Rebirth Begins with Rejecting My Childhood Friend

Song Siyu saw that Xu Xiuwen wasn't saying anything and mocked him, "Xu Xiuwen, you're really spineless. You had the guts to cheat, but not the guts to admit it! I was wondering why so many people came to see you. Turns out they're all your lovers!"

Song Siyu's words were a bit over the line.

Xu Xiuwen couldn't hold it in and snapped back, partly to clarify that he wasn't involved with anyone else.

Otherwise, if Song Siyu pinned this on him, it would be truly hard to explain.

"Song Siyu, shut up! Who gave you the right to talk here?"

Song Siyu wasn't happy and was about to retort when Wang Juncai quickly held her back and whispered, "Siyu, just stop talking."

For some reason, Song Siyu did quiet down and didn't continue.

An Shishi noticed Xu Xiuwen's grim expression and, not wanting him to feel more awkward, quickly stepped in to diffuse the tension.

"This must be a misunderstanding. Everyone, just drop it. It's getting late; we should all head home."

But Xiao Youran didn't pay attention to An Shishi's words.

She looked at Xu Xiuwen, her eyes beginning to redden.

Sniffling, she asked, "Xiao Xu, tell me, is she your girlfriend or not?"

Xu Xiuwen knew this day would come eventually, but he hadn't expected it to come so soon.

At first, he panicked—panicked to the point of wanting to crawl into a hole and disappear.

But then, gradually, he felt a sense of relief.

He had been hiding the truth from everyone, and it had been exhausting.

Now that everything was out in the open, he figured he might as well lay it all on the table.

Whatever the outcome, so be it.

Xu Xiuwen looked at Cheng Lu, then at Xiao Youran.

He opened his mouth and said softly, "Cheng Lu, Youran, it's me..."

"It's me who lied to you!"

Suddenly, someone else spoke up before him.

Xu Xiuwen was stunned.

He immediately turned his head to look at Tang Weiwei.

Tang Weiwei had finally mustered the courage to raise her head and face Cheng Lu and the others.

Biting her lip, she said, "I lied to you all. Xu Xiuwen isn't my boyfriend. He and I are just ordinary friends!"

The story took a sharp turn.

Even Cheng Lu thought Xu Xiuwen was about to confess.

Though she didn't want to believe it, given Xu Xiuwen's history, it seemed inevitable.

Xiao Youran thought the same, as did everyone else present.

Su Yanyan was already starting to feel indignant on Tang Weiwei's behalf.

But at that moment, Tang Weiwei herself stepped forward to deny being Xu Xiuwen's girlfriend.

Su Yanyan was anxious. "Sister Weiwei, what are you saying? You and Big Bro are a couple!"

Shen Minyao immediately guessed what was happening.

She gave a bitter smile, then fell silent.

Tang Weiwei had made up her mind to deny it, so she wouldn't back down halfway.

She continued, "It's me who likes Xu Xiuwen. He... he only sees me as a friend. It's my fault for not explaining it clearly, which led to this misunderstanding. I'm sorry, Yanyan. I'm sorry, Sister Minyao. I'm sorry, Xu Xiuwen. I'm sorry, Cheng Lu. This is all my fault."

The blushing girl even bowed deeply in apology before everyone, her sincerity unmistakable.

Xu Xiuwen opened his mouth but couldn't find the words.

Tang Weiwei actually denied their relationship? That was the last thing he had expected.

And when he saw her apologizing, he began to feel a pang of guilt.

How strong must Tang Weiwei be to deny their relationship while apologizing to the cheating Xu Xiuwen, to Cheng Lu, and to everyone else?

How could Xu Xiuwen not feel heartbroken?

He even thought that, if admitting to cheating was the price, he couldn't let Tang Weiwei suffer like this! He might be a scumbag, but he wasn't heartless.

For the woman he cared about, he couldn't bring himself to be cruel.

Just as Xu Xiuwen was about to overturn Tang Weiwei's words and directly admit to their relationship, Tang Weiwei seemed to sense his intent.

She suddenly said, "I'm sorry, everyone. I'll be leaving now!"

With that, she rushed out of the hospital room without looking back.

Yang Baishan and the other roommates were dumbfounded.

She can do that?

They couldn't understand why Tang Weiwei would deny her relationship with Xu Xiuwen. They could only think of one explanation:

She didn't want to make things harder for Xu Xiuwen or embarrass him in front of everyone.

In that moment, the five men were deeply moved by Tang Weiwei's kind heart.

Why couldn't a girl like her belong to any of them?

How did she end up with a scumbag like Xu Xiuwen?

Even Jin Haonan started to look down on Xu Xiuwen.

If he could, he'd really love to say, Pah! Stupid jerk!

Tang Weiwei left.

Su Yanyan glanced at Xu Xiuwen but eventually decided to chase after her.

Shen Minyao followed suit and left as well.

Jiang Yin was a little stunned, realizing that the earlier conflict seemed to have stemmed from something she'd said.

She hurriedly tried to smooth things over. "Haha, it's good that the misunderstanding is cleared up. Well, it's getting late, so we'll head out now. We'll visit you another time, Xu Xiuwen. Cheng Lu, take good care of him."

With that, Jiang Yin dragged the other senior girls away.

Jiang Yin, Xu Mingxue, and the others had just arrived, and now they were leaving in a rush.

Xu Xiuwen's roommates also realized it wasn't appropriate to stick around any longer, so they all suggested heading out.

Wang Juncai turned to Song Siyu. "Siyu, I'll walk you back to the dorm."

Song Siyu shook her head. "No need. You go ahead."

"Alright then." Wang Juncai didn't insist.

And so, the five from Room 412 left together.

Li Haimei was curious about how the story would unfold, but she was rational enough to know it wasn't the right time for her to stay.

Besides, the sudden twists had left even her needing time to process.

She said a quick goodbye to Xu Xiuwen and then pulled Li Ke along with her.

Before leaving, Li Ke reminded him, "Teacher Xu, take care and get well soon."

Only Song Xiaomi was still standing there cluelessly, not realizing she should leave as well.

It wasn't until Lu Xinyao came in and called her name that she followed Lu Xinyao out.

Before leaving, Lu Xinyao shot Xu Xiuwen a glare, her smile tinged with mockery.

In an instant, most of the people in the room were gone.

All that remained were Xu Xiuwen, Xiao Youran, Cheng Lu, An Shishi, and Song Siyu—the four girls who spent the most time with him regularly.

Xu Xiuwen swallowed back the words he had been about to say.

He decided not to admit anything anymore.

After all, Tang Weiwei had already taken on the blame and endured the hurt. He didn't want her sacrifice to be in vain.

Xiao Youran looked skeptical.

Her mind was a mess, and she didn't know who to believe.

After hesitating for a moment, she couldn't help but ask, "Xiao Xu, is what Tang Weiwei said true?"

Xu Xiuwen nodded firmly. "Yes."

"But…" She trailed off, unsure of how to continue.

If his hand weren't injured, Xu Xiuwen would have reached out to gently pat the girl's head.

But because of his injury, all he could do was look at Xiao Youran with soft eyes and ask, "Do you believe me?"

"I do."

"Then keep believing in me."

"Mm-hmm."

Suddenly, Xiao Youran felt a sense of clarity.

Xiao Xu was the person closest to her in this world, apart from her parents.

If she couldn't believe him, then who could she trust?

Besides, both Xiao Xu and Tang Weiwei had personally stated that they weren't in a romantic relationship.

Logically and emotionally, there was no reason for her to overthink anymore.

Seeing Xiao Youran's emotions stabilize, Xu Xiuwen turned to Cheng Lu.

Cheng Lu was also looking at him, but her gaze wasn't calm. Her pupils trembled slightly, betraying her unease.

"Are you really not lying to me?" Cheng Lu asked.

"I'm not!" Xu Xiuwen replied without hesitation.

"Have you really not cheated?"

"Don't you believe me?"

Xu Xiuwen threw the question back at Cheng Lu.

Cheng Lu stared into Xu Xiuwen's eyes.

From the unwavering sincerity in his gaze, she saw honesty.

And so, she believed him.

Deep down, she didn't want to think that Xu Xiuwen was cheating on her.

She exhaled in relief. "As long as you haven't."

Song Siyu, watching Xiao Youran and Cheng Lu trust Xu Xiuwen so easily, was at a loss for words.

How could they believe a scumbag's words so easily?

As for her, she didn't believe a single thing Xu Xiuwen had just said.

But she didn't have any solid evidence to prove he was cheating again, so she had to hold back.

She resolved to ask Wang Juncai about it later to get to the bottom of things.

There was another person who didn't believe him: An Shishi.

An Shishi, being as sharp as she was, could immediately tell that Tang Weiwei wasn't speaking sincerely.

It was obvious she was lying.

Even without that, Xu Xiuwen's behavior was suspicious.

At first, he had been so nervous that he couldn't even speak.

It wasn't until Tang Weiwei denied their relationship that he finally seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and followed up by denying it as well.

And there was one more thing that made her doubt him: Xu Xiuwen's track record.

She herself was a living example of it.

If Xu Xiuwen could hide his relationship with her while secretly dating Cheng Lu, then why couldn't he secretly date Tang Weiwei as well?

Tang Weiwei wasn't even a student at their university, so there was little chance of her and Cheng Lu crossing paths.

The risk of getting caught was minimal.

No matter how she looked at it, An Shishi was convinced that Xu Xiuwen had been cheating with Tang Weiwei.

However, she chose not to expose his lies.

She merely gave Xu Xiuwen a knowing, faintly amused look.

After easing Xiao Youran and Cheng Lu's concerns, Xu Xiuwen quickly said, "Alright, it's getting late. You should all head back and rest."

Cheng Lu shook her head. "I'm staying tonight to take care of you."

Not wanting to be outdone, Xiao Youran immediately added, "I'll stay too."

Cheng Lu frowned in displeasure. "Xiao Youran, there's no need for you to stay."

Xiao Youran fired back without hesitation, "Xiao Xu and I grew up together as childhood friends. Why can't I stay?"

"Do you have to keep bringing up being childhood friends all the time? Aren't you tired of it?"

Normally, Cheng Lu was quite tolerant. She often turned a blind eye or held her tongue when it came to Xiao Youran's close interactions with Xu Xiuwen.

For instance, on Xiao Youran's birthday, Cheng Lu had graciously allowed Xu to spend the day alone with her. Even when Xiao Youran didn't return to her dorm that night, Cheng Lu didn't question her intentions.

But tonight, Cheng Lu had reached her limit.

First, there was the situation with Tang Weiwei.

Although it turned out to be a false alarm and Xu Xiuwen hadn't cheated, for a brief moment, Cheng Lu truly believed he had. The thought left her feeling deeply hurt. However, being the composed and reserved person she was, she rarely showed her emotions in front of others. She suppressed her true feelings well.

The second issue was the sheer number of beautiful women who had come to visit Xu Xiuwen tonight.

Though Cheng Lu trusted him, discovering that Xu Xiuwen had so many attractive female friends—and that he got along with them so well—made her uneasy.

Was Xu Xiuwen really as innocent as he seemed?

One of the reasons Cheng Lu had been drawn to Xu Xiuwen was his seemingly naive charm. He didn't appear to be the type to play games in relationships.

Even when he had secretly rekindled his old relationship with Xiao Youran behind her back, she had only been upset for a while and didn't truly see him as a bad person.

But tonight, that conviction wavered.

The two incidents compounded her frustration, and Cheng Lu was no longer in the mood to accommodate Xiao Youran.

Hearing Cheng Lu's remark, Xiao Youran immediately turned to Xu Xiuwen with a pout and asked, "Xiao Xu, did you hear that? I was only worried about you and wanted to stay to take care of you, but she said I'm annoying. Do you think I'm annoying too?"

What was Xu Xiuwen supposed to say to that?

He thought to himself, Please don't drag me into your argument. I can't afford to offend either of you.

But staying silent wouldn't work either.

After a moment of hesitation, he decided to side with Xiao Youran.

"Lulu, Youran is just concerned about me. Could you let it go?"

Seeing Xiao Xu stand up for her, Xiao Youran's heart swelled with joy.

She knew it—Xiao Xu still liked her the most.

Cheng Lu?

Hah! Just a girlfriend in name only.

When it came to genuine affection, it was her, his childhood friend, who truly mattered.

As these thoughts filled her head, Xiao Youran couldn't help but smirk, biting her lip slightly in amusement.

Cheng Lu noticed Xiao Youran's smug expression and heard her faint, irritating laughter.

With a cold snort, Cheng Lu turned away, refusing to look at her.

Song Siyu and An Shishi watched the entire exchange between the two girls.

Song Siyu let out a helpless sigh.

This Xiao Youran was completely trapped in the throes of love, with no hope of escape.

An Shishi, on the other hand, felt a mix of emotions—she envied Xiao Youran for receiving Xu's favoritism and envied Cheng Lu for having the rightful status to openly act as his girlfriend.

Xu Xiuwen suddenly turned to the two girls and said, "Song Siyu, Shishi, you two should head back now. There's no need for so many people here."

Song Siyu snorted coldly. "Don't flatter yourself. Who said I wanted to stay and take care of you?"

Xu Xiuwen shook his head, speechless.

An Shishi, on the other hand, nodded obediently. "Alright, I'll head back then."

With that, the two girls left together.

In no time, the only people left in the room were Cheng Lu, Xiao Youran, and Xu Xiuwen.

After some time had passed, Xu Xiuwen's gaze fell on the leftover bowl of pork rib soup and rice on the bedside table.

Xiao Youran, ever attentive to Xu Xiuwen's thoughts, noticed where his eyes had landed.

Xiao Youran immediately asked, "Xiao Xu, do you want some fruit? What kind of fruit would you like?"

Cheng Lu also noticed Xu Xiuwen's gaze, but after hearing Xiao Youran's question, she remained silent.

Xu Xiuwen shook his head.

He suddenly looked at the two women and asked, "Have you two had dinner yet?"

Xiao Youran and Cheng Lu didn't expect him to ask this.

The two were momentarily stunned before snapping back to their senses and shaking their heads in unison.

Xu Xiuwen seemed a bit concerned after hearing this.

He couldn't help but ask, "Why haven't you had dinner? Don't tell me you're trying to lose weight?"

Xiao Youran immediately got nervous. "Huh? Xiao Xu, do you want me to lose weight? Do you think I'm fat?"

"No, your figure is great as it is. Just keep it up. What I meant was that you shouldn't go on a diet."

Xiao Youran chuckled. "That's good. I thought you were saying I'd gained weight."

Unlike her, Cheng Lu didn't lose sight of the main issue.

She explained, "We just finished a meeting and rushed over here, so there wasn't time to eat dinner."

Xu Xiuwen said, "Skipping dinner isn't good for you."

"It's fine, Xiao Xu. Sometimes I skip dinner anyway."

Xu Xiuwen immediately gave her a stern look. "I'm talking about you. Skipping dinner is bad for your health. Are you trying to ruin your body?"

"It's really fine, Xiao Xu."

Cheng Lu added, "Missing one meal now and then won't cause any issues."

Xu Xiuwen frowned. "No, it's not fine. You're both staying tonight to take care of me. How can you have the energy to do that if you don't eat dinner? Listen to me—go grab something to eat while it's not too late."

Seeing that the two were about to refuse, Xu Xiuwen raised his voice slightly and said sternly, "If you don't listen, just leave. Don't stay here and make me upset!"

His tone was slightly severe.

Both Cheng Lu and Xiao Youran were taken aback.

After a moment, Xiao Youran softly said, "Alright, I'll listen to you."

Cheng Lu also nodded.

"Then hurry up and go."

Cheng Lu said, "Why don't Xiao Youran go first? I'll head out to eat after she gets back."

Xiao Youran immediately chimed in, "No need. You go first. I'll eat later."

Just moments ago, the two were arguing, but now they were suddenly being polite over who should eat first.

Although it was a small matter, it showed that neither woman was selfish.

It's just that when it came to Xu Xiuwen, they couldn't help but act a little selfishly.

Which, honestly, was normal.

Anyone in love would be a bit selfish—unless they didn't care as much.

Xu Xiuwen wouldn't change how he felt about them just because of their bickering or other behavior.

"You go first."

"No, you go first."

Seeing the two women suddenly start to argue politely, Xu Xiuwen cut in directly, "Enough. Neither of you needs to give in. Just go eat together."

"How could we?"

"Exactly. What about you?"

"What's the big deal? How long does it take for you two to eat? You'll be back soon enough. Even if something happens, I can call the nurse. Stop worrying and go eat."

After hearing this, Cheng Lu and Xiao Youran realized he had a point and agreed.

Soon after, the two of them left the hospital room together to grab dinner.

Xu Xiuwen was finally left with some alone time.

He let out a long breath.

When Cheng Lu and Xiao Youran were around, he couldn't do this.

Now, he didn't have to hold back.

But then his thoughts turned to Tang Weiwei.

Tang Weiwei should be back at the hotel by now, right?

It was worth mentioning that...

Because the girls' dormitory where Tang Weiwei and the others lived caught fire, the school rented out all the nearby hotels and inns. They assigned rooms based on students' majors and classes.

As for the burned dormitory, it won't be livable in the short term. Fortunately, summer break is just half a month away. During the break, the school plans to hire contractors to renovate the dormitory. By the new semester, the students can move back into their dorm rooms.

As for the accommodation costs during this period, the school will cover everything, so the students don't have to pay a single penny. This arrangement also helped keep the parents from complaining.

Xu Xiuwen learned about this earlier in the afternoon during a conversation with Tang Weiwei and the other two girls. He figured that after leaving the hospital room, Tang Weiwei must have returned to the hotel arranged by the school.

At this moment, Xu Xiuwen was most worried about Tang Weiwei. He feared she would be extremely upset and in need of comfort. He was especially worried that if her sadness reached a breaking point, she might do something irrational—something he would regret for the rest of his life.

The real reason Xu Xiuwen had sent Cheng Lu and Xiao Youran out to eat was to secure a moment of solitude. Now that the two of them had left, he immediately sprang into action.

What action?

His phone was on the bedside table, which he had noticed earlier. While he couldn't move his hands, his legs were perfectly fine. And the call button for the hospital room was right above him.

Xu Xiuwen lifted his legs, using them as hands, and stretched toward the call button on the wall. The scene was downright comical. Luckily, he was alone in the room, so his image as the campus heartthrob wouldn't be tarnished.

After pressing the button, a nurse arrived, and Xu Xiuwen asked her for help in making a call.

When the nurse entered the room and saw he was alone, she lightly scolded him, "Why were your family members so careless? They left you here all alone. Someone should've stayed to take care of you!"

Xu Xiuwen quickly explained that he had sent them out to eat, which stopped her scolding.

With the nurse's help, Xu Xiuwen successfully dialed Tang Weiwei's number. However, the call only rang three times before it was abruptly declined. He had no choice but to ask the nurse to call again.

They tried three times in total, but each time, the call was decisively rejected. Fortunately, the nurse didn't seem annoyed—perhaps because Xu Xiuwen was handsome.

Just then, his phone suddenly rang. The nurse immediately helped him answer it.

Once connected, Su Yanyan's voice came through the line.

"Big Bro!"

"Yanyan? Why is it you? Where's Weiwei?"

As if afraid that Xu Xiuwen might misunderstand, Su Yanyan quickly explained on Tang Weiwei's behalf.

"Big Bro, Sister Weiwei wanted to answer your call, but Sister Minyao wouldn't let her. It's not that Sister Weiwei was intentionally ignoring you."

"Alright, I understand. How's Weiwei doing? Did she cry? Is she very upset?"

Su Yanyan was silent for a moment before softly replying, "Mm."

"Big Bro, earlier… you were lying to me, weren't you? You didn't actually cheat on anyone. You're actually Sister Weiwei's boyfriend, right?"

Hearing Su Yanyan's words, Xu Xiuwen didn't know how to respond for a moment.

Even at this point, Su Yanyan still chose to believe him. He felt both moved and a twinge of guilt. Clearly, he had betrayed Su Yanyan's trust.

At the same time, hearing that Tang Weiwei was upset and had even cried filled Xu Xiuwen with even more regret.

"What a scumbag I am!" Xu Xiuwen couldn't help but think.

He knew he had hurt another girl who genuinely loved him.

Xu Xiuwen's mind drifted back to the first semester of freshman year, when he first met Tang Weiwei. She was like a lotus blooming in the mud, untouched by impurities.

Not a "white lotus"—that's an insult.

What he meant was that Tang Weiwei was as pure as a blank sheet of paper, someone you wouldn't want to stain.

Though she was a girl from Chongqing, she didn't have the fiery personality that many girls from there were known for. Instead, she was gentle and mild, always considerate of others. Whenever she was sad or upset, she would quietly bear it on her own.

Her greatest virtue was her disinterest in attracting male attention. When school started, she even tried her best to stay unnoticed. If not for a chance encounter, Xu Xiuwen might never have discovered this hidden gem.

Some girls, blessed with good looks, enjoy playing with the affections of multiple boys, keeping them wrapped around their fingers. Tang Weiwei, however, was the complete opposite. Whether before or after getting together with him, she never interacted with any other guys.

Having such a girlfriend gave Xu Xiuwen unparalleled peace of mind.

As he got to know her better, Xu Xiuwen found himself liking Tang Weiwei more and more. She seemed to be made entirely of virtues, with no flaws to be found.

This was different from Cheng Lu and Xiao Youran.

Cheng Lu was the perfect goddess. With her extraordinary beauty and unique personality, she was the most famous ice queen of Jiaotong University. However, her cold demeanor was like an invisible sword that pierced anyone who tried to get close to her. Even Xu Xiuwen, before breaking through her defenses, had almost been frozen by her icy exterior.

Xiao Youran, on the other hand, was nothing like perfection—except for her looks. She had been pampered like a princess since childhood, and occasionally displayed some spoiled behavior. Her temper could be quite stubborn; once she got angry, even eight horses couldn't pull her back. Though she had improved a lot recently, she was still far from perfect.

Of course, none of this stopped Xu Xiuwen from liking Cheng Lu and Xiao Youran.

But Tang Weiwei was different.

She didn't compete, didn't fight, and always put Xu Xiuwen first. She considered his feelings in everything. If it had been any other woman tonight, the lightest reaction might have been to question him, while the heavier one would be a full-blown argument.

Yet Tang Weiwei had chosen to bear it all by herself.

How could this not make Xu Xiuwen love her even more, while also deepening his guilt?

After a moment of silence, he said, "I'm sorry, Yanyan. I've let you down. Cheng Lu is my girlfriend."

Su Yanyan became agitated. "Big Bro, how could you cheat? That's too much! Sister Weiwei likes you so much. How could you do this to her?"

"I'm sorry."

Su Yanyan fell silent.

The phone line grew quiet.

Xu Xiuwen continued, "I know I've hurt Weiwei. I'm not asking for her forgiveness. I just hope she'll be okay. Yanyan, I've never asked you for anything before, but this time, I'm begging you—please comfort Weiwei for me. Don't let her feel too sad, okay?"

After a while, Su Yanyan replied softly, "Big Bro, I'll comfort Sister Weiwei, but I think it's best if you talk to her and explain things yourself."

"Mm. Don't worry, I will."

Su Yanyan sighed. "Big Bro, take care of yourself too. Get well soon."

"Okay."

"I've been out for a while. I should head back now."

"Alright, you should go."

After ending the call, Xu Xiuwen felt as though he were in a daze, almost dreamlike.

For a moment, he even forgot that there was still a nurse in the hospital room.

Although the nurse hadn't caught every word of the conversation, she had more or less pieced together what it was about.

She had initially held a good impression of Xu Xiuwen—not just because he was good-looking but also because she had heard about his heroic deeds in saving lives.

No one dislikes a hero.

The nurse, being young herself, naturally admired heroes too.

But now, the image of the hero seemed tarnished.

The hero, it turned out, was a cheating scumbag.

Truly, appearances can be deceiving.

You may know someone's face, but not their heart.

"Are you all set? If there's nothing else, I'll head out now," the nurse's voice interrupted Xu Xiuwen's thoughts.

Snapping back to reality, he noticed the nurse still standing by the bedside.

He flashed an embarrassed smile and said, "Thank you."

The nurse shook her head and then left the room.

The moment the nurse left, there was a knock on the door.

Xu Xiuwen assumed it was Cheng Lu and Xiao Youran returning.

"Come in," he called out.

The door opened.

But the person who walked in wasn't Cheng Lu or Xiao Youran.

It was someone he hadn't expected.

It was Mu Zhilan.

She stepped into the room, carrying a bag of fruit.

Xu Xiuwen froze for a moment, surprised to see her.

But since she had come to visit him, it wasn't as though he could say she wasn't welcome.

"Sister Mu, what brings you here?" Xu Xiuwen asked.

Mu Zhilan seemed incredibly nervous, her movements tense and hesitant, like a timid mouse.

Hearing his question, she replied, "I heard you were injured, so I came to check on you. Are you okay?"

"Thank you. It's nothing serious, really. I just need some time to rest. I feel bad you came all this way, and you even brought fruit. You don't have to spend money like that, you know—you're not exactly loaded," Xu Xiuwen said without thinking.

The moment the words left his mouth, he realized he shouldn't have said them.

That was uncalled for—it was practically pointing out her struggles.

Sure enough, Mu Zhilan's expression grew awkward.

She shook her head and said, "The fruit didn't cost much. Besides, after all the help you've given me, it's the least I could do."

"Alright then," Xu Xiuwen said, unsure what else to say.

The room fell into an awkward silence.

The truth was, Xu Xiuwen and Mu Zhilan weren't particularly close.

They'd only met a few times. Later, when he happened to think of her while helping introduce a nanny to Li Haimei, their paths crossed again.

There wasn't much to talk about between them.

Mu Zhilan seemed to sense this too. Her expression grew more uncomfortable until she finally said, "I'm sorry. It seems I came at a bad time. I'll get going now. Take care and rest well."

"Wait! Don't go just yet," Xu Xiuwen called after her.

Mu Zhilan immediately froze mid-turn.

Though there wasn't much to talk about between them, it didn't feel right to let someone leave after coming all this way just to visit him.

Xu Xiuwen wasn't that socially inept.

After thinking for a moment, he asked, "How's Qiao Gang doing lately?"

"Xiao Gang is doing really well," Mu Zhilan answered earnestly.

"Are there still kids bullying him at school?"

Mu Zhilan shook her head. "It seems like that's stopped. Thank you for helping Xiao Gang. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have known what to do."

"Once is enough; don't keep thanking me. I didn't help him just to hear your gratitude."

"I understand, but I truly am grateful to you."

This woman seemed a bit stubborn.

Xu Xiuwen had already told her not to keep thanking him, yet she was still doing it.

Then again, upon reflection, this was probably just how she was.

If she weren't so set in her ways, she wouldn't have ended up with a husband like that.

Any other woman would have left long ago.

But she hadn't. She endured it all in silence.

It was clear she was someone who passively accepted whatever came her way.

In that regard, she was a bit like Tang Weiwei.