Can't Possibly Fall for My Wife Again After Rebirth, Right? - Chapter 89

Even though it was past 11:00 PM, there was quite a crowd of people coming to burn incense and pray to Buddha. Even the security guards of the temple scenic area had been deployed, standing by the roadside to guide pilgrims up the mountain.

Having learned from their previous experience, the three of them knew exactly which path up the mountain was the shortest. They took a ten-minute break midway, and by the time they reached the temple at the summit, it was just past 11:30 PM.

“There’s still half an hour,” Yao Jin said, hands on her hips and panting heavily. Looking at the long queue already forming to buy incense, she turned to the other two and said, “I’ll go buy some incense; you guys wait here for me.”

Seeing Yao Jin squeeze into the crowd, Fu Qiao quickly shouted after her, “Buy a portion for He Qiao too!”

Yao Jin waved her hand to show she understood.

Hearing this, Xu Yingran looked at Fu Qiao helplessly and said, “Wife, you really do care a lot about He Qiao.”

“Hmm?” Xu Yingran’s sour tone caught Fu Qiao by surprise. she looked back at her and laughed, “What’s this? Is Miss Xu jealous again? Didn’t we agree? We’re here to light a stick of incense for Qiaoqiao too, to wish her a speedy recovery.”

“I understand the logic, it just doesn’t feel great seeing you care so much about her.”

“You really are something…” Fu Qiao shook her head and lamented, “Qiaoqiao is my friend. It’s only normal for me to do what I can to help her. Don’t be so needlessly jealous.”

Xu Yingran crossed her arms and remained silent.

If Fu Qiao knew that He Qiao harbored other feelings for her, would she still speak like this?

Whenever she remembered He Qiao saying she liked Fu Qiao, Xu Yingran felt uneasy all over.

But then again, as long as He Qiao didn’t confess, Xu Yingran wasn’t foolish enough to tell Fu Qiao about it herself. Since Fu Qiao viewed her as a friend, it was best they remained friends for a lifetime. Having reached this realization, Xu Yingran’s jealousy subsided significantly.

The temple was brightly lit, filled with people. Besides those burning incense, there were others prepared to ring the bell at midnight. Once Yao Jin returned with the incense, the three of them joined the queue.

“Ten!”

As midnight approached, someone started the count, and the crowd in the temple followed suit, shouting the countdown in unison.

“Nine!” “Eight!” “Seven!”

Firecrackers began to go off in the nearby residential areas; the crackling sound could be heard even on the mountaintop. In the distance, fireworks were ignited, bursting into colorful displays in the sky.

“Six!” “Five!” “Four!”

Yao Jin shouted excitedly to her companions, “Look! They’re about to ring the bell!”

Fu Qiao and Xu Yingran turned their heads to see a crowd gathered around the bronze bell. Everyone shouted together: “Three!” “Two!” “One!”

Dong— Dong— Dong—

The heavy tolling of the bell rang out. Below the mountain, the sound of firecrackers rose in waves, and two more firework displays appeared, clearly visible from the summit.

“Happy New Year!” “Happy New Year!”

People around them shouted greetings or made video calls to their families. Even Yao Jin pulled out her phone and called someone—it wasn’t clear who—shouting, “Happy New Year!”

“Happy New Year,” Xu Yingran turned and took Fu Qiao’s hand, whispering in her ear, “I love you.”

Despite the loud New Year celebrations surrounding them, Fu Qiao heard Xu Yingran’s words. Her expression softened, and she looked up at her. Fu Qiao’s cheeks were flushed, but her eyes were bright. She looked at Xu Yingran’s serious face and opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to say something.

“I… I also…”

Fu Qiao’s face was beet red. She whispered something at the end, but Xu Yingran couldn’t hear it—it was drowned out by the deafening tolling of the temple bell.

“What did you say?” Xu Yingran wouldn’t let her go, tightly gripping Fu Qiao’s wrist. “What did you just say? Say it again.”

“I…” Fu Qiao turned her head away, her face burning. She said to Xu Yingran, “I didn’t say anything! We need to go burn the incense!”

“Fu Qiao.” Xu Yingran pulled her back, her voice firm as she asked, “Did you just say you love me too?”

Fu Qiao’s face turned red with a “poof” sound. She looked up and said, “D-d-don’t talk nonsense! I never said that!”

Xu Yingran, however, continued to look at her seriously. Holding her wrist, she said word by word, “I like you, I love you, and I want to marry you. I want to tell you all my thoughts. I want you to know that as long as you’re willing to speak up, we can be together.”

Fu Qiao was stunned. It was rare to see Xu Yingran so serious, and she stood there in a bit of a daze. Previously, she only thought Xu Yingran was a pretty and delicate girl, but seeing her confess so earnestly today, Fu Qiao felt she was… cooler than the person she thought she knew.

No one is indifferent to a confession from someone they share an ambiguous bond with. Fu Qiao lowered her head shyly, looked at their joined hands, and carefully tightened her grip. She was thin-skinned and couldn’t say the words out loud, but she felt she could no longer reject Xu Yingran.

If Xu Yingran forced her to make a decision, Fu Qiao would definitely agree. She wanted to be with Xu Yingran. She wanted to be with her forever.

“Hey, the people in the queue ahead have moved on! Why are you two still standing here?” Yao Jin walked over after finishing her call. Seeing their shifty gazes, she smiled playfully. “Is something going on between you two?”

“What could be going on?” Xu Yingran let out a soft laugh and put an arm around Fu Qiao, saying to Yao Jin, “It’s not like you don’t know I like Fu Qiao. Why are you acting like a third wheel?”

“Xu Yingran, you really use people when you need them and cast them aside when you don’t! You think I enjoy being a third wheel?”

Bickering as they went, they walked toward the incense burners. Fearing Yao Jin might be upset, Fu Qiao purposefully separated from Xu Yingran so the two of them could walk with Yao Jin in the middle.

“Alright, alright, let’s get down to business,” Xu Yingran said to the others as she watched the people ahead. “After we burn the incense and make our wishes, we can hang up wooden plaques over there. We’ll buy plaques to tie up; it’ll surely ensure our wishes come true.”

Yao Jin gave her a look of disdain and was the first to go up and burn her incense. After she was done, Xu Yingran let Fu Qiao go next.

Besides praying for herself, Fu Qiao also burned incense for He Qiao, praying for her speedy recovery and wishing her success in the upcoming exams.

Xu Yingran’s wishes were simple: the College Entrance Exam in the short term, and marriage in the long term. Although she hadn’t heard that this temple was particularly famous for romance, she prayed for academic success for now. As for marrying Fu Qiao, she knew she had to rely on herself for that.

There were quite a few people tying up plaques. The three of them bought their own, wrote down their wishes, and found a place to hang them. By the time they finished, it was just past 12:30 AM.

Yao Jin’s parents were pressing her to come home. Because of her illness, Lu Qing was no longer as domineering as before. It was said the couple was living together again—though still in separate rooms, the atmosphere was at least less hostile. Lu Qing needed regular hospital visits, and company matters were currently handled by subordinates. Xie Qing visited every day and sometimes stayed over, which made Yao Jin very happy.

The foot of the mountain was crowded with people unable to find a taxi. Seeing this, Yao Jin made a grand gesture and told them to get in her car, dropping everyone off one by one. Fu Qiao lived in the east of the city, Xu Yingran in the center, and Yao Jin in the north; the car spent the night circling the town.

They dropped Fu Qiao off first, then Xu Yingran. By the time Yao Jin messaged the group to say she was safely home, it was already 2:00 AM. Zhao Yu had long since finished watching the Gala and gone to sleep. Xu Yingran had just showered and was drying her hair; seeing Yao Jin’s message, she told her to get some rest.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Xu Yingran dragged her family to temple fairs and shopping malls. Everyone wore new clothes, visited relatives, and collected “lucky money” in red envelopes.

The day before school started, Fu Jun called a moving truck and moved Fu Qiao’s belongings back upstairs.

Xu Yingran had been looking forward to this all morning. Seeing the truck enter the courtyard, she dropped her pen and ran out. As soon as the truck stopped, she saw Fu Qiao open the door and hop out; Xu Yingran hurried forward to steady her.

“You rode with the truck?” Xu Yingran asked curiously. “Where are your parents?”

“They’re here too,” Fu Qiao turned and called to Hu Mei, who was stepping down, “Mom, Yingran is here~”

Hu Mei looked up to see the two girls together and said with a smile, “Ranran is here. Where’s your mother?”

“Mom’s upstairs,” Xu Yingran laughed. “Shall I help?”

“No need, no need. The moving company handles everything.” Hu Mei pulled the two girls aside so they wouldn’t block the way. Watching Fu Qiao’s desk, chairs, and bed being moved back one by one, Xu Yingran couldn’t have been happier.

The neighbors gathered around, chatting with Hu Mei and asking why they were suddenly moving back.

“Fu Qiao,” Xu Yingran whispered while the adults were busy, “Let’s go to the street and buy some food. You haven’t had street snacks in a long time, right?”

Fu Qiao nodded, smiling. “I also want to buy some preserved plums. I wonder if the shop we usually go to is open.”

“It is! I saw it yesterday.” “Then I’ll tell my mom.”

Fu Qiao ran over to inform Hu Mei. After receiving a few instructions, Fu Qiao fished a 100-yuan bill out of her mother’s pocket and ran back to Xu Yingran, beaming. “My mom gave me money to buy plenty. Let’s go!”

They bought preserved plums and melon seeds on the street, and just as a cart selling steamed vegetables pushed by, they stopped to buy a portion. Steamed vegetables consisted of various leafy greens coated in flour and steamed, served with chili, minced garlic, and pepper salt. It was a local favorite. Both of them loved it and specifically asked the vendor to add extra spice.

There were so many street snacks that the two returned with several bags in each hand. By then, the moving company had nearly finished.

Zhao Yu was helping out at Fu Qiao’s house. Turning around to see Xu Yingran entering with various snacks, she couldn’t help but grumble, “Wasting money again.”

Xu Yingran replied with a grin, “I bought these with my pocket money; it’s not a waste.”

“Fine, fine, you’re always right, aren’t you?” Zhao Yu shook her head helplessly and said to Xu Yingran, “Your aunt and uncle are having lunch at our house today. You go home first and start the rice, then take Fu Qiao to your room to play. I’ll be back shortly to cook.”

“Got it!”

Xu Yingran’s eyes crinkled with laughter as she led Fu Qiao back to her home. After washing the rice and starting the rice cooker, she turned to Fu Qiao and said, “My mom steamed a lot of buns a while ago and we haven’t finished them. We’ll have those for breakfast tomorrow.”

Because from now on, Fu Qiao would be eating breakfast with Xu Yingran again!

“Anything is fine with me,” Fu Qiao said with a smile. “I’ll eat whatever Auntie makes.”