I Can't Fall for My Own Wife Again After Reincarnation, Right? (GL) - Chapter 8

Hu Mei looked at Xu Yingran, then looked at Fu Qiao who was still eating, and said helplessly, “Have you two finished your homework yet?”

Xu Yingran definitely hadn’t. She was still worried every day about how to finish all her assignments. And Fu Qiao certainly hadn’t either—after school, she had to come help at the stall, and it was only a little after eight. Things were still busy.

Seeing them both shake their heads, Hu Mei sighed, pulled out a plastic bag from her dirty apron, and took out some scattered cash. She handed a few bills to Fu Qiao and said to the two of them, “You two don’t need to help anymore. Leave this to me and Fu Qiao’s dad. Go out and get something to eat, and then go home and finish your homework.”

Fu Qiao checked the time and swallowed the food in her mouth. “It’s not even 8:30 yet. Let me help you a bit more.”

“No need,” Hu Mei said with a frown. “You’re in your last year of high school. You can’t keep helping out every day like before. You and Ranran go home and finish your homework properly.”

Hearing that, Fu Qiao held the food in her hands and stayed silent. She stubbornly looked at her mother, then said, “It’s only the beginning of the school year that’s busy. When the weather gets cooler, there won’t be much business. I won’t need you to tell me to stop—I’ll stop on my own.”

“You think we need your help?” Hu Mei scolded. “You’re such a disobedient child. Look at you—what other senior student is like you? Can’t you just study properly?”

Seeing that the mother and daughter were about to argue, Xu Yingran quickly stepped in to stop Hu Mei.

Hu Mei had a sharp tongue but a soft heart. After spending enough time with her, Xu Yingran understood her well. She was just like many other parents—always saying harsh things, insisting it was “for your own good,” but in the end, it only created distance with her daughter.

After marrying into the family, Xu Yingran had learned how to handle her “mom”—she knew how to calm her down and say the right things. If she didn’t stop them now, the argument would only get worse.

“Auntie, don’t be mad at Fu Qiao,” Xu Yingran said as she held Hu Mei back. “She’s just worried about you both and wants to help out a little.”

“Who wants her help?” Hu Mei snapped. “Her job is to study! Why is she always running to the stall? Are we short one person or something?”

Before Hu Mei could say anything harsher, Xu Yingran quickly added, “Don’t say that. She really just cares about you. You’re a family—helping each other is normal. No need to be angry.”

She continued, “I’ll take Fu Qiao to eat something. I bet she hasn’t had anything yet. She finished the takoyaki I brought her in a flash—must’ve been starving.”

Hu Mei sighed and said to Xu Yingran, “If only she were as sensible as you.”

“You’re too kind,” Xu Yingran replied with a smile. “If she didn’t care, would she be helping you every day?”

After coaxing Hu Mei out of the kitchen, Xu Yingran promised to take good care of Fu Qiao and feed her well before they left.

Once they were alone again, Xu Yingran looked at Fu Qiao and couldn’t help but smile softly. “Auntie has a bit of a temper.”

Fu Qiao glanced at her and added, “And a loud voice.”

“Yeah, no one in business has a quiet voice,” Xu Yingran laughed as she bent down to tidy up the table. It was still hot out, and the meat couldn’t be left out for long or it would spoil. She and Fu Qiao packed everything into the fridge and washed their hands before heading out with their things.

They didn’t leave through the front but took the alley behind the kitchen. After passing through, they reached the street along the river. Many people were out for walks. Some elderly folks waved fans bigger than their heads, and the riverside was calm and peaceful.

Looking at Fu Qiao holding her school uniform, Xu Yingran asked, “What do you want to eat? My treat.”

Fu Qiao gave her a helpless look. “Isn’t it my mom’s money?”

“Haha.” Xu Yingran laughed and said, “Let me carry your uniform. Pick whatever you want to eat.”

Fu Qiao was truly hungry. She looked at the small shops along the road and eventually chose a noodle place.

They ordered two bowls of rice noodles and two grilled sausages and started eating. Xu Yingran wasn’t too hungry, but the taste of the noodles brought back memories from years ago. She ended up enjoying the meal a lot.

After eating, they got ready to head back. As Xu Yingran stepped out after paying the bill, she saw Fu Qiao standing under a streetlamp, her pale neck tilted upward, watching something above.

Xu Yingran followed her gaze and saw a group of tiny white moths fluttering around the lamp.

“What are you looking at?” she asked, squinting. Once she realized what they were, she pulled Fu Qiao away and scolded, “Why are you staring at moths? What if one falls on your face—wouldn’t that be gross?”

Fu Qiao imagined the scene and wrinkled her nose. “Don’t say that—it *is* gross.”

“If it’s gross, why look up?” Xu Yingran sighed. “Are you silly or what?”

Fu Qiao didn’t reply. She let Xu Yingran hold her hand as they walked along the breezy riverbank. She stared at the ripples on the dark water and at Xu Yingran’s back, following her one step at a time.

“Xu Yingran,” she said softly after a long while, “what did you and Yao Jin talk about after school today?”

She hadn’t meant to ask this. What she really wanted to know was whether what Chen Yu and the others said was true—whether Xu Yingran had completely forgotten about her after meeting a rich and pretty new student, not even bothering to say goodbye before walking away with the transfer girl.

She wanted to ask whether, in all their 18 years of growing up together, Xu Yingran had ever really cared about her at all.

But Xu Yingran didn’t know what was going on in Fu Qiao’s mind. She thought it was just a casual question and answered, “I just wanted to be friends with her. We chatted a little, that’s all.”

“I see…” Fu Qiao lowered her gaze and didn’t ask further. Xu Yingran didn’t say anything more either, and they quietly walked along the river until they reached their apartment complex.

“I haven’t done my homework today,” Xu Yingran started to say, but Fu Qiao interrupted her.

“No more copying,” she said seriously. “If you don’t understand something, I’ll teach you. But you can’t copy my homework every day, okay?”

Xu Yingran blinked and asked, “Do you really hate me copying your homework that much?”

Fu Qiao gave her a disappointed look and said, “Bring your homework to my place. We’ll do it together.”

Xu Yingran thought about it, then smiled brightly. “Okay, wait for me. I’ll go get it.”

She ran home to grab her things and rushed to Fu Qiao’s place. They lived on the same floor of the old-style apartment building. When she opened the door, she saw Fu Qiao had just changed clothes and glanced up before telling her to follow her to her room.

Fu Qiao wasn’t tall, but she had a slim and well-proportioned figure. Her summer clothes were light and thin—short sleeves and shorts that showed almost her entire shape. Xu Yingran watched her long, pale legs as she moved around the room. When she sat beside her, there was a faint scent—one Xu Yingran had known for many years.

The room was quiet enough to hear their breathing. Xu Yingran’s face started to feel hot, especially as Fu Qiao moved closer and closer.

“You keep messing up this question. Let me explain it,” Fu Qiao said softly. “For this triangular pyramid question, you should solve it like this…”

Xu Yingran didn’t really understand what she was saying. She could only feel Fu Qiao’s soft hair brushing her shoulder. They were sitting so close that she could smell her familiar scent and even feel her warmth.

The old electric fan squeaked as it turned. When it blew Fu Qiao’s bangs aside, she tucked them behind her ear and turned to look at Xu Yingran, who had spaced out. “Did you understand?”

Xu Yingran’s mouth felt dry. She lowered her head to hide her thoughts and nodded.

Fu Qiao didn’t suspect anything. She sat up straight and continued doing homework. But Xu Yingran couldn’t concentrate at all.

They were like an old married couple. In the early years of their relationship, they were often intimate. The first two years after getting married were passionate too—after all, they were young, and desire came naturally. They had even registered their marriage, so intimacy was frequent.

But as time passed, they got used to each other. Things weren’t as passionate anymore. Plus, Xu Yingran felt like Fu Qiao had become too controlling these past two years, so she stopped making moves. And Fu Qiao was shy—if Xu Yingran didn’t start it, she wouldn’t either.

So, it had been three months since they’d last been intimate.

The numbers on the test paper started to blur. Xu Yingran couldn’t focus at all. Out of the corner of her eye, she kept catching glimpses of Fu Qiao’s long eyelashes, her round lips, and the soft pink color of them.

Lower down, her pale collarbone peeked out from her thin shirt. Her skin was like milk, glowing white from not seeing much sun. Her chest was slightly raised, and Xu Yingran could even catch a glimpse of her white bra through the collar.

Xu Yingran nearly broke her pen from gripping it so hard. She clenched her jaw and closed her eyes.

Desire follows comfort. How could she be having such thoughts about young Fu Qiao?

But she still remembered the feeling of touching her skin, the taste of her lips, and the sound of her breathing with her eyes covered, lying on the bed…

*Thunk*—Xu Yingran suddenly stood up.

She picked up her test paper and stationery with a pale face and stumbled as she said, “I—I have something to do. I’ll go home first.”

Fu Qiao looked at the door, confused, as a little question mark popped into her mind.