Rebirth Begins with Rejecting my Childhood Friend - Chapter 538

This time, Chen Jin had accompanied Cheng Lu’s parents on their trip to Jinling.

That afternoon, after lunch, Cheng Lu took her parents to visit the Confucius Temple. In the evening, they returned to the hotel, and her parents asked Chen Jin to escort her back to school. Cheng Lu didn’t feel it was appropriate to refuse.

Hearing this, Xu Xiuwen was already mostly convinced, but he was still dissatisfied. He said, “You might see him as just a friend, but that doesn’t mean he sees you the same way. I’ve never seen a ‘regular friend’ accompany someone’s parents on a trip. Are you sure he doesn’t have feelings for you?”

Cheng Lu looked helpless. “Do you know why I didn’t tell you about this at the time?”

“Why?”

“Because of your petty jealousy.”

Xu Xiuwen immediately denied it. “Me? Jealous? If I were jealous, then no one in this world could be considered broad-minded.”

“Always boasting.” Cheng Lu rolled her eyes at him, then continued, “At school, whenever a guy looks at me for even a second too long, you glare at him. You don’t let me wear anything too revealing. Last time in the library, when someone tried to chat me up, your expression—I can still remember it vividly. And also—”

“Enough!” Xu Xiuwen quickly interrupted.

He rubbed his nose awkwardly.

Cheng Lu let out a soft humph. “And you still say you’re not jealous? Admit it now, don’t you?”

“I… but you still shouldn’t have lied to me.”

“You’re right. I didn’t think it through properly. I should have been honest with you and not lied. I won’t do it again.” Cheng Lu’s attitude in admitting her mistake was impeccable.

Most of Xu Xiuwen’s anger had already dissipated, but he still felt a little uneasy.

“Then tell me, what were you and Chen Jin talking about at the entrance? You were laughing so happily.”

Cheng Lu rolled her eyes. “I don’t want to say.”

“No way. If you don’t tell me, I won’t feel at ease.”

Cheng Lu sighed. “Fine, I’ll tell you.”

“Chen Jin knew that you had argued with my parents, so he promised to say some good words for you when he got back, to help smooth things over. That’s why I was laughing.”

So that was it.

Xu Xiuwen suddenly understood.

Everything had been a misunderstanding.

Just as he was feeling relieved, his smile suddenly froze.

He realized that because of his misunderstanding, he had ignored Cheng Lu for three whole days.

Yet, for his sake, Cheng Lu had set aside her pride and dignity to come and explain things to him.

At that moment, guilt filled his heart.

“Lu Lu, I…”

Xu Xiuwen wanted to defend himself, but he couldn’t bring himself to say anything.

Seeing his expression, Cheng Lu already understood what he was thinking.

She let out a sigh of relief.

In a soft voice, she said, “Idiot, I never blamed you.”

Hearing this, Xu Xiuwen was deeply moved.

Ignoring his embarrassment, he immediately reached out and grasped Cheng Lu’s hand tightly.

Cheng Lu looked into his eyes and said, “Idiot, I don’t know about other people, but for me, once I’ve chosen someone, it’s for life. Other than you, I won’t like anyone else. You should have more confidence in me. Even if you’re angry, you should at least give me a chance to explain.”

“I’m sorry, Lu Lu. I was too impulsive.”

“So you admit you were wrong?”

“I do. Please forgive me.”

“Hmph, it’s not that easy.”

Cheng Lu looked at Xu Xiuwen, then suddenly said, “Bring your face closer.”

Xu Xiuwen was startled for a moment.

Then, realizing what she meant, he chuckled and leaned in.

He thought she was going to smack him.

But just as Cheng Lu raised her hand, she put it down again.

“Forget it. You, this idiot, have thick skin. Hitting you won’t hurt you, but I might hurt my hand instead.”

After saying that, Cheng Lu let out a cheeky laugh.

Xu Xiuwen could no longer hold back—he pulled Cheng Lu into his arms.

Cheng Lu didn’t resist. Instead, she wrapped her arms around him in return.

After a while, Xu Xiuwen suddenly remembered something and asked, “Have Uncle and Auntie gone back?”

“They left a long time ago.”

Xu Xiuwen scratched his head. “I’m sorry, Lu Lu. I shouldn’t have just walked away that day.”

Hearing this, Cheng Lu didn’t blame him. Instead, she said, “I should also apologize on behalf of my parents.”

Xu Xiuwen was taken aback. “Why are you apologizing for them?”

“They shouldn’t have treated you that way.”

Xu Xiuwen shook his head. “Honestly, your parents weren’t wrong. Every parent wants their child to stay close. But my mom is still in Langya, and I don’t want to be too far from her.”

“Mm.”

“Sigh, so what do we do now? Your parents don’t approve of us dating.”

Cheng Lu burst out laughing. “So just because they don’t approve, we’re supposed to break up?”

“No way. Even if they don’t agree, I’m going to be with you no matter what.”

“I think the same. I’ll listen to them on other things, but not on this. I’m ready for a long battle ahead. The only question is, will you, this big pig, back down?”

Xu Xiuwen answered firmly, “Never!”

“Pig, even though my parents don’t agree now, I believe that if you prove yourself, they’ll eventually come around.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll work even harder and achieve something great to show them.”

They held each other for a while longer.

Then, the school bell rang.

Cheng Lu suddenly became reserved.

She gently pushed him away, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and said softly, “Alright, go to class now.”

Xu Xiuwen shook his head. “I’m skipping this one.”

Before he even finished speaking, he saw Cheng Lu glaring at him.

“Trying to skip class again? Did you already forget what you just promised me?”

“But if I go to class, I won’t be able to stay with you.”

Cheng Lu rolled her eyes. “We have plenty of time. Do you really have to stay right now?”

Xu Xiuwen chuckled. “Alright, alright, I’ll go to class.”

“Go on.”

“Wait a second.”

Just as Cheng Lu was about to ask what else he wanted, Xu Xiuwen suddenly leaned in and planted a quick kiss on her lips.

Cheng Lu shot him a sultry sideways glance but then broke into a smile.

At that moment, Xu Xiuwen was sure—this was the genuine smile Cheng Lu had when she was truly happy.

Unlike that day in front of the dormitory, where her smile had been faint and polite.

Thinking back now, it seemed more like a forced courtesy.

Sometimes, the details are right there in front of you.

But when emotions take over, it’s easy to miss them.

After parting ways with Cheng Lu, Xu Xiuwen rushed to class.

Since he was late, he had no choice but to sneak in through the back door.

The teacher noticed him but didn’t call him out.

Just as Xu Xiuwen was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he turned his head and met the gazes of Tang Weiwei and Shen Minyao.

Tang Weiwei gave him a small smile.

It seemed like she had been keeping an eye out for him. Now that she saw he had arrived, she relaxed and went back to focusing on the lesson.

Shen Minyao, on the other hand, gave him a look filled with meaning.

Xu Xiuwen felt a sudden tightness in his chest.

At noon, after class ended, Xu Xiuwen didn’t go to Jiaotong University to find Cheng Lu.

Instead, he went to the cafeteria with his dormmates for lunch.

During the meal, he accidentally overheard from Yang Baishan that the class president and several committee members were planning an autumn outing.

Yang Baishan mentioned several locations, all within or near Jinling.

The class committee hadn’t yet decided on a final destination.

But when he mentioned one particular place, Xu Xiuwen’s eyes lit up—Hongshan Scenic Area.

It was a well-known tourist spot in Jinling, with both mountains and water.

The mountain was Hongshan.

But the “water” didn’t refer to streams or rivers—it meant the hot springs at the foot of the mountain.

Xu Xiuwen had been there before, but it had been so long that he had almost forgotten about it.

Now that Yang Baishan brought it up, he suddenly remembered the hot springs at Hongshan Scenic Area.

Because of a misunderstanding, he had ignored Cheng Lu for three days.

Even though Cheng Lu had been incredibly understanding and didn’t hold it against him, Xu Xiuwen still felt guilty.

He wanted to make it up to her.

But giving gifts felt too cliché.

And Cheng Lu wasn’t the type who cared much about gifts anyway.

So he thought about taking her on a trip instead.

And Hongshan was the perfect spot.

They could enjoy the scenery during the day.

Then, when they were tired, they could relax in the hot springs back at the hotel.

This way, he could not only express his apology but also deepen their relationship.

Xu Xiuwen couldn’t think of a better way.

So, he made up his mind—Hongshan Scenic Area it was.

After School in the Afternoon
Xu Xiuwen originally planned to visit Cheng Lu at Jiaotong University.

But since it was the start of the semester, student council affairs were keeping her busy.

As the vice minister of the Arts Department, Cheng Lu was in charge of organizing the university’s Freshman Welcome Gala.

Some might wonder—shouldn’t Minister Jiang Yin be handling this?

Well, the student council was about to go through a leadership transition.

Jiang Yin was planning to run for student council president, so she didn’t have the energy to manage department affairs.

Besides, she had always admired Cheng Lu.

It was practically an open secret in the Arts Department that Cheng Lu was Jiang Yin’s pick for the next minister.

So Jiang Yin simply delegated the responsibility to Cheng Lu.

On one hand, it was a way to train her.

On the other, it was an opportunity to assess her abilities.

Aside from Cheng Lu, Song Siyu and Xiao Youran were also swamped with work.

One was in the Office Department.

The other was in the Discipline Department.

Both were high-responsibility roles.

What surprised Xu Xiuwen the most was Xiao Youran.

He had thought she had only joined the student council for the experience.

But to his surprise, she had impressed many people with her performance.

She was now a top candidate for the next head of the Discipline Department.

This had greatly motivated Xiao Youran.

She had been running around, busy with tasks, for days.

As for Song Siyu, there was no need to say much.

Her competence, personality, and looks had all earned the approval of the current minister and vice ministers.

Unless something unexpected happened, all three of them had a strong chance of becoming department heads.

This made Xu Xiuwen sigh.

Being attractive was definitely an advantage.

For example, if a regular-looking student and a school beauty or campus heartthrob performed at about the same level…

Most people would probably support the latter, right?

After all, who doesn’t like seeing good-looking people?

Of course, Cheng Lu had real skills to back her up.

She had single-handedly planned and organized both last year’s university Freshman Welcome Gala and the Jiangling College welcome event.

Her outstanding abilities had earned widespread recognition.

That Night
Even though he didn’t have time to see Cheng Lu in person, calling her was a must.

That evening, Xu Xiuwen called Cheng Lu to check if she was free on Saturday and Sunday.

When Cheng Lu said she was free, Xu Xiuwen immediately told her he wanted to take her on a trip to Hongshan Scenic Area over the weekend.

Cheng Lu was surprised but also a little excited.

She asked, “Just the two of us?”

Xu Xiuwen confirmed that, yes, it would be just the two of them.

This trip was meant to make up for the way he had ignored her these past few days, so he only wanted to take Cheng Lu.

If he invited others—like Xiao Youran—Cheng Lu might not say anything, but she would definitely be unhappy about it.

Xu Xiuwen wasn’t that clueless.

As expected, when she heard it would be just the two of them, Cheng Lu became even happier and immediately agreed.

Xu Xiuwen reminded her, “You better not tell anyone. If they find out we’re going on a trip without them, they’ll definitely make a fuss.”

Cheng Lu rolled her eyes. “Do you think I’m as dumb as you?”

Xu Xiuwen just chuckled.

After that, the two of them secretly planned their trip.

Once they hung up, Xu Xiuwen immediately started contacting hotels near the scenic area to book a room in advance.

Before long, he secured a reservation at a hotel at the foot of the mountain—a single large bed.

Inside Dorm Room 301
After ending the call, Cheng Lu looked at her phone and chuckled.

Her three roommates saw the whole thing.

Although they didn’t know what she was laughing about, they could all guess it had something to do with Xu Xiuwen.

Xiao Youran and Cheng Lu weren’t particularly close.

She figured that even if she asked, Cheng Lu wouldn’t necessarily tell her, so she just acted like she didn’t see anything.

Song Siyu did the same.

An Shishi, on the other hand, was aware that Xu Xiuwen and Cheng Lu had been fighting.

She had noticed that Cheng Lu had been in a bad mood for days.

She had seen it all.

But she didn’t know that Cheng Lu had gone to find Xu Xiuwen that morning and that the two of them had made up.

An Shishi walked over, leaned in, and whispered, “Lulu, you’re finally smiling. You made up with him?”

Cheng Lu nodded. “Mm.”

“Then I can finally relax. When you two weren’t talking, you had such a cold face every day that I was starting to freeze to death.”

Cheng Lu laughed. “It wasn’t that bad.”

“Oh, it was. You’re practically the Ice Queen.”

Hearing An Shishi joke about her nickname among their classmates, Cheng Lu wasn’t annoyed.

Instead, she thought about how An Shishi had been by her side these past few days, comforting her and offering advice.

A hint of gratitude flashed through Cheng Lu’s eyes.

“Shishi, thank you.”

An Shishi grinned. “No need to thank me. That’s what friends are for.”

“Mm.”

An Shishi’s eyes darted playfully. “Since we’re friends, can you tell me what you two were talking about just now?”

Cheng Lu hesitated for a moment but didn’t answer.

An Shishi instantly understood—yep, there was definitely something they weren’t telling her.

But she was smart enough not to push.

She quickly changed the subject, “Never mind, I don’t really care that much anyway.”

Cheng Lu let out a quiet sigh of relief.

If An Shishi had kept asking, she wouldn’t have known whether to tell her or not.

Luckily, she dropped it, saving them both from an awkward situation.

After washing up, An Shishi climbed into bed and pulled the thin blanket over her head.

She took out her phone and sent a message to Xu Xiuwen.

“Hubby, what are you doing?”

When Xu Xiuwen received An Shishi’s message, he was chatting with his roommates, casually joking around.

Their conversation mainly revolved around a freshman girl—Qian Yue.

Speaking of Qian Yue…

The freshmen had started their military training these past few days.

Ever since that dinner on the first night of school, Qian Yue hadn’t appeared in front of them again.

Even though she hadn’t shown up in person, she texted Yang Baishan every night.

The two of them would chat for at least one or two hours at a time.

It was obvious that Yang Baishan liked this junior.

Nowadays, as soon as he got back to the dorm, he’d jump into bed and hide under his blanket, waiting for her messages.

No one knew exactly what they talked about, but every now and then, they would hear him chuckling to himself.

This had become a running joke among the roommates.

From the looks of it, there was a real chance they might end up together.

Yang Baishan had been complaining about being single and wanting a girlfriend for a whole year.

Yet, he hadn’t had any luck.

So, if he really did get together with Qian Yue, all of his roommates—including Xu Xiuwen—would be happy for him.

But Xu Xiuwen couldn’t help feeling a little concerned.

Based on what happened at dinner that night, it was pretty clear Qian Yue was more interested in Wang Juncai.

He wasn’t sure if she genuinely liked Yang Baishan or if she was just keeping him as an option.

He could only hope that she truly liked Yang Baishan.

Otherwise, things could get messy.

Just as Xu Xiuwen was deep in conversation with his roommates, his phone vibrated.

It was a message from An Shishi…