Rebirth Begins with Rejecting my Childhood Friend - Chapter 475

“President Xu, you came to help Sister Xinyao move today. How could she not welcome you?”
“Alright, then I’ll stay and have a bite.”

Lu Xinyao didn’t say a word the whole time.

When she heard Xu Xiuwen say he was staying for a meal, her face turned cold, and she let out a faint snort before turning toward the kitchen.

Song Xiaomi usually cooked for herself, but not very often. There weren’t many ingredients stocked at home.

After glancing around, Lu Xinyao decided to head to the supermarket to buy groceries.

The two women discussed briefly and then left together, leaving Xu Xiuwen alone.

Buying groceries and cooking—
Although Lu Xinyao usually gave off the impression of a refined and elegant woman, her cooking skills were actually quite good.

Xu Xiuwen had experienced it before.

Today was no different.

Though the dishes weren’t as numerous or as exquisitely prepared as last time, the flavors were excellent.

There was a small incident during dinner—
Lu Xinyao intentionally served only two bowls of rice and didn’t serve any for him.

Xu Xiuwen, of course, knew she did it on purpose.

He didn’t get angry.

Seeing this, Song Xiaomi got worried he might take offense. She quickly explained and took it upon herself to get him some rice.

Xu Xiuwen ate the rice Song Xiaomi served him, smiling as he looked at Lu Xinyao.

Lu Xinyao rolled her eyes.

In Xu Xiuwen’s eyes, she looked rather cute.

There was no alcohol during dinner.

After dinner, Song Xiaomi eagerly volunteered to wash the dishes.

In her words:

“Sister Xinyao cooked, so I’ll do the dishes. Everyone contributed—it’s only fair.”

From this, it was clear Song Xiaomi was an honest and straightforward girl—not the type to freeload or take advantage of others.

Once Lu Xinyao finished wiping down the dining table, she had nothing else to do for the moment.

She glanced over at Xu Xiuwen, who was sitting comfortably on the couch like he owned the place, and felt a bit annoyed.

Walking over, she said, “Xu Xiuwen, you’ve eaten. You can leave now, right?”

“I just finished eating. Let me rest for a bit. Are you that eager to kick me out? Are you afraid of me?”

Lu Xinyao sneered coldly, “I’m not afraid of you—I just don’t like you.”

“Oh? Are you sure?”

“Of course!” Lu Xinyao said firmly.

Xu Xiuwen looked “heartbroken.”

“After all these times, I thought you’d have fallen for me by now.”

Lu Xinyao was startled by his words.

Xu Xiuwen hadn’t bothered to lower his voice, and she was very worried that Song Xiaomi in the kitchen might have overheard.

Seeing the amused smile on Xu Xiuwen’s lips, she gritted her teeth, furious.

“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

“What?”

Xu Xiuwen feigned ignorance.

“Stop pretending!”

“Heh…”

Straightening his posture, Xu Xiuwen glanced toward the kitchen.

Song Xiaomi had her back turned, focused on washing dishes.

Suddenly, a playful impulse rose in him.

He reached out, grabbed Lu Xinyao, and pulled her into his arms.

“Ah?”

Lu Xinyao, caught off guard, almost cried out but managed to hold it back.

When she finally calmed down, she realized she was already in Xu Xiuwen’s arms.

“Let me go!” Lu Xinyao said in a low voice.

“No.”

“Let go!”

“Not letting go!”

Lu Xinyao struggled to break free, but it was completely futile. Compared to Xu Xiuwen, her strength was insignificant, like a drop in the ocean.

Her expression turned uncertain. After a brief moment of stubbornness, she gave in.

“I’m sorry. Could you please let go of me first? I don’t want Xiaomi to see this,” she said, softening her tone.

Xu Xiuwen chuckled. “That’s better. I’m your man and your boss. Stop defying me and showing me that attitude all the time!”

Boss, my foot! You’re nothing but a jerk, a pervert, a scumbag, a lunatic…

Though Lu Xinyao cursed him endlessly in her heart, she pretended to comply outwardly.

“President Xu, please let go of me. Xiaomi’s almost done with the dishes,” she pleaded.

Xu Xiuwen raised an eyebrow. “I can let you go, but you’ll have to repay me.”

“What?” Lu Xinyao was taken aback.

Xu Xiuwen scanned her from head to toe, then flashed a wicked grin.

Her face turned pale as realization struck her.

Wasn’t it supposed to be later in the afternoon?

Why now, again?

Every fiber of her being resisted, but she didn’t want Xiaomi to find out about their relationship.

Caught in hesitation, Xu Xiuwen “kindly” reminded her, “Hurry up. Xiaomi’s almost done. I don’t care if she sees, but do you?”

In the end, Lu Xinyao reluctantly agreed.

It’s not the first time anyway, she thought bitterly. Might as well treat it like being bitten by a dog.

She glared at Xu Xiuwen, gritting her teeth. “Fine… I agree. Now let me go.”

“Heh…” Xu Xiuwen smirked and released her.

As soon as she was free, Lu Xinyao immediately stepped away, putting a solid meter of distance between them, her expression tense.

Xu Xiuwen chuckled again and headed toward the door.

Passing by the kitchen, he deliberately raised his voice and said, “Xiaomi, Xinyao, I’m heading out.”

Hearing that Xu Xiuwen was leaving, Song Xiaomi quickly stopped washing the dishes, turned around, and said, “President Xu, you’re leaving already?”

“Yeah. Bye.” Xu Xiuwen smiled and walked out.

While putting on his shoes, he glanced at Lu Xinyao, who was standing far away, and winked at her.

She bit her lip, her face full of disgust and resentment.

After leaving their apartment, Xu Xiuwen headed downstairs and got into his car. Of course, he wasn’t really leaving.

He planned to go back up to see Lu Xinyao later.

This elaborate act was solely to keep Song Xiaomi from discovering their relationship.

For now, Xu Xiuwen drove to a nearby store to pick up a few things.

He realized that during all his previous encounters with Lu Xinyao, he hadn’t used any protection. Whether she had taken care of things afterward, he genuinely had no idea.

As a mature and responsible man, Xu Xiuwen thought to himself:

The previous times, there wasn’t time to buy anything, so it couldn’t be helped. But now that he had time, he couldn’t put it off any longer.

About twenty minutes later, Xu Xiuwen drove back to the residential area where the company dormitory was located. However, instead of parking directly below the building, he chose a spot out of Song Xiaomi’s usual view.

After parking, he walked to the dormitory entrance and sent a text message to Lu Xinyao.

Meanwhile, after Xu Xiuwen left earlier, Song Xiaomi and Lu Xinyao had both returned to their rooms.

Lu Xinyao knew Xu Xiuwen wouldn’t really leave. Sure enough, she soon received his message.

Seeing the text, Lu Xinyao wanted to ignore it. If Xu Xiuwen asked about it tomorrow, she could simply say she was asleep and didn’t see it.

But then she thought about how angry and serious he could get. Who knew what crazy thing he might do?

After much hesitation, Lu Xinyao decided to open the door for him.

She left her room, first glancing at Song Xiaomi’s door. It was tightly shut.

Relieved, she carefully walked toward the front door.

Opening it, she found Xu Xiuwen standing outside.

Her heart began to race uncontrollably. She knew exactly why he had come back.

Without saying a word, she turned around and walked back toward her room, head lowered.

Xu Xiuwen stepped inside quickly, shut the door, and swapped his shoes for slippers.

Initially, he planned to leave his shoes by the entrance, but then he thought about the risk of them being discovered. So, he carried the shoes with him to Lu Xinyao’s room.

The door was slightly ajar, and bright light spilled through the gap.

Xu Xiuwen pushed the door open lightly and walked in.

Lu Xinyao was standing by the window, watching him nervously.

Xu Xiuwen set down his shoes, locked the door, and sat down on the edge of her bed.

He motioned with a finger and said, “Come here.”

“What do you want?” Lu Xinyao asked warily.

“What do you think?”

“Shameless!”

“Heh…”

Reluctantly, Lu Xinyao walked over.

As soon as she got close, Xu Xiuwen grabbed her hand and pulled her into his lap, where she sat sideways.

“Impatient, weren’t you?”

“Shut up! Who was waiting for you?”

“Oh? Such a sharp tongue. Looks like someone needs to be taught a lesson.”

“What are you planning to do? Don’t you dare!”

“Relax. I won’t do anything.”

Although she didn’t fully believe him, hearing him say that was better than nothing.

But the next second, she heard Xu Xiuwen say, “Kiss me.”

“What?”

Xu Xiuwen didn’t repeat himself. He simply locked eyes with her, waiting.

“You’re so shameless. Why should I kiss you? What are you to me…”

Lu Xinyao kept muttering complaints under her breath, her words full of disdain.

But gradually, her voice trailed off.

She bit her lip, glaring at Xu Xiuwen, her face filled with reluctance.

Throughout, Xu Xiuwen didn’t say another word.

Lu Xinyao stared into his eyes for a moment before shutting her own tightly, leaning in to kiss him.

…

When she opened her eyes again, her breath was uneven. Seeing Xu Xiuwen so close, she immediately turned her head away, refusing to meet his gaze.

Xu Xiuwen, looking at her flushed face just inches away, felt a wave of satisfaction wash over him. He knew this woman was now completely his.

Leaning closer, he whispered softly into her ear, his tone gentle yet teasing, “Xinyao, I just bought some protection. I want to see how well it works.”

A warm breath brushed against her ear, causing her entire body to tremble.

As his words sank in, her face flushed crimson.

She cursed inwardly, “Pervert! Scoundrel!”

“If you don’t say anything, I’ll take it as a yes.”

Another warm breath tickled her ear, leaving her body weak and trembling.

Seeing her reaction, Xu Xiuwen didn’t waste any more time.

With Lu Xinyao sitting sideways on his lap, he slipped a hand beneath her knees. With a quick lift, he picked her up in a bridal carry.

“Ah!”

A soft cry escaped her lips as her arms instinctively wrapped around his neck, holding on tightly.

Xu Xiuwen turned and gently placed her down.

“The light… turn it off…”

…

The next morning.

Xu Xiuwen woke up from his sleep. Before opening his eyes, he already sensed someone beside him.

When he opened them and looked down, he saw Lu Xinyao curled up against him, her knees drawn close in a side-sleeping position.

Her head rested lightly on his chest, her expression serene and peaceful.

Lu Xinyao was naturally beautiful, but in her sleep, she looked even more enchanting. Her face was soft and rosy, her entire demeanor radiating tranquility.

She resembled a fresh bamboo after a spring rain—renewed and glowing, captivatingly beautiful.

Xu Xiuwen, of course, took pride in this. After all, it was his efforts last night that contributed to her radiant state.

He considered letting her sleep a little longer, but fate had other plans.

The sudden blare of an alarm broke the quiet.

It was Lu Xinyao’s phone alarm.

Xu Xiuwen quickly reached for her phone, intending to turn it off. But before he could find it, Lu Xinyao stirred with a soft murmur and woke up.

When she opened her eyes, she found herself face-to-face with Xu Xiuwen.

This time, there was no cursing, no dramatic reaction.

She simply sat up quietly and began getting dressed.

Xu Xiuwen relished the moment, watching her with a smile, his gaze admiring her as she put on her clothes.

Once dressed, Lu Xinyao walked to her wardrobe and took out a clean outfit. Turning to Xu Xiuwen, she said, “I’m going to take a shower. When I come back, I expect you to be gone. Also, just a heads-up—Xiaomi will be waking up soon.”

Xu Xiuwen didn’t say much after hearing her. He simply got dressed and, before Song Xiaomi woke up, left the dormitory ahead of time.

After leaving the company dormitory, Xu Xiuwen drove back to his apartment in Jiangning Huayuan.

He took a shower and changed into fresh, clean clothes.

Then he went downstairs, drove to a nearby breakfast shop, and had breakfast.

After finishing, he even ordered an extra portion to-go.

Driving to the office, Xu Xiuwen walked in and immediately spotted Liu Xinran sitting behind the reception desk.

Liu Xinran noticed him too and smiled faintly at him.

For the first time, she actually looked the part of a receptionist.

Xu Xiuwen gave her a small nod in acknowledgment before turning to head upstairs.

Liu Xinran’s situation intrigued him. As a foreign-educated returnee and the daughter of a wealthy family, she had surprisingly accepted a receptionist’s job.

Her choice left Xu Xiuwen both surprised and with a newfound respect for her.

When he reached his office, he sent a notification for Lu Xinyao to come over.

Not long after, a knock came at the door.

“Come in,” he said.

With his permission, Lu Xinyao opened the door and entered the room.

“President Xu, is there something you need?”

A faint smile played on her lips, her tone warm and gentle.

If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, Xu Xiuwen might never have believed that this soft-spoken, respectful woman before him was the same Lu Xinyao who just days ago had angrily called him a scoundrel and a pervert.

Life was indeed full of surprises.

Up until just a few days ago, he had never considered the idea of holding onto Lu Xinyao for the long term.

He had only wanted to make amends for what had happened between them before, out of guilt.

Yet, for a variety of reasons, their relationship had grown increasingly entangled.

As he looked at the composed woman before him, a faint smile curved on Xu Xiuwen’s lips.

Despite her brief resignation, Lu Xinyao had returned to her role seamlessly, as if she had never left the company.