Rebirth Begins with Rejecting my Childhood Friend - Chapter 497

When the door opened, Song Xiaomi rubbed her sleepy eyes and asked, “Sister Xinyao, what’s the matter?”

Lu Xinyao explained, “President Xu got drunk, so I gave him my room. Can I squeeze in with you for the night?”

“Of course!” Song Xiaomi agreed without a second thought.

It was only after agreeing that she realized something.
“President Xu got drunk?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Should we make some sobering soup for him?”

“He’s already asleep. Let’s forget about it.”

“Oh, okay. Then, Sister Xinyao, come up and sleep.”

Song Xiaomi climbed back into bed, scooting further inside to leave plenty of space on the outside.

Lu Xinyao said, “I’ll take a shower and change first.”

“Alright.”

It was only 10 p.m., not too late.
Song Xiaomi had just fallen asleep and wasn’t really that tired.
As she lay in bed, she couldn’t help but think about a few things.

Before long, Lu Xinyao came back after her shower.

Lifting the blanket, Lu Xinyao got into bed.
“Xiaomi, are you asleep?”

“Not yet, Sister Xinyao.”

“Then I’m going to hug you while I sleep.” Lu Xinyao chuckled and turned to hug Song Xiaomi from the side.

“Wow, Xiaomi, your skin is so smooth. Hugging you feels so nice. Your future boyfriend will be so lucky.”

“Sister Xinyao, your boyfriend will be the lucky one.”

Hearing this, Lu Xinyao was startled.
“Xiaomi, what… do you mean?”

She thought Song Xiaomi had figured out her relationship with Xu Xiuwen.

Song Xiaomi explained, “Sister Xinyao, you’re so… um, full. Your boyfriend will definitely be very satisfied in the future. Not like me. Ugh, why can’t I be a bit more, you know, bigger?”

Lu Xinyao finally understood she was overthinking.
She let out a sigh of relief and chuckled, “Really? Let me feel and see how big you are.”

“Ah, Sister Xinyao, don’t—”
Song Xiaomi tried to stop Lu Xinyao’s mischievous move.
But she was a step too late.

“Not bad at all…” Lu Xinyao teased with a laugh.

“Sister Xinyao, let go of me! How did you become so cheeky? You weren’t like this before!”

Lu Xinyao froze at her words.
That’s true.
She hadn’t been this bold before.

What had changed her?

Lu Xinyao thought of Xu Xiuwen.
Spending so much time around that man had definitely corrupted her.

She bit her lip at the thought and finally let go.

Song Xiaomi, like a frightened little bunny, immediately turned her back to Lu Xinyao, as if that could make her safe.

“Alright, let’s just sleep.”

Song Xiaomi vaguely sensed a change in Lu Xinyao’s tone but couldn’t be sure or guess why.

The two of them fell asleep in silence after that.

…

Xu Xiuwen was truly drunk.
He had no idea what happened later that night.

When he finally woke up the next morning, it was already late in the day.

As he opened his eyes, he stared blankly at the ceiling.

The unfamiliar ceiling made him think he was seeing things.
He looked carefully again and confirmed he wasn’t mistaken.

He sat up abruptly, looking around.
Finally, he confirmed that this wasn’t his bedroom.

But in the next second, he recognized that this was Lu Xinyao’s room.
After all, he had slept here once before.

Xu Xiuwen’s eyes landed on a sticky note on the bedside table.
He picked it up and read:

“You got drunk last night, so I brought you back. Once you’re awake, just leave. I’ll clean up the room after work. There’s sobering soup in the kitchen—drink it or not, up to you.”

The handwriting was elegant and delicate, clearly that of a woman.
And since this was Lu Xinyao’s room, it was obvious who wrote it.

Xu Xiuwen stared at the last line and couldn’t help but chuckle.
If Lu Xinyao really didn’t care whether he drank the soup, why bother making it in the first place and specifically pointing it out?
This woman—always saying one thing and meaning another.

Xu Xiuwen was in a good mood.
He got out of bed and walked to the kitchen.

A small flame was keeping the sobering soup warm on the stove.
Xu Xiuwen turned off the heat, ladled out a bowl, and drank it.

Afterward, he felt significantly better.

Returning to Lu Xinyao’s room, he grabbed his phone to check the time.
9:35 a.m.

He decided to head back to Jiangning Garden first to take a shower and change clothes.

As he was about to close the door to Lu Xinyao’s room, something white caught his eye.
He froze instantly.

Xu Xiuwen wasn’t sure if he was seeing things.
He quickly walked over to the vanity.

Among the makeup items on the table, there was a white pregnancy test.
And it was unused.

Xu Xiuwen stood there, stunned.
Whether it was used or not didn’t matter.
What mattered was why there was a pregnancy test on Lu Xinyao’s vanity.
Why did she need to buy one?

Suddenly, memories came flooding back.

Last night, when he picked up Lu Xinyao in his car, he had asked her if she had gained weight.
Of course, Xu Xiuwen hadn’t said it casually—he genuinely felt her face looked a bit rounder than usual.

He also remembered how, midway through a toast, Lu Xinyao had suddenly covered her mouth and rushed to the bathroom.

An idea struck him out of nowhere!

No way!

Xu Xiuwen’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Could Lu Xinyao be… pregnant?

It wasn’t impossible.

Though he had used protection every time after the first few times they slept together, in the beginning, there had been no precautions at all.

Could their luck really be that good?
Just a few times, and it happened?

Xu Xiuwen smacked his forehead hard, feeling utterly speechless.

He wasn’t like the typical scumbag who would shirk responsibility.
At the very least, he wouldn’t run away from what was his to bear.

Although the idea of becoming a father at 19 was hard for him to accept, he wouldn’t deny it if it came to that.

As for whether to keep the baby or not…
Xu Xiuwen felt it wasn’t the right time, but ultimately, the decision would have to be made after discussing it with Lu Xinyao.

With that thought, he no longer felt like leisurely going home to shower and change.

He picked up his phone and called Lu Xinyao.

“Ring… ring… ring…”
After three rings, the call connected.

“President Xu, you’re awake?”

At the company, Lu Xinyao answered the phone calmly, “President Xu, you’re awake?”

Xu Xiuwen didn’t respond to her greeting. Instead, he asked anxiously, “Lu Xinyao, where are you right now?”

Lu Xinyao was taken aback but replied, “I’m at the office.”

“Good. Go to my office room now and wait for me. I’ll be there soon.”

“Uh… alright, President Xu.”

Lu Xinyao could hear the urgency in his voice, which left her completely baffled. She wanted to ask what was going on, but Xu Xiuwen didn’t give her a chance before hanging up.

After the call ended, Lu Xinyao glanced at her phone’s call log and shook her head in confusion. Still, she obediently put down the documents she was working on and went to his office.

Meanwhile, Xu Xiuwen wasted no time. He put on his shoes, headed downstairs, got in his car, and started the engine in one fluid motion.

Before long, he arrived at the company.

As soon as he stepped through the front doors, Liu Xinran at the reception desk stood up to greet him. But Xu Xiuwen didn’t even glance her way, rushing straight to the second floor and heading directly to his office.

Liu Xinran watched the scene unfold, her eyes narrowing with curiosity and confusion.

When Xu Xiuwen reached the office door, he suddenly stopped.

What should he say when he saw Lu Xinyao?
Should he directly ask, Are you pregnant? Do you want to keep the baby?
Or should he start by gently asking about something else?

He hadn’t figured it out yet.

After taking a few deep breaths, he pushed open the door.

The moment he entered, his eyes immediately landed on Lu Xinyao.

She was standing beside the executive chair, her head lowered as she tidied up his desk.

Just as she finished organizing the papers, she looked up and saw him.
“President Xu, you’re here!”

As she spoke, she stepped back a few paces to give him space.

Xu Xiuwen gave her a once-over.

So, he hadn’t been mistaken in the car yesterday.
She had gained a little weight.

Previously, she had always been on the thinner side—not overly skinny, but just enough to give off a slender impression.

But now, she looked healthier, more vibrant.

Then his gaze fell to the high heels on her feet.

The heels were tall—six or seven centimeters at least.

The thought of her being pregnant and still wearing high heels made his mind race with scenes from TV dramas, where pregnant women sprained their ankles and miscarried.

He grew tense in an instant.

“Lu Xinyao, why are you wearing high heels?”

“What’s wrong with wearing high heels?” Lu Xinyao was taken aback by his question. She wore heels all the time—this wasn’t the first day. What was he so surprised about?

“Don’t you know wearing high heels is dangerous?”

Seeing her nonchalant attitude, Xu Xiuwen grew irritated, and his tone rose sharply.

Lu Xinyao frowned at his words, and her voice turned cold.
“Xu Xiuwen, I’m your secretary, not your servant. Do you really need to control what shoes I wear? Don’t you think you’re overstepping?”

Outside of the office, Lu Xinyao had no qualms about standing up to him.
But at work, she rarely talked back, always maintaining a cooperative demeanor.

Now that she was suddenly talking back to him, Xu Xiuwen found himself a little unaccustomed to it.

He froze for a moment before furrowing his brow and explaining, “I’m concerned about you, not trying to control you.”

Lu Xinyao pursed her lips, turned her head away, and stayed silent.

Xu Xiuwen couldn’t help but laugh out of frustration at this woman.

He walked over, sat down in the executive chair, and tilted his head back to look at her.

Seeing him staring but saying nothing, Lu Xinyao couldn’t resist asking, “Why did you call me to your office? If there’s nothing you need, I’ll leave.”

“How have you been feeling lately?”

“Pretty okay, I guess.”

“Any moments when you’ve felt unwell?”

“No. President Xu, what exactly are you trying to ask? This doesn’t seem like you.”

Xu Xiuwen chuckled. “Oh? What am I like?”

Lu Xinyao gave him a look but didn’t answer.

“Come on,” Xu Xiuwen said. “Say whatever you want. I promise I won’t get mad.”

“Really? You won’t get mad?” Lu Xinyao was skeptical.

Xu Xiuwen frowned. “Do I really have so little of your trust?”

“Well, that’s on you,” Lu Xinyao muttered under her breath before continuing, “You act like a feudal lord—no, more like an emperor. You’re the most domineering person I know. You insist on having the final say in everything, never listen to other people’s opinions, and if something doesn’t go your way, your face turns darker than a storm cloud…”

Xu Xiuwen was stunned. “Am I really like that?”

“What do you think?”

Xu Xiuwen scratched his nose, feeling a little awkward.

He had never thought of himself as particularly domineering, but thinking back, it might actually be true.

When he was alone with Lu Xinyao, he usually insisted on things going his way. If she resisted or objected, he didn’t really care.

As for the company, most decisions were made by him alone. He rarely considered others’ input.

No wonder Lu Xinyao felt he was overbearing.

Still, being domineering wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

At least in his relationship with Lu Xinyao, if he hadn’t been firm and assertive, she wouldn’t have returned to the company, let alone back into his life.

As for the company itself, Xu Xiuwen’s preference for having the final say wasn’t because he thought the employees were incompetent or their suggestions worthless.

It was because he had the advantage of being reborn, with over a decade’s worth of foresight. Many of his decisions were informed by that knowledge.

So far, his decisive approach had yielded positive results. The company was still small; it didn’t need everyone’s voice to steer it. Like a small boat, as long as a capable person was at the helm, it could sail smoothly.

So while Lu Xinyao’s dissatisfaction was noted, Xu Xiuwen didn’t intend to change his ways immediately.

What he didn’t expect was that she had so many complaints about him.

“Come here,” Xu Xiuwen said, beckoning her over.

“For what?”

“Come here!” His voice grew louder, a notch more commanding.

“There you go again,” Lu Xinyao muttered, feeling like everything she just said had gone to waste.

But she didn’t want to provoke him further. When this man lost his temper, there was no telling what he’d do.

He might not care about his reputation, but she still cared about hers.

Lu Xinyao slowly approached.

Xu Xiuwen suddenly reached out, grabbed her hand, and pulled her into his arms.

Without any resistance, she found herself sitting on his lap.

In her attempt to regain balance, her hands instinctively wrapped around his neck.

By the time she realized what had happened, she was already sitting sideways on Xu Xiuwen’s lap, her arms around his neck in a position that was undeniably intimate.

Lu Xinyao tilted her head slightly to glance at Xu Xiuwen.

His gaze was like fire—intense and smoldering.

Her heart raced with panic.

He’s not planning to do something here, is he?

Even though this wasn’t their first time, Lu Xinyao still felt deeply embarrassed.

Especially since the office door was only closed, not locked.

What if someone walked in without knocking?

Xu Xiuwen had no idea that Lu Xinyao’s mind had already run wild.

He stared into her eyes, noticing how they darted nervously, her cheeks glowing red.

He was surprised by her reaction.

“Lu Xinyao.”

“Don’t mess around. This is the office.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t touch you,” Xu Xiuwen assured her.

Hearing that, Lu Xinyao let out a sigh of relief.

Yet, deep down, she felt an inexplicable pang of disappointment.

She couldn’t help but glance at Xu Xiuwen again.

Is he… tired of me already?

She had always known that day would come.

But she hadn’t expected it to come so soon.

She should be happy about it.

Instead, bitterness welled up in her chest.

While she was lost in thought, Xu Xiuwen suddenly asked another question.

“Lu Xinyao, are you hiding something from me?”

His sharp gaze was like that of a hawk, piercing and unrelenting, as if he could see straight into her soul.