I Can't Fall for My Own Wife Again After Reincarnation, Right? (GL) - Chapter 3

Xu Yingran spoke to Fu Qiao in a low voice. Even though she was trying to apologize, there was a strange bitterness in her tone. Even the way she looked at Fu Qiao had changed—it wasn’t the same anymore. Fu Qiao looked at her with bright eyes that slightly flickered.

Actually, Fu Qiao was very cute and pretty. She had a small nose, a small mouth, and chubby cheeks with a bit of baby fat. She looked very different from how she would look as an adult—cuter, even. Xu Yingran gave her a smile, and Fu Qiao blushed all the way to her ears. She turned her head quickly and walked fast toward the school gate.

Seeing Fu Qiao run away again, Xu Yingran quickly chased after her, asking, “Can I borrow your homework today? I don’t know how to answer a single question!”

Fu Qiao thought she was messing with her and ran even faster.

High school students finished school late, so by the time Xu Yingran got home, it was already getting dark. As she walked through the familiar alleyways, everything felt extra warm and nostalgic to her.

Ten years ago, the old street hadn’t been renovated yet. The alleys were all connected like a maze, and shop stalls spilled out onto the roads, making the place crowded with people. The sidewalks were full of nearby residents. No cars could enter, and even riding a bike wasn’t easy. But Xu Yingran always walked, so she didn’t mind the crowd.

Fu Qiao didn’t walk beside Xu Yingran for long. Her parents ran a food stall on the old street, and dinnertime was their busiest period. So Fu Qiao would always help out at the shop before going home to do her homework after the rush.

Xu Yingran wanted to say goodbye to Fu Qiao, but the girl was clearly still upset that she had called her “wife” twice today. Fu Qiao gave her a pouty glare before running off with her backpack. Watching her disappear into the crowd, Xu Yingran felt a strange emotion she couldn’t describe.

Back then, being bossed around by Fu Qiao felt annoying every day. But now that she was really back in the past, Xu Yingran felt weird that Fu Qiao wasn’t trying to control her. It felt wrong either way—being controlled or not being controlled. Even Xu Yingran was annoyed at herself.

Suddenly, the streetlights beside the sidewalk lit up with a soft flicker. Xu Yingran came back to her senses and hurried toward home.

She entered the neighborhood through the noisy old street. The tube-style apartment building from the old factory still had everything—the smell of cooking from every household filled the air. Gasping for breath, Xu Yingran reached her front door and saw it wide open. She stood there for a moment in a daze.

Zhao Yu was making dumplings. Seeing her daughter come home out of breath, she said, “Ranran, we’re out of vinegar. Go downstairs and buy a bottle. Not white vinegar, get the flavored kind. We’ll dip the dumplings in it tonight.”

Xu Yingran stared at her mother’s hands, covered in white flour. She was rolling out the dough and skillfully wrapping the dumplings—white and plump, all lined up neatly in rows.

“What are you looking at?” Zhao Yu asked, confused. “Put your backpack down and go. Your dad has something to do tonight and said he’ll be home around 7:30, so we’ll eat later than usual.”

“Mom…” Xu Yingran dropped her backpack and suddenly hugged Zhao Yu tightly. Zhao Yu quickly lifted her hands, afraid the flour would get on her daughter.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, puzzled. “Did something happen at school? Why are you suddenly hugging me?”

Xu Yingran shook her head and took a moment to calm down. Then she smiled and said, “It’s nothing. I’ll go get the vinegar.”

Zhao Yu gave her a suspicious look. She thought her daughter must be hiding something. After all, now that she was grown up, she hadn’t been this affectionate in years.

“What’s going on?” Zhao Yu pressed. “Did something happen at school? Did you do something wrong?”

Xu Yingran couldn’t help laughing. “Really, nothing’s wrong. I just… missed you.”

Zhao Yu glared at her but couldn’t help smiling. “What’s gotten into you, acting all sweet all of a sudden?”

It wasn’t just sweetness. Back then, Xu Yingran’s parents, Xu Chunjiang and Zhao Yu, had their accident during the first half of her senior year in high school. She had just turned 18 and finally realized she might not like boys. She had planned to tell her parents the truth that day. She asked them to come home early from work, and they agreed to head home together. But on the way, they got into an accident—and neither of them survived. Their warm and happy family of three was gone in an instant.

Xu Yingran always believed that their deaths were her fault. If she hadn’t asked them to come home early, maybe it wouldn’t have happened. Now, seeing them alive again felt like a miracle. She was genuinely happy. This time, she was determined to never let something like that happen again.

—

Xu Chunjiang rode his old bike home from the factory. As he passed through the busy street and entered the neighborhood, he saw their house brightly lit. The smell of dumplings filled the air. Smiling, he said to his wife and daughter, “Sorry I’m late. I was writing a report at the factory. Are you two hungry?”

Zhao Yu looked at him and frowned. “Take off your work clothes first. You smell like gasoline. Wash your hands and come eat. The dumplings will get soggy if we wait too long.”

Xu Chunjiang, always easygoing, smiled without complaint. He took off his work uniform, hung it outside, washed his hands, and sat down.

“You know,” Zhao Yu said, “you could’ve just told them you had things to do at home. You don’t have to be the nice guy every time and work for free. What if something happens at the factory and they blame you?”

“I was just filling in for someone. I came back as soon as the night shift arrived.”

“You’re such a pushover.”

Xu Yingran watched them bicker at the dinner table. Even though Zhao Yu complained about her husband working overtime, she still waited to eat with him. The three of them eating dumplings and chatting together—it felt warm and perfect.

Zhao Yu was really good at making dumplings. None of them broke after being boiled, and Xu Yingran had always loved them. It had been ten years since she last ate her mom’s dumplings.

Seeing her daughter eating so quickly, Zhao Yu teased, “Slow down. I’ve never seen you eat this much when we have dumplings.”

Xu Chunjiang poured himself a tiny glass of wine and chuckled, “She’s hungry from school. Let her eat more.”

Zhao Yu glared. “There you go again, drinking. I told you not to.”

He shrank back. “But dumplings go with wine—it’s tradition!”

“You talk too much.”

“Hehe.”

Xu Yingran glanced at her soft-tempered father and thought, *No wonder I ended up afraid of my wife—I must’ve inherited it.*

“I’m full,” she said, finishing her dumplings and getting ready to go to her room to do homework. She was already stressing about how to solve her test papers without a phone to scan them.

“Wait,” Zhao Yu said. She quickly got up, grabbed a clean metal bowl, and filled it with dumplings. “I made too many. Take some to Fu Qiao’s parents. They’re still working at their food stall and probably haven’t eaten yet.”

Take dumplings to Fu Qiao?

Xu Yingran’s eyes lit up. She knew the two families were close, always sharing food. That’s also why Fu Qiao’s family had taken care of her for so long. Looking at the dumplings, she felt happy.

This was the perfect excuse to see Fu Qiao.

It’s not because she missed her “wife”—she just needed to ask about the homework again. That’s it!

Carrying the bowl, Xu Yingran cheerfully walked downstairs. She remembered where their BBQ stall was—down one of the alleys. After college, she used to help skewer meat there. After she took over, they even opened a huge BBQ restaurant.

But that was in the past. Right now, she was a brand new Xu Yingran. The BBQ business could wait.

“Fu Qiao!” Xu Yingran stood at the entrance of the alley and looked inside. It was still summer, so the food stall was packed. The alley was narrow, and there were small tables everywhere. Guests barely had room to move.

She squeezed in and called toward the kitchen, “My mom made too many dumplings and told me to bring you some. Have you eaten yet?”

Fu Qiao heard her voice and rushed out. She had her hair in a high ponytail and wore a messy apron, yellow rubber gloves covered in bubbles—she’d clearly just been washing dishes.

“You’re here, Ranran,” her mom smiled when she saw Xu Yingran. “You don’t have to always bring us food. Come, I’ll ask your uncle to grill you some skewers to take back.”

Xu Yingran grinned, showing a little tiger tooth. “Auntie, no need. We’ve been neighbors for years—don’t bother grilling, really. We’re all full already.”

She looked at Fu Qiao, who was still standing in place, and said with a smile, “Did you eat? I brought dumplings. Eat them while they’re hot.”

Fu Qiao stared at her, then quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her into the kitchen. Xu Yingran still didn’t realize what she had said wrong and smiled at Fu Qiao’s parents. “I’ll just say a few words to Xiao Qiao. You guys can keep working.”

Watching the two girls disappear into the back kitchen, Fu Qiao’s parents looked at each other in surprise.

“…Did Ranran just call us *Mom* and *Dad*?”