Rebirth Begins with Rejecting my Childhood Friend - Chapter 523

After Xu Xiuwen returned to the sisters’ room, An Shishi was lying on the bed, seemingly asleep.

Xu Xiuwen had just lain down when An Shishi snuggled up to him.

He thought she was still awake, but in the next second, he heard the sound of her steady breathing.

Lowering his head, he saw that An Shishi was sleeping soundly.

Xu Xiuwen smiled faintly.

An Shuishui lingered outside for nearly an hour before finally returning to the room.

She wasn’t sure if Xu Xiuwen had fallen asleep, so she felt a little nervous.

When she entered, the room was dark, with only a sliver of moonlight from the window casting a faint glow inside.

Instinctively, An Shuishui glanced toward her sister’s bed.

Her sister and brother-in-law were both lying down, seemingly asleep.

Seeing this, she let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Slowly, An Shuishui walked toward her own bed.

As she passed by, her gaze fell on Xu Xiuwen’s face.

Under the moonlight, she could see him clearly.

Brother-in-law was really handsome.

His high-bridged nose, thin, lightly pressed lips, and well-defined features—just these alone were enough to captivate any girl’s heart.

But what she loved most about him was his brows.

Looking at his brows, the phrase “sword-like brows and starry eyes” came to her mind.

As he slept, the usual commanding aura around him faded.

At this moment, he finally gave off the feeling of a gentle, next-door big brother.

She kept watching.

Before she realized it, An Shuishui crouched down by the bed.

She couldn’t resist reaching out and gently stroking his brows.

Her touch was as tender as smoothing the fur of a small puppy.

In the two months that brother-in-law had been away, she had been constantly thinking about the relationship between the three of them.

Deep down, she wasn’t sure if this was right.

She had hesitated, felt lost.

But at this moment, a strange sense of peace settled in her heart.

As she thought about it, she suddenly let out a quiet chuckle.

Realizing she shouldn’t make any noise, she quickly lowered her head, suppressing her laughter.

Just as she was about to withdraw her hand—

It was suddenly caught.

An Shuishui froze in shock.

She looked up.

The one holding her small hand wasn’t anyone else.

It was Xu Xiuwen.

She didn’t know when he had woken up.

His dark eyes were open, gazing at her.

His clear pupils carried a hint of warmth and amusement.

An Shuishui knew her little actions had been caught.

Her cheeks flushed red.

On instinct, she tried to pull her hand back.

But she couldn’t.

Xu Xiuwen was holding on tight.

She couldn’t break free.

Panic flickered in An Shuishui’s eyes as she looked at Xu Xiuwen.

Right after that, she saw her brother-in-law open his mouth, silently mouthing something to her.

She could vaguely make out the words—”What are you doing?”

An Shuishui didn’t know how to explain.

Seeing that she remained silent, Xu Xiuwen smiled gently.

He didn’t press further. Instead, he mouthed, “Kiss me.”

An Shuishui froze.

Xu Xiuwen glanced at An Shishi, who was sleeping beside him, then winked at her.

It was as if he was saying, “If you don’t kiss me, I’ll wake your sister up.”

An Shuishui panicked and instinctively blurted out, “Don’t—”

Then, she hesitated for a moment before nodding.

Xu Xiuwen smiled, patiently waiting for the girl to take the initiative.

An Shuishui struggled internally.

Finally, after gathering enough courage, she looked up at Xu Xiuwen.

But when she met his teasing gaze, she grew shy again.

Seeing this, Xu Xiuwen mouthed once more, “Close your eyes.”

An Shuishui immediately understood what he meant.

A trace of gratitude flashed through her heart.

Then, without hesitation, she closed her eyes.

The next second—

Xu Xiuwen leaned in and kissed her.

The moment his lips touched hers, An Shuishui’s legs went weak, nearly causing her to fall.

Fortunately, she didn’t.

Xu Xiuwen’s kiss was intense and passionate—

So overwhelming that she could barely handle it.

Yet, strangely enough, she didn’t dislike this feeling.

More importantly—

With her sister sleeping right beside them, the thrill of it all sent an electrifying sensation through her.

Her heart pounded wildly, afraid of being caught.

At first, An Shuishui didn’t know how to respond or reciprocate.

But then, she recalled how Xu Xiuwen had kissed her.

So, she tried to mimic him, slowly learning how to follow his lead.

This made their already sweet kiss even deeper.

Just as An Shuishui’s breath became unsteady, Xu Xiuwen finally pulled back, ending the kiss.

She felt a strange sense of reluctance—

As if she hadn’t had enough.

Opening her eyes, she looked at Xu Xiuwen.

He gazed at her with a soft smile.

Then, he released her hand, patted her head gently, and whispered, “It’s late. Get some rest.”

Hearing this, An Shuishui got up and climbed into bed.

She pulled the thin blanket over half of her face, leaving only her eyes exposed as she peeked at Xu Xiuwen.

“Good night, brother-in-law.”

Xu Xiuwen smiled and replied, “Good night.”

Upon hearing that, An Shuishui closed her eyes and began to sleep.

Xu Xiuwen soon drifted off as well.

The night passed without further incident.

The Next Morning

Before dawn, the roosters from nearby houses began to crow.

Xu Xiuwen was still in deep sleep.

But in his dreams, he suddenly felt an itch on his face.

He reached up and scratched, relieving the itch in one spot—only for it to appear in another.

Left with no choice, he slowly opened his eyes.

When he did, he saw a figure right in front of him.

Looking closely, he realized—it was An Shuishui.

She noticed that he was awake and giggled.

Her bright, white teeth showed as she laughed, making her look both beautiful and adorable.

“Brother-in-law, you’re finally awake.”

Xu Xiuwen rubbed his eyes and asked, “What time is it?”

“It’s 5 AM. Brother-in-law, hurry up and get up for breakfast!”

“Alright.”

“Then I’ll head out first.”

An Shuishui suddenly caught sight of something frightening, quickly got up, and left the room.

Xu Xiuwen got out of bed and headed to the backyard to freshen up.

The two sisters were in the kitchen preparing breakfast.

By the time he finished washing up, they had just finished cooking.

The three of them sat at the dining table in the front room for breakfast.

Not seeing Liu Ruo around, Xu Xiuwen asked curiously, “Where’s Auntie? She hasn’t gotten up yet?”

An Shishi chuckled, “Do you think everyone wakes up as late as you?”

Xu Xiuwen rubbed his nose, thinking, It’s not even 6 AM yet, that’s not late.

But he didn’t argue with her.

Instead, he turned to the quiet An Shuishui and asked again.

Compared to An Shishi, An Shuishui was much more well-behaved.

“Brother-in-law, my mom got up early and went to the market.”

Going to the market—a traditional folk practice, also known as 赶场 (gan chang) or 趁墟 (chen xu) in the south. It was a form of trade organization that remained from times or regions where commodity economies were underdeveloped.

Younger generations, especially those born after 2000, might not be familiar with this concept.

But Xu Xiuwen not only knew about it—he had even been to a market before.

So he understood what it was all about.

Hearing that Liu Ruo had gone to the market early in the morning, he was a bit surprised.

After all, they were leaving soon, and he had planned to drive the sisters back.

Yet Liu Ruo had left for the market?

For a moment, Xu Xiuwen wondered if he had misheard.

“Auntie went to the market? I could’ve given her a ride. Why the rush?”

An Shuishui shook her head.

She didn’t know why her mother had suddenly decided to go either.

An Shishi, after thinking for a moment, said, “Maybe Mom didn’t want to watch us leave because she knew it would make her sad.”

That explanation made sense.

Xu Xiuwen nodded, said no more, and focused on eating.

After breakfast—

The sky was beginning to lighten.

Xu Xiuwen checked the time and said, “Have you packed everything? It’s getting late; we should get going.”

An Shuishui replied, “Everything’s packed and already loaded into the car.”

“Alright, do you have anything else to do before we leave? If not, let’s go early so we can get back to Jinling sooner.”

An Shishi said, “I’m good. Shuishui, what about you?”

An Shuishui shook her head. “I’m ready too.”

“Alright, let’s go then.”

The three of them turned and walked out of the house.

Xu Xiuwen assumed that when An Shuishui said their luggage was packed in the car, she meant it was in the trunk.

But once they got in, he realized—

Both An Shishi and An Shuishui’s suitcases were piled up in the backseat behind him.

After An Shishi locked the house and got into the passenger seat—

Xu Xiuwen turned to ask, “Why didn’t you put the suitcases in the trunk?”

An Shishi replied, “It’s full.”

“Full? I don’t remember putting much in there.”

An Shishi explained, “It’s the quilts. My mom just made three new ones with high-quality cotton. They wouldn’t be used here, so she told us to take them back.”

Hearing this, Xu Xiuwen paused for a moment.

Then, he laughed.

He remembered seeing a viral post about weddings in a certain province, where the bride price was 300,000 yuan, yet the dowry was just three quilts.

Now, he himself had paid a 100,000 yuan bride price—

And in 2006, that amount was worth far more than 300,000 in 2022.

Yet he had also received three quilts in return.

But Xu Xiuwen had been willing to pay that 100,000 yuan—

Because he truly loved An Shishi.

For Xu Xiuwen, that sum of money was nothing—hardly a burden at all.

He never expected anything from An Shishi’s family in return.

So these three brand-new quilts were a pleasant surprise.

Without saying much more, he reminded the sisters to fasten their seatbelts and then started the car.

Xu Xiuwen first drove An Shuishui to Guilin Railway Station.

She wasn’t returning to Jinling with them; instead, she would take the train straight to Beijing.

It was her first time traveling far from home—alone, no less.

Both Xu Xiuwen and An Shishi were a little uneasy about this. At first, they had planned for An Shishi to accompany her.

But An Shuishui rejected the idea without hesitation.

She said that last year, her sister had traveled alone to Jinling—no money, no phone, no suitcase—just dragging big bags and small bundles by herself.

If her sister could do it, so could she.

She also pointed out that she had a phone and could contact them anytime if she needed help.

Hearing this, Xu Xiuwen and An Shishi had no choice but to agree.

And honestly, An Shuishui had a point.

When An Shishi had gone to Jinling for university, her situation had been even tougher—

Yet she made it just fine.

An Shuishui was even smarter than her sister.

Would this really be a challenge for her?

Xu Xiuwen and An Shishi accompanied her into the station and walked her onto the train.

They stayed by her side until the train was about to depart.

Only then did they step off.

Through the train window, An Shuishui waved at them.

She wasn’t particularly sad or reluctant to leave.

Her eyes were filled with excitement and curiosity about university life and the future.

In contrast, An Shishi felt a bit down watching her sister leave.

But she held back her tears, not wanting to make An Shuishui worry.

When the train finally pulled away—

She couldn’t hold back anymore.

Tears fell.

Xu Xiuwen comforted her for a bit until she managed to pull herself together.

Then, the two of them set off for Jinling.

Compared to the trip there—

The journey back felt a lot less lonely, with someone to talk to.

Aside from stopping a few times at service areas for bathroom breaks, Xu Xiuwen barely took any rest.

After over ten hours of driving—

At 9 PM, they arrived in Jinling.

Back at Jiaotong University—

Xu Xiuwen didn’t take An Shishi straight to her dorm.

Instead, he brought her to the little food street outside the university for a late dinner.

Only after eating did he drive her back to her dormitory building.

At the moment of parting, An Shishi seemed reluctant to say goodbye.

She suddenly asked, “Should I come find you later?”

Xu Xiuwen smiled and shook his head.

“I’ve been driving all day. You should rest early, too. I’m not that busy these days—it doesn’t have to be tonight.”

“Alright.”

Since he put it that way, An Shishi didn’t insist.

They waved goodbye.

Then, she turned, dragging her suitcase as she headed upstairs.

By coincidence—

The dorm supervisor on duty tonight was the same auntie Xu Xiuwen had previously bribed.

She clearly saw him and An Shishi together—

And gave him a knowing look, as if she understood exactly what was going on.

After dropping An Shishi off at her dorm—

Xu Xiuwen drove back to Jiangning Huayuan.

Once he arrived, he parked downstairs.

Xu Xiuwen closed the car door, ready to head upstairs.

But then, he suddenly remembered the three new quilts in the trunk.

So he turned back to get them.

Lifting the trunk lid—

He saw two quilts.

They were indeed new.

The quilt covers were bright red, embroidered with elegant floral patterns.

In many places, such red quilts were traditionally used as wedding bedding.

Xu Xiuwen only saw two quilts, neatly folded into square blocks.

But the third one was odd—

It was laid out flat.

Curious, he casually glanced inside.

The next second—

He almost let out a scream but managed to hold it in.

A leg was sticking out from under the quilt.

For a brief moment, his mind flashed through a series of bizarre and absurd movie scenarios.

He swallowed hard.

Had someone killed a person and stuffed the body into his trunk?!

His first instinct was to call the police.

But then he thought—if he did, what if the police suspected him of the crime?

How would he even explain himself?

Xu Xiuwen decided to hold off on calling the authorities.

Instead, he cautiously stepped forward, slowly reaching out to lift the quilt.

As he pulled back the fabric—

A woman’s face gradually came into view.

“Auntie?”

This time, Xu Xiuwen couldn’t hide his shock.

Beneath the quilt—

It wasn’t some gruesome crime scene.

It was Liu Ruo, An Shishi’s mother!

Wasn’t she supposed to be in Liu Family Village?

Why was she in his trunk?!

There was no time to think.

Xu Xiuwen quickly noticed that Liu Ruo’s face was flushed red.

Her eyes were half-open, half-closed—her whole state was dazed and disoriented.

Wasting no time, he grabbed the quilts, tossed them onto the backseat, and carefully lifted Liu Ruo out.

“Auntie, wake up!”

Xu Xiuwen gently shook her.

Liu Ruo barely managed to open her eyes, weakly murmuring, “…Xiao Xu…”

Then—

She passed out completely.

Xu Xiuwen didn’t hesitate.

Holding her in his arms, he sprinted toward the elevator.

Once inside his apartment—

He laid her down on the couch.

He kept shaking her, calling her name.

No response.

He pressed on her renzhong (the philtrum pressure point).

If she didn’t wake up soon, he would have no choice but to call 120.

Fortunately—

After a moment, Liu Ruo slowly regained consciousness.

—

A quick note:

In earlier chapters, it was mentioned that An Shishi’s father was an abusive man.

Some readers suggested that Xu Xiuwen should take all three of them to Jinling to live together.

That idea aligns with what I had in mind—

Just with a different approach.

As for why things are unfolding this way—

You’ll see soon enough.

Lastly, thanks for your support!