Rebirth Begins with Rejecting my Childhood Friend - Chapter 472

As the door closed again,
Xu Xiuwen’s figure disappeared completely from sight.

Li Haimei gently touched her flushed cheeks, feeling a complex mix of emotions.
She had invited Xu Xiuwen over for dinner tonight,
of course, intending for things to progress in that direction.
She had even prepared condoms in advance.

To think that someone of her stature,
a dignified senior official,
would personally go to a convenience store to buy condoms.
If someone had recognized her,
how embarrassing would that have been?

And yet,
she still went and bought them.
Sometimes, Li Haimei couldn’t help but wonder if she was being too desperate.

Before meeting Xu Xiuwen,
she had been indifferent to any man who approached her.
But with Xu Xiuwen,
not only did she not feel the urge to refuse him,
she even seemed to be eagerly pursuing him.
To the extent that she went out of her way to buy condoms herself.

Didn’t this prove that,
deep down,
she genuinely longed to be close to Xu Xiuwen,
to share affection and intimacy with him?

She wasn’t sure what was happening to her.
This version of herself felt unfamiliar.
Yet, strangely enough,
she didn’t dislike this version of herself.

She had meticulously prepared everything,
but Xu Xiuwen didn’t stay the night.
Instead, he left early.

Li Haimei couldn’t deny her disappointment.
Though she was usually adept at concealing her emotions—
to the point where no one could discern her true feelings if she chose to mask them—
when Xu Xiuwen said he was leaving,
her disappointment had nearly leaked through.

However, the deep kiss Xu Xiuwen gave her before leaving
not only alleviated her feelings of disappointment
but also left her looking forward to their next meeting.

From start to finish, she hadn’t felt anger or resentment toward Xu Xiuwen for leaving.

After leaving the Li residence,
Xu Xiuwen drove to a nearby mall
and bought a new outfit for Lu Xinyao.

Once the shopping was done,
he drove straight to a hotel.

At the door to the room,
Xu Xiuwen pulled out the keycard and opened the door.

As the door swung open,
he walked straight in and immediately closed it behind him.

The room was dark.
The lights were off.

Xu Xiuwen could vaguely make out a figure lying on the bed.
There was no need to ask—
it had to be Lu Xinyao.

She seemed to be sleeping.

Xu Xiuwen turned on the lights.

As the room lit up,
he saw Lu Xinyao at once.

She was lying on the bed, her eyes shut tight, fast asleep,
wrapped in a thick towel.
She appeared to be sleeping soundly,
the bright light failing to wake her.

But she soon stirred.

Lu Xinyao opened her eyes,
the glaring light immediately prompting her to close them again.

She raised an arm to shield her eyes,
peering through a narrow gap.

She saw someone standing at the edge of the bed.

“Who is it?”

Her voice carried a trace of tension.

“It’s me.”

Xu Xiuwen spoke up to remind her.

Hearing his voice, Lu Xinyao let out a sigh of relief and settled down.

Suddenly, Xu Xiuwen heard a growling noise.

“What was that sound?” he asked.

Lu Xinyao’s face turned red. She looked away. “Nothing. You must’ve heard wrong.”

“Impossible!” Xu Xiuwen quickly focused on her.

The sound just now had clearly come from her stomach.

Realizing something, he asked, “You haven’t eaten yet, have you?”

Seeing that he had figured it out, Lu Xinyao turned back, glaring at him. “You locked me up here. Where was I supposed to eat?”

“Heh… My oversight.”

Xu Xiuwen placed the shopping bag on the bedside table and said, “Put on the clothes. I’ll take you out to eat in a bit.”

Lu Xinyao didn’t refuse.

“You, get out first.”

Xu Xiuwen smiled faintly, then turned and left the room.

After waiting for a while outside, the door opened, and Lu Xinyao stepped out.

She was dressed in the new clothes Xu Xiuwen had just bought for her—a dress from a high-end brand.

Besides the dress, he had also bought her new underwear.

At this moment, everything Lu Xinyao wore from head to toe had been bought by him.

Hearing movement, Xu Xiuwen turned around.

He looked her up and down, smiled, and said, “Not bad. You look great.”

Lu Xinyao snorted disdainfully at his remark.

Xu Xiuwen didn’t take offense.

“Let’s go.”

They went downstairs to the car. After getting in, Xu Xiuwen turned to Lu Xinyao with a faint smile and asked, “Where do you want to eat?”

Lu Xinyao ignored him.

Seeing her reaction, Xu Xiuwen didn’t press further. He started the car, just about to drive off, when—

“Xu Xiuwen, wait,” Lu Xinyao suddenly called out.

“What’s wrong?”

“Xu Xiuwen, my brother is still at my rented place. He doesn’t have any money, so he’s probably gone all day without eating too…”

“That’s simple. Let’s pick him up and take him to eat with us.”

“But…” Lu Xinyao hesitated.

Xu Xiuwen smiled faintly. “Don’t worry. I won’t say anything to him about us.”

Lu Xinyao rolled her eyes at him and huffed, “You forced me. Do you even dare to tell him?”

“Lu Xinyao, don’t falsely accuse me. When did I ever force you?”

“Spit! If it wasn’t forcing, then what was it?”

“Maybe it was mutual consent?”

“Spit! Who would be mutually consenting with you?”

“But I recall you seemed to enjoy yourself quite a bit last night.”

“You’re such a scumbag!” Lu Xinyao glared at Xu Xiuwen through gritted teeth.

Xu Xiuwen chuckled. He wasn’t the least bit worried about Lu Xinyao anymore.

After spending the past two days with her, he had discovered one of her traits—
she was stubborn with her words,
but her body told the truth.

Xu Xiuwen drove to the building where Lu Xinyao rented her apartment.

As she opened the door to get out, she noticed Xu Xiuwen was about to step out as well.

“What are you doing?” she quickly asked.

“Going up with you to get your brother.”

“There’s no need. I’ll go up by myself.”

It seemed she was worried Xu Xiuwen might not trust her,
so she added, “Don’t worry, I’ll come back down.”

“Okay!” Xu Xiuwen nodded in agreement.

Seeing this, Lu Xinyao let out a small sigh of relief.

She wasn’t sure if her roommate was home right now,
and she definitely didn’t want Xu Xiuwen going upstairs and running into her roommate.

If they bumped into each other, how would she introduce him?
As her boyfriend? Definitely not.
Her former boss? That didn’t seem appropriate either.
No matter how she explained, it wouldn’t sound right.

It was better to avoid the possibility altogether.

Lu Xinyao opened the door and got out of the car.

Before heading upstairs, she noticed her own clothes sitting in the back seat.

She grabbed them, keeping her head down, and went upstairs.

With a mix of nerves and unease, she returned to her apartment.

The place she shared with her roommate was a two-bedroom, one-living room, one-bathroom unit.

The rent wasn’t cheap,
but the apartment was in a convenient location,
well-decorated, and fully furnished.

After bringing her brother up yesterday,
she had taken him straight into her room,
warning him not to wander around.

Her plan at the time had been to sort things out clearly with Xu Xiuwen.

But things ended up with her going to a hotel with him instead.

She had been gone for an entire day and night.

She had no idea if her brother was worried about her absence.

Lu Xinyao unlocked the door and stepped inside.

She glanced around the living room—empty.

It seemed her roommate wasn’t back yet.

Relieved, she thought about how awkward it would’ve been if her roommate had asked her where she had been last night.

She walked toward her own room.

Click.

The door opened.

The room was dark; the lights were off.

Click.

She flicked the light switch on.

Immediately, she saw a boy lying on her bed.

“Lu Xun?” she called out nervously.

The boy on the bed had been sleeping.

Hearing her voice, he groggily opened his eyes. “Sis, you’re back?”

“Yeah.”

“Sis, where did you go? Why are you only back now? I’ve been waiting all day—I’m starving.”

A pang of guilt hit Lu Xinyao.

“My friend was feeling down last night, so I stayed to comfort her. Sorry, Lu Xun. I’ll take you out for food now.”

Lu Xun nodded and climbed out of bed.

Then he noticed something strange.

“Sis, why did you change your clothes?”

“That’s adult business. Don’t ask too many questions.”

Lu Xun pouted. “I’m not a kid!”

But since she put it that way, he didn’t press further.

“Go wash your face. I’ll take you out to eat in a bit.”

Lu Xun nodded and went to the bathroom to wash up.

Looking around, Lu Xinyao noticed several empty snack wrappers in the trash bin.

It seemed her brother had been surviving on snacks all day.

Lu Xun quickly finished washing his face and came back with a smile.

“Sis, I’m ready!”

“Alright, let’s go.”

“Sis, where are you taking me to eat?”

For a moment, Lu Xinyao didn’t know how to answer.

She hadn’t responded earlier when Xu Xiuwen asked her,
which meant the decision was left up to him.

Who knew where Xu Xiuwen would take them to eat?

Thinking for a moment, Lu Xinyao decided it was better to give her brother a heads-up.

“Lu Xun, someone else will be joining us for dinner later.”

“Huh? Who?”

“A friend of mine. You’ve met him before—the man from last night.”

Lu Xun frowned. “Why are we eating with him? After what he did to you yesterday, I don’t like him.”

Hearing this, Lu Xinyao felt a small surge of warmth in her heart.

She reached out to ruffle her brother’s hair and smiled. “Yesterday was a misunderstanding. Actually… he’s not a bad person.”

“Fine. But, Sis, if he bullies you, you have to tell me. I’ll help you beat him up!”

“Alright, alright. If he bullies me, I’ll definitely let you know.”

Feeling touched, Lu Xinyao subconsciously patted Lu Xun on the head again.

As they spoke, the elevator reached the ground floor.

Exiting the building, Lu Xun glanced around and asked, “Sis, where’s your friend?”

“In the car.”

Lu Xinyao led Lu Xun toward Xu Xiuwen’s car.

As they approached, Xu Xiuwen stepped out and opened the car door.

“Hello, Lu Xun.”

“Hello.”

Lu Xun’s expression remained neutral, and his tone was somewhat indifferent.

Xu Xiuwen didn’t seem bothered by this. “Let’s get in the car first.”

He walked around and politely opened the car door for the siblings.

But Lu Xun was quicker, opening the rear door himself and hopping in.

Left with no choice, Xu Xiuwen moved to the front passenger door.

Lu Xinyao glanced at him and said, “I’ll sit in the back with my brother.”

Xu Xiuwen froze for a moment before closing the passenger door and returning to the driver’s seat.

Throughout the exchange, he maintained a faint smile, showing no sign of annoyance at their lack of gratitude.

After everyone was seated, Lu Xun suddenly asked, “What’s your name? And what’s your relationship with my sister?”

“Lu Xun, stop talking!” Lu Xinyao said hastily.

Lu Xun’s tone wasn’t exactly friendly, more like he was interrogating Xu Xiuwen.

Still, Xu Xiuwen wasn’t upset.

With a calm smile, he replied warmly, “My name is Xu Xiuwen. As for my relationship with your sister—” He paused for a moment.

“What did your sister say?”

“She said you’re friends,” Lu Xun replied, clearly unimpressed.

Through the rearview mirror, Xu Xiuwen glanced at Lu Xinyao, who happened to be looking at him too.

Their gazes met briefly in the mirror before Lu Xinyao quickly looked away, turning to stare out the window instead, as if to avoid the situation altogether.

Xu Xiuwen chuckled. “Well, if your sister says so, then that’s what it is.”

Lu Xun didn’t ask any more questions after that.

Xu Xiuwen drove to the most bustling commercial district in Jinling, an area known for its famous restaurants.

After parking the car, he led the siblings to an upscale restaurant.

Once seated, the waiter handed them a menu.

It was worth noting that the siblings sat together on one side of the table, while Xu Xiuwen sat alone on the other.

He handed the menu to Lu Xinyao.

Lu Xinyao took the menu but immediately handed it to Lu Xun.

Lu Xun glanced at the menu, noticing that even the cheapest cold dish cost nearly 100 yuan.

He was stunned by the prices.

This is way too expensive.

He suddenly felt too intimidated to order anything.

Turning to his sister, he whispered, “Sis, the food here is so expensive.”

Lu Xinyao had seen the prices too and agreed it was pricey.

She glanced at Xu Xiuwen and said, “Don’t worry, someone else is footing the bill.”

Hearing this, Xu Xiuwen smiled and said, “Lu Xun, order whatever you want. It’s on me today.”

But Lu Xun shook his head. “You order instead. I’m not picky.”

Saying that, he handed the menu back to Xu Xiuwen.

Xu Xiuwen chuckled, took the menu, and began ordering.

After finishing, he asked casually, “Should we get some wine?”

Lu Xinyao glared at him and said, “My brother’s still in school!”

Chuckling, Xu Xiuwen clarified, “Your brother can have a drink, but I was asking if you wanted some wine.”

Grinding her teeth, Lu Xinyao snapped, “No!”

“Alright, your call…” Xu Xiuwen replied with an easy laugh.

As they waited for the food to arrive, the atmosphere at their table was noticeably tense.

Unlike the other tables filled with cheerful conversations, their table was awkwardly quiet.

Lu Xun felt the tension in the air and couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

Breaking the silence, he asked, “Xu Xiuwen, are you my sister’s classmate?”

Xu Xiuwen shook his head.

“Then how do you two know each other?”

“I’ll let your sister explain that,” Xu Xiuwen replied with a smile.

“Sis?” Lu Xun turned to look at Lu Xinyao.

Caught off guard, she hesitated before saying, “He… he was my boss at my previous company.”

Lu Xun was surprised and turned to Xu Xiuwen for confirmation.

Xu Xiuwen met his gaze and smiled. “Your sister isn’t lying. She did work at my company.”

Still puzzled, Lu Xun asked, “If you’re friends, then why did you fire my sister?”

Amused by the boy’s persistence, Xu Xiuwen glanced at Lu Xinyao and replied with a smile, “Lu Xun, your sister quit her job. I didn’t fire her. If you want to know why she quit, you’ll have to ask her. Maybe she had something against me?”