Reborn in the 80s: Everyone Falls For Me
Chapter 197 - 196: Chaos at Home (3rd Update)

Chapter 197: Chapter 196: Chaos at Home (3rd Update)

Xu Niannian was stunned for a moment and did not accept.

"No need, I don’t want to drink."

She was not the original person, and had no romantic feelings for Liu Wendong. Since she couldn’t give him a future, it was best not even to give him any hope.

So even though Xu Niannian felt very uncomfortable, she did not accept Liu Wendong’s kindness.

She wanted Liu Wendong to understand that they were impossible.

Liu Wendong fell silent for a while, Xu Niannian’s rejection was too obvious, he could tell.

A flicker of hurt crossed his eyes. He didn’t immediately retract the glass but stubbornly placed it in front of Xu Niannian, "Have a drink, you’re feeling so unwell, we’re classmates, there’s no need to be so formal with me."

He had put it that way, and if Xu Niannian refused again, it would just make him feel awkward.

"Thank you."

Reluctantly, she took it and tipped her head back to drink. In doing so, her graceful swan neck stretched taut, fair and lovely.

At the same time, the sleeve of the arm holding the cup slid up to her shoulder. Xu Niannian was wearing a three-quarter sleeve crepe de chine blouse, which she made from fabric she bought herself, with bell cuffs.

With that gesture, the clothing easily slid down, revealing her pale and delicate arm.

Liu Wendong’s gaze was fixed on her, and as he saw her sleeve slip down, he had intended to look away politely but unintentionally saw a character revealed on the inside of her arm.

Even though the character was etched crookedly, Liu Wendong still made it out clearly.

"Dong."

It was his name.

He suddenly remembered a joke Xu Niannian made back when they were in school.

She said that if she ever met someone she liked, she would carve that person’s name into her skin, because that way, the memory would be deeper.

He had laughed at her back then, saying that was self-harm, but she just smiled at him without saying a word.

So, it wasn’t unrequited love, nor had he misinterpreted her feelings; Niannian liked him too.

Liu Wendong’s face flushed with excitement, his besotted gaze clung to Xu Niannian’s delicate beauty, and he remained silent for a long time with tears brimming in his eyes.

The cool water sliding down her throat eased the burning sensation in Xu Niannian’s stomach somewhat.

She’d just set down the cup, not yet having the chance to put the lid on, when the car suddenly braked hard, and Xu Niannian was thrown forward.

Liu Wendong also collided with the back of the front seat due to inertia.

"Niannian, are you alright?" Liu Wendong asked with concern once he had steadied himself.

Xu Niannian’s forehead rested against the back of the front seat, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

She was fine, but her clothes were not.

All the water in the cup spilled out, drenching her chest.

Without looking, she knew the area around her chest must be wet.

Damn it.

If the entire blouse were drenched, it might have been okay, but just the chest being wet—just thinking about that scenario made Xu Niannian’s face feel hot.

"No... no, it’s fine," she mumbled.

Because she kept refusing to lift her head, Liu Wendong thought she had hurt herself and grabbed her arm to pull her up.

"Niannian, did you hit your head..." Oops!

Xu Niannian pursed her lips, one hand covering her face, too embarrassed to meet anyone’s gaze.

"Sorry." Liu Wendong realized what happened and said sheepishly, his fair cheeks instantly turning tomato red.

Xu Niannian knew why he was blushing because her blouse was completely opaque if not wet, but once it got wet, it was nearly as sheer as gauze.

And it was just the chest part that got wet; underneath, she wore a black bra which she had sewn herself.

However, Xu Niannian was after all a person from the 21st century, having worn bikinis by the beach before. Other than feeling a bit embarrassed, she didn’t feel too uncomfortable.

"It’s fine."

Taking a deep breath, Xu Niannian handed the water cup back to Liu Wendong, "Your cup, thank you."

"No, no need," Liu Wendong said with flushed face as he took it back.

With her clothes wet like that, Xu Niannian simply leaned back in her seat, planning to close her eyes and sleep, out of sight, out of mind.

Just as she closed her eyes, Xu Niannian heard rustling noises beside her. Not long after, a shirt with a scent of soap was placed over her body.

Xu Niannian opened her eyes to find a white dress shirt covering her, Liu Wendong’s shirt.

She turned to look at Liu Wendong.

Liu Wendong was looking out the window, the tips of his ears red, and even his neck was red all around. His hands were nervously placed on his knees, fingers clenching and then loosening, over and over in a loop.

The only thing he wore was a white vest, clearly not the type that appeared slim in clothes but was actually plump without them.

It was obvious that even without clothes, he still looked thin.

He had the fragile appearance of a gentle scholar.

Xu Niannian pressed her lips together, not saying a word.

After a long while, she finally said, "Thank you."

"No, no need to thank me." He continued to look out the window.

Xu Niannian let out a sigh.

What a fine young man, it’s a pity she wasn’t the original host.

From the memories left by the original host, Xu Niannian knew she had feelings for Liu Wendong.

The original host, cruel and fierce to her own brothers, became bashful around Liu Wendong, like a Little Quail.

Xu Niannian suddenly felt as though she had somehow broken up a couple that was meant to be happy, her feelings were somewhat complicated.

But it seemed that if she hadn’t taken over, the original host would have been dead anyway.

When Xu Niannian was thinking, she had a habit of staring at one spot; before her contemplation, her gaze fell on Liu Wendong.

As a result, for the ten-plus minutes she was deep in thought, her gaze had never left Liu Wendong.

An old lady sitting nearby noticed and, covering her mouth with a laugh, said, "Young man, the girl has been looking at you for a long time. Why don’t you turn around and talk to her? It’s better to clear things up if young people have disagreements."

She had thought that Liu Wendong and Xu Niannian were a young couple having a tiff.

Not only did she speak, but she also patted Liu Wendong on the shoulder.

Only then did Xu Niannian realize that she was the "young girl" the old lady was referring to.

"..."

Upon hearing the old lady’s words, Liu Wendong straightened up, his eyes becoming more fixated. He tenderly called out to Xu Niannian, "Niannian..."

Xu Niannian: "..."

＊

Inside the Xu family house.

Xu Duoyu pitifully clung to her bowl: "Mom, can I have more rice?"

Xu Zhicheng quickly covered Xu Duoyu’s mouth: "Mom, Duoyu is just talking nonsense."

Yang Cuihua glared with her triangular eyes and yanked Xu Zhicheng away: "You think your mother is deaf?"

After pulling Xu Zhicheng away, Yang Cuihua poked Xu Duoyu right on the head.

"Eat, eat, eat, that’s all you know. Do you think rice is something our family can afford to eat whenever we want? You bunny brat, did eating rice spoil your mouth? You weren’t so picky when you were eating rice bran before. Now you even turn your nose up at cornmeal. If you don’t want to eat, then leave it; skipping a meal won’t kill you."

Xu Duoyu, scolded by Yang Cuihua, looked forlorn, her head bobbing like a roly-poly toy.

Xu Duoyu cried pitifully, staring at the cornmeal in her bowl and sobbing.

While crying, she sniffled, "Sis said she’d give Duoyu rice to eat in the future, boo hoo..."

"Your sister is spoiling you, you little bunny brat. Don’t you know how hard it is for her? Your sister has gone out to run a store and do business. Mom needs to save money for your sister. If your sister makes a loss, will you still have rice to eat when she comes back? Shut up, or mom will beat you to death."

As she spoke, Yang Cuihua raised her hand to hit Xu Duoyu, frightening Xu Zhicheng into quickly shielding Duoyu.

Xu Dawei sat to the side, his head down as he shoveled food into his mouth. After a few bites, he tried to make peace: "You could say a bit less."

Yang Cuihua glared immediately: "Now you come to play the good guy? When the bunny brat was stealing rice to eat, why didn’t you stop it?"

Don’t think she was unaware; he had spoiled them, thinking that now the household was better off, they could afford to be wasteful.

She didn’t dare think like that.

That precious rice was hard-earned by her darling daughter; it had to be saved for her to eat when she came back. Having cornmeal to eat in the household was already a luxury.

This was all thanks to her darling daughter.

She didn’t even know how hard her darling daughter had it out there.

If it weren’t for the fear of troubling her daughter, Yang Cuihua would have wished she could sprout wings and fly to the town to look after her.

When Xu Niannian returned to the village, she was greeted warmly by the villagers.

As she opened the gate to the courtyard upon arriving home, she could hear Yang Cuihua’s scolding voice from inside.

There was also the sound of Xu Duoyu crying. Xu Niannian thought Yang Cuihua was beating Duoyu again and hurriedly ran into the house.

"Mom, what’s wrong with Duoyu?"

Xu Niannian’s sudden entry into the house took the entire family by surprise.

Yang Cuihua was stunned for a moment, her mouth moving silently for a long while, just staring blankly at Xu Niannian.

After a while, she finally snapped out of it and rushed over to grab both of Xu Niannian’s hands: "My dear child, you’re finally back. Let mom have a good look at you."