Rebirth Begins with Rejecting my Childhood Friend - Chapter 374

Xu Xiuwen hesitated for a moment before suggesting, “If you don’t want to go to the hospital, I don’t have a better idea. How about you take a shower first and see if it helps?”

The woman reluctantly nodded.

Seeing this, Xu Xiuwen hurried into the bathroom and adjusted the water temperature.

Once it was right, he quickly returned to the master bedroom.

“The water’s ready. You should go take a shower,” he urged.

The woman twisted her body and said with difficulty, “I can’t manage it.”

Xu Xiuwen felt helpless.

He could tell the woman was genuinely unwell, not just pretending.

He recalled his own experience when An Shishi had drugged him, feeling as if his blood was boiling.

Now, he could only hope that the different physical resilience between men and women would allow her to endure a shower.

“I’ll help you,” Xu Xiuwen said quickly.

He supported her into the bathroom.

Once they were under the shower, Xu Xiuwen was about to let go and see if she could stand on her own.

But as soon as he released his hold, the woman collapsed.

Xu Xiuwen reacted quickly and caught her again.

Unable to do otherwise, he had no choice but to help her shower.

He directed the shower head at her, and the hot water cascaded down immediately.

Earlier, when she had laid down, Xu Xiuwen had helped her remove her outer jacket, so she was now only in a black top and black cropped pants.

The hot water quickly soaked her clothes, clinging to her body.

While it was inconvenient for the clothes to be wet, it was more significant that the water highlighted her mature figure.

Xu Xiuwen swallowed hard, finding it difficult to look away.

He quickly closed his eyes.

After all, a gentleman should not look at what’s inappropriate.

Not sure how long the woman had been under the hot water, Xu Xiuwen reopened his eyes to check her condition.

She seemed somewhat more alert now and even attempted to block his view with her hand.

“Don’t look,” she said.

Xu Xiuwen felt awkward.

“I’m not looking at you… I mean, I’m not watching you. I just want to see if you’re feeling any better.”

The woman shook her head.

“I still feel very uncomfortable. It doesn’t seem to be working.”

Hearing that it wasn’t helping, Xu Xiuwen realized he might have done something foolish.

The situation seemed to have worsened.

“What should we do then?”

“Just go out for now,” the woman managed to squeeze out.

Xu Xiuwen quickly helped her out of the bathroom.

Her body was limp and completely relying on him.

Xu Xiuwen’s clothes were already damp from the splashing water, and now, with the woman leaning on him, they were thoroughly soaked.

Having drunk alcohol earlier, Xu Xiuwen’s mind was already not very clear.

He stood there, noticing he was starting to feel unsteady.

The woman, leaning against him, continued to squirm.

“Stop moving! Wake up!” Xu Xiuwen shouted into her ear.

The shout seemed to snap her out of it.

She opened her eyes and, realizing what was happening, her face turned red.

Though she was already flushed, it was hard to tell.

“I couldn’t help it. Please help me,” she said.

Xu Xiuwen was at a loss.

“How can I help with this?”

“You’re not losing anything; I’m the one at a disadvantage. Don’t be so insincere,” the woman quickly responded.

Xu Xiuwen was at a loss for words. “I’m not being insincere. I have a girlfriend, and I can’t do anything that would betray her.”

The woman fell silent immediately. “But we’re already in this situation. What can we do now? Are you going to make me find someone else to help, or just leave me to suffer through the night and see what happens?”

Her consciousness was slipping away more and more, and by the end, her words were disjointed.

“But…”

“Help me this once, and I won’t hold it against you…”

Xu Xiuwen was also worried about the woman’s well-being. In both novels and movies, there’s often the plot where if the effects of the drug aren’t addressed, something terrible might happen.

And right now, given the close proximity, Xu Xiuwen had already gotten a good look at the woman.

She had an oval face; although she was older, her skin was smooth and refined, showing no signs of aging.

Her jet-black hair hung down her back, and her elongated phoenix eyes were slightly upturned at the corners.

Her eyebrows were like willow leaves, her nose was dainty, and her lips were a soft red, with her eyes holding a deep, sharp gaze, though now they appeared a bit scattered and dazed.

Her figure was also noteworthy.

It could be said that the mature woman in front of him possessed all the charms expected of her age.

To be honest, any man would find it hard to remain indifferent to such a mature woman.

“Maybe I should take you to the hospital? It should still be possible to get there now.”

“It’s too late! Help me!”

The woman had her eyes tightly shut, clearly in distress, her body almost twisted in agony.

“But…”

Before Xu Xiuwen could finish his sentence, the woman kissed him.

Xu Xiuwen’s eyes widened in shock.

In a normal state, Xu Xiuwen would have been determined to take the woman to the hospital from the start.

But having drunk a lot of alcohol that night, he was already somewhat dazed, though he hadn’t realized it.

Now, under the woman’s provocations, he finally lost his rationality…

The night passed in silence.

The dimly lit room was filled with a strong atmosphere of intimacy.

Gentle sunlight filtered through the curtains, diluting the atmosphere and making the room seem quiet and peaceful.

On a double bed lay two people.

One appeared very young, with a youthful face that looked no older than eighteen.

The other was a mature woman with a cold and alluring demeanor.

Even while asleep, the woman exuded a strong aura of dominance.

However, she looked much more gentle now than usual.

The first to wake up was Xu Xiuwen.

He opened his eyes groggily.

His mind was blank, unsure of the time or his current location.

But he quickly remembered what had happened the night before.

Xu Xiuwen’s eyes widened suddenly, his face reflecting a mix of frustration, hesitation, regret, and guilt.

He turned to look beside him.

As expected.

There was a woman lying next to him.

She was lying on her side, facing him.

Soon, the woman woke up.

When she opened her eyes, her vision was obscured by her hair, so she didn’t immediately see the man next to her.

Like Xu Xiuwen, her mind was initially blank.

But she soon recalled everything from the previous night.

At that moment, she also felt another person’s leg pressing against hers beneath the covers.

The woman did not immediately move away; instead, she continued to lie still on the bed.

Her steady breathing suddenly stopped.

Xu Xiuwen immediately noticed that she had woken up.

Seeing that she was not moving, he quietly asked, “Are you awake?”

“Mm.”

The response was like a switch being flipped.

The woman suddenly threw off the covers and got out of bed.

She walked directly towards the bathroom.

Xu Xiuwen noticed that her walking posture seemed unusual.

He recalled his previous experiences with Cheng Lu and An Shishi.

The next morning, both women had exhibited similar behaviors.

Given her performance last night, she didn’t seem very experienced.

Could it be?

A thought crossed Xu Xiuwen’s mind.

Was the woman still…?

If so, it was hard for him to believe.

Soon, he heard the sound of running water.

After about ten minutes, the woman emerged from the bathroom again.

Although the woman appeared young, she was of a considerable age, yet her skin remained smooth and delicate.

She walked over to the wardrobe in the bedroom, opened it, and took out a clean set of clothes.

Xu Xiuwen watched intently as she slowly dressed.

Before long, she was fully dressed.

She turned to Xu Xiuwen and said calmly, “Let’s pretend last night never happened. Our interaction is limited to just that night. I won’t disturb you in the future, and I hope you won’t harass me. It would be best if we never see each other again.”

The woman’s calm demeanor and decisive response caught Xu Xiuwen off guard.

Although this was also his intention, hearing the woman speak so firmly left him with a sense of unease.

He couldn’t help but say, “Even though I’m your first man, can you really act like last night never happened?”

At these words, a faint blush appeared on the woman’s face.

She didn’t directly deny it but said, “You seem to be mistaken. I have a daughter who is already in high school.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Xiuwen was stunned.

“Is that true?”

“Of course,” the woman nodded.

Xu Xiuwen felt a bit disappointed but said nothing further.

At this point, the woman walked over to the bedside and bent down to pick up the clothes on the floor.

The floor was covered not only with her clothes but also with Xu Xiuwen’s clothes from the night before, all tangled together.

She found her own clothes and took out her phone.

She glanced at the time on her phone.

Xu Xiuwen casually asked, “What time is it?”

“It’s 10:15,” the woman answered. Then she added, “You should hurry and get dressed and leave.”

“Okay, you go out first.”

The woman walked out of the bedroom as requested.

Xu Xiuwen climbed out of bed and found all his clothes, but when he went to put them on, he realized they were still wet.

What should he wear?

He immediately called out to the door, “My clothes are all wet and I can’t wear them. Do you have any men’s clothes I can borrow?”

The woman seemed to be right outside the door. Hearing his words, she immediately replied, “No.”

Xu Xiuwen was frustrated. “How can you not have any men’s clothes? What about your husband’s clothes?”

“I don’t have a husband.”

“You’re a single mother?”

“Mm.”

The conversation paused for a moment.

Upon hearing that she was a single mother, Xu Xiuwen felt a bit relieved, though he wasn’t entirely sure why.

However, his relief quickly turned into a headache.

“So, what now? I can’t wear my clothes.”

The woman fell silent for a moment.

“I’ll have my secretary buy a new set and bring it over.”

“Isn’t that a bit inappropriate? Won’t people find out I stayed here last night?”

After a few seconds of silence, the woman replied, “Then I’ll go buy them myself.”

“Never mind. Do you have a hairdryer? I can dry my clothes with that.”

The woman said, “The hairdryer broke a while ago. Wait for me. I’ll go buy some clothes right now.”

“You’re really going to buy them?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, then hurry up and come back.”

“Got it.”

“You should step out for a moment while I get something.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Xiuwen went into the bathroom.

A moment later, the woman opened the door and entered the bedroom.

Not long after, she left the bedroom again.

Hearing the door close, Xu Xiuwen came out of the bathroom.

He then heard footsteps receding, followed by the sounds of a door opening and closing.

Xu Xiuwen knew the woman had left.

At this moment, he wasn’t wearing any clothes.

If he were at home, it wouldn’t matter, but being in someone else’s house made him a bit uncomfortable.

However, thinking it was someone else’s home also made him a bit excited.

Xu Xiuwen opened the bedroom door and walked out.

The house was very quiet, with no sounds.

As he walked into the living room, he suddenly noticed a pink apron hanging on a coat rack.

He hesitated for a moment but decided to take the apron and put it on.

The apron was a bit small for Xu Xiuwen. It covered his chest but only reached mid-thigh, making it look like a skirt.

More importantly, because it was an apron, the back was completely exposed, held together only by a thin strap.

But from the front, it wasn’t obvious, which relieved Xu Xiuwen.

He wandered around the house.

There wasn’t much to see.

Unconsciously, he found himself in the kitchen.

Seeing the kitchen, which hadn’t been cleaned up since last night, made him uncomfortable.

Thinking there was nothing else to do, he decided to tidy up the kitchen.

He first cleaned all the dishes, pots, and bowls, putting them in their proper places.

He then took out the trash and placed it outside the front door.