Rebirth Begins with Rejecting my Childhood Friend - Chapter 532

Xu Xiuwen took the initiative to introduce, “Lili, you should have heard of her name, right? This is Xiao Youran—she’s my girlfriend now.”

Xiao Youran was quite pleased with Xu Xiuwen’s introduction.

She immediately smiled and greeted Ning Jiali, “Hello, I’ve always heard Xiao Xu praise his cousin for being smart and beautiful. Now that we’ve met, I see he wasn’t lying. Hehe… You can call me Sister Youran.”

Ning Jiali hadn’t known that Xu Xiuwen had a girlfriend.

Now that she suddenly found out, she didn’t feel very happy about it.

She simply greeted Xiao Youran with a brief “Hello,” without warmly addressing her as “Sister Youran.”

After greeting her, she turned to Xu Xiuwen.

“Cousin, you have a girlfriend? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Xu Xiuwen replied, “Yeah, it’s been a few months. I’ll tell you more about it later. Get in the car first.”

“Oh.”

Xiao Youran might not have been as quick-witted as An Shishi, but she wasn’t just a pretty face either.

She immediately sensed Ning Jiali’s coldness.

This puzzled her.

She didn’t understand the reason behind it.

So, she turned to look at Xu Xiuwen, seeking an explanation.

Xu Xiuwen noticed her questioning gaze but didn’t offer an explanation.

Instead, he simply reached out and patted the back of her hand gently twice.

Seeing this, Xiao Youran didn’t ask any further.

Ning Jiali lowered her head, silently walked to the back, opened the car door, and got in.

Xu Xiuwen then started the car and drove off.

Along the way, there wasn’t much conversation in the car.

Xu Xiuwen focused on driving.

Ning Jiali remained quiet.

Only Xiao Youran spoke occasionally.

The car continued in this silent yet awkward atmosphere until they arrived in Jinling.

On the way to Jinling Normal University, Xu Xiuwen suddenly seemed to remember something and said to Ning Jiali in the backseat, “Lili, there’s a laptop and a phone in the bag behind me. They’re from me to you. See if you like them.”

Ning Jiali had already noticed the new phone and laptop on the seat beside her.

She just hadn’t asked about them.

But she had already guessed.

Now, hearing Xu Xiuwen say this, she forced a smile and said, “Thank you, Cousin.”

“You’re in college now. You’re not a child anymore—you need to learn to be mature. When interacting with people, you should be polite. You should address others properly when it’s appropriate.”

Xu Xiuwen’s words carried an underlying message.

Xiao Youran picked up on it.

Her heart warmed—Xiao Xu still cared about her feelings.

Ning Jiali also understood the hint.

She was silent for a moment before finally speaking in a soft voice to Xiao Youran in the passenger seat, “Sister Youran.”

“That’s more like it.” Xu Xiuwen finally smiled.

Xiao Youran also breathed a sigh of relief.

Although she still didn’t know why Ning Jiali had been cold to her at first, at least she was now willing to accept her.

“Lili, if you encounter any difficulties in college and don’t feel comfortable telling Xiao Xu, you can come to me. My number is already saved in your phone.”

“Thank you, Sister Youran.”

“It’s nothing,” Xiao Youran replied with a faint smile.

Before long, they arrived at Jinling Normal University.

Since it was September 1st, the first day of the new school year, the entrance of the university was bustling with senior students welcoming the freshmen.

It was hard to say how many of them were actually there to sell SIM cards, but at least they made the new students feel the enthusiasm and hospitality of their seniors.

Because of the large crowd, the school didn’t allow cars inside.

Xu Xiuwen parked the car on the roadside near the campus, and the three of them got out, walking toward the school.

Xu Xiuwen and Xiao Youran accompanied Ning Jiali to complete her registration.

At this moment, Ning Jiali’s attention was entirely drawn to the brand-new Nokia phone Xu Xiuwen had bought her.

She kept her head down, fiddling with the phone.

Seeing this, Xu Xiuwen chuckled.

“Alright, put the phone away for now. You’ll have plenty of time to check it out later. Take a look at your university first.”

Hearing this, Ning Jiali obediently put the phone away.

She had to admit—Jinling Normal University had a truly beautiful campus.

On both sides of the main road leading into the campus, rows of plane trees stood tall, their lush green leaves creating a refreshing and invigorating atmosphere.

A gentle breeze blew through, rustling the leaves, as if the trees were greeting the new freshmen.

Following the main path forward, they soon came across a vast soccer field, its vibrant greenery stretching out like a huge, soft green carpet.

The campus also had a pond, where golden and red fish swam playfully in the clear water.

Some affectionate couples sat on stone benches by the pond, whispering to each other.

This university truly lived up to the description of “picturesque scenery.”

Compared to this, Jiangling College—where Xu Xiuwen studied—was far less impressive.

Only the main campus of Jiaotong University could probably compete with this place, though Jiaotong University was likely still the more beautiful one.

Soon, the three of them arrived at the registration and payment area.

After completing the payment, they were led by a senior from the English department to the girls’ dormitory building.

The dormitory was located on the western side of the campus, a bit far from the academic buildings.

However, the area was filled with osmanthus trees.

One could easily imagine that once osmanthus season arrived, the whole place would be filled with a delightful fragrance.

Upon reaching the dormitory entrance, Xu Xiuwen thanked the senior student and let her leave.

He then turned to Xiao Youran and said, “Youran, wait for me here. I’ll go up with her.”

Xiao Youran nodded.

Meanwhile, they checked in with the dorm supervisor, providing Ning Jiali’s student number and room assignment.

Since it was the beginning of the school year, the university hadn’t enforced restrictions on male visitors yet.

After receiving the key, Xu Xiuwen carried the suitcase and accompanied Ning Jiali upstairs.

Her dorm room was 527.

When they arrived, the door was already open.

Xu Xiuwen stepped inside and took a quick look at the room.

It was already past 10 a.m., over an hour since registration had begun.

As expected, a few other students had already arrived.

Ning Jiali’s dorm was a six-person room, and three of her future roommates were already there.

Their parents were nowhere to be seen—perhaps they hadn’t come to help with the move-in, or maybe they had already left.

The moment Xu Xiuwen and Ning Jiali walked in, they immediately caught the attention of the three girls inside.

One of them, a lively and outgoing girl, brightened up the moment she saw Xu Xiuwen—a tall, handsome guy.

She wasted no time stepping forward and asking directly, “Hey, handsome! Are you her brother?”

“Yeah,” Xu Xiuwen nodded.

Hearing this, the girl grinned and extended her hand.

“Nice to meet you, brother! I’m Guo Shasha, from Chengdu.”

Guo Shasha’s direct approach caught Xu Xiuwen by surprise.

However, since she had already introduced herself and extended her hand, refusing to shake it would seem impolite—almost as if he was looking down on her.

So, he set down the suitcase, reached out, and shook Guo Shasha’s hand. “Hello, Guo Shasha.”

Guo Shasha pouted, “Brother, you haven’t told me your name yet.”

“Uh… alright. My name is Yang Baishan.”

Xu Xiuwen was cautious—he didn’t give his real name.

Ning Jiali, who had followed closely behind him, felt an inexplicable pang of jealousy when she saw Guo Shasha eagerly shaking hands with Xu Xiuwen.

But the moment she heard him introduce himself as “Yang Baishan,” she almost burst out laughing.

Luckily, she managed to hold it in.

Guo Shasha, unaware that Xu Xiuwen was lying, tilted her head in thought.

“Yang Baishan”—the name sounded a bit rustic, but from another perspective, it had a certain simplicity to it.

She smiled and said, “Then can I call you Brother Yang from now on?”

“Uh… suit yourself.”

At that moment, Guo Shasha noticed Ning Jiali standing beside him. She smiled and extended her hand as well. “Hi, I’m Guo Shasha. What’s your name?”

Ning Jiali had no choice but to shake her hand and introduce herself. “I’m Ning Jiali.”

Guo Shasha blinked in surprise. “Wait… you two don’t have the same last name?”

Xu Xiuwen explained, “I’m Lili’s cousin.”

“Oh, that makes sense.”

Guo Shasha understood now.

No wonder Ning Jiali’s overall temperament was so different from Yang Baishan’s.

She then took the initiative to introduce the other two girls in the room.

Xu Xiuwen now knew their names—Lu Bingxin and Nie Rou, from Suzhou and Hangzhou, respectively.

Their looks matched their hometowns well—both had that classic Jiangnan elegance.

Nie Rou, in particular, had an especially sweet smile, thanks to the two dimples that appeared at the corners of her mouth.

One thing worth mentioning—whether by coincidence or deliberate arrangement—Room 527’s three residents all had impressive looks.

Among them, Lu Bingxin’s appearance might be slightly less striking compared to the other three, but only by a small margin.

Any one of the four could easily be considered a department beauty.

As for who was the most beautiful, Xu Xiuwen couldn’t decide right away.

But if the question was who had the best figure—

There was no doubt. It was Guo Shasha.

She stood at about 1.67 meters tall, her full, shapely chest stretching her white T-shirt tight.

She wore a pair of shorts, exposing long, fair legs.

Her facial features were also quite striking.

She had the signature peach blossom eyes of Chengdu girls, a delicate oval face, and fair skin with a faint hint of allure.

Among the four girls, she stood out the most.

However, Xu Xiuwen wasn’t particularly fond of girls as outgoing and forward as Guo Shasha.

On the contrary—

He found Nie Rou’s shy demeanor and sweet smile far more appealing.

At that moment, Guo Shasha continued her questions. “Brother Yang, are you a student at our university too?”

Xu Xiuwen shook his head. “I study at Jiaotong University’s Jiangling College.”

Hearing “Jiangling College,” the three girls assumed it was just another department of Jiaotong University, similar to how their English major belonged to the School of Foreign Languages.

They had no idea Jiangling College was actually a third-tier institution.

Thinking Xu Xiuwen was from a prestigious university, Guo Shasha’s eyes sparkled even more.

She immediately followed up, “Brother Yang, can I visit you at Jiaotong University sometime?”

Xu Xiuwen shook his head. “No. I’m usually very busy—I don’t have time to entertain you.”

Guo Shasha was stunned.

This was probably the first time a guy had ever directly rejected her!

After brushing her off, Xu Xiuwen turned to Nie Rou and Lu Bingxin, casually chatting with them for a moment.

His words quickly made the two girls laugh.

Seeing this, Guo Shasha felt a little uncomfortable.

But there was someone who felt even worse than she did—

Ning Jiali.

Watching her cousin easily become familiar with the girls, even joking around with them, made her feel incredibly upset.

She couldn’t help but say, “Alright, cousin, I don’t need you to stay with me anymore. Just leave.”

Xu Xiuwen was taken aback. “I haven’t even helped you get your bedding yet.”

“I’ll go get it myself later. You should go.”

Xu Xiuwen let out a helpless chuckle. “You’re already kicking me out? Am I that annoying? Alright, I’ll go. Take care of things on your own, then. If you run into any trouble, just ask Nie Rou and Lu Bingxin. They seem like the kind of girls who love to help others.”

He casually threw a compliment their way.

Nie Rou and Lu Bingxin, being relatively simple and inexperienced with the world, didn’t realize it was intentional flattery.

Hearing him praise them as kind and helpful, they smiled and said, “Jiali, we know where to get the bedding. We can help you.”

“Thanks,” Ning Jiali replied.

But as she spoke, she turned and shot a glare at Xu Xiuwen, as if saying, Why are you still here?

Xu Xiuwen let out a wry smile, then turned to leave.

But just as he reached the door, he suddenly turned back.

“Nie Rou, Lu Bingxin, let me have your phone numbers. If you ever run into any problems, you can reach out to me. And if our Lili doesn’t focus on her studies, you can secretly let me know.”

If this had been a sleazy-looking upperclassman, Nie Rou and Lu Bingxin wouldn’t have given out their numbers—

In fact, they wouldn’t have even entertained much conversation.

But Xu Xiuwen was not only handsome, he had a certain charisma that most guys their age lacked.

So, they didn’t hesitate at all and readily shared their numbers.

But—he didn’t ask for Guo Shasha’s.

That made Guo Shasha feel a little embarrassed.

She couldn’t understand why he had completely ignored her while being so friendly with Lu Bingxin and Nie Rou.

Had she somehow offended him?

But this was their first meeting—

Had she said something that made him unhappy?

She couldn’t figure it out.

Still, she didn’t bring it up or try to exchange numbers with him.

She had already memorized his number.

And since he hadn’t asked for hers, taking the initiative to offer it now would make her seem desperate.

She didn’t want that.

After Xu Xiuwen saved their numbers, he glanced at Ning Jiali, who was still glaring at him.

He smiled faintly. “Lili, I’m leaving now. Call me if you need anything.”

Ning Jiali simply nodded.

And with that, Xu Xiuwen turned and walked out.

After he left, Ning Jiali started unpacking her luggage.

But as soon as she opened her suitcase, she noticed a black plastic bag inside.

She was certain she hadn’t packed that bag herself.

Frowning, she picked it up and opened it.

The moment she saw what was inside, she froze.

Her three roommates, noticing her sudden silence and stillness, curiously looked over.

Their eyes widened in shock.

Inside the black plastic bag was a thick stack of 100-yuan bills—

A total of 10,000 yuan.

That might not seem like much, but in 2006, the average annual income in Jinling was just over 14,997 yuan.

Most college students only had a monthly allowance of two or three hundred yuan. The ones with slightly better conditions had five or six hundred, maybe eight or nine hundred at most.

Having more than 1,000 yuan in spending money each month was rare.

Ning Jiali snapped out of her daze and noticed a small note inside the bag.

She picked it up and read it.

“I don’t have time to take you shopping. Buy whatever you need, and don’t be stingy with the money. When you run out, just let me know. I won’t tell Uncle and Aunt about this—this is our little secret.”

The words hit her right in the heart.

Just moments ago, she had been feeling annoyed and frustrated—

But now, all of that had vanished, replaced by a deep sense of warmth and gratitude.

The other three girls had also seen the note.

All of them looked at Ning Jiali with envy.

Especially Guo Shasha.

Despite her stylish outfit, her family’s financial situation was actually quite average.

She only got 500 yuan a month for living expenses.

It would take her twenty months of saving every single cent to reach 10,000 yuan.

But Ning Jiali didn’t have to do anything—her cousin just handed her that much money without a second thought.

How could life be so unfair?

Why didn’t she have such a generous cousin?