I Can't Fall for My Own Wife Again After Reincarnation, Right? (GL) - Chapter 5

“Xu… Xu Yingran, slow down… slow down…”
Fu Qiao ran behind Xu Yingran with her backpack on. Her pale little face was flushed red. She wasn’t as tall as Xu Yingran and didn’t have long legs like her, so no matter how hard she ran, she was always behind. Xu Yingran turned back and glanced at the almost-exhausted Fu Qiao, then smiled and said, “Hurry up, or we’re going to be late.”

Fu Qiao caught up to her, panting heavily. “We’re only late because you had to copy my homework! If you had done it last night, we wouldn’t—”
Before Fu Qiao could finish nagging, Xu Yingran grabbed her hand and started running, saying as they ran, “You sound just like you will ten years from now. Stop preaching and let’s go!”

“?”
Fu Qiao was about to ask what she meant by “ten years from now,” but Xu Yingran was already dragging her toward the school. Fu Qiao was so tired she didn’t even have the strength to speak.

By the time they reached the school gate, there weren’t many students left. The discipline director was standing there, checking the time. He turned his head and saw Xu Yingran pulling Fu Qiao toward the gate. His brows furrowed.

“Hold on.”
The director was a man in his forties, slightly chubby, with silver-rimmed glasses. Maybe it was from years of being a teacher, but his expression was always stern. He stopped the girls and looked them over for a long time.

Xu Yingran started to panic. She was wearing her school badge, and she had on her uniform—why was he stopping her?

“Sir?” she asked, confused. “Did we do something wrong?”

The director frowned and said, “No chasing and horseplay on the road. There are a lot of people and cars. What if you get hurt?”

Xu Yingran sighed in relief and smiled. “Thank you for your concern, sir. We’ll head in now. We’re almost late.”

“Go on, go on,” he waved them through.

The two of them quickly walked into the school. Fu Qiao seemed scared of the discipline director, too. She held tightly onto Xu Yingran’s hand until they were far away before letting out a long breath.

Xu Yingran laughed at how nervous she looked. “What’s wrong? Even the good student is afraid of teachers?”

Fu Qiao glared at her and, still a bit out of breath, replied, “Who isn’t? Aren’t you afraid?”

To be honest, Xu Yingran used to be. But not anymore. As long as she followed the rules and acted like a “good kid,” what right did the teachers have to control her?

Kids might naturally see adults and teachers as authority figures, but Xu Yingran’s mind was already that of an adult. She had her own views now.

She gently squeezed Fu Qiao’s hand and said, “There’s nothing to be afraid of. I’ll protect you from now on.”

Fu Qiao didn’t take Xu Yingran’s nonsense seriously. She thought Xu Yingran had been acting weird these past couple of days, so it was better not to follow her lead.

“Hurry up,” Fu Qiao said, glancing at the empty schoolyard. “If we don’t get to class now, we’ll be late.”

Xu Yingran snapped out of it and quickly pulled Fu Qiao upstairs, rushing just in time as the bell rang.

When they entered the classroom, it was already full. Their classmates had just arrived too, so when Xu Yingran and Fu Qiao walked in holding hands, dozens of eyes turned to look at them.

“Yo?”
Some students sitting by the window joked, “Didn’t you just call her your wife yesterday? And now you’re holding hands coming to school?”

“Xu Yingran, we know you and Fu Qiao are close, but isn’t this a bit much?”

“Don’t tell me you two are really dating?”

After that, they all laughed, their eyes full of mischief.

At 18, kids weren’t mentally mature yet. Their lives revolved around school and family—simple but mean. They spoke without thinking, saying whatever came to mind.

That’s why Xu Yingran really disliked unruly kids.

Fu Qiao heard their teasing and instinctively went silent. She let go of Xu Yingran’s hand, glanced at her, and quietly went to her seat.

Seeing that, the others laughed even more. Xu Yingran was instantly annoyed.

She had planned to keep some distance from Fu Qiao this time, but that didn’t mean others could bully her “ex-wife.” Her temper flared. She glared at the gossiping girls and said, “Don’t you have anything better to do this early in the morning? Do you need to comment on how we come to school?”

“Hey, Xu Yingran, why are you getting mad?” someone said awkwardly. “We were just joking.”

“A joke should be funny. If it’s not funny, it’s just mean.”
Xu Yingran glanced at them calmly. “If you’re so bored, why don’t you run a few laps downstairs or go memorize something in the hallway? Let those classic poems wash your mouths clean.”

No one expected her to snap like that. They were all stunned into silence until the homeroom teacher walked in, frowning.

“I heard you all from the hallway. Other classes are doing morning reading. What are you all doing?”

The homeroom teacher was a young woman. She glanced at Xu Yingran and frowned. “Xu Yingran, why are you still standing there? Go back to your seat.”

Xu Yingran had no choice but to pick up her bag and return to her seat.

Maybe her words had scared the others, because after morning study, no one dared mention her and Fu Qiao again. Xu Yingran stayed quiet too and obediently turned in her homework.

Fu Qiao sat just a few seats in front of Xu Yingran, feeling uneasy all morning. She kept glancing at the girl behind her, feeling like something was off.

She remembered how they went to the same kindergarten. It was the factory’s daycare, and there weren’t many kids there. Since they were neighbors, Xu Yingran stuck to her like glue.

Back then, Xu Yingran was afraid of the dark. Her parents, Xu Chunjiang and Zhao Yu, often worked night shifts at the factory and hospital. When that happened, they’d leave Xu Yingran at Fu Qiao’s house to sleep.

The two of them, just three or four years old, would sleep on the same bed. Xu Yingran always had to hold Fu Qiao’s hand to fall asleep. The moment she let go, Xu Yingran would open her grape-like eyes and stare at her in the dark, even following her to the bathroom.

Fu Qiao had always thought she’d be the one taking care of Xu Yingran. But somehow, Xu Yingran had grown taller than her and could run faster now.

Fu Qiao squeezed her palm and wondered if drinking a few more boxes of milk could help her grow two more centimeters…

—

The little incident during morning study passed quickly. Their classmates weren’t free enough to gossip all day—senior year was tough.

By the second class, Xu Yingran’s mind, which had been clear earlier, now felt like a pot of mush, bubbling with confusion.

As an adult, she couldn’t remember the high school curriculum at all. She wasn’t allowed to use her phone either, so she couldn’t even read a novel. Attending class felt like being in prison.

At least in prison, you could stretch, do crafts, use a sewing machine, or take some political education classes. She had only been reading for two days and was already starting to regret it.

If she had known she’d have to retake the college entrance exam after returning to senior year, she would’ve chosen to go home by 9 p.m. and sleep before 11.

Letting out a long sigh, Xu Yingran closed her book, deciding to try listening again next period. Surely she, someone who had once scored over 500 on the exam, wouldn’t be completely clueless, right?

But soon, she realized what “completely clueless” really meant.

The second class was taught by the homeroom teacher, but she brought someone with her.

Yao Jin stood beside her, wearing her own clothes. She carried a black leather British-style backpack. Her long black hair was tied in a neat low ponytail, with curled bangs framing her face. She stood calmly at the front.

“Let me introduce someone,” the teacher said to the curious students. “This is a new transfer student who will be joining our Class 5. Let’s give her a warm welcome.”

It was still early in the term, so everyone was extra curious about the new girl.

Xu Yingran overheard some girls whispering up front.
“Her hair looks fake, but it’s so pretty. Must’ve cost a lot.”
“Not just that. Her coat—I saw that brand in the mall. It costs over 10,000 yuan, right?”
“Over 10,000? Is she a rich kid?”

Xu Yingran propped her head up, thinking calmly:
Yao Jin’s family wasn’t just rich—they were unimaginably rich. That coat that cost over 10,000 yuan? She probably picked the cheapest one on purpose.

Thinking that, Xu Yingran couldn’t help but smile.

Yao Jin stood on the podium, listening to the whispers below, when suddenly she saw Xu Yingran smiling. Their eyes met. Xu Yingran propped her chin and mouthed: “Ah Jin.”

Ah Jin?

Yao Jin felt a jolt in her chest.
It had been a long time since anyone had called her that.
Did this unfamiliar student… know her?

Before she could figure it out, the teacher turned to her and said, “Introduce yourself to the class.”

Yao Jin finally looked away, nodded to the teacher, then scanned the room and said, “My name is Yao Jin. Jin as in ‘beautiful brocade.’ I look forward to studying with all of you.”