Rebirth Begins with Rejecting my Childhood Friend - Chapter 496

Xu Xiuwen suddenly revealed a smirk that could only belong to a scoundrel.

He stopped holding back and directly reached out, pulling Ji Yan, who was practically leaning against him, into his arms. His hand found her waist, gently caressing her side.

At the same time, Xu Xiuwen chuckled mischievously and said, “You said you’d agree to one request of mine, right?”

Feeling his touch, a glint of triumph flashed in Ji Yan’s eyes.

Her smile grew even more enchanting and dazzling as she completely ignored Xu Xiuwen’s hand on her.

“I did say that, but Mr. Xu, you can’t ask for anything too outrageous. There are so many people watching,” Ji Yan replied coyly, pretending to be reserved.

Lu Xinyao, who was Xu Xiuwen’s secretary, was also attending tonight’s dinner.

She hadn’t had much appetite recently, and seeing the table full of rich, greasy dishes only made her stomach churn. She took just a few bites before setting her chopsticks down, her gaze falling on Ji Yan, who was next to Xu Xiuwen.

Her brows knitted tightly together.

Who even was this woman? Did she not realize this was a dinner gathering? What was the point of acting so shamelessly?

Lu Xinyao found Ji Yan increasingly distasteful.

If looks could kill, Ji Yan would’ve been cut down several times by now.

Xu Xiuwen, oblivious to Lu Xinyao’s thoughts—or perhaps simply indifferent—laughed slyly at Ji Yan’s words. “Then, can I ask for a kiss?”

“Oh my, Mr. Xu, you’re so naughty,” Ji Yan teased, her voice dripping with flirtation as she let out a coquettish laugh that sounded oddly like a hen laying an egg.

Xu Xiuwen burst into hearty laughter, raising his glass and downing his drink in one go.

The crowd immediately began to cheer and egg them on.

“Miss Ji, you have to keep your promise now! We’re all watching, so don’t back out.”

Ji Yan shot a playful glare at one of the instigators before turning to Xu Xiuwen.

“Mr. Xu, I was just joking earlier. Can’t we let this go?”

“What do you think?” Xu Xiuwen responded, pulling her even closer.

He lowered his head, and Ji Yan could feel his breath on her face.

“Well… fine then.” Ji Yan finally relented, closing her eyes in feigned shyness.

On the side, Lu Xinyao watched this scene unfold, her eyes widening in disbelief.

From the moment she first saw Ji Yan, she had disliked this provocatively dressed woman.

But she hadn’t expected her to be so shameless, openly seducing Xu Xiuwen in front of everyone.

And Xu Xiuwen, the scoundrel, wasn’t resisting at all. He was even going along with it.

A scoundrel and a flirt—it really was a match made in heaven!

Lu Xinyao told herself it wasn’t her business who Xu Xiuwen chose to play around with. He could do whatever he wanted.

But as Xu Xiuwen’s and Ji Yan’s faces grew closer together, Lu Xinyao felt an inexplicable panic rising in her chest.

In the end, she couldn’t hold back.

Grabbing her glass of wine, she quickly stepped forward, covering the distance in just a few strides.

Raising her glass, she deliberately reached over their shoulders. “Mr. Xu, I’d like to toast to you too.”

Her voice trembled slightly, and because she had moved too quickly, the glass wasn’t entirely steady.

A bit of the wine swirled and spilled over the rim, landing squarely on Ji Yan’s chest.

Ji Yan was wearing a low-cut dress, and the wine trickled directly onto her skin, sliding downwards.

With a startled cry, Ji Yan hurriedly stood up from Xu Xiuwen’s embrace.

Lu Xinyao immediately began apologizing, her words tumbling out at lightning speed.

“Sorry, Miss Ji, I didn’t mean to. Are you alright?”

Ji Yan shot Lu Xinyao a furious glare, clutching her chest before turning and running toward the restroom.

Watching Ji Yan’s hurried retreat, Lu Xinyao couldn’t help but smile slightly.

She really hadn’t done it on purpose. Who could’ve guessed things would turn out so perfectly, spilling right where it did?

Xu Xiuwen, though he had consumed a lot of alcohol, was still perfectly clear-headed.

He knew Lu Xinyao’s drinking capacity well.

If she had stepped in to block a drink for him, he wouldn’t have thought much of it. But her proactively toasting him felt odd.

At first, he didn’t understand why she had done it.

But when he caught the fleeting smirk at the corner of her lips, everything suddenly clicked.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

Xu Xiuwen poured himself another glass of white liquor, raised it, and downed it in one gulp.

Seeing this, Lu Xinyao had no choice but to follow suit—after all, she had been the one to initiate the toast.

Under normal circumstances, a glass of white liquor wouldn’t have been a big deal for Lu Xinyao.

But in her current state, the mere smell of the alcohol churned her stomach.

Still, with everyone watching, she forced herself to suppress the urge to vomit and raised the glass to her lips.

Just as she was about to drink it, Xu Xiuwen suddenly snatched the glass from her hand.

“Forget it. Don’t drink. You still need to drive me home later,” he said, before downing the liquor in one go.

Lu Xinyao stared at him in astonishment, not expecting him to step in like that.

For a moment, a tingling warmth surged in her chest.

But the feeling lasted less than a second before a powerful wave of nausea overtook her.

“Ugh—”

She bent over, covering her mouth as she rushed toward the restroom.

Ji Yan, who had just finished wiping off the spilled liquor, bumped into Lu Xinyao as she exited the restroom.

The restroom had a single door, and in her haste to enter, Lu Xinyao collided with Ji Yan’s shoulder.

Ji Yan immediately frowned, her irritation flaring.

What the hell? First, she spills alcohol on me, and now she’s knocking into me?

Considering the setting, Ji Yan refrained from losing her temper and instead feigned magnanimity.

But she wasn’t about to let it slide entirely.

She made her way back to Xu Xiuwen and pouted, saying, “Mr. Xu, your secretary hurt my shoulder when she bumped into me!”

“She probably didn’t mean to. Miss Ji, you’re so gracious—I’m sure you won’t take it to heart. How about this? I’ll drink a glass as a penalty to apologize on her behalf,” Xu Xiuwen said before raising his glass and finishing it in one go.

It wasn’t until some time later that Lu Xinyao returned from the restroom.

As soon as she stepped out, she saw Ji Yan sitting closely beside Xu Xiuwen.

Ji Yan noticed her too and, as if on purpose, wrapped her arms around Xu Xiuwen’s and cooed, “Mr. Xu, let me toast you again.”

This time, Lu Xinyao didn’t interfere. She simply cast Xu Xiuwen a deep, meaningful glance.

The dinner dragged on until past 9 PM.

By the end of the evening, Xu Xiuwen had successfully secured a cooperation agreement with Jiang Yuanzhou and the other distributors.

Jiang Yuanzhou decided to initially stock 5,000 bottles of Guangming Distillery’s liquor to test the waters.

The other distributors placed significantly smaller orders—some as low as a few hundred bottles, with the most being just 1,000.

It was undeniably less than what Xu Xiuwen had anticipated before arriving.

But for now, this was the best they could do.

By 9 p.m., the distributors began leaving one by one.

Jiang Yuanzhou was the last to leave.

Before departing, he chuckled and said, “Mr. Xu, you’re the most capable drinker I’ve seen among young people. I’m getting old—I can’t keep up with you anymore.”

“Haha, Mr. Jiang, you’re too modest. Your drinking ability isn’t bad at all. How about this—shall we go somewhere else and keep drinking?” Xu Xiuwen said, slinging an arm over Jiang Yuanzhou’s shoulder.

His speech was already slurring slightly.

“No, let’s leave it for next time. Next time, I’ll drink with you until we’re both drunk and can’t go home. I’ll leave you to your… other business tonight,” Jiang Yuanzhou teased with a knowing smile, glancing at Ji Yan beside Xu Xiuwen.

“As for the liquor, don’t worry. I’ll do my best to sell it quickly. Please look after me in the future as well.”

“Of course. To a successful partnership.”

“To a successful partnership!”

With that, Jiang Yuanzhou left.

After seeing everyone off, Xu Xiuwen, despite his decent tolerance for alcohol, found himself overwhelmed by the experienced drinkers tonight.

He felt dizzy and unsteady, and as soon as he stood up, he swayed and nearly fell.

Luckily, he managed to catch himself by holding onto the table.

Ji Yan, who had also had her fair share to drink but showed no signs of intoxication, quickly got up to support him.

“Mr. Xu, you’ve had too much. Can you still walk? Here, lean on me,” she said with concern.

Watching this scene, Lu Xinyao could no longer sit still.

She abruptly stood up, walked over to Xu Xiuwen and Ji Yan, and inserted herself between them.

“Miss Ji, our Mr. Xu has clearly had too much to drink. I’ll take him home—it’s no trouble at all. You’ve also had quite a bit yourself; you should get home early and rest.”

Ji Yan opened her mouth to respond, but when she saw the look in Lu Xinyao’s eyes, she stopped.

Instead, she let out a light laugh and said, “Alright, I’ll leave Mr. Xu in your care. I’ll take my leave now.”

Without lingering a second longer, Ji Yan turned and quickly disappeared from Lu Xinyao’s sight.

Lu Xinyao watched her retreating figure until it completely vanished.

She let out a small huff before turning her attention back to Xu Xiuwen.

Looking at his obviously drunk state, she felt a bit concerned.

But the thought of how affectionate he’d been with Ji Yan earlier made her want to leave him here and walk away.

In the end, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

With a sigh, Lu Xinyao said, “Mr. Xu, I’ll take you home.”

Without waiting for his response, she helped him up and guided him toward the door, grabbing his briefcase on the way out.

At the restaurant counter, Lu Xinyao propped Xu Xiuwen’s hands on the counter for support while she opened his briefcase, pulled out some cash, and paid the bill.

The dinner cost 30,000 yuan.

When the owner said the number out loud, Lu Xinyao’s heart felt like it was bleeding.

So many expensive dishes were ordered that evening, yet only a few people remained to eat them. It was quite a waste.

Though it was Xu Xiuwen’s money, Lu Xinyao still felt a pang of sympathy.

After settling the bill, the restaurant owner noticed that Xu Xiuwen was drunk, and since the only person supporting him was a young woman, he instructed a male waiter to assist Xu Xiuwen in leaving.

Lu Xinyao didn’t refuse. She handed Xu Xiuwen over to the waiter and followed behind them as they walked out of the restaurant.

When they reached the BMW parked by the roadside, Lu Xinyao opened the rear passenger door. The male waiter struggled to help Xu Xiuwen into the back seat.

Then, a new problem dawned on her—who would drive the car?

She glanced at the waiter and asked, “Can you drive?”

The waiter, who appeared to be in his early twenties, answered politely, “I can drive.”

“Then please drive us home.”

“Alright, but I need to inform the boss first.”

“Go ahead and let him know.”

Lu Xinyao originally planned to sit in the front passenger seat, but upon seeing Xu Xiuwen slumped in the back seat, she sighed and instead walked around to the left side and climbed into the driver’s seat.

She gently lifted Xu Xiuwen’s head, resting it on her lap to make him more comfortable.

Xu Xiuwen seemed to relax and murmured, “Baby, you’re so good.”

Lu Xinyao, a bit irritated, whispered, “All you know how to do is sweet talk.”

Yet, without realizing it, her mood lifted a little from his words.

The waiter drove them back to the company dormitory.

Although Lu Xinyao knew where Xu Xiuwen lived, she didn’t feel comfortable leaving him alone in his condition, so she came up with a reasonable excuse.

As his secretary, it was her responsibility to take care of him—not out of any personal desire.

Thus, she decided to take Xu Xiuwen back to the company dormitory.

With the waiter’s help, Xu Xiuwen was assisted up the stairs.

Once they entered the apartment, Lu Xinyao didn’t let the waiter come inside. Instead, she took two 100 yuan bills from Xu Xiuwen’s wallet and handed them to him.

The waiter hesitated at first but eventually accepted the money.

After he left, Lu Xinyao helped Xu Xiuwen into the room.

She didn’t just leave him on the couch but instead guided him to her own room.

Once she laid him down on the bed, she went to the bathroom, filled a basin with warm water, and carefully wiped his face, neck, and arms.

Afterward, she poured him a glass of warm water, sat beside the bed, and gently supported his head, feeding him water.

Xu Xiuwen seemed to come around slightly and smiled in thanks. “Baby, thank you for being so good to me.”

Lu Xinyao’s heart fluttered.

She fought hard to hold it in but couldn’t help herself, muttering, “You’re calling me ‘baby’ so sweetly—who knows which woman you’re thinking of.”

It seemed that Xu Xiuwen heard her words. He opened his eyes, glanced at her, and grinned, “Of course, I’m calling my Yao Yao ‘baby’.”

When he said “Yao Yao baby,” Lu Xinyao’s heart skipped a beat.

She knew then that Xu Xiuwen wasn’t thinking of another woman.

The thought made her heart race uncontrollably.

Thump, thump, thump…

Her heart was racing rapidly.

Lu Xinyao felt restless, unable to stay in the room any longer.

She hastily laid Xu Xiuwen down on the bed before leaving the room.

However, before she left, she made sure to cover him with a blanket and said, “If you need anything, just call me.”

She gave her room and bed to Xu Xiuwen.

Now, Lu Xinyao had three options.

1. She could make do and sleep on the living room couch.

2. She could go to Xu Qian’s room and sleep there.

3. She could squeeze into Song Xiaomi’s room.

In the end, she chose the third option.

She arrived at Song Xiaomi’s room and knocked on the door.

“Sister Xinyao, is that you?”

“Yes, it’s me.”

Inside the room, Song Xiaomi was surprised to hear Lu Xinyao’s voice but quickly got up to open the door.