Bringing My Rival Back to Life (Accidentally) - Chapter 38

When Wu Jiu woke up in the student dormitory, he was filled with despair—forget about the graduate school application, he had just gotten married to Zhu Xiao, and now he was back to square one!

Wu Jiu held his head and wailed a few times, then decided to go find Zhu Xiao.

Upon arriving in the past, his first thought was: he was going to start dating Zhu Xiao right now!

He looked around, found his phone, and checked the class schedule.

The next class was a large professional lecture, and he and Zhu Xiao would be in the same classroom.

He tidied himself up, put on the most stylish outfit from his wardrobe, and left the room with high spirits.

He stood in front of Zhu Xiao’s dormitory door, straightened his collar to ensure there wasn’t a single wrinkle on his clothes, and then knocked on the door formally.

As soon as the door opened, Wu Jiu happily shouted, “Zhu Xiao!”

Seeing Wu Jiu’s face, Zhu Xiao didn’t say a word and prepared to close the door.

Wu Jiu quickly reached out and held the door frame to prevent it from closing, and dramatically shouted, “Zhu Xiao, my hand!”

If he forced it shut, his hand would get pinched, so Zhu Xiao, holding the doorknob, ultimately didn’t close the door with force.

He asked impatiently, “What do you want?”

“Zhu Xiao, I’m Wu Jiu from ten years later,” Wu Jiu got straight to the point, “I like you, and we get married ten years from now!”

“……”

Zhu Xiao had no idea what game Wu Jiu was playing; he looked like he was talking in his sleep.

“Are you sleepwalking?”

“No, I’m not.”

Then it must be pure nonsense. Zhu Xiao tried to stay calm and asked, “Are you done speaking?”

Wu Jiu nodded, “I’m done.”

Wu Jiu carefully observed Zhu Xiao’s expression, hoping to see some of the reaction he was expecting.

Unfortunately, he saw nothing.

Completely different from what he had imagined, Zhu Xiao didn’t show any sign of excitement, let alone normal emotional fluctuation.

Why was Zhu Xiao’s reaction so flat?

He had already said he liked her!

According to his plan, they should at least be holding hands and running joyfully in the sunlight, if not passionately kissing.

Zhu Xiao said, “Stand back a bit.”

Wu Jiu didn’t know what he was going to do, but he still took a step back and stood straight.

Zhu Xiao glanced at the hand clinging to the door frame and said, “Hand.”

Wu Jiu let go of his hand, and then, under Zhu Xiao’s gaze, instinctively placed it on the sides of his thighs—a very standard standing posture.

Zhu Xiao’s face still showed no expression, and Wu Jiu couldn’t quite figure out what he was up to.

—Was Zhu Xiao preparing to kiss him?

Wu Jiu understood; it was normal to be overwhelmed by such an excellent and handsome guy confessing to him.

He considerately checked the surroundings for Zhu Xiao—good, there was no one in the hallway, and no one would see whatever Zhu Xiao did to him.

Wu Jiu’s eyes were filled with anticipation: “Zhu——”

Just as he uttered the first syllable, Zhu Xiao slammed the door shut, leaving Wu Jiu with a nose full of dust.

This time, without Wu Jiu’s hand in the way, the door closed smoothly.

Through the thick dormitory door, Wu Jiu heard Zhu Xiao coldly say, “You’re crazy.”

But Wu Jiu still didn’t leave, persistently squatting in front of Zhu Xiao’s door—he knew Zhu Xiao would definitely come out eventually, because he had to go to class soon.

Ten minutes later, thinking the coast was clear, Zhu Xiao opened the door, only to see Wu Jiu squatting there.

Frowning, Zhu Xiao asked, “Why are you still here?”

Wu Jiu stood up in a flash and reiterated, “Zhu Xiao, I really am from the future, and we really do get married ten years from now——”

Zhu Xiao interrupted him, “Are you here to pick a fight again after what happened yesterday?”

“What happened yesterday?” Wu Jiu was puzzled.

Zhu Xiao sneered, “You don’t remember the Marxism class yesterday?”

As soon as “Marxism class” was mentioned, Wu Jiu remembered—he had indeed had a rather intense session with Zhu Xiao during that class… Damn it, the timing of his return was really bad!

If he was right, he must have harshly criticized Zhu Xiao’s group project during that class yesterday.

Now, recalling the incident, Wu Jiu was so angry he wanted to slap himself twice for picking on Zhu Xiao for no reason, making things unnecessarily difficult for himself.

But now wasn’t the time for self-reproach; Wu Jiu had to make amends quickly: “I remember, I remember. I was wrong, I’m sorry.”

His apology was so prompt that Zhu Xiao genuinely thought he was mentally unstable.

“If you’re sick, go get treated.”

With class starting soon and time needed to get to the teaching building, Zhu Xiao didn’t have the patience to continue this nonsensical conversation with Wu Jiu. He sidestepped Wu Jiu and walked straight ahead.

Wu Jiu hurriedly followed, chattering in his ear, “Zhu Xiao, don’t doubt me, I can prove that we really get married.”

“I know you don’t like milk, you dislike eggplants and offal, you hate onions but can use them for seasoning, and I always pick them out for you. Oh, and I know you hate shepherd’s purse; you said you don’t like that smell.”

“You like blue and green, not orange. You love flowers, especially begonias, but you’re allergic to lavender, so we don’t have anything lavender-scented at home.”

“Am I right?”

“……”

To be honest, everything Wu Jiu had just said about his preferences was spot-on, but Zhu Xiao still didn’t want to engage with him.

These preferences were no secret; anyone could find out by asking around.

Seeing that Zhu Xiao was ignoring him, Wu Jiu, in his anxiety, went even further: “I also know that you prefer to sleep on your right side at night because that way you’re facing me. Even when you’re mad at me and sleep with your back to me, you’ll still snuggle into my arms when you’re asleep because you like to sleep hugging me. Sometimes you even deliberately steal my blanket, but I never minded because I’m not afraid of the cold.”

Zhu Xiao wasn’t a violent person, but he was genuinely tempted to punch someone right now.

He stopped in his tracks.

Wu Jiu’s face lit up: “Zhu Xiao, do you finally believe me?”

However, Zhu Xiao simply reached out, pinched Wu Jiu’s ear, and said firmly, “Get lost.”

Wu Jiu refused to budge, not only that, but he also had the audacity to look pleased: “Ah, yes, you used to do this to me after we got married.”

He inadvertently enjoyed the interaction, and Zhu Xiao quickly let go, pushing his head away in disgust.

Undeterred, Wu Jiu pressed on, sticking close to Zhu Xiao and saying, “Zhu Xiao, I have so much more to prove…”

……

When they arrived at the classroom, Zhu Xiao sat down in his usual spot.

Delayed by Wu Jiu on the way, he wasn’t early. The classroom was already half full, and the seat next to his usual spot was already taken.

This was perfect; with no seat for Wu Jiu, he could have a peaceful class.

Who knew Wu Jiu would circle around and squeeze in from the other side of the row, saying to the classmate next to Zhu Xiao, “Excuse me, could I switch seats with you?”

Wu Jiu leaned down and whispered something to the classmate.

The classmate first looked shocked, then smiled ambiguously, and finally nodded vigorously, saying, “OK, I get it.”

Wu Jiu successfully sat down next to Zhu Xiao.

“What did you tell her?” Zhu Xiao asked, puzzled.

Wu Jiu said seriously, “I told her that I like you and that I’ll be sitting next to you from now on.”

In fact, he also told that classmate that Zhu Xiao would end up with him.

“……”

Zhu Xiao stood up, planning to move to another seat.

“Zhu Xiao, are you sure you want to draw so much attention? I don’t mind…” Wu Jiu would have been happy if the whole school knew he would marry Zhu Xiao in the future, so no one else would dare to confess to Zhu Xiao.

It seemed that even if Zhu Xiao changed seats, Wu Jiu would find a way to sit next to him.

Seeing that it was a waste of effort, Zhu Xiao sat back down.

After the class started, the teacher projected a QR code for attendance on the PPT and asked the students to scan it.

Zhu Xiao opened WeChat and scanned the code.

As soon as he raised his phone, someone nearby, who had been waiting for an opportunity, stretched out their hand and placed their WeChat QR code in front of Zhu Xiao’s camera.

With a “beep,” the QR code was successfully scanned.

Wu Jiu quickly tapped on his phone screen.

——Friend request sent.

Zhu Xiao: “……”

A friend request appeared in Wu Jiu’s WeChat, but he didn’t accept it immediately—he knew that if he did, Zhu Xiao would delete him right away.

So he planned to wait until he got back and, when Zhu Xiao wasn’t paying attention, accept the request.

Zhu Xiao, not stupid, of course knew what Wu Jiu was up to. He said bluntly, “I’ll delete you.”

Wu Jiu felt a moment of disappointment but quickly perked up again: “It’s okay, there will always be a chance to add you again. After all, we’re going to get married.”

“……”

Wu Jiu kept talking about “getting married” with such conviction that it was hard to tell where his confidence came from.

Zhu Xiao ignored him, raised his phone again to scan the attendance code, and then put his phone away to focus on the class.

During the class, Wu Jiu was actually very quiet, probably knowing that Zhu Xiao needed to concentrate, so he didn’t say any more nonsense to disturb him.

However, Wu Jiu wasn’t really paying attention to the class; undergraduate courses were too easy for him and didn’t require his focus.

He took out a notebook and started doodling, pretending to take notes, but in reality, he kept glancing at Zhu Xiao every three minutes.

Wu Jiu’s gaze was intense and unreserved, and Zhu Xiao several times wanted to slap him— but if he did, this person might take it as a sign of affection and even grab his hand and kiss it.

So Zhu Xiao decided against it, after all, Wu Jiu was just staring at him and not saying those strange “marriage” things.

However, Wu Jiu was only quiet during class time. After class, he became like a clingy shadow again.

Wherever Zhu Xiao went, he followed, and even if Zhu Xiao ignored him, he was still happy, revolving around Zhu Xiao all the time.

Zhu Xiao endured it for a whole day and finally exploded in the afternoon.

He coldly said to Wu Jiu, “What’s wrong with you today?”

“I said, I like you,” Wu Jiu had already reiterated this for the umpteenth time today, but he didn’t mind saying it a few more times. After all, it was a wonderful thing, and he wouldn’t get tired of saying it no matter how many times. He said it in an exuberant tone, “We’re going to get married in ten years!”

Zhu Xiao had heard this so many times today that he felt like he would dream about Wu Jiu saying “We’re going to get married in ten years” even in his sleep tonight.

Zhu Xiao still didn’t believe him and asked, “What do you really want?”

“Zhu Xiao, why don’t you believe me?” Wu Jiu said, “I’ve already given so much evidence.”

“You don’t believe me? You can quiz me about anything; I know everything about you.”

Zhu Xiao wasn’t going to quiz him; he didn’t have the time or patience.

“Firstly, my preferences aren’t a secret. It’s not strange that you guessed them right.”

“Secondly, I’ve never slept with you. How do I know if what you’re saying is true or false?”

“Thirdly, you were picking on me yesterday, and today you come to confess that we’re going to get married in ten years. Do you really expect me to believe you?”

All the “evidence” Wu Jiu provided was dismissed by Zhu Xiao one by one.

Anxious, Wu Jiu came up with an even more shocking piece of evidence: “I also know that your ears and collarbones are very sensitive, and you have a very beautiful red mole on your lower back. Every time I kiss it, you really like it and——Mmm?”

Zhu Xiao’s ears turned red, but his actions were rough. He grabbed Wu Jiu’s mouth to stop him from continuing, “Shut up.”

Wu Jiu made a zipping motion over his mouth, signaling Zhu Xiao to let go.

“If you keep saying these random things,” Zhu Xiao said coldly as he released him, “I might really hit you.”

Zhu Xiao hadn’t been in a fight for a long time, and Wu Jiu might be the first one in a while.

“Alright,” Wu Jiu said, a little saddened, but he thought it was normal. After all, he had been constantly clashing with Zhu Xiao recently.

“But I’m not lying,” Wu Jiu said, “Zhu Xiao, just wait. I’ll prove it to you.”

Zhu Xiao didn’t know how he planned to prove it and didn’t think there was anything to prove, “There’s no need.”

“There is,” Wu Jiu said firmly, “Your boyfriend will only be me, and you’ll know soon.”

……It sounded so convincing that Zhu Xiao had to admire his ability to talk himself into believing things.

“Zhu Xiao, don’t delete my WeChat,” Wu Jiu said earnestly, “I’m going to chase you again now, and you should at least give me the same chance as everyone else.”

“……”

Zhu Xiao didn’t say “yes,” but he also didn’t say “no.”

He said nothing at all, and he didn’t bother to tell Wu Jiu that no one else had a chance. If there was any equality, it should be equally nonexistent.

Wu Jiu was experienced with Zhu Xiao’s silence; not saying “no” meant consent, so he took it as Zhu Xiao’s agreement.

Wu Jiu knew he couldn’t rush things with Zhu Xiao, so when he reached the entrance of Zhu Xiao’s dormitory, he stopped himself and said, “You go back, I’m leaving.”

Wu Jiu turned around and walked towards his own dormitory—God knows how much willpower it took; otherwise, he would have stuck to Zhu Xiao and gone into the dormitory with him.

Zhu Xiao stood there, unmoving.

Today, Wu Jiu had been acting strangely all day, but he couldn’t figure out why.

Wu Jiu’s tone was so sincere that for the first time, Zhu Xiao had the slightest doubt about himself. Could it be that Wu Jiu wasn’t lying?

After a while, Wu Jiu ran back, panting and thrusting a piece of paper into his hand, “I drew this in class, it’s for you.”

“Really leaving now, see you tomorrow.”

After Wu Jiu ran off, Zhu Xiao finally looked at the paper Wu Jiu had just handed him.

Zhu Xiao squinted to make out what was on the paper. It was a drawing of two little figures holding hands, with a huge heart in the middle.

The heart was the only thing that looked somewhat decent; the two figures were poorly drawn, so abstract that he couldn’t tell who was who. It was even worse than what a kindergarten kid would draw.

What was the point… staring at him for a whole class and coming up with such an ugly, abstract doodle?

Zhu Xiao didn’t know where to put the paper. He couldn’t throw it in the trash, but he couldn’t keep it either. In the end, he just held it and went into the dormitory, placing it on the table.

Unfortunately, his sharp-eyed roommate saw the paper, came over to take a look, and teased, “Zhu Xiao, which pretty flower gave this to you?”

“You never accepted these before. Is there something going on? Spill the beans!”

Zhu Xiao casually replied, “I found it on the road.”

His roommate didn’t quite believe him, “Really?”

Zhu Xiao pointed to the two figures in the drawing, “Do you see anyone who looks like me?”

“Well…” His roommate tried to argue, but after looking left and right, he couldn’t see anyone resembling Zhu Xiao, so he gave up, “No.”

“Speaking of which, there was a lunatic on the confession wall yesterday. A few days ago, someone confessed to you, right? This lunatic was down there insulting everyone who likes you, saying they were all blind.” His roommate recounted the campus gossip, “I really admire this person; yesterday he argued with more than ten people at once. His typing speed was so fast, tsk tsk.”

“……”

This lunatic’s behavior… sounded so much like the person who had suddenly acted strangely today.

His roommate, having shared the story, went back to his seat to continue gaming, not paying attention to this little episode.

Zhu Xiao sat at his desk, organizing his notes from today. As he wrote, his gaze drifted to Wu Jiu’s drawing.

Annoyed, he stuffed the drawing into his bookshelf, out of sight.

Now that the drawing was out of sight, Wu Jiu’s voice echoed in his mind again, filled with all the things he had said about “marriage” today, like a curse that wouldn’t go away.

Zhu Xiao put down his pen. He knew he wouldn’t be able to focus on studying today.

Taking advantage of no one noticing, Zhu Xiao went into the bathroom.

He stood in front of the mirror, took off his shirt, and turned around.

He looked into the mirror.

After a moment, Zhu Xiao put his clothes back on and walked out of the bathroom without a word.

He walked out like a living ghost, but his ears were tinged with an imperceptible blush.

——Damn it, how did Wu Jiu know about the red mole on his lower back?

Bringing My Rival Back to Life (Accidentally) - Chapter 38

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Hate that cliffhanger, don’t you?

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