Wife, I’ve Been Reborn (GL) - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Rainy Afternoon in Class

During the ten-minute break before the last class, a light rain began to fall outside. Mu Nan tilted her head, watching the gloomy weather, and mumbled towards Chen Jiao’s back, “Jinx!”

The person sitting beside her remained unaffected, still engrossed in her book. Mu Nan turned her head, curious to see what she was reading so intently. She saw scattered pages with titles like “Homosexuality” and “How to Speak Nicely.” What on earth? Mu Nan had thought Xu Liangchen was studying textbooks. Turns out, she was reading an extracurricular book. And such a boring one too, no wonder she was so dull.

Mu Nan hummed a tune, looking left and right, but couldn’t find anyone to talk to. Sigh…

Their classroom was divided into four groups. The far right was by the corridor, then two middle groups, and Mu Nan’s side was on the far left. She sat on the outer side, third row from the back. Xu Liangchen was quietly sitting on the inner side, by the window. Mu Nan was utterly bored. After staring at her for a moment, she asked, “Can you open the window? I want to see how much it’s raining.”

Xu Liangchen, without lifting her head, refused, “Open it yourself.”

Mu Nan inwardly grumbled about what a stingy person Xu Liangchen was, while leaning over Xu Liangchen’s desk to open the window. Xu Liangchen unconsciously recoiled slightly. Mu Nan’s scent filled her nostrils; she usually liked sweets, and a sugary aroma always clung to her. At this moment, Mu Nan was leaning over her desk. Mu Nan’s development wasn’t slow, especially her chest; although not particularly full, it had a very nice shape. Xu Liangchen placed her hands on the desk, and her arm accidentally brushed against Mu Nan’s chest. She abruptly pulled her hand back! Her ears were a little red.

After opening the window, Mu Nan asked, “Are you very hot?”

Xu Liangchen curtly replied, “No.”

“Your face is all red, and you say you’re not hot,” Mu Nan mumbled softly, handing a tissue to Xu Liangchen. “Here, wipe it.”

Xu Liangchen sharply turned her head to look at Mu Nan, her phoenix-like eyes filled with annoyance. She bit down hard, and Mu Nan could even clearly see her facial muscles contract, her thin lips tightly pursed. A beauty was indeed a beauty; even her anger and displeasure were so captivating. It was just that look… Mu Nan felt a shiver and gave an ingratiating smile, “Or, should I wipe it for you?”

Xu Liangchen suddenly stood up. Mu Nan instinctively flinched to the side. She then heard Xu Liangchen’s voice, light and seemingly helpless, “I need to go out.” Mu Nan nodded like a pecking chick, quickly making way for her.

Xu Liangchen walked to the door, then turned back to look at Mu Nan, only to see her animatedly talking and gesticulating with the student behind her, clearly in high spirits. Xu Liangchen lowered her eyelids and walked out, feeling very conflicted.

…

Bathroom Reflection and Unexpected Interruptions

In the restroom, she filled the sink with water and looked down at her reflection. Her skin was fair, her features delicate. Although her long hair was cut short, every part of her body reminded her: this was not her body at all! She closed her eyes, clenched her fists, and slammed them hard into the water, splashing water onto her shirt and face. She looked like a lotus emerging from water.

The class bell rang at just the right time. Xu Liangchen slowly entered through the back door. Mu Nan, seeing her return, cheekily remarked, “Did you get so hot you went to take a shower?” Xu Liangchen, unusually gentle, seemed to try to force a smile, her lips curving slightly, “It was quite hot.”

Mu Nan was about to say something else when the math teacher, with a dark expression, entered holding his books. As soon as he came in, he loudly declared, “Don’t you know class has started? All day long, chatter, chatter! You’ll have plenty of time to chat after you fail!” Because of the movie screening scheduled for tomorrow, which would cut into two math classes, they were making up one today. This math teacher was a born traditionalist, believing all entertainment activities were a waste of time, so he was even more displeased seeing them so happy.

Mu Nan held her head. Great. The homeroom teacher rarely lectured, now someone else was coming to torment them.

“Class!”

“If you talk again, go stand outside and talk!”

“You don’t understand anything, and you don’t even listen! This class is really…”

The familiar old clichés were making Mu Nan’s ears ring, but she didn’t dare to act up, quietly lowering her head. When she lowered her head, her gaze landed on Xu Liangchen’s hands. Xu Liangchen sat ramrod straight, leaning slightly against the table behind her, her hands resting on her thighs, her fingers slender and knuckles distinct.

Mu Nan was captivated by the beauty, a little lost in thought, when she heard a cool voice beside her, “Haven’t seen enough yet?”

Mu Nan replied playfully, “Of course not enough. If only I could touch them.” Her tone was like that of a flirtatious rogue.

Upon hearing this, Xu Liangchen’s hands suddenly clenched tightly, as if she thought of something. Mu Nan saw her fists clench and immediately appeased her, “Have mercy, brave one. I was just kidding.”

“Look at the blackboard, don’t look at me.”

“Oh…”

Mu Nan complied, sitting upright and holding her math book high. Less than two minutes later, a blackboard eraser came flying over! It hit Mu Nan square in the head. She rubbed her head and looked at the fuming old-fashioned teacher, feeling like she was having a streak of bad luck.

“Mu Nan!”

“You, go stand outside!”

Mu Nan’s eyes darted around. The old teacher pushed down the book in her hand, his chest heaving. “You can even hold your textbook upside down in class, can’t you?” Mu Nan quickly lowered her head to look at her book, muttering “what the heck” to herself.

Seeing the eyes of her classmates on her, she scratched her bangs and slowly walked out.

Zhao Shi had been watching her. As soon as she walked out, he turned to his deskmate and said loudly, “This teacher is so strict.” The old teacher clearly heard him, turned back, and rolled his eyes at him. “If you don’t want to listen to class, then get out! Stop chattering!”

Zhao Shi, as if granted a special pardon, shot up from his seat and walked outside, unable to suppress a smile. He stood beside Mu Nan, his eyes curving into crescents. “Hello, I’m Zhao Shi.”

Mu Nan nodded obediently, glancing inside. Seeing that the old teacher wasn’t looking their way, she then looked at Zhao Shi. Earlier, when he was standing at the podium, her attention had been drawn to Xu Liangchen. Now, looking closely, she found him quite handsome. His hair was dyed dark brown, not long, just past his eyebrows. His fine bangs were ruffled by the breeze, revealing thick eyebrows. His eyes weren’t large, but they looked like crescent moons when he smiled. His features were very立体, and the corners of his lips were always turned upward. He seemed warm and friendly, like an elder brother next door, making one feel he had a good personality. Not like her new deskmate, who was so hard to get along with.

Thinking of Xu Liangchen, she glanced at her seat. Xu Liangchen was looking at her, and that sharp gaze made her shiver, feeling as uncomfortable as if she’d been caught by a teacher.

“Did you hear what I said?” The boy beside her, not wanting to be ignored, mumbled again. Mu Nan asked “Hmm?” in confusion. “What did you say?”

Zhao Shi’s eyes curved even more as he smiled. “I asked if you’re free after school. We could go get some stir-fried ice.”

Mu Nan now began to seriously appraise Zhao Shi. “Why?”

Zhao Shi put his hand on her shoulder. “Because you’re so cute, I wanted to treat you.” If an ordinary boy had said such a frivolous thing, Mu Nan would have ignored him. But this Zhao Shi looked like a child and had a harmless smile on his face. As the saying goes, “You don’t hit a smiling person.”

“I…”

“She’s not free, and she’s not interested.”