Bringing My Rival Back to Life (Accidentally) - Chapter 35
When Zhu Xiao woke up, he didn’t feel anything was amiss and got out of the car after paying the fare. After getting out, there was still a distance from the school gate to the event location. Although the school had changed over the past decade, Wu Jiu had walked this path not long ago, so it didn’t feel very unfamiliar.
On the way, Wu Jiu led Zhu Xiao in silence, which was quite unusual for him. He opened his mouth several times as if to say something but stopped himself and didn’t speak after all. In fact, Wu Jiu was almost bursting with frustration.
—Why did Zhu Xiao look so natural? Was this a common thing? And during the entire two-hour car ride, he hadn’t moved much. Wasn’t that very considerate and impressive?
Zhu Xiao noticed Wu Jiu’s silence. Although he didn’t know the reason, he was very familiar with Wu Jiu’s conflicted expression. He thought back and realized that nothing particularly unusual had happened, except for the fact that he had slept on his little boyfriend’s shoulder the whole way.
Zhu Xiao suddenly realized that Wu Jiu’s current self was from ten years ago, and this little boyfriend needed positive feedback after doing something nice.
“About what happened in the car—” Zhu Xiao began.
As expected, Wu Jiu’s ears perked up. “What?”
Zhu Xiao reminded him, “You said I shouldn’t compliment you casually.”
“I didn’t ask you to compliment me.”
Wu Jiu snorted and added, “Do you even listen to me?”
“I used to kiss you, but you said not to touch you the other day,” Zhu Xiao shrugged. “See, I didn’t kiss you.”
“……I don’t want you to kiss me.”
Wu Jiu’s face turned a little red. How could Zhu Xiao just say something like that so casually? Was it okay just because they were married?
Zhu Xiao hummed in response, “So I didn’t plan to kiss.”
You don’t want this and you don’t want that. You have quite a few demands.
Zhu Xiao thought for a moment and simply said, “Hold out your hand.”
Wu Jiu didn’t know what he was up to but extended his hand anyway. Zhu Xiao took a pen from his pocket, unscrewed the cap, and held the pen with three fingers at the top— to avoid accidentally touching Wu Jiu, he specifically chose this grip similar to holding a calligraphy brush.
A few seconds later, a small flower appeared on Wu Jiu’s hand.
“What is this, Zhu Xiao? It’s so ugly!”
“A little red flower.”
“But it’s a black pen.”
“I said it’s a little red flower.”
……How could someone just say black is red like that?
Zhu Xiao paused and said, “Thank you for being so considerate in the car.”
That sounded reasonable, and Wu Jiu quickly got used to the little black flower on his hand.
He said smugly, “Say it again.”
“I’m not saying it a second time.” Wu Jiu from ten years ago still liked to play deaf, and Zhu Xiao wasn’t going to indulge him.
“……Stingy.” Zhu Xiao from ten years later was as stingy as ever, but Wu Jiu had long gotten used to it!
The school had set up an alumni event venue in the area near the cafeteria, with a particularly large signature wall at the entrance, inviting returning alumni to sign their names. Zhu Xiao signed with the pen provided next to the wall, and Wu Jiu followed suit, writing his name right next to Zhu Xiao’s.
They ran into quite a few old classmates here. Over the years, everyone had changed to varying degrees, and Zhu Xiao greeted those he recognized based on memory.
Zhu Xiao and Wu Jiu hadn’t changed much and were easily recognizable. Seeing them arrive together, someone curiously asked, “Hey, Zhu Xiao, why did you come with Wu Jiu?”
Zhu Xiao glanced at his little boyfriend—Wu Jiu wouldn’t even let him call him “husband” now, so it was better not to mention their marriage in front of their classmates and upset him.
He ambiguously said, “We live close by and took a taxi together.”
This explanation made sense. They had all heard that Zhu Xiao and Wu Jiu had competed fiercely from their undergraduate studies all the way to their Ph.D. and then ended up at the same workplace. Living close by was quite normal.
Once the person walked away, Zhu Xiao quietly asked Wu Jiu, “Is this okay?”
“It’s the right thing to say.” Even though he would marry Zhu Xiao ten years later, Wu Jiu, being from ten years ago, couldn’t yet get used to the fact that they were already married.
However, Wu Jiu knew that Zhu Xiao’s explanation was reasonable and considerate of his feelings, but for some reason, he still felt a bit subtly annoyed.
The school had organized many anniversary activities, including various unique photo spots and free samples of specialty beverages made by the university’s agricultural college.
Wu Jiu asked Zhu Xiao to wait a moment, then he walked over to the beverage area and asked a volunteer to make a drink for him.
“Hey, a little lemon juice would make yours taste better,” the volunteer said, handing Wu Jiu two lemon slices. “You don’t need much, just a little. If you don’t like it too sour, squeeze even less.”
Wu Jiu walked to the table to squeeze the lemon juice.
“You came with Zhu Xiao, right?” someone nearby struck up a conversation. “I saw you two walking over together just now.”
Wu Jiu wasn’t interested in chatting with strangers, but since the topic was about Zhu Xiao, he reluctantly responded, “Yeah.”
The person next to him casually said while squeezing lemon juice, “Oh, I used to go to bat for Zhu Xiao too.”
“What?”
Wu Jiu was puzzled. He didn’t remember anyone like this being around Zhu Xiao. He turned his head and scrutinized the person subtly, confirming that he had no recollection of this person’s face.
But Wu Jiu soon figured out who he was.
“A few years ago, there was a lunatic who would jealously comment on Zhu Xiao’s confessions on the wall every day. I couldn’t stand it and argued with him all night,” he exaggerated. “That lunatic must have been really bored!”
Wu Jiu’s eyes widened.
Great, so this person was the “Number One Zhu Xiao Boyfriend” he had argued with online just a few days ago!
“Man, you have no idea,” the person said excitedly, slamming his cup on the table and gesticulating wildly. “That lunatic must have been single for years; his typing speed was insane. I almost couldn’t keep up, so I got my dorm mates involved.”
Wu Jiu: “……”
Great, now he understood why the other side seemed to have endless backup during their online argument—it was one person against an entire dormitory!
“So what I’m saying is true! There are so many people who like Zhu Xiao; how could he keep up with all the jealousy?”
“Or maybe he actually likes Zhu Xiao too and is just bitter because he can’t have him. Hahaha.”
Wu Jiu squeezed the lemon harder, and all the juice from the slice went into the cup.
Seeing that he wasn’t responding, the person threw the topic back at him: “What do you think?”
Wu Jiu smiled faintly and said, “Heh.”
“I’m heading over there,” he said, not wanting to stay and risk losing control of his temper.
“Sure, sure, go ahead.”
After Wu Jiu left, the person picked up his cup and took a sip, immediately wincing and spitting it out. “……It’s too sour!”
After recovering, he looked at the cup again, confirming it was his. He glanced in the direction Wu Jiu had left and said in confusion, “Wait, why did he squeeze lemon juice into my cup?”
Wu Jiu walked back to Zhu Xiao, visibly upset.
“What were you just doing?” Zhu Xiao asked.
Wu Jiu handed him the cup in his hand. “There’s a drink over there.”
He wasn’t about to mention that he had just run into the person he had argued with on the confession wall a few days ago—mainly because he didn’t want Zhu Xiao to know that he had argued with someone who liked Zhu Xiao on the wall.
Zhu Xiao took the cup and drank a few sips, finding it a bit too sweet, and handed it back to Wu Jiu.
Wu Jiu was confused for a moment, unsure whether Zhu Xiao wanted him to hold it or drink the rest.
Zhu Xiao quickly realized the misunderstanding and reached out to take it back: “You forgot again. Go get a new cup; I’ll wait here.”
Wu Jiu suddenly understood and took a step back to prevent him from taking it.
But he said, “I’ll go get another one.”
Wu Jiu walked back to the beverage area but didn’t ask the volunteer for another cup.
He looked down at the drink that Zhu Xiao had sipped from and fell into contemplation.
If the Wu Jiu from ten years later could drink it, why couldn’t the Wu Jiu from ten years ago?
He was Wu Jiu too; he could drink it… and he would!
Wu Jiu quickly convinced himself, raised the cup, and took a sip from where Zhu Xiao had drunk.
He savored the school’s specialty drink for a moment. It was good, but he felt it was a bit different from what he remembered.
Strange, he clearly remembered the drink being a bit sour, and he had just squeezed lemon juice into it, but there was no sourness at all.
Could it be because Zhu Xiao had drunk from it?
Wu Jiu took another sip to confirm, and it was true—there was no sourness at all, just a sweet taste.
Zhu Xiao’s cup tasted better, so Wu Jiu decided to switch them, pretending he had gotten a new cup.
When Wu Jiu returned with the drink, he saw Zhu Xiao talking to a classmate.
After many years, most people had little memory of their college days, but for Wu Jiu, events from ten years ago felt like yesterday—so he immediately recognized that this person was the one who had confessed to Zhu Xiao not long ago!
He was also the origin of the online argument on the confession wall.
Wu Jiu quickly walked over and awkwardly inserted himself between the two, saying abruptly, “Hey, what are you guys talking about?”
Wu Jiu’s sudden interruption was quite jarring, and the person awkwardly changed the subject.
He took out a painting, claiming to have found a bargain at the antique market, and asked the two “experts” to authenticate it.
Wu Jiu wanted to get rid of this person quickly and glanced at the painting before saying, “It’s fake.”
However, he wasn’t lying. He recognized the painting in the person’s hand; the original had been burned and was now hanging in the underworld museum.
The classmate was hurt by his straightforward answer and turned to Zhu Xiao with a hopeful look.
Unfortunately, after a careful examination, Zhu Xiao also concluded, “It’s fake.”
Zhu Xiao’s words were like a bolt from the blue, and the classmate’s romantic hopes were dashed. He left in deep sorrow.
“Don’t get so close to him,” Wu Jiu said to Zhu Xiao after he was gone, “Don’t you know he confessed to you?”
“Did he?” Zhu Xiao thought for a moment but couldn’t recall.
“You always have such a poor memory,” Wu Jiu said unhappily, “Anyway, don’t get that close to him. You’re already married to… me from ten years later!”
“……”
Zhu Xiao almost laughed at his meticulous distinction but teased, “But you’re not the Wu Jiu from ten years later. What business is it of yours?”
Wu Jiu was speechless for a moment, “……I’ll manage it anyway!”
Zhu Xiao wasn’t very talkative in school, but he had good relationships with many people. He was the kind of person everyone wanted to befriend—handsome, reliable, and well-liked. Wu Jiu knew this all too well—there were always too many people around Zhu Xiao!
Later, they ran into Zhu Xiao’s roommate, who wanted to give Zhu Xiao a hug from afar but was startled by Wu Jiu suddenly appearing in front of Zhu Xiao and quickly stopped, almost falling over.
One person was blocked, but then another appeared. Wu Jiu didn’t know where all these people were coming from.
The most critical issue was that none of these people knew Zhu Xiao was already married.
At this point, Wu Jiu didn’t care about adapting anymore. He felt that his future self’s position was seriously threatened.
Now, his thoughts had subtly shifted.
Since he and Zhu Xiao would be married ten years later, he couldn’t let these dubious people steal his future self’s happiness!
As he thought about it, he started to regret not letting Zhu Xiao introduce him as his husband to everyone!
However, the moment had passed, and he couldn’t find a way to bring it up naturally. After thinking for a moment, Wu Jiu decided to subtly hint at it.
He made an excuse to leave in a hurry and ran back to the signature wall. He took the thickest marker he could find and drew a double arrow between his and Zhu Xiao’s names. To make it more noticeable, he wrote “LOVE” above the arrow and drew a large, solid heart.
This way, without saying a word, anyone who passed by would see their closely linked names.
With a little common sense, they would realize that Zhu Xiao was already with the Wu Jiu from ten years later!
Drawing it this way did have a significant effect. Every passerby saw the conspicuous double arrow and heart.
Unfortunately, while the idea was good, reality was harsh. No one interpreted it the way Wu Jiu had intended.
“Tsk, which kid is playing a prank here?” someone exclaimed. “Drawing a heart between these two names, what a clever idea!”
Clearly, due to their overly competitive relationship in college, even if he drew the biggest heart around their names, no one would believe they were together.
……This made him furious!
Wu Jiu angrily put the marker back in its place when someone tapped him on the shoulder.
It was a guy with glasses, unfamiliar, probably not from their major.
Wu Jiu, in a bad mood, asked, “What do you want?”
“Hey, buddy, let me ask you something,” the guy with glasses said in a low, mysterious voice, “I just heard that you and Zhu Xiao work at the same place. Do you know if he has a significant other?”
Wu Jiu asked suspiciously, “What do you want with that information?”
“My friend has had a crush on him for years and is still single. If Zhu Xiao doesn’t have a significant other, it would be great to set them up for a meal and maybe make a beautiful match,” the guy explained.
As if.
Wu Jiu held back his anger until his temples were throbbing, and finally, he burst out: “He does have a significant other!!!”
“Really? Who is it?” the guy with glasses looked around but didn’t see anyone who seemed like Zhu Xiao’s significant other. “Not here today?”
“Here.”
“Who?”
Wu Jiu took a deep breath and said solemnly, “Me.”
The guy with glasses stared at him, and after a long moment, he said, “……You?”
“Man, you seem like a decent guy. Why spread such rumors? Besides,” the guy glanced at Zhu Xiao, who was still there, and said, “Zhu Xiao is right here. Aren’t you afraid of overreaching yourself?”
“I’m not spreading rumors,” Wu Jiu said, “It’s me.”
“—I am Zhu Xiao’s boyfriend!”
In his urgency, the words flowed more and more smoothly and naturally.
Wu Jiu no longer cared about distinguishing between the past and the future—his future self was him, and since he would be married to Zhu Xiao in ten years, by extension, he was Zhu Xiao’s boyfriend now!
The guy with glasses still didn’t believe him. “How can you prove it?”
This question stumped Wu Jiu. He didn’t seem to have anything to prove it. He couldn’t show this guy his underworld household register, could he?
After thinking it through, Wu Jiu raised the drink in his hand. “This cup of drink has been sipped by Zhu Xiao.”
“Oh, and these shoes I’m wearing were worn by LeBron,” the guy with glasses laughed, patting Wu Jiu on the shoulder. “Come on, man, anyone can say anything. If you’re going to make something up, at least make it believable.”
“Besides, you two were just acting like regular classmates just now. No one would believe you’re a couple now,” the guy added, shaking his head. “I don’t believe it, anyway.”
Wu Jiu: “……”
This made him furious! Zhu Xiao had been following the rules he set, always keeping a certain distance from him. To outsiders, they just looked like polite classmates, and Wu Jiu was no different from the other people coming and going.
“……Just you wait.”
In the span of a second, Wu Jiu made a significant decision.
—Today, he was determined to let everyone know that no one should even think about Zhu Xiao. Zhu Xiao was his boyfriend!
Storyteller Meghan008288's Words
Jealousy in Chinese literally means "to eat vinegar," but it’s a metaphor for feeling jealous, particularly in a romantic context.nEnglish Explanation:nIt refers to being possessive or envious, often when someone perceives their romantic partner showing interest or affection towards someone else. It’s similar to saying “getting jealous” or “feeling green with envy” in English, but it’s more commonly used to describe romantic jealousy.nFor example:n"She got jealous when she saw him chatting with another girl."
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