthly exam, I was in the top 20s.”

“That’s still not enough. You need to keep up the pressure on your grades, understand?”

“I know, I know. Go on and get back to work.”

Fearful of more nagging, Xu Yingran quickly shooed her away. She scanned the shop and spotted Fu Qiao already sitting at their table.

The heating in the shop was strong. Xu Yingran took off her down jacket, draped it over the back of her chair, and turned up the heat on the hotpot. After dropping in some meatballs, she looked at Fu Qiao, who was staring at her, and said, “He Qiao said she won’t tell anyone about us.”

“Really?” Fu Qiao asked uneasily.

“Of course. That’s exactly what she told me.” Xu Yingran wanted to take Fu Qiao’s hand to comfort her, but her wife swatted it away.

“Don’t touch me.” Fu Qiao looked toward her mother not far away and turned her head. “Don’t be so touchy-feely in public from now on.”

Xu Yingran: “…” Fine.

Sitting obediently in her seat, Xu Yingran watched the bubbling hotpot. She whispered, “Fu Qiao, if He Qiao says anything strange to you at school on Monday, make sure you think of me more.”

Fu Qiao was confused by the cryptic remark. “What?”

“Nothing.” Xu Yingran shook her head quickly. “Just… don’t forget to miss me while you’re at school.”

Fu Qiao huffed. Right in front of Xu Yingran, she took out her phone to send a few messages to He Qiao, leaving Xu Yingran feeling quite sour. After the meal, Xu Yingran wanted to spend more time with her wife, but Fu Qiao refused, urging her to go home and continue her review.

Monday Morning

Fu Qiao arrived at school early. Since He Qiao had walked in on them last Saturday, she had been very worried. He Qiao’s replies to her messages weren’t as fast as they used to be; previously, she would reply in seconds, but now it took a long time just to get a single sentence back. Moreover, the tone was lukewarm—like they were “familiar strangers.”

Because of this, Fu Qiao arrived earlier than usual. When she entered the classroom, she noticed the atmosphere was different. Usually, everyone sat quietly in their seats, but today, people were whispering to one another. When Fu Qiao walked in, all eyes snapped toward her.

Fu Qiao felt something was wrong, but the stares didn’t last long. As if the strange phenomenon was just an illusion, everyone returned to their morning self-study.

Strangely, He Qiao was nowhere to be seen during the entire morning session. This was unlike her.

“Can I ask you something?” Fu Qiao felt odd and poked the girl across the aisle, asking in a low voice, “Do you know why He Qiao isn’t here for morning study today?”

The girl glanced at Fu Qiao, pushed up her glasses, and said, “She’s here, but she was called to the office by the homeroom teacher.”

The office? Fu Qiao looked at her suspiciously. “Why was she called to the office?”

The girl gave her another look. “He Qiao’s mother is here too. If you want to know, go ask at the office yourself.”

Fu Qiao, not understanding what was happening, decided to go check the office.

In the Office

At that moment, an argument was breaking out.

“I’m doing fine in this class. Why are you making me transfer to a different one?” He Qiao stood before her mother, questioning her.

Mrs. He frowned. “Look at your grades! You used to be such a good student. It’s all because you were led astray by that desk-mate of yours; that’s why your rank dropped so severely.”

“It’s not like that…”

“What do you mean ‘it’s not’? If it weren’t for that Fu Qiao, would your learning have regressed?” Mrs. He turned to the homeroom teacher. “Teacher, you have no idea. Last Saturday, she finally had a day off, and I wanted to cook her something nutritious. But instead, she ran off to play with that Fu Qiao. When I told her not to go, she even shouted at me! Have you ever seen such a child?”

Listening to her mother’s twisted logic, He Qiao was so frustrated she was close to tears. But she was a girl of few words and didn’t know how to explain herself. We weren’t playing; I was only gone for an hour. I ate the food Mom cooked. Why is she saying these things?

Hearing her mother complain about her one moment and obsess over grades the next, He Qiao felt her head begin to swim. She felt as though she might collapse at any second. She didn’t understand. Why was her mother like this? Hadn’t she followed every arrangement? What more did she want? Did she have to die for her mother to be satisfied?

“Teacher.”

At that moment, just as He Qiao’s nerves were about to snap, she heard Fu Qiao’s voice.

It felt as though all her senses had returned at once. He Qiao turned her head woodenly toward the person standing at the office door and whispered, “Fu Qiao…”

Fu Qiao looked at the deathly pale He Qiao, walked into the office, and said to the teacher, “I heard everything. Last Saturday was the opening of my family’s restaurant. I invited He Qiao to be a guest. It wasn’t ‘playing’.”

The teacher glanced at her. “I see.”

Fu Qiao then looked at the still-fuming Mrs. He and said, “He Qiao is an excellent student in every aspect. Her grades are stable; a minor slip-up doesn’t mean anything. Auntie, please don’t talk about her like that.”

“You’re Fu Qiao?” Mrs. He scrutinized the girl. She had expected a “delinquent” type, but the girl before her was beautiful, well-mannered, and had a refined air—completely different from what she had imagined.

“Yes, Auntie,” Fu Qiao nodded. “I am He Qiao’s desk-mate.”

Mrs. He’s expression softened slightly, but she still insisted, “Regardless of what is said today, He Qiao is transferring classes. I have already discussed it with the teacher. Go back and pack your things; don’t be late for the first period.”

The last part was directed at He Qiao. She didn’t ask for her daughter’s opinion and ignored her rejection, simply issuing the command.

Realizing that nothing she said would change her mother’s mind, He Qiao walked out of the office with a pale face, accompanied by Fu Qiao.

“Qiaoqiao…” Seeing He Qiao packing up her heavy textbooks, Fu Qiao whispered, “I’m sorry.”

He Qiao looked up and gave her a reassuring smile. “Why are you apologizing? This has nothing to do with you.”

“But if it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have to transfer.”

He Qiao clutched her thick books and said in a low voice, “Actually, the time I spent as your desk-mate was very happy. They were the happiest days I’ve had in years.”

Fu Qiao looked at her with red eyes.

He Qiao said softly, “Don’t be sad. I’m just going to the class next door. You can still see me whenever you have time.”

She wanted to reach out and touch Fu Qiao’s face, but her arms were full of heavy books, leaving her unable to move a hand. Just like her life.

Fu Qiao helped her move her things to the classroom next door. As He Qiao sat in the very last row, they wanted to say a few more words, but Mrs. He stood nearby, staring coldly at Fu Qiao, leaving no time for a proper goodbye.