What's Wrong with Changing to a New Wife? [Rebirth] - Chapter 15

Although the words weren’t pleasant to hear, they did hold some truth.

Cheng Zhuo was quite curious and asked, “Can you tell me?”

Gu Ji paused for a moment. He wasn’t sure about others, nor had he heard where the idea of “more zeros than ones” came from, but he had no issue answering Cheng Zhuo’s question. He replied frankly, “I was blind.”

Cheng Zhuo hadn’t expected Gu Ji to be so blunt. His chopsticks froze mid-air, unsure how to respond.

Song Jinzhen chimed in, “I’ve always said that Xiao Gu was either blind or had terrible taste. They accused me of insulting you.”

At the beginning of the semester, Song Jinzhen hadn’t been on the best terms with the others. He was usually quiet, but when he did speak, his words were sharp. He was also a clean freak with a bit of a privileged attitude and didn’t live in the dorm.

Despite his harsh words, he always spoke the truth and never slandered anyone unfairly. Even with his severe cleanliness, when Gu Ji was splashed with dirty water on the street in his past life, it was Song Jinzhen who stepped in to shield him.

Gu Ji said, “I did some foolish things back then. Thankfully, you all didn’t hold it against me.”

Cheng Zhuo slammed the table. “How could we hold it against you?”

Song Jinzhen added, “If anyone deserves disdain, it’s that guy with the surname Lin.”

“Let’s not talk about this anymore. What’s done is done,” Xu Jingyin said with a laugh. “Breaking up is a good thing. Cheers to Xiao Gu finding someone new!”

Cheng Zhuo raised his glass. “To finding someone better!”

Song Jinzhen nodded in agreement.

Gu Ji felt a slight headache coming on. “Stop, stop—don’t wish that on me.”

He had absolutely no desire to get into another relationship. The experiences from his past life were too painful, leaving him with almost a phobia of the word “love.” Whenever he recalled those events, he felt completely detached and devoid of any romantic interest.

The other three exchanged glances. Cheng Zhuo cautiously asked, “Brother Gu, you’re not… dealing with some psychological issues, are you?”

From any perspective, Gu Ji’s last relationship couldn’t be considered a success. But if he ended up with psychological scars because of such a worthless person, it would be a terrible shame.

Gu Ji fell silent for a few seconds before replying, “You could say that.”

The atmosphere suddenly grew tense. Xu Jingyin changed the subject, saying, “Then we won’t wish for that. Xiao Gu, have another drink.”

No sooner had Gu Ji’s glass been emptied than it was refilled again.

Although he had a decent tolerance for alcohol, he couldn’t withstand the three of them urging him to drink one after another. Gu Ji didn’t think to hold back and downed every glass in earnest.

After a while, Gu Ji grew quiet.

Song Jinzhen glanced at him and nudged Xu Jingyin, whispering, “Is he drunk?”

Xu Jingyin looked over and waved a hand in front of Gu Ji’s eyes. Seeing no reaction, he said, “Seems like it. Let’s head back.”

A good night’s sleep could make any problem feel smaller.

Cheng Zhuo suddenly shouted, sounding overly excited, “Yay, let’s go back!”

Song Jinzhen concluded, “This one’s drunk too.”

Fortunately, neither of the two was particularly troublesome when drunk, though they were polar opposites: Cheng Zhuo chattered nonstop, while Gu Ji remained silent, as if lost in thought.

After leaving the restaurant, Xu Jingyin and Song Jinzhen each supported one of them. The restaurant was still quite far from the school, so they hailed a taxi and waited by the roadside.

Out of nowhere, Cheng Zhuo raised his hand and waved energetically at someone, shouting loudly, “Sis-in-law!”

Song Jinzhen looked bewildered. “What is he talking about?”

Xu Jingyin, having failed to hold onto Cheng Zhuo earlier and thinking he was acting drunk, forcibly pulled him back. “I don’t know, he’s probably drunk himself silly.”

Yan Congyu, who happened to be passing by, seemed to hear a familiar voice and stopped, glancing across the street.

Cheng Zhuo bounced energetically, “Sister-in-law, sister-in-law! Over here!”

Xu Jingyin couldn’t hold him back this time and finally realized he was greeting someone. Surprised, he asked, “Who are you calling?”

Yan Congyu spotted Cheng Zhuo and, next to him, Gu Ji. It was unexpected, but without overthinking it, he walked over.

Song Jinzhen looked over, puzzled. “Who is he? Why is Chengzi calling him sister-in-law?”

Xu Jingyin shook his head. He had heard of Yan Congyu—the highly talented art department prodigy—but he didn’t know Cheng Zhuo was related to him in any way.

But why “sister-in-law”…?

Yan Congyu crossed the street and approached. Hearing Cheng Zhuo’s drunken nickname for him, he guessed they must have been drinking. Recognizing Gu Ji’s roommates, he greeted them one by one.

Though Xu Jingyin and Song Jinzhen weren’t familiar with him, they nodded and returned the greeting.

Cheng Zhuo was enthusiastic. “You’re finally here.”

…What did he mean by “finally here”?

Yan Congyu glanced at Gu Ji, who had remained silent, as if he hadn’t noticed him at all—not even a word.

Yan Congyu was taken aback. Why was he being ignored?

The next moment, Cheng Zhuo turned around, snatched Gu Ji from Song Jinzhen’s grasp, and promptly handed him over. “Here.”

Xu Jingyin and Song Jinzhen: “???”

Yan Congyu didn’t react immediately but instinctively steadied Gu Ji. “What’s going on?”

Xu Jingyin’s expression was hard to describe. “Sorry, they’re both drunk and not in their right minds.”

He didn’t even know how to explain it. Chengzi had occasionally acted out when drunk before, but he’d never seen anything like this.

“Sorry to bother you,” Xu Jingyin apologized to Yan Congyu. He was about to reach out and pull Gu Ji back when Cheng Zhuo suddenly slapped his hand away.

Cheng Zhuo glared fiercely. “What are you doing?”

Xu Jingyin held back, reminding himself not to argue with a drunk. He pulled Cheng Zhuo aside and whispered, “What do you mean, ‘what am I doing’? We need to go. Get Xiao Gu back.”

Cheng Zhuo slapped him again. “No. Give Brother Gu back to sister-in-law.”

Xu Jingyin lowered his voice further. “What does your sister-in-law have to do with Xiao Gu?”

Cheng Zhuo counted on his fingers to clarify the relationship, speaking with conviction. “My sister-in-law is Brother Gu’s wife.”

Meanwhile, Yan Congyu stood by, supporting Gu Ji. The latter didn’t seem much different from usual, just quieter. Yan Congyu didn’t speak either, instead focusing on smoothing out Gu Ji’s sleeves, which had gotten messy from all the tugging.

Gu Ji, unclear about what was happening, seemed to sense something and reached out to hold Yan Congyu’s hand.

Yan Congyu froze in place. The boy’s hand was slightly cool, and as their fingers intertwined, it felt as if something soft had gently poked his heart.

“Do you still recognize me?” Yan Congyu looked up and asked, “Who am I?”

Gu Ji shifted his gaze slightly and replied, “…Xiao Yan.”

Apart from being less talkative, Yan Congyu hadn’t noticed any other differences in Gu Ji compared to usual.

“How much did you drink?” Yan Congyu asked.

Gu Ji held up five fingers. “One bottle.”

Yan Congyu: “…”

Cheng Zhuo urged, “Let’s go, Brother Gu has been handed over to his partner.”

Xu Jingyin was still a bit uneasy. He didn’t believe Cheng Zhuo’s nonsense—even if Yan Congyu knew Xiao Gu, there was no way they could be in that kind of relationship.

“Handed over what? Anyone can see he’s here on business,” Xu Jingyin fretted. “Isn’t Xiao Gu just causing trouble by being drunk?”

Cheng Zhuo seemed to catch a few words and earnestly corrected him, “Brother Gu isn’t trouble.”

“I didn’t say he’s trouble,” Xu Jingyin, already annoyed, shot him an irritated glance as Cheng Zhuo continued chattering beside him. “Let’s call Xiao Gu back. No need to bother others.”

Song Jinzhen shifted her gaze away from Gu Ji and smiled with interest. “Maybe the other person doesn’t think it’s a bother.”

Xu Jingyin was puzzled, “Isn’t a drunk person always trouble?”

Cheng Zhuo shook his head vigorously, “No trouble at all, not even a little.”

Xu Jingyin suppressed his irritation, “Shut up.”

Song Jinzhen chuckled, “Xiao Gu needs to spend time with other friends too. He’s probably tired of always being with us.”

Cheng Zhuo nodded like a pecking chick, “So tired of it.”

After a while, Xu Jingyin was successfully persuaded by the two of them, who sounded like a comedy duo.

He sighed and turned to Yan Congyu, “Yan, do you have time now?”

Yan Congyu shifted his gaze from Gu Ji and smiled, “I have time. My car is parked at the street corner. I can give you a ride back.”

“We’re fine,” Xu Jingyin waved his hand. “We already called a ride, and it’s almost here. Could you help take Xiao Gu back?”

Yan Congyu was more than willing. He turned to Gu Ji and asked, “Shall I take you back?”

Gu Ji nodded.

With that, Xu Jingyin had no more worries. Just then, their ride arrived. After saying their goodbyes, they got into the car, leaving Yan Congyu and Gu Ji alone.

Yan Congyu’s car wasn’t parked nearby; it was at the street corner. He led Gu Ji toward the parking spot. The distance wasn’t far, but halfway there, Gu Ji suddenly stopped, frowned, and said, “I feel dizzy.”

Yan Congyu stopped and used his hand to shield Gu Ji from the sun. Dealing with dizziness from drinking was tricky. He asked softly, “Do you want some water?”

The lingering effects of the alcohol were setting in, and the sun made Gu Ji’s head spin. Everything around him seemed to be swirling. He shook his head weakly.

There was no place to rest nearby. Yan Congyu’s heart ached at the sight. “Let me carry you on my back.”

With that, he turned his back to Gu Ji and bent down slightly, signaling for him to climb on.

Gu Ji hesitated for a few seconds, then pulled Yan Congyu up. “…You can’t carry me.”

Yan Congyu felt a bit helpless. It wasn’t that he couldn’t carry Gu Ji, but the other simply didn’t want him to. He softened his voice, “Then what should we do about your dizziness?”

Gu Ji thought for a moment and reached for Yan Congyu’s hand. “Hold my hand and walk with me.”

“…Alright.”

Yan Congyu’s throat tightened slightly. He lowered his gaze and slowly clasped Gu Ji’s hand. The touch of their skin made his ears inexplicably warm.

This was a scene he wouldn’t even dare to dream of.

The short distance passed quickly. When Gu Ji let go of his hand upon reaching the car, Yan Congyu felt a sudden pang of reluctance.

He had originally gone out to buy some art supplies, but now he had no interest in shopping. He only bought an ice cream from a nearby store.

After getting into the car, Yan Congyu handed the ice cream to Gu Ji. “Here, for you.”

After taking it, Gu Ji had Yan Congyu lean over to help him fasten his seatbelt.

“Why did you come out for drinks so early in the morning?”

Although Yan Congyu knew Gu Ji might not answer, he still wanted to talk to him.

Gu Ji took a bite of the ice cream. “…Came out to eat.”

Yan Congyu seemed to have noticed a pattern. When Gu Ji was drunk, he wouldn’t initiate conversation, but he would answer every question asked.