What's Wrong with Changing to a New Wife? [Rebirth] - Chapter 13

Yan Congyu didn’t speak, only silently watched Gu Ji. After a long while, he slowly released his grip, seeming somewhat powerless.

He knew he had been too impatient, but in such a situation, who could remain calm? He let out a breath and asked stubbornly, “…Even after all this, you still won’t break up?”

“Who said I won’t?”

Since Yan Congyu had already seen it, Gu Ji leaned against the nearby wall and said, “What do you take me for? Do you think I can tolerate this?”

Yan Congyu asked, “Then why aren’t you going in?”

Gu Ji paused, then suddenly laughed. He brushed past Yan Congyu, patted his shoulder, and said, “Xiao Yan, you’re still too young.”

What would he do if he went in now? Confront the two of them? Demand an explanation from Lin Qingran?

He had already done such foolish things in his past life. This gathering was full of Lin Qingran’s friends and admirers. If he went in, a quarrel would be unavoidable. Everyone would urge reconciliation rather than separation, and he would be morally pressured by the crowd, only adding to the trouble.

All Gu Ji wanted now was to break up smoothly, without further entangling himself with Lin Qingran’s name. As for the remaining grudges, there would be plenty of time to settle them one by one.

Yan Congyu didn’t understand Gu Ji’s meaning. He glanced into the room, his eyes darkening, wishing he could break up with Lin Qingran on Gu Ji’s behalf.

After standing outside for a while, Gu Ji returned to the original private room. He lowered his head and played with his phone. It was a long time before Lin Qingran finally returned.

Lin Qingran’s face was slightly flushed, but he was far from drunk. After greeting the people at the door, he sat down beside Gu Ji.

“Pass me my coat,” Lin Qingran said after taking a sip of water. “I’m going to the restroom—stop playing with your phone.”

Gu Ji looked up at Lin Qingran and said, “Let’s break up, Lin Qingran.”

As these words were spoken, it felt as though the shackles that had bound him for two lifetimes had suddenly broken away. Surprisingly, his heart was calm.

Lin Qingran froze. “What are you saying?”

Gu Ji repeated with extreme patience, “I said we’re breaking up. It means it’s over. Don’t you understand?”

Lin Qingran slammed his cup onto the table, creating a loud noise that went unnoticed in the noisy room. Suppressing his anger, he said, “Gu Ji, I’ll give you one more chance. Take back what you just said.”

Gu Ji fiddled with his phone, glanced toward the door, and said emotionlessly, “I don’t need you to give me a chance. Lin Qingran, what makes you think I would unconditionally accept everything about you?”

Lin Qingran frowned. “What exactly are you trying to say?”

Gu Ji replied, “Do you want me to give an example? Like your infidelity?”

Lin Qingran’s expression changed instantly, as if he immediately understood Gu Ji’s meaning. “What do you know? They’re just ordinary friends. You’re different from them.”

Gu Ji thought to himself, “He mentioned ‘them’ right away. How many people has Lin Qingran gotten involved with at this point?”

“Do ordinary friends kiss and whisper in each other’s ears?” Gu Ji opened his phone’s photo album, his tone tinged with mockery and amusement, as if watching a spectacle.

In his past life, he had been blinded and foolish, only realizing Lin Qingran’s true nature at the moment of death. After waking up to the truth, he saw how blind and foolish he had been, repeatedly tolerating Lin Qingran’s transgressions.

The phone screen lit up, casting a glow under the dazzling lights. In the photo, the two appeared as intimate as lovers. While the earlier embraces could still be brushed off as ordinary friendship, the subsequent kisses and whispered intimacies left no room for denial.

“It’s just a trick of the angle…” Lin Qingran’s hands gripped the sofa armrest tightly, his face paling instantly. “Where did you get these photos?”

“A trick of the angle?” Gu Ji swiped to the next photo, each one more intimate than the last. “Are all of these just tricks of the angle?”

Lin Qingran stared down at the photos, his eyes suddenly reddening, his voice trembling with sobs. “Gu Ji, don’t you trust me?”

Gu Ji felt no ripple of emotion. He could easily predict Lin Qingran’s next move. The moment he realized he couldn’t justify his actions, he would start crying, as if he were the one being wronged.

In his past life, Gu Ji had fallen for this act every time. Lin Qingran’s tears had always worked like a charm. But the present Gu Ji had sealed his heart against love, his emotions harder than stone. At this moment, all he felt was annoyance.

Calmly, Gu Ji said, “I’m not blind. Making a scene here won’t do you any favors either. Let’s make this clean—we’re breaking up.”

Lin Qingran’s sobs abruptly halted mid-breath. Many familiar friends and even teachers were present today. If this matter escalated, he would be utterly humiliated at school.

He hadn’t expected Gu Ji to be so ruthless.

A tear slid down Lin Qingran’s cheek as he whispered, “We’ve been together for so many years… Don’t you have any feelings left.

“With these photos as evidence, do you want everyone to see who truly lacks feelings?” Gu Ji interrupted impatiently, tossing his phone onto the table. “We can end this quietly now, or I can share these photos right here. The choice is yours.”

Lin Qingran remained silent for a long moment, as if finally realizing there was no room for negotiation.

Biting his lower lip, he spoke word by word, “…Delete the photos first.”

Gu Ji raised an eyebrow slightly. “So, you’ve chosen to break up. Perfect—mutual agreement. It’s over between us.”

Lin Qingran stared fixedly at the phone before finally nodding in resignation.

Gu Ji deleted the photos from the album in front of Lin Qingran, without a hint of hesitation.

He had backups.

If Lin Qingran refrained from causing trouble in the future, these photos would remain buried forever. One thing at a time—the remaining grudges would be settled in other ways.

But if things unfolded as they had in his previous life, with Gu Ji once again bearing the brunt of rumors and condemnation, then there would be no need to keep any promises. These photos would serve their purpose then.

Seeing the photos deleted, Lin Qingran’s rigid posture finally relaxed slightly. He shifted his gaze from the phone back to Gu Ji, only to find the other’s composed expression strangely unfamiliar.

A wave of confusion washed over Lin Qingran. When had he changed like this?

Gu Ji let out a light sigh of relief. There was no reason to stay any longer. He stood up and left the private room.

“Hey, Qingran, why did your boyfriend leave?” Fang Zhao caught sight of Gu Ji’s retreating figure and asked in surprise, “Aren’t you two leaving together?”

Lin Qingran’s eyes showed no trace of having cried. As usual, he shrugged indifferently. “He’s not my boyfriend anymore. We’ve broken up.”

Fang Zhao stared at him in disbelief, eyes wide. “What happened?”

Lin Qingran replied carelessly, “The feelings are gone.”

Fang Zhao was utterly baffled. “But everything seemed fine just a moment ago?”

“It was just a casual fling anyway. Breaking up is no big deal,” Lin Qingran said with displeasure. “There’s no particular reason.”

Fang Zhao chimed in, “Breaking up is fine. You can always find someone new. I think that professor from the neighboring school we saw earlier seems nice.”

Lin Qingran’s expression finally softened a little. “Mm.”

After stepping out of the private room, Gu Ji closed his eyes briefly. The feelings that had trapped him for over a decade were finally severed completely at this moment. With the shackles on his spirit cast off, he experienced a long-lost sense of ease.

As Gu Ji left the bar, he bought a pack of cigarettes at the front counter, which came with a complimentary lighter.

He didn’t smoke often. The first time he’d started was in high school. There had been a period when he smoked heavily, but it had tapered off since then.

Standing by the street, Gu Ji held a cigarette between his lips and lit it with a flick of his wrist, a brief blue flame flaring up. With his other hand, he opened a ride-hailing app on his phone, preparing to head back to campus.

He’d taken the easy way here by catching a ride in Yan Congyu’s car, but now getting back was going to be a hassle.

It was rush hour, and even booking a ride required waiting in a queue. Gu Ji stared at the screen, which read, “147 riders ahead of you,” and thought ruefully that he shouldn’t have taken the convenient option earlier.

Under the warm glow of the streetlights, Yan Congyu sat in his car, watching from across the street. The young man’s profile seemed bathed in a soft golden light, looking both weary and carefree.

His black car blended into the night, not easily noticeable.

Yan Congyu’s gaze lingered on the faint red glow at Gu Ji’s lips. He tapped his fingers lightly on the steering wheel, waited a moment, then pushed the car door open and stepped out.

Gu Ji held his phone in one hand but accidentally exited the app midway. When he reopened it, he had to queue all over again. Seeing the message, “Over 200 riders ahead of you,” his mood soured completely.

Bored with waiting, he sent a message in his dorm group chat, asking if anyone could come pick him up.

[Cheng Zhuo: I’m getting a tooth pulled, wuwuwuwu, Bro Gu, I’m dying from the pain. If you can wait, I can give you a ride after my appointment.]

[Song Jinzhen: I’m not in Rong City right now. Want me to book you a ride?]

[Xu Jingyin: I’m free.]

[Xu Jingyin: But I don’t have a driver’s license.]

[Xu Jingyin: Is it far? I can come on my electric bike.]

Gu Ji first comforted Cheng Zhuo about his tooth extraction, then politely declined the other two’s somewhat unreliable offers. At this rate, he might as well wait for the ride slowly.

Just then, Gu Ji noticed a shadow fall over him. He looked up and unexpectedly met a pair of gentle, captivating eyes.

Gu Ji removed the cigarette from his lips, stubbed it out, and tossed it into a nearby trash can. A faint trace of confusion flickered in his eyes. “Xiao Yan, you’re still here?”

Yan Congyu held back the question he wanted to ask about whether Gu Ji had broken up—prying too much could be annoying. “I was just about to leave. Want to ride together?”

“I just had a smoke,” Gu Ji paused. “Are you okay with the smell?”

Yan Congyu nodded. “It’s fine.”

Anything from you is fine.

“Good to hear.” Gu Ji smiled. “Let’s go.”

The evening traffic was heavy, and Yan Congyu had something weighing on his mind. When they stopped at a red light, he asked casually, “You seem to be in a good mood. Did something good happen?”

“I broke up,” Gu Ji replied frankly.

Yan Congyu froze for a moment, his heartbeat suddenly quickening. Overwhelmed with surprise and a touch of disbelief, an unmistakable joy spread across his features.

“The light’s green.” Gu Ji reminded, “We can go now.”

Yan Congyu started the car, took two deep breaths, and pressed his lips together to suppress a smile, trying to sound calm as he said, “Then… don’t be sad.”

He had tried his best not to show his happiness too obviously, but a hint of laughter still seeped into his tone, making it hardly sound like comfort.

Gu Ji leaned back lazily against the seat and said, “I’m not sad.”