After Rebirth, I Married My Rival - Chapter 16

Chapter 16: All Coincidental Encounters

« Hey guys, we’ve got military training tomorrow. How about grabbing a bite outside? » Zhang Long rubbed his hands together, eager for the idea.

« Let’s go then. We gotta eat something good before military training, or else where will we get the energy? I saw a hot pot place near the school—how about we grab some hot pot? » Qian Jialun was already starving and couldn’t wait to eat.

Li Rui glanced at the group and smirked mysteriously, saying, « Seems like you guys really don’t get it, huh? »

« Get what? » Zhang Long scratched his head, completely baffled by Li Rui’s cryptic words.

« What’s our finance university known for? Beautiful girls! Why bother with hotpot? Let’s hit the clubs! Who cares about military training… Four years of college—who wants to stay single?

Strike early, get paired early! » Li Rui said excitedly, practically bouncing with enthusiasm.

Xu Yuan just watched without speaking. He remembered very clearly that on the first day of school in his previous life, they had also planned to go to a nightclub.

Then Li Rui got to experience firsthand why the flowers were so red.

This guy actually had a girlfriend, and as luck would have it, he got caught before even stepping inside—dragged away by the ear on the spot.

« You guys go ahead. This guy’s already taken, and I’ve got some business to take care of tonight, » Xu Yuan waved them off. Since it would be pointless to go anyway, he simply decided not to.

He just texted Li Xinran on his phone. The girl tends to get nervous in new environments, and a warm hug at this moment would be a big plus.

Oh, you’re bringing your whole family to college? Is she from our school? Why not introduce her to us? We could all go together.

The group instantly perked up with interest.

« Maybe when we’re free, » Xu Yuan replied with a smile, but the words had barely left his mouth.

A text message from Li Xinran popped up on the phone.

[Listen, your woman is mine tonight!]

Xu Yuan was stunned at first, then the temperature around him instantly turned icy cold.

[Sorry, Xu Yuan. Sisi invited me to dinner. Maybe another time?]

Xu Yuan frowned as he read the message. This Ye Sisi, trying to steal his woman on the very first day of school?

[Alright, stay safe then.]

Though a bit exasperated, it made sense to bond with roommates on the first day of school.

[Got it, (っ’-‘)]

« I just thought about it, maybe we should go after all? But let’s go after dinner, » Xu Yuan said, looking up at the group.

Since we’ve got nothing better to do, going to the club later should help us avoid running into Li Rui’s chaotic scene, right?

« Wait a minute, you didn’t actually arrange to meet some girl who stood you up, and now you’re using us as backups, are you? » Li Rui draped his arm over Zhang Long’s shoulder, smirking as he spoke.

..

« Sisi, why did you turn them down for me? » Li Xinran finally managed to snatch her phone back, sounding a little aggrieved.

Ye Sisi stood with her hands on her hips, speaking as if it were the most obvious thing in the world: « Xinran, this is university! A whole new life is waiting for us—how can you let yourself be tied down by a man? »

Ye Sisi sized up Li Xinran’s outfit: a plain, somewhat worn windbreaker and faded light-yellow pants that looked like they’d been washed too many times.

How could Xu Yuan have so much money to invest yet let his girlfriend dress so shabbily? What kind of boyfriend does that?

Ye Sisi seriously suspected that Xu Yuan might be a scumbag, taking advantage of the naive Li Xinran.

« But… » Li Xinran was still hesitating, yet Ye Sisi had already grabbed her hand and pulled her out the door.

..

After finishing their meal, it was already getting late.

The group stood by the roadside hailing a taxi, planning to visit a nightclub.

« Want one? » Li Rui pulled out two cigarettes from his pocket.

That’s right, this guy really only took out two cigarettes without even pulling out the pack.

Xu Yuan accepted the cigarette, sighing inwardly. He clearly remembered that in his past life during university, he had only smoked the one cigarette Li Rui offered him at the start of term.

« Rui, look into my eyes. Will we still have a future together? » Xu Yuan took a deep drag of his cigarette, gazing intently at Li Rui as he spoke.

« Whoa, Yuan, don’t tell me you’ve got other ideas about me. Sure, I’m pretty muscular, but bro’s into girls. » Li Rui felt his defenses rise instantly, eyeing Xu Yuan with extreme wariness.

« Hehe… » Xu Yuan chuckled without saying anything. This time, there was no way he was going to let this guy freeload off him again.

Cigarettes were smoked one after another, yet not a single penny was spent.

..

..

The dazzling lights, paired with the deafening DJ beats, electrified every cell in the bodies of those dancing in the club.

« Are your eyes dazzled yet? » Li Rui shouted loudly at the crowd.

Men and women of all kinds were releasing the pressures of the day under the dim lighting.

Xu Yuan even spotted a scantily clad woman who had drunk too much, being groped by the man beside her.

« I just asked the waiter—there are no more booths. Should we go to a private room instead? » Qian Jialun covered his ears and shouted.
It was his first time in a place like this, and he felt somewhat nervous. He figured that with fewer people in a private room, he might loosen up.

« What’s the point of a private room? It’s way more lively here with everyone packed together! And private rooms are so expensive! » Li Rui immediately objected.

Xu Yuan listened to them discussing while glancing around. He didn’t really care whether they stayed outside or got a private room. After all, he had no ulterior motives.

« Wait a minute, let’s get a private room after all! » Xu Yuan suddenly turned his head, looking at everyone with a strange expression.

He thought he’d just spotted Li Xinran in the crowd. Had he come late intentionally this time only to miss Li Rui’s girlfriend but run into his own instead?
..

« Sisi, should we just leave? This place… it looks so chaotic? » Li Xinran looked around at the people swaying and bobbing their heads, her worldview somewhat shattered.

The girls dancing and cheering wildly on stage were all beautiful, but they were wearing way too little. And the deafening DJ music made Li Xinran feel extremely uncomfortable.

« What did you say? I can’t hear you! The crowd here is great—we’re starting military training tomorrow, so let’s go crazy tonight!

Don’t worry, Xu Yuan won’t find out! » Ye Sisi shouted at Li Xinran.

Who says I wouldn’t find out!

Xu Yuan suddenly appeared beside Li Xinran, pulling her into his arms while shooting a fierce glare at Ye Sisi.

Li Xinran’s personality made her fundamentally unsuited for places like this.

Seeing Xu Yuan appear here, Li Xinran clutched tightly at his clothes, her eyes betraying a hint of fear.

« Xu Yuan? » Ye Sisi clearly didn’t expect to see Xu Yuan here. Being caught red-handed while out having fun with someone else’s girlfriend made the situation somewhat awkward.

« Yuan’er? What are you doing here? Did you book the private room? » Li Rui emerged from the crowd, momentarily stunned when he saw Li Xinran in Xu Yuan’s arms, but quickly composed himself and pretended not to recognize them as he tried to slip away.

Come on Xinran, isn’t this guy supposed to have booked a private room? Let’s all go together! » Ye Sisi grabbed Li Xinran’s hand, pulling her away from Xu Yuan’s embrace, then called out to the retreating Li Rui: « You—lead the way.

« Huh? » Li Rui glanced at Xu Yuan’s displeased expression, silently seeking his opinion. He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly: Xu Yuan really has no shortage of romantic entanglements—what kind of drama is this anyway?
« Take them along. » Xu Yuan sighed helplessly. Thankfully, he had come tonight and happened to spot Li Xinran—otherwise, he really wouldn’t have felt at ease.

..

Amid the crowd, Chen Yuhang sat by the bar counter. From time to time, girls would approach to strike up a conversation, but he deftly turned them all away.

Quite disappointing…

Just as Chen Yuhang was quietly lamenting that none of today’s potential catches met his standards, he suddenly noticed a blonde with voluminous waves, dressed in a very revealing outfit, walk up to the bar. She ordered a drink and began sipping it alone.

« Beautiful lady, may I buy you a drink? » Chen Yuhang approached Shen Yueshu, who was drinking alone, with a confident smile as he struck up a conversation.

Shen Yueshu took a sip of her drink, glanced up at this handsome young man with decent charm, and said with a laugh, « Handsome, what era is this already? Your pickup line is way too outdated. »

« Outdated? Isn’t this how they always do it on TV? » Chen Yuhang was quite the smooth operator, actually playing the innocent card.

« Hehe… » Shen Yueshu naturally wouldn’t fall for such an obvious trick—she’d seen too many people trying to play innocent in front of her.

With a sidelong glance, Shen Yueshu set down her wine glass, watching the figure entering the private room. A playful smile curled at the corners of her lips: « Him? »

..

« Rui, has Yuan arrived yet? Let’s find a few more… » Zhang Long was eagerly flipping through a photo album when—

Li Rui quickly raised a finger to his lips, grimacing and frantically signaling with his eyes.

« What’s wrong? Got a stye in your eye? » Zhang Long clearly hadn’t grasped the severity of the situation.

Ye Sisi pulled Li Xinran inside and plopped straight down onto the sofa.

« Huh? Didn’t we agree to think it over? Why’d you order already? » Zhang Long looked at the two girls with utter confusion.

Hearing this, Li Rui nearly coughed up blood on the spot—this guy was truly beyond help!

Xu Yuan walked in at this moment and sat down beside the somewhat nervous Li Xinran, introducing to the group, « This is my girlfriend Li Xinran, and this is her roommate Ye Sisi. »

« Oh, oh, oh! » Zhang Long finally snapped out of it, hurriedly closing the photo album in his hands and shoving it under the sofa.

« Didn’t you guys order any drinks? This little bit of alcohol isn’t enough for anyone! » Ye Sisi looked at the scattered bottles of beer and a few unnameable imported liquors on the table, asking curiously.

« Sisi, we still have military training tomorrow. Maybe we shouldn’t drink? » Li Xinran chimed in soothingly from the side. She didn’t drink to begin with and didn’t really want to stay here, but out of consideration for Ye Sisi’s feelings, she couldn’t just say she wanted to leave outright.

Xu Yuan’s face was now extremely grim. If it weren’t for considering that Ye Sisi was Li Xinran’s roommate and they’d have to live together day and night in the future, he would have immediately pulled Li Xinran away without hesitation.

Li Rui quickly sensed the tense atmosphere and hurriedly tried to lighten the mood with a smile, saying, « We’ve got drinks—we can always order more if we run out. »

Junior? It really is you!

Just as the server opened the door, Shen Yueshu unexpectedly walked in as well, with Chen Yuhang trailing behind her.

« Xinran, junior? » Chen Yuhang recognized Li Xinran at first glance.

Xu Yuan didn’t pay attention to Shen Yueshu, but instead glanced at Chen Yuhang?

Xinran? Junior? Damn it, who gave you the right to call her Xinran?
Shen Yueshu didn’t mind Xu Yuan ignoring her. She simply sat down right beside him, deliberately pressing her body close, and said in a coquettish tone, « Shall we join you? It’s quite crowded outside, and you’ve already booked a private room. »

« If you don’t mind… » Chen Yuhang seized the opportunity effortlessly. His gaze carried an intense predatory quality as it swept over Li Xinran with undisguised aggression. He genuinely hadn’t expected tonight’s outing to yield such pleasant surprises—encountering two prey at once. Even that Ye Sisi turned out to be top-tier prey.

Xu Yuan didn’t wait for the other party to finish speaking before cutting in: « What if I say I do mind? »

Li Xinran was right—this guy’s eyes were truly disgusting.