Rebirth Begins with Rejecting my Childhood Friend - Chapter 401

Li Haimei quickly turned away, trying to avoid Xu Xiuwen’s gaze.

But Xu Xiuwen held on tightly, making it impossible for her to break free.

“Xu Xiuwen, let go of me!” Li Haimei snapped.

“Wife, you need to face your feelings bravely. Don’t worry, I won’t laugh at you.” Xu Xiuwen spoke softly in her ear.

Li Haimei gradually quieted down.

After a moment, Li Haimei asked, “Are you feeling very proud?”

Xu Xiuwen did not deny it but directly admitted, “Yes, I’m very proud to have won over our CEO Li.”

“Who has been won over by you! Can’t you speak differently?”

“Then how should I say it? Teach me, wife.” Xu Xiuwen exhaled warm air against Li Haimei’s ear.

The warm breath against her earlobe made Li Haimei shiver slightly, her heart fluttering along with it.

“You’re really shameless!” Li Haimei said helplessly.

“Haha…”

“Wife?”

“Hmm?”

With Xu Xiuwen repeatedly calling her “wife,” Li Haimei seemed to gradually get used to the term. Hearing him, she responded instinctively.

As soon as she realized what she had said, she knew it was wrong. But at that moment, she couldn’t retract her words, so she could only deliberately put on a stern face and say, “Speak quickly!”

Xu Xiuwen chuckled.

“Wife, were you satisfied with my performance last night?”

Li Haimei could never have imagined Xu Xiuwen would ask her such a question.

If someone else dared to speak to her so rudely, she would have a thousand ways to make them regret it.

But facing this man, she felt helpless, unable to scold or hit him.

“Wife? Why aren’t you answering?” Xu Xiuwen asked again, oblivious to her discomfort.

“Go away!” Li Haimei finally had to avoid the question.

The room fell silent again.

About five minutes later, Li Haimei suddenly said, “Let go of me. It’s getting late, I need to get up and prepare for work.”

“Wait a bit longer, let me hold you for five more minutes,” Xu Xiuwen said stubbornly.

Xu Xiuwen’s embrace was very warm.

For the first time, Li Haimei discovered how comforting a man’s embrace could be.

Lying in such a warm embrace for a little longer seemed quite nice.

Li Haimei fell silent and allowed Xu Xiuwen to continue.

Xu Xiuwen suddenly said, “Wife, I need to thank you.”

“Thank me for what?” Li Haimei asked, puzzled.

“For the dinner party last night, you wanted me to meet more people, right? I understand, thank you for being so kind to me.”

Indeed, Li Haimei had organized the dinner party with that intention in mind.

But now, hearing Xu Xiuwen mention it directly, she felt embarrassed to admit it.

“Don’t say that. It was just a coincidence that there was a dinner party, and I brought you along.”

Xu Xiuwen knew that what he said was the truth.

Faced with Li Haimei’s reluctance to admit it, he found her to be quite endearing.

He couldn’t help but hold her even tighter.

“It’s too tight. I can hardly breathe,” Li Haimei said, unable to hold back.

Xu Xiuwen relaxed his hold a little after hearing this.

“It’s really late. I need to get up now.”

“Okay.” Xu Xiuwen finally released his grip.

Li Haimei glanced at him, then lifted the covers and walked to the wardrobe. She took out a few pieces of clothing and began to get dressed slowly.

Li Haimei’s figure was truly remarkable.

Her slim waist and full, well-rounded hips had an astonishing proportion.

Even just a silhouette could stir one’s blood to a boil. Xu Xiuwen almost lunged at her for another round, but he managed to restrain himself.

Li Haimei was unaware that Xu Xiuwen had nearly transformed into a wolf. After dressing, she went into the bathroom. Xu Xiuwen also got out of bed. He found his clothes from yesterday in the shopping bag, changed, and left the room.

He had already glanced at the time: nearly 8 a.m. High school students were typically at school for early self-study sessions at this hour, so Xu Xiuwen wasn’t worried about running into Li Ke.

Xu Xiuwen wandered around the kitchen. The trash can was nearly full, and there were several used dishes in the sink. Seeing this, Xu Xiuwen sighed in resignation. He opened the refrigerator, finding it empty of ingredients except for two eggs and a pack of noodles.

He couldn’t help but be speechless about the living habits of the mother and daughter. Xu Xiuwen cooked the noodles and added the eggs. With his experience from cooking in his previous life, this task was easy for him.

Just as he finished cooking, Li Haimei emerged from her room. She had already washed up, her face spotless, fresh, and ethereal. Unlike most women, Li Haimei had no wrinkles, not even around her eyes, which are usually the first to show signs of aging.

She looked both youthful and radiant, easily comparable to women in their twenties. No one would guess she was the mother of a high school girl.

Seeing Xu Xiuwen in the kitchen, Li Haimei asked, puzzled, “What are you doing?”

Xu Xiuwen had just finished putting the noodles into a bowl. He turned and walked towards the dining table with the bowl, saying, “Oh, I made you a bowl of noodles. Eat it while it’s hot.”

Li Haimei froze when she saw the noodles.

She wasn’t sure if other women would be touched by a man cooking for them, but she knew she was moved. Her emotions were complex, and she tried to hide them, maintaining a calm facade. “There’s no need to go through the trouble. I don’t usually have breakfast.”

Xu Xiuwen wasn’t upset. He smiled and spoke even more gently, “Just consider it as a favor to me. Taste it, okay?” His tone was like coaxing a kitten.

Seeing Xu Xiuwen’s smile and hearing his gentle voice, Li Haimei found it hard to refuse. She thought that any woman in her position would likely have a hard time saying no.

So it was quite normal that she couldn’t refuse.

“Alright, I’ll try a bite,” Li Haimei agreed.

“Great. Let me get you some chopsticks,” Xu Xiuwen said with a smile as he went back to the kitchen to get a pair of chopsticks. He handed them to her and said, “Dig in.”

Li Haimei took the chopsticks and started eating the noodles. Although it was just simple noodle soup, it tasted quite good. Especially after a long night, it was a good way to replenish her energy.

Li Haimei wasn’t lying when she told Xu Xiuwen that she didn’t usually eat breakfast. It was either she forgot or was too lazy to bother.

After all, cooking at home required doing it yourself. Li Haimei often found herself too lazy to cook, and her cooking wasn’t particularly impressive either.

But after tasting Xu Xiuwen’s simple noodle soup, she suddenly realized she actually had an appetite in the morning.

Though she had only intended to try a bite, continuing to eat seemed like a bit of a face-loser. Xu Xiuwen noticed her dilemma and said with a smile, “If it tastes good, go ahead and finish it. As an adult, it’s basic etiquette not to waste food.”

Li Haimei, taking the hint, nodded in agreement.

Watching her eat the noodles he had made, Xu Xiuwen smiled contentedly. But soon, he sighed again.

“What’s wrong?” Li Haimei asked, pausing in her eating, puzzled.

Xu Xiuwen glanced at her and said, “There’s nothing in the fridge, the trash can is full of instant noodles, and there are dirty dishes in the sink. I really don’t know how you and your daughter manage to live like this.”

Li Haimei’s face flushed instantly.

“I…” she stammered, unsure of how to explain.

Finally, she coldly said, “You don’t need to worry about it.”

“Wife, it hurts me when you talk like that. I’m your husband. If I don’t worry, who will?” Xu Xiuwen said, his tone somewhat teasing.

Li Haimei fell silent for a few seconds before responding, “What can I do? I’m very busy and don’t have time for housework.”

“Wife, have you considered hiring a housekeeper?”

“A housekeeper?”

“Yes, exactly. Since you’re so busy with work, a housekeeper could help with the chores and take care of Li Ke. It’s a win-win situation.”

Li Haimei thought Xu Xiuwen had a point, but she hadn’t fully considered it yet. She didn’t want to agree just because Xu Xiuwen suggested it, as it might make her seem indecisive.

“I’ll think about it.”

“I happen to know a lady who works at a housekeeping agency. Her son is in the same class as Li Ke. If you decide to hire a housekeeper, you could give her a try.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

After breakfast, Li Haimei told Xu Xiuwen, “I’m heading to work now. What about you?”

Xu Xiuwen smiled and said, “I’ll take a shower and then head out.”

Li Haimei nodded, said no more, and left.

She wasn’t worried about leaving Xu Xiuwen alone at home.

After Li Haimei left, Xu Xiuwen went back to her room. He picked up the clothes from yesterday, folded them neatly, and put them in the shopping bag. He tidied the bed and sprayed air freshener in the room.

Before leaving, Xu Xiuwen took a sticker from Li Ke’s room and wrote down Mu Zhilan’s phone number on it.

It wasn’t surprising that Xu Xiuwen had Mu Zhilan’s phone number. When the housekeeping agency had sent someone over, Mu Zhilan had contacted him with a pager that morning.

Xu Xiuwen wasn’t introducing Mu Zhilan with any ulterior motives. He genuinely felt that Li Haimei and Li Ke needed a housekeeper to take care of their daily lives. It was just a coincidence that he knew someone working in housekeeping.

Before leaving the Li home, Xu Xiuwen also took a shower in Li Haimei’s bathroom. He did this to make sure all evidence was erased.

After showering, Xu Xiuwen left and headed straight to the company. The second TV drama, “He Yi Sheng Xiao,” had wrapped filming a long time ago.

A few days ago, the post-production was also completed. Xu Xiuwen had watched the finished TV drama two days prior. Hang Fei’s skills did not disappoint him.

During the filming of the first drama, Hang Fei lacked experience, and the crew was a makeshift, unprofessional team. However, for the second drama, the team was professional, the budget was sufficient, and there was ample time. Hang Fei’s directing skills had also improved. Consequently, the quality of the second drama was even better than the first.

Arriving at the company, Xu Xiuwen passed the front desk and saw Lu Xinyao.

The girl immediately noticed Xu Xiuwen. Surprised, she stood up and greeted him with a smile, “Hello, Mr. Xu.”

Xu Xiuwen returned her smile. “Is everyone here?”

Lu Xinyao nodded and said, “Mr. Xu, everyone is here and waiting for you in the conference room.”

“Alright, I’ll go up now.”

Xu Xiuwen suddenly noticed that Lu Xinyao seemed hesitant.

“Is there something else?”

Lu Xinyao hadn’t expected Xu Xiuwen to be so perceptive and notice she had something to say. Her heart lifted, and she began, “Mr. Xu, you—”

A melodious ringtone interrupted Lu Xinyao.

“Hold on a moment.” Xu Xiuwen checked his phone and saw it was a call from Hang Fei.

“Xiuwen, have you arrived?”

“I’m downstairs now. I’ll come up right away.”

After ending the call, Xu Xiuwen seemed to have forgotten that Lu Xinyao had something to say. He quickly headed upstairs.

Lu Xinyao watched him leave with disappointment and then listlessly returned to the front desk.

In the company’s conference room, all the important members were already seated, waiting. The meeting began promptly.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss matters related to the distribution of the TV drama. Since post-production and documentation preparation had been done in parallel, the completed drama could be sent for review immediately. If all went smoothly, approval could be obtained by the end of the month at the latest.

Hang Fei and other company members suggested continuing to give the drama’s premiere rights to the Su Province TV station. Given that the company was based in Jinling and had previously collaborated with the Su Province TV station with satisfactory results, it seemed like a logical choice.

The discussion among the company members mostly revolved around details, such as pricing.

Regarding where the drama would be distributed, Xu Xiuwen had already made up his mind. Hang Fei had heard some hints but wasn’t sure.

Xu Xiuwen soon announced that he intended to premiere the drama on the Hui Province TV station. This decision was clearly baffling to the company members. However, no one dared to question or oppose it, given that Xu Xiuwen was the company’s top boss.

Yet, Xu Xiuwen was not one to act arbitrarily. Once he explained his reasons, everyone understood. But then the company members learned that Xu Xiuwen had actually purchased a distillery in Langya City.

Recently, Guangming Distillery has been gaining quite a reputation. Being close to Langya, Jinling has naturally seen some of Guangming’s new vintage liquors flowing into the area.

One of the employees at the company had tried Guangming’s new liquor and was quite impressed. He never expected that the owner of this brand was Xu Xiuwen.

Not only him, but it would be hard for anyone to connect Xu Xiuwen with a distillery owner.

The meeting dragged on for a long time, and before long, it was noon. Xu Xiuwen checked the time and suggested taking everyone out for lunch.

Everyone cheered and eagerly prepared for a big meal. However, Xu Xiuwen informed them that lunch would be boxed meals.

All their expressions fell.