I Can't Fall for My Own Wife Again After Reincarnation, Right? (GL) - Chapter 13

Xu Yingran’s bold words left the other two speechless. Fu Qiao was the first to run back to her family’s food stall and told Hu Mei and the others what was happening. But she didn’t mention what had happened after school—she just said that Xu Yingran wanted to treat them to a meal. Hu Mei turned to look at them and said, “We’re all classmates, there’s no need to be so polite. Come, sit, sit.”

Hu Mei quickly cleared a spacious small table and said to Yao Jin, “You must be the new transfer student. You’re really pretty. Do you have anything you can’t eat? Today, Auntie is treating you.”

Xu Yingran immediately stopped her. “Auntie, Auntie, I already said I’d be the one treating today! How can you steal my spotlight?”

Hu Mei smiled, her eyes forming crescents. “Alright, alright, just order whatever you want. Our barbecue is famous in the area.”

Seeing that Hu Mei was about to start introducing dishes again, Fu Qiao quickly got the two girls seated and said to Xu Yingran, “You two go ahead and order. I’ll go help out in the kitchen.”

“What help? You just stay with your classmates.” Hu Mei held Fu Qiao down and said seriously, “It’s rare that your classmates come over. Don’t ruin the mood. You three decide what to eat. I guarantee it’ll be plenty.”

Another customer from a nearby table called out, and Hu Mei replied, “Coming! You girls sit tight, I’ll get back to work.”

After the warm and welcoming boss lady left, Fu Qiao finally let out a sigh of relief and turned to Yao Jin. “Sorry, my mom’s just like that. Is there anything you don’t eat? Or anything you’re allergic to?”

Yao Jin looked at the greasy low table in front of her. There were tissues and skewers from the previous customers still on the floor. Her expression didn’t look good.

“She’s not picky,” Xu Yingran answered for her. “But she can’t eat spicy food. Just ask Uncle to make her a few skewers with mild spice.”

Fu Qiao nodded, put down her bag, and left.

After Fu Qiao left, Xu Yingran nudged Yao Jin and asked, “What’s wrong? That face… do you think it’s dirty here?”

Yao Jin glanced at her, raised her chin, and said nothing.

Xu Yingran noticed how uncomfortable she looked sitting on the small stool. Everything about her screamed that she didn’t belong in this kind of place. Xu Yingran chuckled. “Ah Jin, don’t be stiff. Just eat as much as you want today. I can afford it no matter how much.”

Yao Jin gave a small snort and said, “How much can anyone even eat here?”

“You’d be surprised,” Xu Yingran said seriously. “If the three of us really went for it, we could eat up to 300 or 400 yuan.”

“And would that hurt your wallet?” Yao Jin said with her chin slightly raised. “Do you even know how much I’ve spent?”

“You mean the security company?”

“Mhm.”

“Isn’t that your family’s business?”

“…”

Yao Jin had forgotten how well this person knew her.

Seeing her like that, Xu Yingran was amused. She glanced at the nearby fridge and said to Yao Jin, “Wait here, I’m going to get something.”

When Fu Qiao came back carrying a tray of freshly grilled skewers, she saw two bottles of beer already on the table. Xu Yingran and Yao Jin were sitting together, whispering to each other, and they looked slightly tipsy.

“You two started drinking?” Fu Qiao was shocked. It wasn’t like she hadn’t seen people eat barbecue with beer, but in her mind, the three of them were high school seniors. Even if they were already adults, it still didn’t seem right to drink.

She put the stainless steel tray on the table and sat down on a stool, scooting closer. Xu Yingran said, “Barbecue isn’t complete without a bit of beer!”

“But you shouldn’t drink like this,” Fu Qiao said seriously. “You haven’t finished your homework yet. What are you going to do if you drink now?”

“I’ll just wake up early tomorrow and finish it.”

“You won’t be able to finish even if you get up at 6. Don’t you know you have procrastination issues?”

“Ugh…”

Xu Yingran frowned. Looking at the soft and youthful Fu Qiao in front of her, she suddenly saw a glimpse of what she would become ten years later.

She remembered that whenever she drank too much or stayed out late with friends, Fu Qiao would be sitting on the couch by the door waiting for her to come home. The moment she stepped inside, the scolding would start.

“It’s already past 1 a.m., why are you only getting home now?”

“You smell like alcohol again. Don’t you know your stomach can’t handle it?”

“Do you really not understand what kind of people those are? They clearly don’t have good intentions.”

Xu Yingran remembered how Fu Qiao would cross her arms and say after every scolding, “Your allowance is cut in half this month. From now on, you must be home before 9 p.m.”

With no allowance and a strict curfew, her friends slowly stopped hanging out with her. In the end, only Yao Jin was willing to spend time with her, and she became a total loner.

Now, seeing the same scolding look on Fu Qiao’s face, Xu Yingran suddenly shivered.

How scary. It felt like she had just seen her life flash before her eyes.

Not knowing what Xu Yingran was thinking, Fu Qiao continued helplessly, “You don’t even know how to drink, so don’t drink too much. These are your favorite grilled sausages and flatbread. I asked Dad to cut them open so they’d be more flavorful. Try them.”

She even set aside some skewers that looked lighter in color and placed them in front of Yao Jin. “The meat skewers all have some spice because they’re marinated with chili, but these are just mildly spicy. I’m not sure if you can eat them.”

Yao Jin looked at the dark skewers with suspicion, sniffed with her small nose, and asked, “What kind of meat is this? Is it clean?”

Before Fu Qiao could answer, Xu Yingran shoved a piece of the cut flatbread into Yao Jin’s mouth and said unhappily, “It won’t poison you. Just eat!”

With her mouth full, Yao Jin was about to speak, but it felt rude. Her good upbringing reminded her not to talk while eating, so she had to chew and swallow the food first.

But as she chewed, her eyes slowly lit up, and she couldn’t help but glance at the rest of the skewers on the table.

Xu Yingran knew that meant she was starting to enjoy the taste, so she smiled. “Tastes good, doesn’t it?”

Yao Jin thought for a moment and nodded.

Fu Qiao also smiled happily and said, “Try this skewer. If you like it, I’ll ask my dad to grill more for you.”

Xu Yingran chimed in, “Yes, yes! Fu Qiao’s dad is amazing at grilling. Everyone in the area knows it.”

As she chewed on the meat skewer, Yao Jin suddenly felt like the alley didn’t seem so dirty anymore. The food was delicious—just as good as what she’d had in five-star hotels. The skewers were full of fragrant cumin, the fat glistened golden under the light, and whether wrapped in flatbread or lettuce, it all tasted amazing.

They didn’t eat much, but they drank quite a bit. Yao Jin had half a bottle of beer, and the remaining one and a half went into Xu Yingran’s stomach.

Eighteen-year-old Xu Yingran clearly couldn’t handle alcohol as well as her twenty-eight-year-old self. Her cheeks were red, and she looked obviously tipsy.