What's Wrong with Changing to a New Wife? [Rebirth] - Chapter 3

In the end, Gu Ji and Cheng Zhuo didn’t ride the electric scooter but opted for the more conventional choice of taking a taxi.

They arrived at the bar early, and the private room wasn’t very crowded yet.

Lin Qingran hadn’t arrived, but Gu Ji spotted a few close friends first.

After more than a decade, his memories of college friends had gradually blurred, and even their names had faded somewhat. But guys at this age were all naturally sociable, and anyone whose name he couldn’t recall was simply addressed as “bro.”

After Gu Ji sat down, a round of drinks was shared, and soon everyone felt familiar with one another.

As the atmosphere warmed up, Cheng Zhuo went off to play cards, while Gu Ji chatted idly with the guy from the basketball team next to him.

They talked about everything from games to sneakers, and their rapport grew noticeably. One of the guys, perhaps a bit tipsy, leaned in and asked bluntly, “Bro Gu, is it true that you like men?”

There was no malice in his tone, only a thick layer of gossip and curiosity.

The circle of people sitting around suddenly fell silent, as if everyone was secretly straining to hear Gu Ji’s response.

Holding a glass in his hand, Gu Ji calmly replied, “Mm.”

His relationship with Lin Qingran wasn’t widely known—only a few close friends were aware. But the fact that Gu Ji liked men was no secret. Whenever a girl confessed to him at the start of the semester, he had used this reason to turn her down.

Guys were always interested in topics about relationships. One of them, slurring his words from drinking too much, asked, “So, what type do you like? The cute and adorable kind?”

Gu Ji hadn’t given this question much thought. His attraction to men was innate—he had known his orientation even before he met Lin Qingran.

As Gu Ji was pondering, the door to the private room was pushed open. The hallway outside was bathed in a soft, dim yellow light, and a tall, slender figure walked in. Dressed in a simple white hoodie, his features were refined and striking.

Gu Ji only glanced briefly, but when he caught sight of the newcomer’s face, he froze for a moment.

Memories flooded his mind.

[After the fire back then, Gu Ji had spent the first few years confined to a wheelchair. By that time, he and Lin Qingran had already left Rong City and moved to a new, unfamiliar city.

He remembered one winter night when he had wheeled himself out to look for Lin Qingran but couldn’t find him. The snow was heavy, and he ended up lost in the unfamiliar city.

He could have hailed a taxi or called for help. But in the cold, dark night, Gu Ji felt a wave of helplessness and frustration for the first time. He sat silently by the empty, deserted roadside for a long time.

After what felt like an eternity, a man in a white down jacket emerged from the alley. He claimed to be passing by but unwrapped his scarf and draped it over Gu Ji’s chilled legs, then pushed his wheelchair all the way home.

Gu Ji asked who he was.

The man lowered his gaze, his expression unreadable, and calmly replied, “My name is Yan Congyu.”

That was their first meeting.

After that, Gu Ji often ran into Yan Congyu, but every encounter happened during his most difficult times. Unfortunately, by the time Gu Ji had recovered through rehabilitation and could stand again, wanting to find Yan Congyu to express his gratitude, he never saw him again.]

After Yan Congyu entered the room, his gaze swept across the private room as if searching for an empty seat. However, he completely ignored his friend’s gesture of greeting and walked further inside.

His friend looked bewildered and asked the person next to him, “Did Brother Yan not see us?”

The person beside him also looked confused. “But I think I saw him glance over here. Why didn’t he come over?”

Gu Ji’s thoughts were interrupted by a clear, pleasant voice with a faint, trailing tone.

“Is this seat taken?”

Yan Congyu had somehow made his way to Gu Ji and asked softly.

Gu Ji was still lost in thought and replied a beat too late, “No one’s sitting here.”

But as soon as he spoke, he remembered—this was Cheng Zhuo’s seat.

However, Yan Congyu was already about to sit down, and Gu Ji couldn’t very well ask him to get up. If Cheng Zhuo came back, they’d just have to squeeze in together.

The earlier conversation had been cut off, and no one seemed inclined to pick it up again. Someone reached for a deck of cards on the coffee table and suggested with a laugh, “Let’s play something. How about Fight the Landlord or Goldflower?”

“Let’s play something more unique,” another person proposed. “How about King’s Game?”

“What’s the point with a bunch of guys?”

“What’s wrong with a bunch of guys? Or are you just scared?” the person teased, clearly trying to provoke.

Sure enough, someone took the bait and slammed the table. “Let’s play! Who’s afraid of who?”

But another person raised their hands in surrender. “Count me out. I have a girlfriend. I’ll just watch you guys play.”

“One, two, three, four… seven people,” the person holding the deck counted, naturally including the silent Gu Ji and Yan Congyu. “That’s a bit too few. Let’s find a few more.”

The rules of King’s Game were simple: each person drew a card, and the one who drew the King could assign two other cardholders to perform a mini-game, like a princess carry and spin. If someone refused, they had to drink a glass of alcohol as a penalty.

The group of guys wanted to recruit more players, so they stationed themselves by the private room’s entrance and eventually managed to drag two more people in.

“Alright, we’re all here. Let’s start.”

Gu Ji looked up and unexpectedly met Lin Qingran’s gaze, catching a flicker of surprise in the other’s eyes.

As luck would have it, after searching for a while, the guys had pulled in Lin Qingran and his companion, who had just entered.

At twenty, Lin Qingran’s features still carried a youthful softness, and his eyes lacked the greed and ambition they would later hold.

But having seen Lin Qingran’s true nature in his past life, Gu Ji would never again be fooled by that face.

Gu Ji calmly averted his gaze. He had thought he would feel a surge of emotions upon seeing Lin Qingran again, but now, he felt nothing at all not even the energy to express disdain.

As for the man beside Lin Qingran, Gu Ji was no stranger to him either. He was one of the supporting male leads in the novel, named Tan Yang, who seemed to be from the sports department.

Gu Ji had refused to pick up Lin Qingran, but that didn’t stop Lin Qingran from finding someone else.

The private room was filled with music and noisy background chatter, forcing people to either shout or speak directly into each other’s ears, leaning in close.

Gu Ji and Lin Qingran didn’t speak and couldn’t, separated by a coffee table and the distance between them.

None of the other guys in the room seemed to know that Gu Ji and Lin Qingran were in a relationship. Some might have heard the names but couldn’t match them to the faces, so the thought never crossed their minds.

“Cards are being dealt! Cards are being dealt!”

Gu Ji flipped over the card in front of him—the 7 of Hearts—then turned it back face down, waiting for the “King” of this round to announce the game.

“What did you get?” Yan Congyu leaned slightly toward Gu Ji and asked in a very soft voice.

According to the rules, players aren’t supposed to reveal their cards to others, but Gu Ji had no guard up against Yan Congyu. He mouthed silently, “…Seven.”

Returning the courtesy, Gu Ji asked, “And you?”

Yan Congyu’s fingertips twitched slightly as he flipped his card over.

A red “JOKER” lay face-up on the table, seemingly mocking Gu Ji’s naivety.

Gu Ji: “…”

The person holding the JOKER card was the King for that round and could command any two numbered cards to interact. Since the King didn’t know what cards others held, it all came down to luck.

But now things were different. Gu Ji thought expressionlessly, his card had been exposed.

Yan Congyu noticed Gu Ji’s mood and curved his lips slightly.

“Two and six,” Yan Congyu said casually. “Hold hands.”

Gu Ji was a bit surprised. He hadn’t expected Yan Congyu to avoid choosing him despite knowing his card.

Since everyone present was male, holding hands was a simple matter. Most found it too easy and clamored for something more exciting.

“Alright, alright, save it for when you draw the King. Who’s two and who’s six? Hurry up!”

The face-down cards on the table were flipped over one by one. Coincidentally, Lin Qingran had drawn the two, while Tan Yang, sitting next to him, had the six.

As the cards were revealed, a wide grin spread across Tan Yang’s face as he turned to the person beside him. “Qingran…”

Lin Qingran’s expression remained neutral as he reached out and briefly touched the other’s palm before quickly withdrawing his hand.

Strictly speaking, this didn’t quite meet the standard for “holding hands,” but the boys were eager to start the next round and didn’t pay it much mind, hastily shuffling and dealing the cards again.

After the hand-holding ended, Gu Ji caught a glance from Lin Qingran—one he couldn’t decipher—and a deliberately provocative, mocking look from Tan Yang.

If this had happened in his past life, Gu Ji might have already started a fight with Tan Yang. But now, he had no intention of engaging. He took a sip of water, only to notice Yan Congyu also looking at him.

Gu Ji raised an eyebrow slightly, giving him a questioning look.

The other two had their reasons for staring, but what’s your excuse?

Yan Congyu quickly averted his gaze, as if their eye contact had been nothing more than a coincidence.

After the cards were redealt, Gu Ji checked his card first before placing it face-down on the table.

Yan Congyu asked again, “What’s your number?”

Without turning his head, Gu Ji replied, “Not telling.”

The previous round’s “JOKER” had shattered his one-sided trust in Yan Congyu during the game.

Yan Congyu suppressed a laugh.

A few rounds passed uneventfully. Gu Ji never drew the “JOKER,” but the game’s intensity gradually escalated—from sitting on laps to drinking cross-cupped wine, eliciting rowdy cheers from the group.

There were no real boundaries among the boys; whatever happened at night would be forgotten by the next morning.

In the next round, Gu Ji still didn’t draw the “JOKER.”

This round’s “King” was a curly-haired boy who seemed already quite drunk. He slammed the JOKER card onto the table and laughed heartily, “Finally, I’m the King!”

“One and… five,” the curly-haired boy pondered for a long time before coming up with something more thrilling than the previous round. “Pass an ice cube mouth-to-mouth!”

“Wow, Curly, didn’t know you had it in you!”

“This is great! Who’s one and who’s five?”

Yan Congyu threw out the Red 5 of Hearts from his hand and was just about to voluntarily choose to take a penalty drink when he noticed the card the guy next to him had flipped over.

—Ace of Hearts.