Rebirth: Pampered by My Children and Husband

Chapter 79: Chapter 79 It would be great if you were my mother

Lin Xu received Xie Changyan’s message on the way to the hotel.

Xie: “Do you have time to meet and talk today?”

She flipped through the chat history, where she had sent five or six messages inviting him to have dinner without receiving a reply, which made her give up the idea.

But today, he actually took the initiative to send her a message, and a moment of surprise flashed in her eyes.

Willow Wadding: “Did you send that to the wrong person?”

Xie: “Sorry, I’ve been too busy to get back to you before.”

Lin Xu smiled faintly, not choosing to call him out, and simply replied “See you this afternoon” before entering the hotel.

Ji Yuqiao had cried so hard and drank herself into a stupor last night that Lin Xu was worried and came to check on her.

When she entered the room, Ji Yuqiao hadn’t gotten up yet and was fiddling with her phone in bed, unwilling to rise.

Seeing Lin Xu, Ji Yuqiao shed her haughty missy temper and became sheepish, “Sorry for drunkenly bothering you with calls and disturbing your New Year’s.”

“It’s okay, you said we’re friends, right? Friends don’t need to be so formal,” Lin Xu said with an unconcerned smile, “How are you feeling now?”

Ji Yuqiao pursed her lips with a sad expression, not really wanting to speak.

“If you don’t want to talk about it, then let’s not,” Lin Xu said as she sat on the edge of the bed, gently caressing Ji Yuqiao’s cheek, “You’ve slept for quite a while; are you hungry? How about I take you out for a meal?”

Lin Xu’s voice was as gentle as a spring breeze, soothing like one would comfort a child, making the once troubled heart all warm.

Ji Yuqiao looked at her and felt the warmth on her face and chest where Lin Xu had touched, “Your tone makes it seem like you’re coaxing a child.

“Maybe because I have three kids at home,” Lin Xu said.

Although they had grown up, she still couldn’t get used to it and treated them like children.

Ji Yuqiao thought of her two brothers at home. Although they also loved her and had indulged her from childhood, never letting her suffer, their hearts were never as delicate as a girl’s; they had never coaxed her so tenderly.

She curled up in the bed, a flash of embarrassment crossing her eyes as she gazed at Lin Xu, suddenly sighing, “It would be nice if you were my mother… ”

“What did you say?” Lin Xu didn’t catch that clearly.

“Nothing, nothing,” Ji Yuqiao quickly shook her head, her cheeks flushing as she hurriedly threw off the blankets to get out of bed, “Let’s go eat, I’m so hungry.”

The restaurant they went to was chosen by Ji Yuqiao, an upscale venue that served only VIP customers.

She took the menu and asked Lin Xu, “Do you want anything in particular?”

“No, you can go ahead and order.”

“Alright.” She proficiently ordered several dishes.

Once the food was served, Ji Yuqiao gobbled down her meal as if she hadn’t eaten in a long time, “Ever since my brother cut off my allowance, I haven’t been able to eat here for ages. Thank you for treating me.”

“Eat slowly, no one is racing you,” Lin Xu said, worried she might choke and handed her a glass of water.

After the meal, the heaviness in Ji Yuqiao’s chest seemed to have lifted. She vented her frustrations to Lin Xu: “Didn’t I tell you last time about a guy I liked? He suddenly asked to meet me last night.”

“I skipped the New Year’s Eve dinner and rushed over, thinking that he had been moved by my persistence and was finally ready to be with me. Turns out, he just wanted to repay the money.”

Previously, Xiao Yu had been working part-time in a coffee shop and stained a customer’s clothing; she helped Xiao Yu by giving him one hundred thousand yuan.

He had been eager to establish boundaries and repay her as soon as he had saved enough money.

Thinking of this, Ji Yuqiao felt particularly frustrated and, after taking a gulp of water, slammed the cup down hard on the table.

She gritted her teeth, “I actually thought there had been progress between us during those days in the library, but it was all in my imagination! He said the person he liked was never me!”

Out of impulse and heartache, Ji Yuqiao went to a bar and spent all the money he had returned to her.

“Am I not pretty enough, why doesn’t he like me? What do I have to do to make him like me?” Ji Yuqiao complained to Lin Xu as if she were drowning her sorrows in liquor, downing the water in her cup in one gulp.

“If he doesn’t like you, then why can’t you bring yourself to give up?” Lin Xu was puzzled.

“My brother says that you have to fight for the things you like by any means necessary, and never give up easily,” Ji Yuqiao stated as if it were a matter of course.

Wen Li didn’t like her older brother either, but he still managed to keep Wen Li by his side.

Her brother succeeded, so he must be right, she thought.

Lin Xu: “…”

It made sense in principle, but it sounded so strange when she heard it.

“You can strive for what you want, but we shouldn’t demean ourselves. Everyone says you have to learn to love yourself first before others will love you, understand?” Lin Xu told her.

Ji Yuqiao shook her head blankly, “I don’t understand…”

Lin Xu tried a different angle, “You said he has very good academic achievements and has won many competition awards, so he must love to study. Maybe, if you enter the same competition and beat him, he would definitely see you in a new light.”

The main task of a student is to study; she shouldn’t give up her studies just to pursue someone else.

Of course, if the two could be compatible, that would be even better.

Ji Yuqiao’s face lit up at the suggestion, but then faltered, hesitant, “Those competitions are very difficult…”

How could she possibly score higher than Xiao Yu.

“Last time you had only a week, and you passed the make-up exam successfully, which proves your learning capability is strong. You’ll definitely have no problem with competitions either,” Lin Xu encouraged her, “Why not trust my words and give it a shot?”

Ji Yuqiao looked down and took a bite of her meal, “I’ll think about it…”

After lunch, the two of them walked around the mall. As it neared the time to meet Xie Changyan, Lin Xu parted ways with her.

When Lin Xu arrived at the cafe, Xie Changyan was already there, holding a cup of coffee as if he had been waiting for a long time.

“I’m sorry for being late,” Lin Xu sat down opposite him.

“I was the early one,” Xie Changyan put down his cup, revealing a conspicuously swollen corner of his lips.

Lin Xu was stunned, staring at his injury, speechless, “What happened to your face?”

Xie Changyan’s usually composed expression became subtly complex, “You don’t remember?”

“Huh? Should I remember something?” Lin Xu blinked in bewilderment.

“…” Xie Changyan fell silent.

He initially wanted to ask her what last night’s kiss meant, but now, seeing that she didn’t remember it at all, his distress from the entire night became laughable.

After a while, he snorted as if in self-mockery, lowered his eyes to the coffee in front of him, and gently swirled the rim of the cup with the pads of his fingers, “Miss Lin, we…”

“Does it hurt?” Lin Xu suddenly interjected, cutting him off, her clear eyes filled with a hint of concern as they collided with his.

Xie Changyan’s breath hitched, and his actions on the cup abruptly stopped.