Rebirth Begins with Rejecting my Childhood Friend - Chapter 501

Xu Xiuwen had just sat down when a female voice leaned over from the other side and asked, “Teacher Xu, are you really Ke Ke’s tutor? How can you be so handsome? Are you secretly Ke Ke’s boyfriend?”

These young girls sure had wild imaginations.

How could they think he was Li Ke’s boyfriend?

If he were her boyfriend, he’d openly admit it. Why would he claim to be her tutor? Unless, of course, he enjoyed role-playing.

Xu Xiuwen did kind of like that idea. But who knew if Li Ke liked it.

Alright, enough joking around.

Xu Xiuwen glanced at Li Ke.

Even though the lighting in the private room wasn’t great, he could still see the sparkle in Li Ke’s eyes, as if she were carrying some kind of expectation.

Then Xu Xiuwen shifted his gaze away and replied to the girl who had asked, “Thank you for the compliment. You’re very pretty, too. But you’re mistaken. I really am just Ke Ke’s tutor.”

Hearing Xu Xiuwen’s words, a hint of disappointment flashed across Li Ke’s face.

But she understood.

There was no way Xu Xiuwen would admit he was her boyfriend in front of so many people.

After all, he already had a girlfriend.

The girl who had been complimented giggled at Xu Xiuwen’s words.

Another girl immediately followed up with a question, “Teacher Xu, what do you think of Ke Ke? If she wanted to be your girlfriend, would you agree?”

Ugh…

Why did these girls have so many questions?

Xu Xiuwen felt a little helpless but couldn’t just ignore them.

He turned to look at the girl who had asked, smiled, and replied, “Ke Ke is great—she’s beautiful, adorable, and kind-hearted. If she could be a little more obedient, she’d be perfect.”

Xu Xiuwen’s answer sparked another wave of laughter from the girls.

“Teacher Xu, you still haven’t answered my question. Would you agree to be Ke Ke’s boyfriend?”

The first time, Li Ke could pretend she hadn’t heard.

But now, if she kept pretending, it would be too obvious.

Li Ke playfully scolded, “Oh, stop asking!”

“Ha ha…”

More laughter followed.

Though Li Ke told them to stop, she still sneaked a glance at Xu Xiuwen out of the corner of her eye, curious about how he would respond.

“I’m afraid not,” Xu Xiuwen said with a faint smile. “Because I already have a girlfriend.”

“What!”

“Teacher Xu, how could you already have a girlfriend?”

A wave of disappointed voices rose up.

“Teacher Xu, what if you didn’t have a girlfriend? Would you choose Ke Ke?”

“Maybe…”

“Whoa!”

Li Ke’s heart skipped a beat when she heard that.

But then Xu Xiuwen quickly added, “Though I probably still wouldn’t agree. After all, you’re still in high school. You can’t let a relationship distract you from your studies.”

If these words had come from a man in his forties or fifties, the girls would have lost interest long ago.

But because the speaker was Xu Xiuwen, a handsome man only a few years older than them, they didn’t feel annoyed. They just laughed lightly and said nothing more.

Clearly, their views on dating were different from his.

Seeing this, Xu Xiuwen didn’t push the topic further.

That was to be expected.

Who hasn’t had a crush when they were young?

If someone could stop liking someone just because of a single comment from others, that would be the real surprise.

Besides, back when Xu Xiuwen was in high school, he himself spent all day thinking about dating Xiao Youran.

It wouldn’t make sense for him to have been so preoccupied with love when he was young, only to turn around now and tell others not to fall for someone early.

After that, the girls’ attention shifted elsewhere, sparing Xu Xiuwen from having to answer so many questions.

He noticed Li Ke sitting nearby, propping her chin with her hand and leaning against the sofa, lost in thought.

“What are you thinking about?”

Hearing his voice, Li Ke turned to look at Xu Xiuwen.

She smiled, “I was just wondering why Teacher Xu looks so handsome today—what’s the occasion?”

Xu Xiuwen chuckled. “Do I look very handsome?”

He thought his outfit today was quite plain: a simple short-sleeved white shirt paired with khaki casual pants and white sneakers. It was comfortable and gave off a clean, youthful vibe.

“Mm, very handsome.”

Before she met Xu Xiuwen, most of the boys around Li Ke liked to wear all kinds of flashy, attention-grabbing outfits.

But after meeting Xu Xiuwen, she realized she might prefer this “white-shirt senior” kind of style.

Or perhaps it wasn’t about the style of clothing at all—it was about who was wearing it.

“Thank you. When I saw you earlier, I almost didn’t recognize you.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Because your outfit today is so elegant and ladylike—you look amazing.”

Li Ke’s heart instantly filled with joy.

Her style of dressing had indeed changed quite a bit from before, and now being complimented by Xu Xiuwen made her genuinely happy.

The two chatted a bit more.

Taking the opportunity, Xu Xiuwen casually asked about Li Haimei.

Li Ke didn’t suspect he had any ulterior motives, assuming he was just making conversation, so she spoke openly with him.

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, Xu Xiuwen noticed someone approaching.

Li Ke saw it too. She immediately grinned and said, “Hehe, Wan’er, the Teacher Xu you like is here!”

Xu Xiuwen looked up and saw one of the twin sisters walking toward them.

He now confirmed that the one sitting silently next to Li Ke all this time was Chen Shumi, and the one approaching now was Chen Shuwan.

Like her sister, Chen Shuwan was dressed in a light yellow long dress, her long hair draped over her shoulders, exuding an air of elegance.

Her small oval face, paired with delicate features, was undeniably beautiful. Despite her young age, she already had the charm to captivate men’s attention.

Xu Xiuwen guessed there must be quite a few boys secretly harboring feelings for her.

Girls with her kind of pure and innocent beauty were destined to be the unspoken crush of many. One look at her, and it would be hard to forget her.

Xu Xiuwen couldn’t help but steal a second glance.

But what he found most captivating about Chen Shuwan wasn’t her looks—it was the gentle, delicate aura she carried.

Soft, delicate girls like her always seemed to spark a protective instinct in men.

Chen Shuwan’s face was slightly flushed—likely because of what Li Ke had just said.

She walked over and sat down next to Chen Shumi.

With her bright, glistening eyes fixed on Xu Xiuwen, she smiled softly and said, “Hello, Teacher Xu.”

Xu Xiuwen found himself having a good impression of Chen Shuwan.

Smiling, he asked, “Why do all of you insist on calling me ‘Teacher Xu’? Didn’t Ke Ke tell you my name?”

Chen Shuwan didn’t answer right away. Instead, she glanced at Li Ke.

Li Ke huffed, “I’ve always called you ‘teacher.’ If they don’t, wouldn’t that make me seem a generation younger?”

Xu Xiuwen couldn’t help but laugh at her remark.

“It’s fine; we can stick to our own terms. Ke Ke, you can keep calling me ‘Teacher Xu,’ but Chen Shuwan, you can just call me by my name. You calling me ‘teacher’ feels a little strange.”

Hearing this, Chen Shuwan’s eyes lit up. “Then can I call you Brother Xiuwen?”

Xu Xiuwen froze for a moment.

That term sounded… unusually close.

He looked at Chen Shuwan, who seemed a little shy. After speaking, she quickly lowered her head.

Li Ke, feeling a pang of jealousy, interjected, “No way! He’s not your brother. You can’t call him something so intimate.”

Xu Xiuwen smiled and said, “Don’t listen to Ke Ke. You can call me whatever you like.”

Summoning her courage, Chen Shuwan said, “I don’t want Ke Ke to get mad. I’ll just call you ‘Brother Wen.'”

“Alright.”

“Brother Wen, then you can call me Wan’er.”

As if afraid Xu Xiuwen might misunderstand, she quickly added, “That’s what all my friends call me.”

“Okay, Wan’er.”

In the end, Chen Shuwan didn’t go with “Brother Xiuwen,” which relieved Li Ke, though she was still a little annoyed.

Xu Xiuwen then turned his attention to Chen Shumi, who had been silent the entire time. Smiling, he asked, “Chen Shumi, do you not seem very happy to see me?”

Chen Shumi, hearing Xu Xiuwen address her, didn’t ignore him but responded coolly, “Not at all.”

Xu Xiuwen chuckled. “Good to hear.”

Seeing that she wasn’t too eager to talk, he didn’t press further and instead turned back to Chen Shuwan.

“Wan’er, is today your birthday?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“I didn’t know it was your birthday beforehand, so I didn’t prepare anything. I hope you don’t mind.”

Chen Shuwan shook her head. “Brother Wen, don’t say that. We’re just happy you’re here.”

“Hehe, that’s good to hear.”

After chatting for a bit, Xu Xiuwen said, “Ke Ke, you all go on singing. I’m going to the restroom.”

As he spoke, he stood up from the sofa.

Distracted by the conversation and unaware of his footing, combined with the dim lighting in the room, Xu Xiuwen accidentally stepped on Li Ke’s foot.

He realized it immediately and instinctively tried to lift his foot, but the sudden movement threw him off balance.

He lost his footing and fell straight forward.

The room’s sofa was a long U-shape, and Xu Xiuwen and the girls were sitting closer to one of the corners rather than the center.

When he was seated, he was slightly angled toward Chen Shuwan and Chen Shumi. Now that he was standing, he was directly facing Chen Shuwan.

And so, as he stumbled forward, he fell directly in Chen Shuwan’s direction.

Xu Xiuwen couldn’t regain his balance mid-fall.

Chen Shuwan froze, watching him tumble toward her in disbelief.

The next moment, Xu Xiuwen and Chen Shuwan both toppled onto the sofa.

Xu Xiuwen felt his knee slam hard onto the cold, hard floor, and a sharp pain radiated from it.

Fortunately, Xu Xiuwen’s upper body hadn’t taken much of a hit.

That was because his upper body had landed on Chen Shuwan.

The girl let out a soft gasp in response.

Xu Xiuwen sucked in a sharp breath, and once his mind cleared a little, he froze in place.

His hand had somehow ended up pressing against something soft.

His current position was awkward—his upper body was sprawled over Chen Shuwan.

His left hand was resting on her body, his right hand braced against the sofa, and his head was resting on her stomach.

Instinctively, Xu Xiuwen looked up.

Chen Shuwan was pinned firmly beneath him, her face flushed a bright red.

And his hand…

It was pressed directly against her chest.

What kind of horrible luck was this? Falling on a girl was bad enough, but to land with his hand in the wrong place?

If only his hand had landed anywhere else!

Xu Xiuwen was utterly mortified, almost on the verge of tears.

If he tried to explain it wasn’t on purpose—that it was an accident, a misunderstanding—would anyone believe him?

He wasn’t sure if they would, but he did know he couldn’t stay like this.

He needed to get up immediately.

If he didn’t, even if it wasn’t intentional, others would definitely think it was.

Xu Xiuwen hurriedly tried to get up, but…

He couldn’t push off with his hand because doing so would make him look like he was taking advantage of the situation.

And as for his legs—his left leg had gone numb from the hard impact on the floor, leaving him unable to muster the strength to move.

For a moment, Xu Xiuwen was stuck.

Then, a soft yet shy voice came from beneath him.

“Brother Wen, are you okay?”

Xu Xiuwen looked down.

It was Chen Shuwan who had spoken. Her delicate face was flushed pink, but she still looked up at him with genuine concern.

“Teacher Xu, are you alright?”

“Wan’er!”

“Wow, eating Shuwan’s tofu on purpose…”

“Teacher Xu, you’re bold!”

“Teacher Xu, if you like Shuwan, this is a bit too impatient, isn’t it?”

Around them, the girls erupted into laughter and teasing remarks.

Clearly, everyone had noticed what was happening.

“I’m sorry, it wasn’t intentional,” Xu Xiuwen quickly said, his face full of embarrassment.

Bracing his right hand on the sofa, he shifted to the side and rolled off Chen Shuwan as fast as he could.

Once he sat up, Xu Xiuwen began rubbing his knee, his face still showing the pain from the earlier impact.

Chen Shuwan also sat up.

She immediately turned to the others and said, “Don’t say that. Brother Wen didn’t do it on purpose.”

Normally a bit socially anxious and introverted, Chen Shuwan was now incredibly shy after everything that had just happened, her cheeks flushed red.

But despite her embarrassment, she still defended Xu Xiuwen.

After speaking, she turned to Xu Xiuwen with a worried look.

“Brother Wen, does your knee still hurt?”

Xu Xiuwen gave his knee a quick rub and shook his head.

“It’s much better now. I’m fine.”

“That’s good,” Chen Shuwan said, visibly relieved.

“Sorry, I accidentally stepped on Keke’s foot just now, which caused me to fall on you. Keke, are you alright?”

Li Ke had felt a strange pang in her heart when she saw Xu Xiuwen and Chen Shuwan tangled together earlier.

Hearing Xu Xiuwen’s words, she shook her head and said, “I’m fine. What about you?”

“I’m okay.”

Xu Xiuwen noticed all the girls around him were staring, even the ones who had been singing had stopped to watch.

His face flushed hot with embarrassment.

This really was like mud falling into your pants—hard to explain.

He genuinely hadn’t intended to take advantage of anyone; it had just been a coincidence.

But from the looks on their faces, they probably wouldn’t believe his explanation anyway.

Xu Xiuwen quickly said, “I’ll just head to the restroom.”

Chen Shuwan asked, “Brother Wen, do you need me to help you?”

Xu Xiuwen waved his hand. “No, no, it’s fine. Thanks.”

With that, he pushed himself up off the sofa and practically fled to the restroom.

As soon as Xu Xiuwen reached the mirror in the restroom, he heard a male voice behind him.

“Brother Xu.”

Xu Xiuwen turned around to look and saw Qiao Gang standing behind him.

“Qiao Gang, you’re here too? I didn’t see you earlier.”

“I was sitting with some classmates just now.”

“Oh, I see. Haha, sorry, I didn’t notice.”

“It’s alright, Brother Xu.”

Xu Xiuwen noticed that Qiao Gang seemed to have something on his mind.

He asked directly, “Do you need something?”

Qiao Gang hesitated, his expression uncertain.

Xu Xiuwen didn’t rush him and waited patiently for a few seconds.

Finally, Qiao Gang spoke up.

“Brother Xu, thank you for helping my mom find a job.”