Can't Possibly Fall for My Wife Again After Rebirth, Right? - Chapter 9

Xu Yingran had a dream.

In the dream, she returned to when she was eighteen. Her parents had just passed away, and she was moving through life like a walking corpse. After handling the funeral arrangements, she continued going to school as if nothing had happened, but anyone could see that something was wrong.

In her loneliest moment, Fu Qiao appeared.

Clutching a love letter in a pink envelope, Fu Qiao asked Xu Yingran to meet her in the clearing behind the teaching building.

The sky after the rain was as clear as if it had been washed; massive clusters of white clouds crowded together. The sound of cicadas and birds in the woods, the damp and itchy grass against her toes, and the girl who had been by her side for eighteen years all gave Xu Yingran a flicker of warmth.

“Do you like me?”

Xu Yingran remembered asking Fu Qiao very calmly. She saw the girl’s face turn bright red instantly, clutching the love letter, unable to utter a single word.

Without needing another word, Xu Yingran saw through Fu Qiao’s heart. Coupled with the affection she already held for her childhood friend, she took the initiative to step forward and take Fu Qiao’s hand. She whispered, “I like you too…”

Suddenly, Xu Yingran snapped her eyes open. In her dream, she had actually broken into a feverish sweat; her body felt sticky and uncomfortable.

Sitting up in bed, she felt the electric fan at the foot of the bed whirring away, blowing the sweat from her forehead down her temples and into her collar.

She clutched her head, feeling a dull ache.

Yesterday, while doing homework with Fu Qiao, she had felt a strange heat and thirst. That night, she had a “vivid dream” starring the two of them. In the dream, she and Fu Qiao went through a revolving door of memories—falling in love, getting married, starting a business. She even remembered exactly what expression Fu Qiao made in bed.

It was as if an adult film of the two of them was being played right in front of her.

How terrible.

Taking advantage of the fact that her parents weren’t awake yet, Xu Yingran rushed to take a cold shower. After changing into her school uniform, she looked at the half-finished homework on her desk. Realizing she needed to see things through to the end, she sat back down. It was only 6:00 AM; she could squeeze in another hour of work.

When Xu Chuanjiang and Zhao Yu woke up, they saw their daughter working hard at her desk. Xu Chuanjiang couldn’t help but sigh with emotion, “The child has finally grown up; she knows how to study on her own now.”

Zhao Yu glanced at her husband, rolled her eyes, and said, “Look who gave birth to her.”

“Yes, yes, yes.” Xu Chuanjiang smiled broadly and said to his wife, “Ask Ranran what she wants for breakfast. I’ll go downstairs and buy it.”

Both parents were working-class and spent little time at home. They usually grabbed something from the breakfast stalls on the old street downstairs; the family of three ate at their respective canteens for lunch, only gathering for dinner. Zhao Yu knocked on Xu Yingran’s door to ask for her preference.

Xu Yingran was pondering a difficult problem. Her train of thought was interrupted, and she turned to look at her parents.

She remembered that her parents had passed away during the first semester of her senior year of high school. It was a rainy day, and the accident happened because she had asked them to come home early. She recalled it was early October—calculating the time, the date was fast approaching.

“Mom, Dad,” Xu Yingran put down her pen and stood up. “I’ll go buy breakfast.”

But Zhao Yu said, “Don’t you still have homework? You keep writing. I’ll let your dad go down.”

With that, Zhao Yu pulled Xu Chuanjiang out the door, carrying a small pot.

By the time they returned, Xu Yingran had already packed her bag and was sitting at the dining table.

Xu Chuanjiang placed the pot of Spicy Soup (Hula Tang) on the table, along with a plastic bag of steamed buns and fried dough sticks. Zhao Yu brought three bowls and served the soup while saying, “Ranran, is there really that much homework now? Is the pressure of senior year that high?”

There was a bun shop on the old street that had been there for over twenty years; the flavors were authentic and delicious. The whole family loved them. Biting into the thin-skinned, juice-filled meat bun, Xu Yingran felt her foggy morning brain clear up significantly.

“The pressure isn’t that bad. It’s just that my procrastination is getting serious. I got sleepy before I finished yesterday.” Xu Yingran now felt exhausted by 10:00 PM and had to sleep by 11:00 PM; how could she ever finish all the work?

Hearing this, Zhao Yu said, “Then come straight home after school to do your work. Stop running around outside.”

Xu Yingran nodded. “I know, Mom.”

Just as they finished eating, they heard Xu Chuanjiang, who was washing dishes outside, say, “Xiao Qiao is here! Ranran just finished eating. Come in and wait for her.”

Fu Qiao’s voice came from the door: “Okay, Uncle.”

Xu Yingran turned around to see Fu Qiao standing at the door, holding a carton of pure milk just as she had for the past few days. Her clear eyes fixed on Xu Yingran as she said slowly, “Are you ready?”

“Yeah.” Xu Yingran forced herself to look away. “Wait a moment, let me grab my things.”

Grabbing her bag and school jacket, Xu Yingran said her goodbyes and headed out with Fu Qiao.

The two walked down the road, each occupied by their own thoughts. Xu Yingran glanced at the Fu Qiao drinking milk, then thought of the older Fu Qiao from her dream. The two shadows flickered in her mind—one moment her “wife,” the next her classmate. It was giving her a nervous breakdown.

In fact, realizing she still felt desire for Fu Qiao made Xu Yingran a bit afraid.

She had been reborn—she couldn’t possibly fall for her wife all over again, right?

Was it because the 9:00 PM curfew was too early, or the allowance too high? Why on earth would she want to repeat that life by liking Fu Qiao again?

But on second thought, though the “Adult Fu Qiao” was a bit harsh, she didn’t really force Xu Yingran into anything beyond those strict rules. Besides, making her sleep early, wake up early, and come home on time was for her own good, wasn’t it?

Still, Xu Yingran truly didn’t want to live a life that felt like house arrest again. After serious thought, she decided to try for a new life.

She and this “Young Fu Qiao” should just remain ordinary friends.

Perhaps sensing Xu Yingran’s strange gaze, Fu Qiao looked up at her, puzzled. “Why do you keep looking at me today?”

Xu Yingran blinked and pointed at the milk in her hand. “Why do you drink that every day? Don’t you get tired of it?”

Fu Qiao froze for a moment before saying awkwardly, “…No.”

“Even if you aren’t tired of it, you can’t drink it every single day.” Xu Yingran teased curiously, “You’re not trying to grow taller, are you?”

Fu Qiao stopped in her tracks. she looked at Xu Yingran warily, her face a mask of shock that her little secret had been discovered.

Xu Yingran also stopped, her eyes widening. “Wait, for real?”

She had just been teasing. After all, in the future, Fu Qiao always wore high heels and refused to take them off even when her feet were blistered. Xu Yingran had wondered if she felt insecure about her height and drank milk desperately because of it.

So she really does think she’s short!

Xu Yingran couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Seeing her laugh, Fu Qiao couldn’t keep her composure. Her small face flushed red with anger; she ignored Xu Yingran and took off running.

“Hey! Wait!”

Xu Yingran tried to stop her, but Fu Qiao disappeared through the school gates in a few strides, running faster than a rabbit.

Honestly, we’re so close—even if I know, I won’t tell anyone. Why so shy?

She really was young. If this were the Fu Qiao from ten years later, she’d probably dock Xu Yingran’s entire allowance!

Just then, students began arriving in groups. A black Maybach pulled up smoothly at the school entrance. A driver wearing white gloves got out to open the rear door. Passing students stared in unison, as if watching an idol drama about a domineering CEO.

Xu Yingran’s attention was also drawn to the car. She watched as Yao Jin stepped out in her school uniform. The driver proactively handed over her backpack.

“Miss, please be careful on your way to the classroom. I will pick you up here after school.”

Yao Jin didn’t give much of a response, only nodding slightly.

Not just Xu Yingran, but many students witnessed this scene. They began to gossip: “This looks so much like a TV show!”

“Who is she? I’ve never heard of someone like this in our school.”

“I think she’s the rich girl who just transferred to Class 5 yesterday.”

“Why would a rich kid come to our school?”

“Who knows?”

Xu Yingran overheard the whispers around her. She looked helplessly at Yao Jin as she entered the campus and quickly hurried to catch up.

“A-Jin!”

Xu Yingran took advantage of the moment Yao Jin turned around to throw an arm around her shoulder. The momentum caused them both to stumble forward half a step.

There was no need to guess—only that “weirdo” from yesterday would call her “A-Jin” at school.

Yao Jin looked at Xu Yingran, her eyes flickering with a momentary daze before she grabbed Xu Yingran’s hand and said, “Come with me.”

Xu Yingran was baffled. “Morning self-study is about to start. Where are you pulling me?”

Yao Jin didn’t answer. She pulled her straight to a spot far from the teaching building. Once they stopped, she turned to face Xu Yingran and said, “I thought carefully about what you told me yesterday. But… I still don’t believe you.”

Xu Yingran’s words from the day before were too shocking. The more Yao Jin thought about it, the more suspicious she felt. Although she was indeed curious about how Xu Yingran knew her secrets, she was an atheist at heart. She didn’t believe in nonsense about someone “coming from ten years in the future.”

“You must be tricking me.” Yao Jin gripped Xu Yingran’s hand, leaning in close. “Did you hire someone to investigate me? Why? Did my mother tell you to do this?”

Seeing Yao Jin getting more and more agitated, her words firing off like a machine gun, Xu Yingran quickly cut her off. She nudged her shoulder and said, “Calm down. Let’s talk this through properly.”