Rebirth Begins with Rejecting My Childhood Friend

The process of rescheduling went smoothly.

Cheng Lu changed her return ticket to the morning of the 4th.

During this time, Xu Xiuwen sent Cheng Lu away and then quietly bought train tickets for himself and Tang Weiwei.

After returning from the train station, the four girls from Dorm 301 had their last meal together for the semester. Xu Xiuwen joined them as well.

After lunch, Song Siyu went back to the dorm to pack up. Her train was at 3 p.m., and she was traveling with Wang Juncai.

An Shishi suddenly suggested going shopping, saying she wanted to buy some things to take home. She pulled Cheng Lu along and asked Xiao Youran if she wanted to join.

It was assumed that with Cheng Lu going, Xiao Youran would decline, but not only did she not refuse, she readily agreed.

For Xu Xiuwen, shopping with one girl could be considered a sweet outing. But shopping with three girls at once was pure torture.

Xu Xiuwen claimed he had work at the company to deal with, using it as an excuse to leave.

It wasn't entirely untrue. While he didn't want to go shopping, there really was work that needed attention.

After arriving at the office, Xu Xiuwen began handling the matters at hand. Once everything was taken care of, he leaned back in his chair to rest for a while.

It was only then that he remembered—Lu Xinyao hadn't come to work.

It had been nearly half a month since that incident, and Lu Xinyao still hadn't returned. This caught Xu Xiuwen slightly off guard.

But on second thought, given that Lu Xinyao had lost something so precious to her, it was understandable she might need more time to process her emotions.

Xu Xiuwen considered calling her to check in but decided against it after some thought.

At that moment, his phone suddenly rang.

It was Meng Dong, the head of the review department at Anhui Province Television Station, calling.

On the call, Meng Dong informed Xu Xiuwen that the station's internal review had approved his show and asked him to come in as soon as possible to sign the contract.

Meng Dong also mentioned that another show was competing with his for the summer slot.

When Xu Xiuwen last met with Meng Dong, he had privately asked if his show could be scheduled for the summer season. At that time, Meng Dong had readily agreed without hesitation.

But now, the sudden appearance of a competing show for the summer slot took Xu Xiuwen by surprise.

His first thought was that the station might be trying to drive down the price.

But upon further reflection, he realized that if they intended to negotiate a lower price, Meng Dong wouldn't have told him in advance—he would have waited until the contract signing.

Xu Xiuwen placed great importance on securing the summer slot. It would align perfectly with the operations of his distillery.

However, if the schedule were delayed by even one season, the situation would change significantly.

Feeling slightly anxious, Xu Xiuwen asked about the situation.

Meng Dong chuckled and told him to relax, explaining that the station currently favored his show internally. He assured Xu Xiuwen that as long as he signed the contract quickly, the summer slot would be his.

Wanting to finalize things as soon as possible, Xu Xiuwen said he would go in to sign the contract tomorrow.

After hanging up the phone, Xu Xiuwen let out a long sigh of relief.

Luckily, he had a good relationship with Meng Dong. Otherwise, Meng Dong wouldn't have told him this kind of internal information—nor was he obligated to.

Xu Xiuwen had originally planned to take Xiao Youran home later and then accompany Tang Weiwei back tomorrow. Now, those plans had to change.

Without delay, Xu Xiuwen left the office, drove to the train station, and rescheduled his ticket for the day after tomorrow.

After finishing the rescheduling, he received a call from Cheng Lu.

They had finished shopping and were ready to head back.

Xu Xiuwen immediately got into his car and drove off to pick up the three girls.

When he arrived, the three were standing by the roadside, each holding multiple shopping bags.

Xu Xiuwen parked by the curb, got out of the car, and walked over quickly.

He took the bags from Cheng Lu's hands and carried them to the car's trunk.

Seeing this, Xiao Youran pouted unhappily, clearly upset that Xu Xiuwen only took Cheng Lu's bags.

Fortunately, after putting Cheng Lu's bags away, Xu Xiuwen turned back to take hers as well.

As for An Shishi, she didn't make things difficult for him. She carried her own bags to the trunk.

"Get in the car," Xu Xiuwen said.

"Okay," the three girls replied in unison.

Once they were seated, Xu Xiuwen fastened his seatbelt and asked, "What did you all buy?"

Cheng Lu, as usual, sat in the front passenger seat. An Shishi and Xiao Youran sat in the back.

Xiao Youran, clearly unhappy about Cheng Lu taking the front seat, let out a huff after sitting down.

However, upon hearing Xu Xiuwen's question, she quickly forgot her annoyance and spoke up eagerly:

"Xiao Xu, I saw a really pretty dress earlier. I thought it would look perfect on Aunt Ning, so I bought it for her!"

"Oh? How much was it? I'll transfer you the money later."

"There's no need," Xiao Youran replied playfully. "Aunt Ning has always treated me like a daughter. Isn't it only right for me to buy something for Mom?"

Her words carried a subtle undertone of pride, emphasizing how close she was with Ning Wanqiu.

Xu Xiuwen smiled wryly but refrained from saying anything critical.

At that moment, he noticed Cheng Lu's expression beside him had turned a bit colder.

Feeling awkward, he said, "Well, let me thank you on my mom's behalf for the dress."

He quickly turned to Cheng Lu and asked, "Lulu, what about you? What did you buy? It looks like you got quite a bit too."

Cheng Lu reminded him, "Don't look at me. Keep your eyes on the road and drive carefully."

"Those aren't mine. I only bought one dress."

"You bought a dress? Nice, nice! I like the way you look in dresses."

Hearing this, Cheng Lu shot him a glare.

"What are you thinking? The dress isn't for me—it's for Aunt Ning."

Xu Xiuwen froze.

Another gift for Ning Wanqiu?

He swallowed hard.

Xiao Youran had bought clothes for his mother.

Now Cheng Lu had also bought clothes for his mother.

If anyone believed there wasn't some kind of "competition" going on, they'd have to be a fool.

Xu Xiuwen dared not comment further, fearing he might accidentally fan the flames.

He quickly changed the subject. "Shishi, what did you buy?"

An Shishi seemed to have guessed what was on Xu Xiuwen's mind. She chuckled and said, "Master, I bought some clothes for my family and a few gifts for them too."

Hearing this, Xu Xiuwen suddenly remembered that he had promised to accompany her home.

Although An Shishi was his lover, in her family's eyes, he was her boyfriend.

Showing up empty-handed on his first visit would be incredibly rude.

Xu Xiuwen immediately realized his oversight. He wanted to apologize but held back when he noticed Cheng Lu and Xiao Youran were present. He decided to apologize to An Shishi later.

Once again, it was as if An Shishi could read his thoughts.

While Xu Xiuwen was driving, he suddenly felt a hand reach out from the gap beside his seat. It gently brushed against his arm, as if to tell him it was okay.

An Shishi's understanding gesture allowed him to relax a little.

Afterward, Xu Xiuwen drove the three women back to their dormitory.

An Shishi needed to bring all her purchases upstairs and pack her luggage. Cheng Lu and Xiao Youran also had to pack their things.

Before parting ways, Xu Xiuwen called out to Xiao Youran.

Cheng Lu gave him a brief glance but said nothing, then helped An Shishi carry her bags upstairs.

Xiao Youran, surprised to be stopped, quickly became excited and called out, "Xiao Xu~"

Xu Xiuwen said, "I need to go to Fei City tomorrow to sign a contract, so I won't be able to take you home. Could you go back by yourself tomorrow?"

Xiao Youran, thinking he wanted to have a private conversation with her, was disappointed when he said this instead. Her face immediately fell.

"Xiao Xu, I don't want to go by myself. I want to go back with you."

"Be good, okay? I really have something important to do tomorrow and can't take you."

Not wanting to make things difficult for him, Xiao Youran reluctantly agreed. But then she had an idea.

"Xiao Xu, can I go to Fei City with you tomorrow?"

"You want to come with me?"

"Uh-huh. Is that okay?"

"Well, it's not a problem…"

"Then I'll go with you! Please, Xiao Xu~~~"

Seeing the hopeful expression on her face, Xu Xiuwen couldn't bring himself to refuse. He nodded and agreed.

He thought to himself that signing the contract would only take an afternoon. After that, he could drive straight back to Langya and drop Xiao Youran off at home along the way.

When Xu Xiuwen agreed, Xiao Youran was so happy she jumped up and down in place.

"Yay! Xiao Xu said yes!"

Seeing her joy, Xu Xiuwen smiled too. He reached out and ruffled her hair. "Alright, go pack your things. I'm heading back now."

"Okay, okay!"

Leaving the dormitory building of Jiaotong University, it was already past five in the afternoon.

Xu Xiuwen drove to the hotel where Tang Weiwei was staying and called her to come down.

When Tang Weiwei came downstairs, she looked around nervously.

After confirming there was no one around, she quickly ran to the car, opened the back door, and got in.

She had barely sat down when…

A large hand suddenly wrapped around her waist, pulling her into a warm embrace.

Tang Weiwei instantly knew who it was.

They were standing in the hotel lobby.

Although there was no fear of being seen by classmates, she still felt a bit nervous.

"Xu Xiuwen, let go of me," she said softly.

"I won't!" Xu Xiuwen declared domineeringly.

Tang Weiwei's face flushed instantly.

"Someone might see us," she murmured.

"Even if they do, I'm not letting go," he replied firmly.

If it were an ordinary girl from Chongqing, she might have retorted with something like, "I'll count to three…"

But Tang Weiwei was used to being compliant.

Just a bit of assertiveness from Xu Xiuwen left her at a loss for what to do.

So, she could only quietly give in.

Seeing her stop struggling, Xu Xiuwen felt quite satisfied.

He leaned closer, his nose brushing against her neck, and inhaled lightly.

"Wow, you smell so good. Did you put on perfume?" he teased.

Tang Weiwei's cheeks turned a deeper shade of red.

"No... I didn't. I don't use perfume," she stammered.

"Then why do you smell so good? It's making me want to take a bite out of you," he said boldly.

"Ugh~" Tang Weiwei flinched at his blunt words, startled.

"Haha, I'm kidding! I wouldn't really eat you. Why are you so nervous?"

Tang Weiwei, embarrassed, curled her fingers and toes slightly.

She pleaded in a small voice, "Xu Xiuwen, please don't say things like that, okay?"

"Alright, alright, I promise I won't."

Xu Xiuwen reached into his pocket and handed her two tickets.

"I need to go to Fei City tomorrow afternoon to sign a contract. Once I'm back, we'll go home together."

Tang Weiwei looked at him with concern. "Will it interfere with your work? I can go home by myself."

"Don't worry. It won't affect anything at all."

"Oh," Tang Weiwei whispered, clutching the tickets tightly.

After chatting for a while, Xu Xiuwen took her to eat.

He chose the small food street outside the north gate.

Although both Jiaoda University and Jiangling Academy had officially scheduled their summer break for July 5, most students left as soon as exams were over.

[T/N: "Jiaoda" (交大) is an abbreviation for Jiaotong University (交通大学), a name used by several prestigious universities in China.]

Now, more than half of the students were gone.

What was once a bustling street filled with vendors and customers was now quiet. Many shops had closed early.

Xu Xiuwen randomly chose a shop that was still open and went inside.

After ordering, he suddenly thought of something.

"By the way, Weiwei, did you get anything for Grandma?"

Tang Weiwei shook her head. "No, I didn't."

"Why not? You should bring her something."

"There's no need," she replied quietly.

"What do you mean, 'no need'? Are you trying not to spend my money?"

Tang Weiwei hesitated for a moment and then nodded slightly.

"That makes me feel like a stranger," Xu Xiuwen said, a bit frustrated.

Tang Weiwei lowered her head and explained softly, "It's not that. I just don't want to waste money."

"How can buying something for Grandma be considered wasting money?" he asked.

Tang Weiwei stayed silent, her head hanging low, unyielding.

From her expression, Xu Xiuwen could tell his words weren't getting through.

Even if he insisted, she might agree for now, but she'd probably back out the moment she was alone.

She definitely wouldn't listen and do as she was told.

Xu Xiuwen didn't press the matter further.

After finishing dinner with Tang Weiwei, she expressed her desire to return to the hotel.

Xu Xiuwen refused, holding her back. He hugged her tightly and stole a few kisses before finally letting her go.

Satisfied, Xu Xiuwen returned to Jiangning Huayuan.

Cheng Lu, Xiao Youran, and the other girls were all still at their dorms and hadn't come over.

The house had been lively last night, but now he was alone.

This subtle contrast left Xu Xiuwen feeling slightly out of place.

Unconsciously, he had grown used to having girls around him all the time.

It didn't matter who they were, as long as someone was there.

The night passed uneventfully.

The next morning, Xu Xiuwen arrived early at the female dormitory of Jiaoda University.

He stood patiently under a tree near the entrance, waiting for Cheng Lu.

A moment earlier, he had quietly sent her a message.

Before long, Cheng Lu came down.

She was alone.

Cheng Lu approached with a smile.

Xu Xiuwen grinned and asked, "They don't know I'm waiting here, do they?"

Cheng Lu nodded slightly. "Didn't you tell me to keep it a secret? But I think they probably have their suspicions."

"Doesn't matter. Let's go eat."

Xu Xiuwen placed his right hand on his waist.

Cheng Lu noticed his gesture and instantly understood what he meant.

At first, her face remained expressionless.

Then she gave him a sharp, beautiful glare.

After that, she pursed her lips and smiled.

Finally, with a sweet and affectionate look, she linked her arm through Xu Xiuwen's.

The two of them walked closely together as they left the campus.

Early in the morning, Xu Xiuwen had come to find Cheng Lu for breakfast.

Cheng Lu didn't refuse.

They both knew that after parting today, it might be two months before they could meet again.

Neither of them wanted to separate, so they cherished these last moments together.

After breakfast, Xu Xiuwen took Cheng Lu on a stroll around the Jiaoda campus.

Eventually, they wandered into the practice room of the Literary and Arts Department.