I Can't Fall for My Own Wife Again After Reincarnation, Right? (GL) - Chapter 19

Just as Xu Chunjiang was about to leave for work, his daughter whined and stopped him.

“I don’t feel well. Can’t you and Mom stay home with me today?” Xu Yingran lay weakly on the bed, a cool towel freshly placed on her forehead by Zhao Yu.

Zhao Yu glanced at her daughter and coaxed, “Ranran, what if I take the day off to stay with you? Why do you need your dad here too?”

Xu Yingran refused to relent, stubbornly closing her eyes and fussing. “I want both of you to stay with me.”

Xu Chunjiang had already changed into his work clothes, but seeing his daughter like this, he hesitated. In the end, it was only after Xu Yingran shamelessly wheedled and pleaded that Xu Chunjiang finally gave in.

“Alright, alright.” Zhao Yu sighed helplessly and stroked Xu Yingran’s burning cheeks. “Your dad and I won’t go anywhere today. We’ll stay home with you, okay?”

Only then did Xu Yingran nod in satisfaction.

After settling Xu Yingran back in her room to rest, the two finally had breakfast and called their workplaces to take the day off.

Truthfully, they both knew that one person staying home would have been enough to care for a sick child. But Xu Yingran’s behavior today was unusual, so Xu Chunjiang discussed it with his wife and decided to humor her. After all, missing one day of work wouldn’t cost them much.

They might as well treat it as a day to spend with their daughter.

By around 10 a.m., Xu Yingran’s drunkenness had completely faded, and her complexion gradually returned to normal.

She had been lying in bed all morning while Zhao Yu and Xu Chunjiang watched TV and chatted with neighbors in the outer room. Fu Qiao’s mother, Hu Mei, had already woken up. Hearing that Xu Yingran was sick, she even came by to check on her before striking up a casual conversation with Zhao Yu at the door.

“Really? It’s already settled?”

“Yes, the shopfront is secured. It should be ready in another month or two.”

“After being neighbors for so many years, it’s a bit sad to think about parting.”

“Oh, don’t worry. We’ll still see each other often. Oh, but don’t mention it to anyone else yet. Things aren’t finalized on our end. I’ll let you all know once everything’s confirmed.”

“Got it.”

Xu Yingran faintly overheard her mother and Hu Mei talking about something, but she couldn’t quite make sense of it. Bored, she rolled over in bed.

Her gaze drifted to the lush tree branches outside the window. The old residential complex’s garden was planted with many fruit trees, some cherry trees even older than Xu Yingran herself, as well as two osmanthus trees that stood side by side. Come autumn, it was a season of ripening cherries and fragrant osmanthus blossoms.

Xu Yingran could already faintly catch the delicate scent of osmanthus in the air. She figured that after today’s lingering drizzle, the ground beneath the osmanthus trees would once again be strewn with fallen blossoms.

The thought made her a little wistful.

If only she had gathered them earlier to make osmanthus honey, after all, Fu Qiao loved sweet, fragrant treats like that.

Just thinking about Fu Qiao made Xu Yingran’s heart itch. She rubbed her nose and finally decided to get out of bed. At this point, her parents definitely wouldn’t be leaving the house anymore.

As soon as she stepped out of her room, she saw Zhao Yu walk in holding a bunch of celery.

“You’re up already?” Zhao Yu set down the vegetables she had been cleaning and walked over, concerned. “Are you still feeling unwell?”

Xu Yingran shook her head. “I feel much better now.”

Xu Chunjiang, who was in the inner room, also came out upon hearing this and looked at Xu Yingran before saying, “Should you take the medicine I bought for you one more time?”

Zhao Yu, however, interjected, “Why take it now? Wait until after lunch.”

Then, with a concerned expression, she asked Xu Yingran repeatedly, “Are you sure you’re feeling alright? Should we go to the hospital for a check-up?”

Originally, the two had planned to take Xu Yingran to the hospital in the morning. But Xu Yingran didn’t dare to actually go, so she made the excuse that it was still raining outside and hard to travel, saying she’d rather rest a bit first. If she still didn’t feel better, they could go to the hospital later.

Her parents had no other choice but to agree. Now, it seemed that resting for a while had indeed helped, her complexion looked much better.

“What are we having for lunch?” Xu Chunjiang asked.

“Stir-fried celery with shredded pork, leftover sponge gourd soup from yesterday, and braised chicken,” Zhao Yu replied before turning to Xu Yingran. “Is there anything else you’d like to eat? I can make something else.”

Xu Yingran shook her head. “This is fine. I don’t have any particular cravings.”

After a quick lunch, Xu Chunjiang returned to his room to work on his factory design drafts. With nothing else to do at home and the light rain still drizzling outside, Zhao Yu turned on the TV.

The sound from the television was soft, and combined with the steady patter of rain against the window, it created the perfect white noise for sleep.

The beer she had drunk in the morning seemed to finally take effect now. Xu Yingran lay on the bed, yawned, and soon drifted into a hazy slumber.

In her dream, she was 28 again. She had just finished some work at the company and glanced at the clock on her desk, it was exactly 6 p.m.

Driving her own car home, she heard Fu Qiao’s voice as soon as she stepped inside. Fu Qiao was chatting with the housekeeper, likely discussing what to cook with the groceries bought that day. Hearing the door open, Fu Qiao turned around and, upon seeing Xu Yingran, said, “You’re home so early today?”

Xu Yingran’s heart swelled with joy at the sight of Fu Qiao. She stepped forward eagerly, taking Fu Qiao’s hand as she said, “I missed you, my love.”

Fu Qiao’s cheeks flushed pink, and the housekeeper tactfully retreated to the kitchen, leaving the two of them alone in the living room.

“Did you mess up at work again today?” Fu Qiao asked, her face still red but her eyes bright and clear. “Normally, you wouldn’t come home unless I called you. What’s the occasion today? You’re back so early.”

Xu Yingran pouted slightly and said in a low voice, “In your eyes, do I only come home early when I’ve done something wrong?”

Fu Qiao neither confirmed nor denied it.

She toyed with Xu Yingran’s fingers for a while before finally looking up and saying, “Xu Yingran, I love you.”

Fu Qiao’s bright eyes gazed at her, a tender smile playing on her lips.

Xu Yingran thought Fu Qiao looked absolutely breathtaking at that moment. Her heart raced, and something deep within her surged forth, desire, longing.

“My love…”

Just as Xu Yingran cupped Fu Qiao’s face and leaned in for a kiss, she suddenly felt a dizzying shift and opened her eyes to wakefulness.

The rain outside seemed lighter than it had been at noon, its gentle tapping against the windowpane a soothing rhythm. When Xu Yingran opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Fu Qiao sitting at her desk.

She didn’t look as mature as in the dream. Her tender cheeks appeared soft and fluffy, with the fine fuzz on her face making her look like a child. Even her hair seemed so smooth and silky.

Fu Qiao seemed to be pondering over a problem, her brows slightly furrowed, completely unaware that Xu Yingran was watching her.

When Fu Qiao finished the question and flipped the test paper over, she happened to see that Xu Yingran was already awake, staring at her with those bright black eyes, startling her.

“You’re awake?” Fu Qiao turned to look at her, puzzled. “Why didn’t you say anything? You scared me.”

Xu Yingran sat up from the bed and, seeing the test paper in front of Fu Qiao, asked, “Why are you at my house? What time is it? Where are my parents?”

Faced with Xu Yingran’s barrage of questions, Fu Qiao tidied up the desk while answering, “I came over after school. It’s already past six. Your parents went out to buy groceries, I saw them when I first arrived.”

Hearing this, Xu Yingran vaguely felt something was wrong. How could she have slept so long, wasting the entire afternoon?

She hastily slipped on her shoes and rushed outside. Seeing her hurry, Fu Qiao quickly followed.

The rain was still drizzling, and Xu Yingran didn’t bother with an umbrella. Xu Chunjiang and Zhao Yu weren’t home, and Xu Yingran feared they might have returned to that crosswalk, that she might lose her family all over again.

Truthfully, she didn’t know if the past could be changed. If something happened to them again, she wasn’t sure she could bear losing her parents twice.

The cold rain slapped against her face. Though not heavy, it was dense and relentless. After leaving the neighborhood and failing to find her parents on the old street, Xu Yingran decided to head toward the intersection where the accident had originally occurred.

The closer she got, the more people gathered along the roadside, standing in small groups and peering ahead, making Xu Yingran’s heart pound.

“Something seems to have happened over there.”

“I heard a car plowed into the crosswalk.”

“Oh no, did it hit anyone?”

“Not sure, but it sounds bad. The car didn’t even brake, terrifying.”

“I heard someone got hit, but no one knows the details. We’d have to go closer to see.”

“See what? The police are already here, and they’ve set up barricades. No way to get through now.”

Xu Yingran grew more frightened with every word. She quickened her pace, and within moments, she saw the crowd packed tightly around the scene.

“Excuse me, please let me through, ”

Xu Yingran pushed through the crowd, but everyone held umbrellas, blocking her view of what was happening inside.

She remembered, if they had gone to the market, they would have had to pass this way.

Her heart, once numb, now ached as if about to explode. She couldn’t tell if her face was wet from tears or rain. Desperately, she shoved forward, but the crowd seemed immovable, standing firm in her way.

“Xu Yingran!”

Fu Qiao called from behind, holding an umbrella. “Xu Yingran, what are you doing? Come back!”

But Xu Yingran didn’t listen, still straining to push forward, until a pair of hands wrapped around her waist and yanked her out of the crowd.

“Let me go!”

Xu Yingran struggled and said, “I want to go in!”

Xu Chunjiang held her daughter and scolded with a frown, “The police are handling official business. What are you trying to get involved for?!”

Hearing this, Xu Yingran was stunned for a moment. She turned to see her parents standing perfectly fine before her, and instantly felt her nose sting as she threw herself into their arms.