Rebirth Begins with Rejecting My Childhood Friend

After coming to the hotel to pick up Tang Weiwei, Xu Xiuwen suddenly remembered something.

Looking at the numerous bags and luggage in front of him, he felt a bit of a headache. He needed to find a place to store them.

Taking them straight home wasn't an option, as she would need these things for the next semester.

Two places came to mind: the Jiangning Huayuan apartment and the school dormitory.

Considering that the bags contained Tang Weiwei's personal belongings, Xu Xiuwen ruled out storing them in the dorm.

He started moving the bags into his car.

The trunk was already packed with several boxes of new wine from the Guangming Brewery. Xu Xiuwen had purposely brought them from home before heading out that morning.

He had no choice but to stuff all the luggage into the back seat. Thankfully, it all fit.

Once everything was loaded, Xu Xiuwen gestured for Tang Weiwei to get in the car, and then he began driving toward Jiangning Huayuan.

Tang Weiwei, puzzled, asked, "Xu Xiuwen, where are we going now?"

"To my place."

"Huh?" Tang Weiwei was startled and quickly waved her hands. "No, no, I can't."

Xu Xiuwen knew exactly what she was worried about.

He chuckled and explained, "Not my family's house in Langya. It's an apartment I bought near the school. That's where we're going."

"Oh," Tang Weiwei replied softly, lowering her head.

Xu Xiuwen had been expecting her to follow up with more questions, but she didn't.

Feeling a bit helpless, he asked, "Why aren't you asking more questions?"

"I'm afraid if I ask too much, you'll get angry," Tang Weiwei said in a small voice.

Xu Xiuwen laughed. "Am I some kind of demon? Would I get angry just because you ask me a few questions? Do I really seem that scary?"

Tang Weiwei quickly shook her head. "That's not what I meant."

Xu Xiuwen didn't press the issue further and explained, "Sometimes, staying in the dorm isn't convenient, so I bought a place near the school."

"Oh."

"Don't you have any other questions? Don't worry, I won't get mad," Xu Xiuwen added.

Tang Weiwei glanced at him cautiously, hesitated, and finally asked, "Has Cheng Lu been there?"

Not wanting to lie to her, Xu Xiuwen nodded honestly. "She has, and she's stayed there many times."

Tang Weiwei nodded, saying nothing more.

Before long, the car arrived at the apartment building.

Xu Xiuwen began unloading the bags, carrying them to the elevator.

He handed the first set of bags to Tang Weiwei and asked her to stand in the elevator doorway to prevent it from closing.

After making two trips, all the luggage was loaded into the elevator.

Xu Xiuwen pressed the button, and the elevator began its slow ascent.

When they reached the 10th floor, they exited the elevator together and moved the bags to the apartment door.

Xu Xiuwen pulled out his keys and unlocked the door.

With Tang Weiwei's help, they brought everything inside.

Xu Xiuwen then took a new pair of slippers from the cabinet and handed them to Tang Weiwei.

At that moment.

A voice suddenly came from behind them.

"Who's there?"

The voice came from the direction of the living room.

Xu Xiuwen immediately recognized it as An Shishi's voice and was startled.

He had assumed An Shishi would be waiting for him in the dormitory and hadn't expected her to show up here.

Tang Weiwei only knew about Xu Xiuwen's girlfriend, Cheng Lu, and had no idea he was involved with other women. Xu Xiuwen had no intention of letting her find out, either.

So, when he heard An Shishi's voice, he panicked for a moment.

Fortunately, An Shishi didn't directly call him "husband," so their relationship wasn't exposed on the spot.

Tang Weiwei was also startled by the sudden voice. She turned to Xu Xiuwen with a puzzled look.

Xu Xiuwen forced a dry laugh and explained, "It's probably Shishi. You've met her before in the hospital—she's Cheng Lu's roommate."

Tang Weiwei stared at him with wide eyes.

Before she could ask anything, Xu Xiuwen quickly added, "I have a lot of rooms here. Sometimes, Shishi comes over with Cheng Lu and stays the night. Don't misunderstand, I have nothing going on with her."

Tang Weiwei nodded but didn't say anything.

At that moment, An Shishi walked out of the living room and into the entryway.

She noticed Tang Weiwei immediately and also heard Xu Xiuwen's "explanation."

Instead of being upset or exposing his lie, she smiled and greeted Tang Weiwei.

"Hi, Tang Weiwei. I'm Cheng Lu's roommate."

Tang Weiwei politely replied, "Hello, I'm Tang Weiwei."

"I know; we met last time."

An Shishi's eyes darted quickly, and she added, "Xu Xiuwen, our dormitory doesn't allow us to stay there anymore, so I came over to stay for a couple of days. You don't mind, right?"

Xu Xiuwen understood that An Shishi was helping him cover his lie.

He played along, saying, "It's fine. There are plenty of rooms. Stay as long as you want."

The three of them then moved into the living room.

Once there, Xu Xiuwen noticed the TV was on, and the coffee table was littered with snacks.

It was easy to imagine An Shishi lounging comfortably on the sofa earlier, munching on snacks while watching TV.

This scene fit perfectly with her personality.

Among the four girls in Room 301, Cheng Lu was part of the student council and often busy. When she had free time, she liked to practice dancing in the arts department's studio.

Xiao Youran, also a member of the student council, spent her downtime reading in the library or shopping with Song Siyu.

Song Siyu was even busier, juggling both the student council and a club, constantly running back and forth.

But An Shishi was by far the least ambitious in their dorm.

Before she started dating Xu Xiuwen, she had to use her free time to work part-time jobs to cover her living expenses and tuition for the next three years.

It made her seem hardworking, but deep down, she was naturally lazy.

After getting together with Xu Xiuwen, financial pressure was no longer an issue.

She would slack off whenever she could, often lounging in the dorm and sleeping in.

Of course, this only happened when Xu Xiuwen wasn't around.

When Xu Xiuwen was present, she would always try to match his schedule, staying by his side as much as possible.

So, when he saw An Shishi lounging comfortably on the couch watching TV by herself, Xu Xiuwen found it entirely reasonable.

The three of them sat down on the couch, with Xu Xiuwen in the middle and the two women on either side.

Tang Weiwei and An Shishi weren't familiar with each other, so naturally, they had no topics to discuss.

No one spoke, and the atmosphere quickly turned awkward.

An Shishi took the initiative to pick up a freshly opened bag of snacks and asked, "Tang Weiwei, would you like some?"

Tang Weiwei wasn't one to snack, so she gently shook her head and declined, though she politely expressed her thanks.

As a man, Xu Xiuwen couldn't just let the awkwardness persist, so he broke the silence. "Weiwei, have you had lunch yet?"

Tang Weiwei shook her head again.

"Then let's go out for a meal," he said.

"Okay."

Seeing this, An Shishi couldn't help but chime in, "Master, why don't you ask me, too?"

Xu Xiuwen shot her a sidelong glance. "Haven't you already filled up on snacks?"

Tang Weiwei, being a kind-hearted girl, softly suggested, "Why don't we invite An Shishi to join us?"

Xu Xiuwen thought to himself: You two are already so awkward together—bringing her along will only make it worse. Moreover, An Shishi was aware of Xu Xiuwen and Tang Weiwei's relationship, and he worried that she might let something slip.

It was better to minimize interactions between the two women.

So he flatly said, "Don't worry about her. If she's hungry, she can snack or go out to eat later."

An Shishi understood that Xu Xiuwen's words were meant for Tang Weiwei's sake.

She didn't take offense, though. Instead, she cheerfully said, "It's fine. You two go ahead. If I get hungry, I'll just eat some snacks."

Xu Xiuwen got up and pulled Tang Weiwei along, heading for the door.

An Shishi, with a warm smile, saw them off. Her face remained kind and friendly the whole time.

But as soon as the door closed behind Xu Xiuwen and Tang Weiwei, her smile slowly faded.

Staring in the direction of the door, she muttered to herself, "This Tang Weiwei seems to be the real rival for Xiao Youran."

An Shishi was well aware that Xiao Youran still had feelings for Xu Xiuwen.

Cheng Lu was Xu Xiuwen's official girlfriend in name.

Logically, Cheng Lu should be Xiao Youran's primary rival.

But at this moment, An Shishi had a hunch: Tang Weiwei was the hidden boss.

While Xiao Youran and Cheng Lu were busy competing for Xu Xiuwen's attention, this quiet, seemingly docile girl had already claimed a significant place in his heart.

Though she had no concrete evidence, her instincts told her she was right.

She even started wondering: Could it be that the scumbag husband preferred this kind of well-behaved, innocent girl? Should she consider changing her own style?

Deep down, even she felt that she sometimes acted too flirtatiously in front of Xu Xiuwen.

Unaware of An Shishi's thoughts, Xu Xiuwen and Tang Weiwei left the building.

They drove to a nearby restaurant, where they had a simple meal together.

Tang Weiwei's train home was scheduled for 2:41 in the afternoon.

Since they only needed to leave an hour early, they still had plenty of time to spare.

While eating.

Xu Xiuwen asked Tang Weiwei, "Did you buy anything to take home?"

Given Tang Weiwei's frugal nature, he assumed she wouldn't have bought much.

To his surprise, Tang Weiwei nodded.

"Oh? You did? What did you buy?"

Tang Weiwei replied excitedly, "I bought a set of padded jacket and pants for my grandma."

"A padded jacket and pants? In the middle of summer? You're really a dutiful granddaughter," Xu Xiuwen said, unable to hold back his laughter.

Tang Weiwei explained, "I can buy it in summer for her to wear in winter. If I waited until winter, it would be much more expensive. This set would've cost over a thousand last year, but I got it for only 300."

There was a hint of pride in her voice over her savvy savings.

"You're really good at saving money. Whoever marries you in the future will be incredibly lucky," Xu Xiuwen said, half-joking, half-serious.

Tang Weiwei didn't catch the teasing tone. She simply blushed and replied shyly, "It's not as great as you make it sound."

"What else did you buy besides the padded jacket and pants?"

"I also bought some honey."

"That's all?"

"Yeah, that's all."

Whether it was his first or second project, Xu Xiuwen had entrusted Tang Weiwei with managing the finances. Naturally, he paid her a salary openly and appropriately.

Over time, she had earned quite a bit, but she remained frugal, hardly spending money on unnecessary things.

Xu Xiuwen couldn't help but feel a little exasperated.

"That's way too little. Let's go buy some more stuff."

"No need," Tang Weiwei shook her head and softly declined.

"What do you mean, no need? It's my first time visiting as the future grandson-in-law. If I show up empty-handed, how can I hold my head high?"

Tang Weiwei blushed at the mention of "grandson-in-law," unable to think of a way to refuse.

Taking advantage of the time they had left, Xu Xiuwen pulled her to a nearby mall and supermarket, where they bought a lot more items.

Xu Xiuwen even suggested buying a mobile phone for her grandmother.

Tang Weiwei adamantly refused, saying it was too expensive.

The two ended up in a stalemate until Xu Xiuwen firmly insisted.

Finally, Tang Weiwei agreed to get a cheaper one, costing only a few hundred yuan.

Seeing Xu Xiuwen buy so much for her grandmother, Tang Weiwei was deeply touched.

Xu Xiuwen, on the other hand, didn't think much of it.

The total cost was only a few thousand yuan, barely enough to buy a few branded outfits for An Shishi.

And An Shishi was only his mistress in name.

Tang Weiwei, on the other hand, was his recognized girlfriend. Her standing should naturally be higher.

Even though, in his heart, both women were equally important, without distinction in rank.

After buying everything, Xu Xiuwen packed the items into a suitcase.

He had anticipated the need to carry gifts, so he had brought an empty suitcase with only a couple of spare clothes inside.

Now, it was the perfect size for the gifts.

Checking the time, Xu Xiuwen saw it was about time to head to the train station.

He drove Tang Weiwei to Nanjing South Station.

After entering the station, Xu Xiuwen accompanied Tang Weiwei to her train.

Once on board, Xu Xiuwen guided her directly to the soft sleeper compartment.

Tang Weiwei had only taken a long-distance train three times before—twice to school and once home during the previous semester's break.

She had always bought hard-seat tickets, never even splurging on a hard sleeper, let alone a soft sleeper.

Xu Xiuwen knew Tang Weiwei had always been frugal and reluctant to spend extra money on a soft sleeper ticket.

So when he purchased the tickets, he didn't tell her or give her a chance to refuse.

By the time Tang Weiwei saw the ticket and realized it was a soft sleeper, it was already too late to protest.

As she followed Xu Xiuwen into the sleeper carriage, her heart ached at the thought of how much the ticket must have cost.

Xu Xiuwen led her along, and she glanced at his back, wanting to say something but hesitating.

She knew that if she brought it up, Xu Xiuwen would definitely get upset.

In the end, she swallowed her words and kept silent.

When they entered the soft sleeper compartment, there were four beds in total—two upper and two lower.

The compartment was equipped with individual TVs, a storage rack, hangers, and reading lights.

Xu Xiuwen had originally planned to buy two upper berths, but they weren't available. Instead, he managed to get one upper and one lower berth.

He gave the upper berth to Tang Weiwei and took the lower one for himself.

Xu Xiuwen slid both suitcases into the small storage space beneath the lower bunk.

Since it wasn't nighttime yet, there was no need to climb into the beds to sleep.

Both Xu Xiuwen and Tang Weiwei sat on the lower berth.

Tang Weiwei looked a little uneasy, her posture stiff and her expression uncertain.

Xu Xiuwen teased her with a grin, "What's wrong? Is there a needle under your seat poking you?"

"No," she replied softly.

"Then why do you look so restless?"

"I'm not restless," she said, trying to defend herself.

"Well, well, our Weiwei is learning to lie now!" Xu Xiuwen said, laughing.

Tang Weiwei's cheeks flushed red.

She wanted to deny it immediately, but when the words reached her lips, she found herself unable to speak.