Rebirth Begins with Rejecting my Childhood Friend - Chapter 524

Seeing that Liu Ruo had woken up, Xu Xiuwen let out a sigh of relief.

He quickly went to the kitchen, poured a cup of hot water, then helped Liu Ruo up and fed her a sip.

After drinking the water, Liu Ruo gradually became more alert.

Xu Xiuwen could no longer hold back and asked, “Auntie, what exactly happened? Why… why were you in the trunk?”

Liu Ruo looked at Xu Xiuwen’s puzzled expression, her face filled with hesitation.

Seeing this, Xu Xiuwen said, “Is there something you can’t tell me?”

Liu Ruo remained silent.

Xu Xiuwen took out his phone and said, “If you won’t talk, I’ll call Shishi right now.”

“Xiao Xu, don’t…”

Hearing that Xu Xiuwen was going to contact An Shishi, Liu Ruo panicked.

She quickly stopped him, hesitated for more than ten seconds, and finally nodded in agreement to speak.

Then, Liu Ruo told a story.

The story went like this:

There was a girl who had been very smart since she was young. After starting school, she always ranked first in the entire school.

The girl was happy.

But happiness didn’t last long.

After graduating from middle school, her parents didn’t want her to continue studying. They wanted her to stay home, focus on farm work, and marry early in a couple of years to ease the family’s burden.

Fortunately, the principal of the local high school visited her home. He not only persuaded her parents to let her continue her studies but also waived all her tuition fees.

Only then did the girl get the chance to keep studying.

Just when she thought she could be the first in her village to go to college and leave, a stranger—a young man—arrived in the village.

On a rainy day, the man blocked her way home after school.

Then, he took her away and violated her.

Later, the man gave her parents some money to silence the matter.

But from that moment on, everything changed.

Her classmates at school looked at her differently.

The villagers despised her.

Even her own parents found her shameful.

Not long after, she dropped out of school.

Because she was pregnant.

She carried the child of that man.

In the end, she had no choice but to marry him.

The man was an outsider, rumored to have committed a crime and come here to hide.

He brought some money with him, but it ran out quickly.

So their life after marriage was full of hardship.

And the man was a drunkard. He was abusive.

The girl thought about divorce countless times. Thought about escaping.

But the man threatened her—if she dared to run, he would kill her parents and their child.

So she endured it all in silence.

Until more than ten years later.

The thought of escaping surfaced in her mind once again.

But this time, there was nothing to hold her back.

Her parents had long passed away. Her two children had both gone to college and had people they could rely on.

The idea of escape kept appearing in her mind.

Finally, she made up her mind…

That was the whole story.

The girl in the story was Liu Ruo in her younger years.

Xu Xiuwen remained silent for a long time after hearing it.

He had always known that Liu Ruo was an unfortunate woman.

But he hadn’t realized just how tragic her life had been.

In reality, many women flee from unhappy marriages.

Xu Xiuwen understood these women, but he did not admire them.

But he admired Liu Ruo.

Because he knew—when she was young, she didn’t run away, not because she lacked courage, not because she was afraid.

But it was because she had a sense of responsibility.

She bore the duties of both a daughter and a mother.

Silently enduring poverty and violence, she lived a life without light, without a future.

Now, she had fulfilled all the responsibilities she needed to.

She no longer wanted to endure this dark, wayward life.

So, she escaped from Liu Family Village.

Knowing this, how could Xu Xiuwen not admire her?

After Liu Ruo finished her story, she saw that Xu Xiuwen remained silent.

She pleaded, “Xiao Xu, I’ve never asked you for anything before. Just this once, please. Pretend you never saw me. Don’t tell anyone about me.”

Xu Xiuwen couldn’t help but ask, “Not even Shishi and Shuishui?”

Liu Ruo nodded. “No. I’ve already entrusted Shishi to you, and Shuishui is also relying on you. They don’t need me to worry about them anymore. From now on, I want to live for myself. Just think of it as if… I never gave birth to them.”

She wanted to sever all ties with her past completely.

Xu Xiuwen admired this woman even more.

After a moment of silence, he nodded. “Alright, I understand. I won’t tell Shishi or Shuishui.”

“Thank you, Xiao Xu.” Gratitude filled Liu Ruo’s eyes.

“Auntie, what are your plans for the future?”

Liu Ruo was briefly stunned, then replied, “I plan to find a job first.”

A job? Xu Xiuwen glanced at her.

It wasn’t that he looked down on her or thought she was uneducated because she came from the countryside.

It was just that in today’s society, finding a decent job was extremely difficult without education or connections.

Of course, low-paying jobs with poor conditions were much easier to come by.

Given Liu Ruo’s situation, those seemed to be her only options.

After some thought, Xu Xiuwen asked, “Auntie, do you plan to stay in Jinling? Where will you live?”

“I’ll go wherever I can find work, I don’t mind. As for a place to stay… I’ll figure it out after I find a job.”

Xu Xiuwen could tell she didn’t have a concrete plan.

She was just taking things one step at a time.

He asked again, “How much money do you have on you?”

“Before Shishi left, she gave me 2,000 yuan. I have 2,500 yuan now.”

Hearing this, Xu Xiuwen shook his head helplessly.

“Auntie, you might not be aware of Jinling’s cost of living. You don’t even have a place to stay—2,000 yuan won’t last long at all.”

Liu Ruo nodded. “I know. I’ll find a job as soon as possible. Until then, I’ll be careful with my spending.”

Even if she were just an ordinary acquaintance, Xu Xiuwen wouldn’t stand by and do nothing.

Let alone the fact that Liu Ruo was An Shishi’s mother—his future mother-in-law.

Even though she wanted to cut ties with her past, Xu Xiuwen couldn’t just watch her wander into the world with barely any money.

A woman like her, who had lived her whole life in a remote village and had never been to a city, would likely be scammed clean within a day.

Looking into Liu Ruo’s eyes, Xu Xiuwen said seriously, “You shouldn’t go to another city. Stay in Jinling. If anything happens, at least I can help. As for where you’ll live…”

He initially wanted to say, Before you find a place, you can stay at my place.

But then he remembered that An Shishi and the other people from Room 301 might come over once school started.

After a second of thought, he continued, “I’ll arrange a place for you to stay.”

Hearing this, Liu Ruo quickly shook her head. “Xiao Xu, there’s no need. You don’t have to go through all that trouble for me.”

“It’s not trouble. You’re my mother-in-law. I can’t just let you be homeless, can I? It’s settled then—I’ll find you a place to stay. For tonight, just sleep here.”

Seeing Xu Xiuwen’s firm attitude, Liu Ruo hesitated for a long time before finally nodding in agreement.

She looked at Xu Xiuwen with even more approval.

This son-in-law was truly a good man.

If only he weren’t so flirtatious.

“Auntie, how did you end up hiding in the trunk?”

Liu Ruo’s face showed a hint of embarrassment.

“I was thinking about how Shishi and Shuishui were both leaving me, and I’d be all alone at home. I felt a bit lonely, so I acted on impulse. I’m sorry, Xiao Xu.”

Xu Xiuwen waved his hand. “Auntie, stop apologizing. I’m not blaming you. I just think you’re quite creative. I wouldn’t have thought of something like this.”

Liu Ruo’s expression became even more awkward.

But seeing that Xu Xiuwen didn’t doubt her, she secretly let out a sigh of relief.

She had lied to him.

The truth was, ever since her younger daughter received her college acceptance letter, she had been planning her escape.

She had thought of many ways to leave.

But in the end, she chose this method.

Because every other way carried the risk of being seen or discovered.

Only this method allowed her to leave Liu Family Village without a trace.

Even if the villagers noticed her disappearance later, they wouldn’t know when or how she had left.

Not even the police would be able to track her down.

She had done all this to completely sever ties with her husband.

Now, even if he reported her missing, she had nothing to fear.

“You’ve been lying in the trunk all day. You haven’t eaten anything, have you?”

Liu Ruo nodded.

“Come on, I’ll take you out for something to eat. If I’d known earlier, I would’ve brought some food back.”

“There’s no need, Xiao Xu. See if there’s anything at home—I can just eat whatever’s available.”

“No way. You haven’t eaten all day. How can you just eat whatever? Besides, I don’t have much food at home anyway.”

Hearing this, Liu Ruo could only nod in agreement.

Once she regained some strength, Xu Xiuwen took her to a restaurant near Jiaotong University for dinner.

After entering the restaurant, he casually ordered a few homestyle dishes.

Liu Ruo ate quickly and urgently.

Xu Xiuwen could tell she was truly starving.

He didn’t say anything, just poured her a cup of hot water.

Even as she ate, Liu Ruo didn’t forget to thank him.

After dinner, they returned to Jiangning Huayuan, bringing up the blankets they had left downstairs earlier.

Xu Xiuwen carried two, and Liu Ruo—who had regained some energy after eating—carried one as well.

Once home, Xu Xiuwen led Liu Ruo to the bathroom and explained how to use the different appliances and fixtures.

Liu Ruo quickly demonstrated her intelligence—she understood everything after just one explanation.

Then, Xu Xiuwen took her to An Shishi’s room.

“Shishi stays in this room when she’s here. You can sleep here tonight.”

Liu Ruo nodded.

Xu Xiuwen glanced at her.

She was dressed simply, in typical rural attire.

She hadn’t brought any bags or suitcases.

Which meant she didn’t have any spare clothes to change into.

After thinking for a moment, he decided to find some clothes from another girl for her to wear temporarily.

Xu Xiuwen didn’t choose An Shishi’s clothes because she was too sharp.

If she found even one piece missing, she’d notice right away.

And when she asked about it, he’d have a hard time explaining.

Cheng Lu was just as smart, so touching her clothes wasn’t an option either.

That left only Xiao Youran’s.

Xiao Youran often stayed over, so she kept a good amount of clothes in her room.

Academically, she was just as intelligent as An Shishi, but in daily life, she was a bit less meticulous.

Not to the point of being an absent-minded beauty—just someone who lacked a keen sense of observation.

Plus, she owned a lot of clothes, many of which she wore only once before forgetting about them.

So even if a few pieces went missing, she wouldn’t notice.

Xu Xiuwen took a white T-shirt and a pair of blue jeans from her wardrobe.

He also grabbed a set of underwear.

Normally, wearing someone else’s underwear wasn’t ideal.

But given the situation, he had no choice.

He had already made up his mind—first thing in the morning, as soon as the stores opened, he’d take Liu Ruo shopping for new clothes.

That would avoid any further awkwardness.

Liu Ruo looked at the clothes Xu Xiuwen handed her, feeling a little embarrassed, but she accepted them nonetheless.

Then, he brought her a fresh towel, a toothbrush, and other toiletries.

“Auntie, these are all brand new.”

“Thank you, Xiao Xu.”

“It’s nothing. If you need anything else, just call me. I’m right next door.”

“Okay, Xiao Xu.”

“If there’s nothing else, you should get some rest. I drove all day—I’m pretty tired.”

“Alright, go to sleep.”

Xu Xiuwen turned back to his room.

After a shower, he lay down on his bed.

Thinking back on the night’s events, he still found them hard to believe.

Who would have thought someone would hide in a car’s trunk like that?

It sounded absurd.

Yet, it had actually happened.

And he had been the one to discover it.

Liu Ruo was determined to sever all ties with her past.

That kind of courage was something he truly admired.

Before long, he drifted off to sleep.

The Next Morning

Xu Xiuwen was woken up by a woman’s startled scream.

There were only two people in the apartment—him and Liu Ruo.

So it had to be her.

He didn’t know what had happened, but he immediately got up and rushed out to check.

The sound had come from the direction of the living room.

But when he got there, he didn’t see anyone.

Then, a second later, he spotted movement in the kitchen.

Hurrying over, he saw Liu Ruo sitting on the floor, leaning against the cabinet.

Fear was still visible on her face.

And there was a distinct burnt smell in the air—specifically, the scent of singed hair.

Looking closer, he noticed the front of her hair had been scorched.

Xu Xiuwen quickly pieced things together.

She had probably tried to use the stove but didn’t handle it properly, and a sudden flare-up had burned her hair.

Still, he asked, “Auntie, what happened?”

Liu Ruo was completely dazed.

She had been truly frightened.

It wasn’t until Xu Xiuwen asked a second time that Liu Ruo slowly snapped out of her daze.

She pointed at the stove in front of her and said, “Xiao Xu, it spat fire. It was so scary.”

So that’s what happened.

Liu Ruo had never seen a stove before, so it was understandable that she didn’t know how to use it.

Xu Xiuwen couldn’t help but find the situation a bit funny.

He smiled lightly and said, “Yes, that’s a stove, it works like that. Auntie, why are you up and in the kitchen instead of sleeping?”

Although his tone wasn’t accusatory, Liu Ruo still felt a bit wronged.

She explained, “I couldn’t sleep, so I got up. I found some vegetables and meat in that big iron cabinet, they looked pretty fresh, so I thought I’d make you breakfast.”

“Sorry, I’ve caused you more trouble.”

Xu Xiuwen didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he stepped forward and helped her up from the cold floor.

Then he gave her a careful once-over to make sure she wasn’t injured.

The next second, Xu Xiuwen froze.

Liu Ruo was wearing the clothes he had given her the night before—Xiao Youran’s clothes. She had on a white T-shirt and a pair of jeans.

Both items were a bit small, tight against her body.

This only highlighted how well-proportioned her figure was.

That wasn’t what surprised Xu Xiuwen, though.

What really caught him off guard was that he could clearly see two noticeable curves.

It only took a split second for him to realize what it was, and immediately, he felt embarrassed.

He quickly shifted his gaze and asked, “Auntie, why didn’t you wear the clothes I gave you last night?”

Liu Ruo froze for a moment, thinking to herself, I am wearing them.

But the next second, she realized he was talking about the underwear.

Her face flushed with embarrassment, panic, and shyness.

She hurriedly explained, “Xiao Xu, the set of underwear you gave me is… too small. It’s too tight, it’s uncomfortable.”

Her explanation made sense.

Xu Xiuwen subconsciously glanced at Liu Ruo.

Her figure was undoubtedly much fuller than Xiao Youran’s.

This wasn’t to say Xiao Youran had a bad figure—just that there was a difference between a young girl and a mature woman.

Xu Xiuwen silently justified Xiao Youran in his mind.

Then, he was at a loss for words.

—

Author’s Note:

As for the storyline about An Shishi’s mother, Liu Ruo, I had planned this before starting the book.

In short, it’s about a smart girl who initially had the opportunity to become the first college student in her village, but unfortunately, she didn’t get that chance.

After becoming a mother, she worked hard to help her daughter, striving to change her life and prevent her from facing the same tragic fate.

In the end, her daughter indirectly changed her mother’s life as well.

As for Father An, he definitely won’t have an easy life.

I’ve already planned how to write his storyline, but it hasn’t reached that part yet.

Maybe my writing isn’t good enough, and it doesn’t quite live up to expectations, but I hope you all won’t mind.