SLWP Chapter 10

Chen Xu’s heart softened almost instantly, and he nearly blurted out a promise not to fall for Song Ming.

He had loved Ji Chunxiao too long and knew all too well how spoiled and arrogant Ji Chunxiao could be. This cautious pleading didn’t suit him at all.

Hearing his assurance, Ji Chunxiao’s eyes brightened and he pushed his luck, asking, “Then, could you fall for me again?”

Chen Xu didn’t respond.

It wasn’t that he could fall in love again, because he had never stopped loving Ji Chunxiao. Even when he found out that Song Ming was the one who had truly helped him, his love for Ji Chunxiao hadn’t changed.

Chen Xu was suddenly reminded of The Little Prince he read in his childhood, which mentioned, “It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.”

The rose garden had five thousand roses, some possibly more beautiful, but the prince said, “My rose is more important than all of you because I watered her, put her under glass, listened to her complaints, boasts, or even her silence, because she is my rose.”

Chen Xu had loved Ji Chunxiao so wholeheartedly, indulging and pampering him, doing so much for him.

Because Ji Chunxiao was Chen Xu’s Ji Chunxiao.

Mistaking his silence for a tacit denial, Ji Chunxiao’s eyes dimmed immediately, though he managed a forced smile.

He murmured softly, “…won’t you fall for me again?”

Perhaps he still hadn’t done enough; that’s why Chen Xu said that.

He hooked Chen Xu’s fingers, “Well, at least you’ve promised not to like Song Ming.”

Their pinkies linked, “No backing out now.”

After Ji Chunxiao left, faced with the two boxes of mung bean crisps on the table, Chen Xu didn’t hesitate much before eating the beautifully packaged one.

He remembered the shop, far away, so he didn’t eat from there often, only occasionally when he came across it.

Did Ji Chunxiao actually remember?

The crisps melted in his mouth, rich with the familiar taste of mung beans and milk, and Chen Xu carefully savored each bite, his firm resolve to stay broken up shaking slightly.

Their separation wasn’t due to a breach of feelings; the reason was just one: a mismatch in personalities.

Their interaction pattern was problematic.

Ji Chunxiao only knew how to prove his love through unreasonable demands, while Chen Xu was used to accommodating him limitlessly, wanting to change but not knowing how to start.

They were caught in a vicious cycle, and Chen Xu just wanted to find a way out.

He had thought Ji Chunxiao’s personality was immutable, but the Ji Chunxiao now was nothing like he had imagined.

As the vicious cycle began to unravel, Chen Xu closed his eyes, his heart beating a little faster.

He wondered if it was possible for him and Ji Chunxiao to truly establish an equal and healthy romantic relationship.

When they were reborn, it was just May, and in the blink of an eye, the senior students had finished their exams and graduated.

Rising from second to third year, they were reclassified, and Ji Chunxiao couldn’t wait any longer, immediately arranging to be placed in the key class.

Mother Ji was quite surprised, though she had thought of it before. She knew her son had no interest in academics.

That he would ask to be in the key class was curious.

“Don’t tell me you’ve taken a liking to some girl there?”

“No.”

Ji Chunxiao denied it without hesitation.

After all, Chen Xu was no girl.

In his previous life, he came out to his family during the college entrance exam summer break. His usually indulgent parents threatened to beat him, calling him a disgrace.

But Ji Chunxiao stood firm, “Go ahead and hit me if you want, but I won’t break up.”

His parents were all talk and couldn’t bring themselves to do it, sighing and lamenting but firmly disapproving.

Ji Chunxiao hesitated for a few days before changing his university major to finance, the subject he was least interested in, and studied hard because he had no talent for it, working on his family’s business while attending university. By graduation, he had firmly established himself.

He no longer needed his parents’ approval, as they couldn’t separate them anymore.

Fortunately, over those years, his parents saw the great changes he made for Chen Xu. The once spoiled and idle young master became the most successful among his peers, and they gradually came to accept Chen Xu.

Ji Chunxiao had never told Chen Xu about these things; he felt there was no need.

It wasn’t until after university graduation that he brought Chen Xu home. By then, his parents’ attitude had softened, and they warmly welcomed Chen Xu, who had no idea of the concessions and sacrifices Ji Chunxiao had made for their relationship.

To be with Chen Xu, Ji Chunxiao had resisted all external obstacles, unfortunately, the one to push Chen Xu away in the end wasn’t someone else, but himself.

After the class division, following the trajectory of their previous lives, they indeed ended up as deskmates again, sitting at the back by the wall near the window.

Ji Chunxiao was thrilled, no longer needing to gaze across the courtyard to see his wife.

Now they were very close, so close that the sleeves of their school uniforms could touch with just a slight movement of Ji Chunxiao’s arm.

They had been incredibly close countless times before, but returning to high school seemed to bring back a youthful awkwardness, even a brush of fabric could stir emotions.

Feeling the heat rise on his face, Chen Xu glanced at his new deskmate and whispered a reprimand,

“Pay attention to the class, stop looking at me.”

Ji Chunxiao mimicked his whisper, “Okay!”

Whatever the wife says goes, of course, he should pay attention. How else could he get into the same university as his wife?

In a couple of days, it was time for the first parent-teacher meeting for the new seniors. Chen Xu’s parents were abroad and couldn’t return immediately.

Knowing his family situation, the teachers didn’t press further.

While classmates were greeting their parents, Chen Xu wandered around the school and accidentally saw Song Ming’s mother and Ji Chunxiao’s mother together.

He had seen Ji Chunxiao’s mother many times in his previous life—a very gentle and warm lady.

As for Song Ming’s mother, although he had never met her, the resemblance between mother and son was striking, and one could guess who she was.

They should have been strangers, but coincidentally, they both carried handbags of the same design in different colors, feeling a sense of fate and walked together to the meeting room.

The logo on those bags was the same as on that deep blue lunchbox. It seemed truly coincidental; they had bought those handbags to match the lunchboxes.

Thinking about the initial misunderstanding, Chen Xu felt somewhat conflicted.

Without that mistake, he and Ji Chunxiao probably wouldn’t have had a chance to be together.

Was it fate or a mistake? It was hard to say.

Ji Chunxiao and Song Ming soon found their mothers and led them towards the meeting room.

Chen Xu checked his watch and followed at a distance.

Mother Ji, arm in arm with Ji Chunxiao, didn’t look too pleased,

“I just saw two boys at your school being overly affectionate with each other, which is outrageous.”

“If you want to date early, that’s one thing, but don’t you dare get involved in that kind of deviance.”

“How could that be acceptable? No parent would agree, if you…”

She was about to say more when Ji Chunxiao, frustrated, interrupted her,

“Alright, I know, Mom. Please go inside.”

Watching his mother enter the meeting room, Ji Chunxiao turned to look for his wife but didn’t expect to find Chen Xu right around the corner.

Their eyes met, and Chen Xu looked perplexed as he asked,

“Ji Chunxiao.”

“How did you convince your parents in your previous life?”

He had always thought Ji Chunxiao’s parents were naturally open-minded and loving, which is why they accepted him for the sake of their son.

But now, it seemed it wasn’t that easy.