Can't Possibly Fall for My Wife Again After Rebirth, Right? - Chapter 85

Fu Qiao’s fever was entirely a stress response. Her temperature fluctuated all night, only dropping slightly in the small hours of the morning, yet she remained in a state of persistent low-grade fever.

Xu Yingran didn’t dare leave her side and stayed in the ward to provide care. She sent the four adults home to attend to their own business, as she had already taken the next day off specifically to accompany Fu Qiao.

During the night, Fu Qiao was plagued by nightmares. She repeatedly and painfully relived the moment He Qiao fell. She woke up startled many times, drenched in sweat each time. After a whole night of such back-and-forth turmoil, Xu Yingran didn’t get any rest either.

Around six or seven in the morning, Hu Mei arrived to check on the two girls.

“Ranran, you didn’t get any rest last night, did you?” Hu Mei said, looking at the dark circles under Xu Yingran’s eyes with heartache. “Why don’t you go home and sleep? I’ll take over here.”

Xu Yingran shook her head. Who else would take care of her wife if she didn’t do it herself? She reckoned Hu Mei hadn’t slept well either; the woman had rushed over early in the morning looking quite haggard. Xu Yingran offered her a seat.

“I’m fine, Auntie,” Xu Yingran whispered, careful not to disturb Fu Qiao. “I won’t feel at ease until Fu Qiao is better.”

Hu Mei nodded repeatedly and sighed. “How could something like this happen at a good school? Everything was so fine back at your old school—she was happy every day and her grades were always good. It’s only been a short while since she transferred, and then this happens…”

Xu Yingran comforted her: “Don’t think of it that way. The teaching conditions there are excellent, but the pressure is a bit high. Besides, Fu Qiao was adapting well. This incident was just very sudden; no one is truly to blame.”

Hu Mei understood this intellectually, but seeing her daughter lying in a hospital bed looking so sickly still made her heart ache.

“If I had known, I wouldn’t have let her transfer…”

The two hadn’t chatted for long before Fu Qiao slowly woke up. She turned her head toward Xu Yingran and her mother and instinctively called out, “Mom…”

“I’m here!” Hu Mei quickly stood up and approached. Seeing Fu Qiao’s face was still deathly pale, she asked, “You’re awake? Are you hungry? I bought your favorite soup dumplings and millet porridge. Go brush your teeth and wash your face, then we’ll have breakfast.”

Fu Qiao nodded. She felt as though she had no strength in her body, but she didn’t want to keep lying in bed forever. She struggled to get up and was supported by Xu Yingran as they headed to the restroom.

In the restroom, there was a queue for washing up. Xu Yingran needed to freshen up as well; fortunately, Hu Mei had brought two new toothbrushes for them.

Fu Qiao was still dizzy, so Xu Yingran stood by to help her. Once Fu Qiao finished washing up, Xu Yingran sent her back to the ward first before returning to brush her own teeth and wash her face.

After all that back-and-forth, it was half an hour later before they finally sat down to eat.

Fu Qiao took small sips of the millet porridge. She had no appetite, but to keep her mother from worrying, she did her best to eat three soup dumplings and half a bowl of porridge.

“If you really can’t eat anymore, then don’t force it.” Hu Mei pulled out a tissue to wipe the corners of her daughter’s mouth and sighed. “The doctor will be making rounds in a bit. If you feel uncomfortable anywhere, just say so; don’t try to endure it.”

Fu Qiao nodded.

Shortly after, the doctor arrived. After checking on her, the doctor said to Hu Mei, “She can go home after one more IV drip this morning. Once she’s home, make sure she gets plenty of bed rest. Some fever reducers should take care of the rest.”

Hu Mei thanked the doctor repeatedly. No matter how good the hospital conditions were, they couldn’t compare to home. By noon, as Fu Qiao’s spirits had improved slightly, the three of them took a taxi back.

Once home, Fu Qiao tucked herself into bed. Perhaps due to the morning’s IV drip, her energy was relatively good, and she no longer felt as though the world was spinning just from standing up.

At noon, Fu Jun brought four dishes home from the restaurant. They were light in flavor and tasted quite good.

“Uncle, Auntie, everything is fine here, so you two should go to the shop and get busy,” Xu Yingran said while helping clear the table. “The shop must be busy at lunch. I’ll stay with Fu Qiao this afternoon, so don’t worry.”

“Can you manage on your own?” Hu Mei asked, still a bit concerned.

“Don’t worry,” Xu Yingran smiled at her. “Fu Qiao is feeling much better now. I’ll just stay and chat with her; nothing will go wrong.”

Hu Mei thought about it and agreed. After all, recovery from a fever mostly required lying in bed, and having Xu Yingran there for company would be good for both of them.

“Alright then. Your uncle and I will go to the shop. I’ll bring dinner over around 5:00 PM, so don’t use the stove.” Hu Mei nagged with instructions: “There’s fruit in the fridge; wash it and let it sit for a while before eating. There are dried fruits and snacks on the coffee table in the living room; help yourselves if you want some.”

Xu Yingran took all of Hu Mei’s rambling instructions to heart. After the parents left, she locked the door and returned to Fu Qiao’s room.

Upon entering, she saw Fu Qiao leaning against the headboard, watching her.

“Did my parents leave?” Fu Qiao asked.

“They went to the shop.” Xu Yingran pulled up a chair and sat beside Fu Qiao. “They’re so busy; I’ll just stay with you this afternoon.”

Fu Qiao nodded but didn’t say anything.

“Fu Qiao.” Xu Yingran thought for a moment before asking, “Do you know how He Qiao is doing now?”

“I don’t know.” Fu Qiao shook her head.

“Is there nothing in your class group chat?”

“No, they usually don’t talk in the group.”

As expected of a provincial key high school—even the entertainment of idle chatting had been stripped away.

“I’m still quite worried about her,” Fu Qiao said, her brow furrowing slightly. “If I hadn’t been so busy with revision and had taken the time to check on her, I don’t think He Qiao would have done something so foolish.”

“Don’t think like that. What happened to her has absolutely nothing to do with you.”

“…How could it have nothing to do with me? If it weren’t for me, she wouldn’t have transferred to the neighboring class.” Fu Qiao knit her beautiful brows and sighed softly. “If only I had cared for her a bit more.”

Though Xu Yingran understood that Fu Qiao was a girl full of compassion, she couldn’t bear to see her so distressed.

She moved from the chair to the edge of the bed and reached out to hold the hand Fu Qiao had used for her IV. She looked at the faint blue needle mark on her fair skin, which was particularly noticeable.

“The details of He Qiao’s situation aren’t clear yet; don’t take everything upon yourself,” Xu Yingran said. “In a little while, I’ll call your headteacher to ask for an update and help you request a leave of absence.”

Hu Mei had already handled the leave, but Fu Qiao truly wanted to know He Qiao’s current condition. She wasn’t very good at speaking up herself, so having Xu Yingran help was for the best.

Seeing Fu Qiao nod, Xu Yingran used Fu Qiao’s phone to call her headteacher. She explained that Fu Qiao had been discharged and that the specific date for her return to school wasn’t set yet, then asked about He Qiao’s status.

The headteacher was aware of the relationship between Fu Qiao and He Qiao. Furthermore, with Xu Yingran posing as a family member, the teacher spoke frankly, telling her to put Fu Qiao’s mind at ease.

“That’s roughly the situation,” the headteacher said over the phone. “Parents must observe the child’s emotions closely during this time. The school has also invited professional psychological counselors. Once Fu Qiao is able to return, I will arrange a session for her.”

Xu Yingran replied, “Then I thank you, Teacher.”

“It’s no trouble; you’re very welcome.”

After hanging up, Xu Yingran looked at Fu Qiao. “Did you hear what your headteacher just said?”

Fu Qiao nodded, her brow furrowed. “Why would Qiaoqiao’s mother treat her like that? A single drop in grades doesn’t mean anything. How could she hit her?”

Thinking about how He Qiao lived under such pressure every day made Fu Qiao feel very sad. No wonder He Qiao never talked about her family. If she had known the other girl’s mother was such a domineering person, she certainly would have cared for He Qiao much more than she did.

“She probably didn’t know how to tell you about such things,” Xu Yingran sighed. She reached out to rub Fu Qiao’s head and said, “Rest for a while. I’ll try to get more news about He Qiao’s current situation for you.”

In the afternoon, Fu Qiao fell asleep again. Xu Yingran messaged Yao Jin on her phone, asking if she could help dig up any information.

Yao Jin did not disappoint. Not long after, she called Xu Yingran.

“Is Fu Qiao feeling better now?” Yao Jin asked on the other end.

“She fell asleep shortly after taking her medicine at noon; she hasn’t woken up yet.” Xu Yingran stood by the living room window, looking out at the provincial key high school in the distance. She saw workers carrying out construction on the teaching building, seemingly installing iron mesh.

After Xu Yingran told Yao Jin about this, Yao Jin couldn’t help but sigh. “I heard about that. They’re afraid of another incident, so they’re blocking off all the hallways on the second and third floors with wire mesh so students can’t jump. Even the most brilliant minds couldn’t have come up with a worse idea.”

“You even know the term ‘Wolong and Fengchu’ (ironic term for brilliant minds)?” Xu Yingran said. “But it’s understandable; it’s the lowest-cost form of protection. Still, once it’s finished, it’ll probably look like a cage.”

“Exactly. Attending class in there won’t be much different from being in prison.” Yao Jin propped up her head and said, “I’ve looked into what you asked me to find out.”

“Oh?”

“He Qiao didn’t die after jumping, but I heard she was severely injured. After her surgery at the hospital, she was sent straight to the ICU. She woke up last night, and the first thing she asked the nurse was why they saved her.”

Yao Jin sighed as she spoke. “I heard that after she said that, she didn’t say another word. Her mother is in the hospital hallway, crying heart-wrenchingly and looking disheveled like a madwoman. That’s all the detail I have for now. Anyway, she’s still in the Intensive Care Unit. She has multiple fractures all over her body and her lungs were punctured by her ribs. It’s unlikely she’ll be able to participate in the Gaokao (College Entrance Exam) this year.”

“She almost lost her life; who cares about the Gaokao at this point?” Xu Yingran sighed. “It’ll probably take at least half a year for her to recover.”

“Even if the body recovers, who knows what her mental state will be,” Yao Jin said. “It will probably take a very long time to help her treat her psychological trauma. If it can’t be treated, her life might as well be ruined.”

Xu Yingran fell into a long silence after hearing this.

Unable to hear a response, Yao Jin knew Xu Yingran was thinking and didn’t disturb her. She said her goodbye and hung up.

Xu Yingran looked at the provincial key high school under construction in the distance, her brows furrowed tightly.