Rebirth Begins with Rejecting My Childhood Friend

Tang Weiwei lowered her head and mumbled softly, "I just think it's a bit expensive. Over 600 yuan—it's enough for me to use for a long time."

Sure enough, she was distressed about the money again.

Xu Xiuwen really couldn't do anything about Tang Weiwei's frugal nature.

He had talked to her about it many times, but she was still the same.

Xu Xiuwen wasn't annoyed; instead, he felt more and more sorry for Tang Weiwei.

If it were Xiao Youran, she definitely wouldn't care about spending a few hundred yuan on a train ticket.

This difference stemmed from the contrasting family conditions the two girls grew up in.

Xu Xiuwen decided to let it go.

He turned around, got onto the bed, and lay down.

Because the sleeper bed was quite wide, there was still plenty of space for Tang Weiwei to sit.

Tang Weiwei sat quietly for a while, thinking. Then, she suddenly pulled a book out of her backpack.

Xu Xiuwen glanced at it—it was a book about computers.

"Why are you reading that?" he asked.

Tang Weiwei replied softly, "I'm not good at computers, so I'm trying to learn in advance."

Their major was software information, quite similar to computer science.

However, this semester, they were still taking general education courses, and most of the professional courses were theoretical.

Xu Xiuwen chuckled. "This is the first time I've seen someone trying to learn computers by reading a book. How are you going to figure it out like that?"

"I can figure it out," Tang Weiwei said quietly. "I already know how to operate it."

Xu Xiuwen couldn't help but laugh. "What about the laptop I bought you last time? Use it more often, and if you don't know something, ask Yanyan. She should know."

Tang Weiwei hummed in response.

"Don't just hum and not do it," Xu Xiuwen said.

"I got it," Tang Weiwei replied.

At that moment, the compartment door suddenly opened.

An older couple walked in.

Upon closer look, they were a pair of elderly folks, both with white hair.

They appeared to be in their seventies but still looked very fit.

Neither of them needed a cane, and they walked steadily.

The old man was pulling a medium-sized suitcase, while the old lady carried a black bag.

After entering, the old man prepared to stow the suitcase under the bed.

Seeing this, Tang Weiwei immediately put down her book and got up to help.

The old man didn't refuse her kindness.

Tang Weiwei placed the suitcase properly.

The old man smiled and thanked her, "Thank you, young lady."

Tang Weiwei quickly waved her hand. "It's no problem, Grandpa."

The old lady also smiled warmly. She opened the black bag she was carrying, took out two apples, and handed them to Tang Weiwei. "Have an apple."

Tang Weiwei initially refused, but couldn't decline their insistence. She eventually accepted.

After helping the elderly couple, Tang Weiwei went back to her book.

The old couple sat down on the lower bunk opposite her.

Seeing Tang Weiwei engrossed in her book, the old man smiled and asked, "Young lady, are you still in school?"

Tang Weiwei nodded politely. "Yes, Grandpa."

The old lady chimed in with a smile, "Such a pretty girl. Is the young man behind you your boyfriend?"

Tang Weiwei blushed shyly and nodded.

"Ah, youth is wonderful," the old lady said with a nostalgic smile. "Seeing you two reminds us of our younger days..."

The old man naturally began sharing stories about the couple's younger days.

Tang Weiwei stopped reading her book and listened intently to their reminiscing.

Xu Xiuwen had always thought Tang Weiwei lacked social skills—she avoided talking to people, often kept her head down, and seemed to wish she could disappear into the background.

At this moment, though, she slightly changed Xu Xiuwen's impression of her.

At least when facing this elderly couple, she was quite talkative.

Not wanting to join their conversation, Xu Xiuwen closed his eyes and pretended to sleep.

Before he knew it, he had actually fallen asleep.

When he woke up, the sky outside the window was painted with hues of twilight.

It was already evening.

He opened his eyes to find the elderly couple sitting together, chatting, while Tang Weiwei had returned to her "model student" persona, diligently reading her book.

Noticing Xu Xiuwen had woken up, Tang Weiwei glanced over.

When she saw he was fully awake, she smiled and said, "Xu Xiuwen, you're awake!"

"Yeah. What time is it?"

"It's five o'clock," Tang Weiwei replied softly.

"I slept that long? Why didn't you wake me up?"

Tang Weiwei explained, a bit aggrieved, "You didn't tell me to wake you."

Xu Xiuwen smiled faintly. "I'm not blaming you, so why are you upset?"

Tang Weiwei quickly put away her look of grievance.

"Let's go eat; I'm hungry," Xu Xiuwen said.

"You go ahead. I'll just eat steamed buns," Tang Weiwei replied.

"Where did you get steamed buns?"

Tang Weiwei put down her book and pulled out three steamed buns from her bag.

The buns were about the size of a fist, neatly wrapped in a white plastic bag.

Xu Xiuwen was both amused and exasperated.

"Do you think this is enough to fill you up?"

"It's enough! I only need one to feel full. Xu Xiuwen, you go eat; I'll just eat these," Tang Weiwei said with a smile.

The old man sitting opposite them noticed the steamed buns in Tang Weiwei's hands and chuckled. "Young lady, eating those isn't nutritious. You're so thin; you should eat more meat."

Tang Weiwei's cheeks turned slightly red. "Grandpa, I'm not thin. I just don't like eating meat."

Who doesn't like eating meat?

Xu Xiuwen knew she was just reluctant to spend money.

He realized arguing with her wouldn't get anywhere—this stubborn girl would likely just dig in her heels.

Without further ado, he asserted firmly, "No steamed buns. You're coming with me to the dining car to eat."

Seeing Tang Weiwei about to protest, Xu Xiuwen raised his eyebrows and gave her a stern look. "No refusals."

Tang Weiwei froze, then softly murmured, "Okay."

She slowly put the steamed buns back into her bag.

Xu Xiuwen then took her by the hand and led her out of the compartment.

Tang Weiwei, ever polite, said to the elderly couple, "Grandpa Zhao, Grandma Song, we're going to eat now."

"Alright, go on," the old man replied with a smile.

Xu Xiuwen led Tang Weiwei to the dining car, which wasn't very crowded at the time.

He casually picked a table and ordered four dishes and a soup.

At a restaurant near their university, a meal like this might cost about 100 yuan.

On the train, however, it cost over 200 yuan.

Tang Weiwei didn't notice the price at first.

When she eventually saw it, her eyes almost filled with tears.

A meal for two costing over 200 yuan was a luxury to her.

The food on the train wasn't exactly gourmet, and the taste left much to be desired.

Xu Xiuwen ate only a little before he was full.

Tang Weiwei, perhaps feeling it would be wasteful to leave food uneaten, forced herself to eat quite a bit.

After finishing the meal, they returned to their soft sleeper compartment.

As soon as they entered, the aroma of food greeted them.

The elderly couple was also having their dinner.

They had brought an insulated container filled with some pre-prepared dishes, which were exquisitely made.

Considering that the couple had chosen the higher-priced soft sleeper class and their refined attire, it was clear they were well-off.

Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, it was past 9 PM.

Xu Xiuwen noticed Tang Weiwei sniffle a few times, guessing she might be tired.

He suggested she go to bed.

Tang Weiwei nodded, climbed up to the upper bunk, and lay down to sleep.

The elderly couple also got ready to rest.

They had an upper and lower bunk, with the old man giving the lower bunk to his wife while he prepared to climb up to the upper bunk.

Seeing this, Xu Xiuwen hesitated for a moment before asking, "Grandpa, how about we switch beds? You can sleep here, and I'll take the upper bunk."

The old man was taken aback but then smiled and agreed.

So, Xu Xiuwen and the old man switched beds.

Xu Xiuwen climbed up to the upper bunk and lay down, facing outward.

Coincidentally, Tang Weiwei was also facing outward, lying on her side.

From his position, Xu Xiuwen had a perfect view of Tang Weiwei's face.

She looked stunning, peacefully asleep with her eyes closed.

Since Xu Xiuwen had napped for quite a while in the afternoon, he wasn't very tired.

So, he lay there quietly, admiring Tang Weiwei's serene and lovely sleeping face.

As if sensing something, Tang Weiwei suddenly opened her eyes.

The moment she did, she saw Xu Xiuwen smiling at her.

A faint blush crept up her cheeks, and she quickly shut her eyes again, though she didn't immediately turn away.

But even with her eyes closed, she could still feel his intense gaze.

This made Tang Weiwei a little self-conscious.

She opened her eyes again and looked at him, silently asking with her expression, What are you doing?

Xu Xiuwen shook his head and mouthed, Go to sleep.

Tang Weiwei mouthed back, I can't sleep if you're staring at me.

Xu Xiuwen chuckled silently. Watching you helps me fall asleep.

Tang Weiwei didn't fully understand what he mouthed, but she guessed it was probably something cheeky.

Her face turned red as she shut her eyes again.

Still, Xu Xiuwen, ever the tease, kept staring at her.

Tang Weiwei thought about turning away but hesitated and ultimately stayed as she was.

That gaze lingered until the lights were turned off, and only then did it finally fade.

The night passed without further incident.

At around 6 AM the next morning, Xu Xiuwen woke up.

Tang Weiwei was already awake, sitting cross-legged on her upper bunk with a book in her hands.

She was reading first thing in the morning—no wonder she scored 700 points on her exams. She truly loved to study.

Noticing Xu Xiuwen was awake, Tang Weiwei smiled and said, "Xu Xiuwen, you're up!"

"Yeah," he replied.

"Are you hungry? Have a steamed bun," Tang Weiwei said with a smile.

She took a steamed bun out of her bag and handed it to him.

This time, Xu Xiuwen didn't refuse.

He accepted the steamed bun from her.

After finishing the steamed bun, Xu Xiuwen went to the restroom.

When he returned, he lay on the upper bunk and began texting Cheng Lu. Since Tang Weiwei already knew about his relationship with Cheng Lu, Xu Xiuwen didn't bother to hide it anymore. If Tang Weiwei asked who he was texting, he would tell her directly. But Tang Weiwei didn't ask. She continued to sit cross-legged on the upper bunk, reading her book.

Time flew, and soon it was 10 o'clock. The train was about to arrive at Chengdu Station. The elderly couple in the same sleeper cabin as them was also getting off at Chengdu. When the train stopped, Tang Weiwei politely bid them farewell and followed Xu Xiuwen off the train.

Next, they needed to take the train from Chengdu to Chongqing, departing at 11 o'clock. Each of them was dragging a suitcase, and Xu Xiuwen held Tang Weiwei's hand as they headed to a restaurant in the station for lunch. After eating, it was almost time to board. Xu Xiuwen held her hand again as they waited.

The train ride from Chengdu to Chongqing was four hours long, and Xu Xiuwen had purchased hard seat tickets. Their seats were both window seats, but not next to each other—they were back-to-back. Tang Weiwei's seatmate was a middle-aged man in his forties. Xu Xiuwen managed to swap seats with him and moved to sit next to Tang Weiwei.

Passengers continued boarding. Just as Xu Xiuwen sat down, he noticed a young man and woman walking toward the seats opposite them. The girl was carrying a pink suitcase. She stopped in front of Xu Xiuwen and Tang Weiwei and tried to lift the suitcase onto the overhead rack.

Seeing this, Xu Xiuwen stood up and helped her. After all, it was a small favor.

The girl thanked him politely, "Thank you, handsome!"

The girl appeared to be from Chongqing, as her accent was distinctly Chongqing dialect. Her use of "handsome" nearly made Xu Xiuwen laugh.

In front of strangers, Xu Xiuwen was usually aloof and not talkative. So he merely nodded without saying much.

Perhaps his aloof demeanor caught the girl's attention, or maybe it was his striking appearance. She asked, "Handsome, you—"

Before she could finish, the young man interrupted, "Miss, could you step aside? I need to put my suitcase up."

Hearing this, the girl sat down to make room. The young man placed his suitcase on the overhead rack and then took his seat.

The girl didn't forget what she wanted to ask earlier and repeated her question, "Are you a student too? Which school are you attending in Chengdu?"

This time, she spoke in more standard Mandarin.

Xu Xiuwen replied indifferently, "I study in Jinling."

"Oh, I see."

The young man beside the girl chimed in, "Miss, I study in Chengdu too. Which school are you at?"

The girl glanced at him. He had short hair, small eyes, and glasses. Though his smile appeared friendly, it felt somewhat sleazy.

At first glance, the girl had no favorable impression of him. She replied coldly, "What does it have to do with you?"

"Uh…"

The awkward expression on the young man's face was visibly apparent.

After getting into the car, Tang Weiwei buried herself in her book again, paying no attention to anything else.

Xu Xiuwen, seeing this scene, almost burst out laughing.

The young man paused for a moment before continuing, "I'm a student from Southwestern University of Finance and Economics. My name is Liao Zhiyong. It's nice to meet you all."

If it were anyone else, after being given the cold shoulder, they'd probably just let it go. After all, everyone here were mere strangers crossing paths, and there was no need to insist on warming someone's cold response with their own enthusiasm.

However, Liao Zhiyong did the opposite. He warmly introduced himself without showing any hint of annoyance or resentment toward the girl's earlier indifference.

This alone left Xu Xiuwen with a favorable impression of him. Coupled with the fact that Southwestern University of Finance and Economics is a well-regarded 211 university, Xu Xiuwen decided he wouldn't mind getting acquainted with him.

After Liao Zhiyong finished introducing himself, the girl didn't acknowledge him.

Instead, it was Xu Xiuwen who extended his hand with a smile. "Hello, I'm Xu Xiuwen."

Xu Xiuwen's behavior left the girl visibly surprised.

Just earlier, when she had spoken to him, his attitude had been so cold that she assumed it was just his personality. But now, he was so friendly and warm toward Liao Zhiyong.

Clearly, he wasn't naturally aloof.

Then why had he been so indifferent to her earlier?

The girl felt puzzled—and, frankly, a little annoyed. After all, back at school, she was considered the department beauty…

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