Wife, I’ve Been Reborn (GL) - Chapter 12
Chapter 12
An Unexpected Departure and a Proposition
After evening self-study, Mu Nan was ready to bounce. Chen Jiao was already waiting for her at the door. Mu Nan walked over to Chen Jiao, then, remembering that Xu Liangchen was also going her way, she turned back to look. Xu Liangchen was already gone, no one knew when. Mu Nan felt a little disappointed and turned to walk out of the classroom with Chen Jiao.
Seeing her lack of enthusiasm, Chen Jiao started to gossip. “Hey, do you know who that boy who confessed to Xu Liangchen today was?” Mu Nan hadn’t actually paid much attention, and from a distance with so many students, she really couldn’t see. She shook her head. “Who?” Chen Jiao’s face was smug. “None other than the principal’s youngest son!” “He’s a good kid, studies well, and he’s handsome. I hear a lot of girls at school are chasing him.” An unnamed unpleasantness welled up in Mu Nan’s heart, her tone flat. “Oh…” Chen Jiao tugged her arm. “What’s wrong with you? You’ve been out of it all evening.” Mu Nan shook her head. “Nothing, just didn’t sleep well last night.”
Outside the school gate, a boy stood waiting for them, holding two bottles of drinks, smiling especially gently. Chen Jiao exclaimed as if she’d discovered a new continent, “Oh! Isn’t that Zhao Shi!” Mu Nan rubbed her temple. This Zhao Shi really was a persistent ghost. And Chen Jiao, her acting was truly cringeworthy. Zhao Shi walked over with a smile. Chen Jiao seized the opportunity to sidle up to him and waved at Mu Nan. “Come on, come on, we can walk back together. It’s late, and I’m scared to go alone.”
Mu Nan stood rooted to the spot. Before she could speak, her hand was taken. It was a familiar warmth. Then, a faint, soft voice. “No need. I’ll see her back.”
Xu Liangchen! Mu Nan tilted her head to look. Sure enough, Xu Liangchen stood beside her, about half a head taller, now looking directly at Zhao Shi. Her phoenix eyes were filled with a chilling intensity. Seeing Zhao Shi still standing there, Xu Liangchen couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh, her lips curving. “Walking together?” Zhao Shi’s eyes, hidden in the darkness, seemed to spark with fire, his face filled with rage. “No need.” With that, he placed the drinks in Chen Jiao’s hand. “Thank you for the trouble.” Chen Jiao stood there dumbfounded, still in a state of confusion. Did anyone tell her what just happened…?
Mu Nan was led forward by Xu Liangchen, with Chen Jiao following behind, one drink in each hand. She watched the two walking in front, then thought of Zhao Shi, still not understanding why he suddenly got angry. And Xu Liangchen… she was on her way home too! Just thinking about it made her happy!
…
Homebound Lessons and a Dark Revelation
Chen Jiao lived nearby, three streets from the school. They arrived shortly. Mu Nan earnestly told Chen Jiao, “Jiaojiao, Zhao Shi and I really aren’t compatible. Please don’t try to play matchmaker anymore.” Xu Liangchen stood silently behind Mu Nan, not speaking.
The two watched Chen Jiao enter her house before turning around. Mu Nan looked up at the twinkling stars in the sky, her tone light. “Xu Liangchen, where did you go after school today?” Xu Liangchen walked beside her, carrying her single-shoulder bag, her steps unhurried. “I followed you.” Mu Nan’s mood brightened inexplicably.
Xu Liangchen’s next sentence, however, displeased her. “Go home and find all your first and second-year textbooks. Bring them to school tomorrow.” Mu Nan stopped walking and looked up. “Why?” Xu Liangchen then turned her gaze to her, her eyes twinkling with a warm smile. “Tutoring.” Mu Nan followed her, a mournful expression on her face. Their bargaining voices grew softer and softer.
“Can’t I not get tutored?” “No.” “Then I’ll just bring my first-year books.” “No.” “Xu Liangchen! I’m not bringing them! Hmph!” “You can, but last time your brother…” “Oh, I’ll do it, I’ll do it!”
By the end, Mu Nan almost wanted to hang herself on Xu Liangchen. Xu Liangchen had a smile on her face, looking utterly doting. It wasn’t until Mu Nan was safely home that Xu Liangchen turned and walked back. In truth, she and Mu Nan were not on the same path at all.
…
A Shattered Home and a Haunting Past
When Xu Liangchen arrived home, she found the house in chaos. Chairs and tables were overturned, the floor was covered with rice and broken bowls. She frowned and looked towards the room. “Mom?” A woman scurried out of the room, shouting at her, “Chenchen, hurry, run!” The woman’s clothes were dishevelled, her face bruised and swollen, her hair disheveled like a madwoman’s. Before she could finish speaking, she was pulled back by a man. Then, Xu Liangchen heard the woman’s quiet sobbing and the sound of things being smashed. A man’s rough voice rang out, “Speak! Where’s the money!” The woman yelled back, unwilling to yield, “Money, money, money! There’s no money left in the house! Didn’t you gamble it all away?!” The man grew even angrier, kicking a chair with a loud clang. “Still daring to talk back, huh?! I haven’t come back to deal with you for a month, and you think you’re untouchable, don’t you?!”
Xu Liangchen walked into the room, picking up the overturned chair, her face impassive, her voice calm and detached. “Let her go.” Xu An (the man) felt his anger subside slightly when he heard Xu Liangchen speak. Ye Jin (the woman) saw Xu An looking at Xu Liangchen, and a chill went through her heart, filled with despair. “What do you want to do?!” Xu An spat impatiently, saying hatefully, “I’m just checking on my daughter!” His tone had already softened considerably. His eyes scrutinized Xu Liangchen up and down, with a judging gaze. What he was thinking needed no explanation.
Xu Liangchen walked to Ye Jin’s side, helped her up, and sat her on the bed. “Mom, I’ll get you some medicine.” Ye Jin grabbed her arm and whispered in her ear, “Run when you go out, okay? Don’t come back!” Xu Liangchen gripped her hand back. It was rough, with cracks on the back of her hand, and bl00d seeping from them, a shocking sight! Ye Jin seemed not to feel the pain, only staring fiercely at Xu An. As if any move he made would cause her to immediately rush forward and perish with him!
Xu An, seeing Xu Liangchen in the room, said nothing more, only leaving a remark, “Get the money ready. I’ll be back to get it!” Xu An was about to walk out of the room when his arm was seized. The fingers were slender, yet surprisingly strong. Then Xu Liangchen’s bland voice sounded in his ear. “Apologize.”
Xu An scoffed, pointed at Xu Liangchen, and asked Ye Jin, “Is this the good daughter you raised?” “Indeed, a wild chicken breeds a wild chicken, no manners at all!” “Remember! I’m your father! Apologize! I’ll apolo-“
“Slap!” Xu An was suddenly slapped. He froze there, seeing Ye Jin pounce on him like a madwoman! “You can curse me! But how dare you curse Chenchen!” “Get out! Get out!” Ye Jin’s charge was powerful. Xu Liangchen couldn’t help but stumble back two steps before regaining her footing. Xu An used this opportunity to escape.
Ye Jin sat on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. Xu Liangchen, losing her temper, helped her sit on a chair. “Chenchen, I’m sorry, Mom is sorry.” Xu Liangchen shook her head. In truth, it wasn’t her that Ye Jin had wronged, but the real Xu Liangchen. The Xu Liangchen who had been forced to her death by Xu An a month ago.
Xu An was a compulsive gambler, addicted to the point of obsession. A month ago, he ran out of money again and came back for more. When he found none, in a fit of rage, he turned his target on Xu Liangchen. Xu Liangchen was delicately beautiful and had always feared Xu An, so when he told her to “entertain guests,” she resisted but dared not disobey. It wasn’t until the drinking session, when those men began to grope her, that she finally fought back in anger. However, it was useless. Her “good father” personally got her drunk, threw her into a man’s room, lit a cigarette, and left. Xu Liangchen resisted to her dying breath, jumping from the fifth floor. And then, she arrived.
In fact, Xu Liangchen had indeed died. She remembered Xu Liangchen’s death dominating the front page news of A City: the most outstanding student of No. 1 High School jumped to her death from a hotel. There were no less than a hundred speculations about it. She also remembered that when she first heard the news, she simply shook her head and sighed, “What a pity.” Now, she had been reborn into this body that should have died. The myriad of feelings were truly inexpressible.
Ye Jin saw Xu Liangchen remain silent and wiped her tears. Ever since her daughter woke up a month ago, she had been afraid to be with her. On one hand, she felt guilty, and on the other, she felt Chenchen had changed. She no longer spoke much and didn’t like clinging to her. Sometimes, she would stay in her room alone all day, and when she looked at her, her eyes were cold. To be honest, she was a little afraid of her daughter now.
Xu Liangchen finished applying medicine to Ye Jin and retreated to the doorway, her voice faint. “Next time he comes, just run. Don’t stay at home.” She stood at the door for a moment, thought about something, and then turned back. “Mom, how about… we move to a different place?” Ye Jin looked at her blankly, her face smeared with black, her expression dazed, looking somewhat comical. “Move to a different place?” Xu Liangchen nodded, lowering her eyelids. “A different place.” A place closer to her.