Rebirth Begins with Rejecting my Childhood Friend Chapter 414 - Shen Minyao: But I Don’t Believe It!

Su Yanyan could be quite talkative at tis, chattering away about all sorts of whimsical topics.

Tang Weiwei, on the other hand, remained her usual quiet self, spending most of the ti simply listening.

Shen Minyao, however, surprised Xu Xiuwen greatly. Perhaps it was because she had faced life and death, but she seed to have matured, becoming much more reserved.

Most of her attention was now focused on Xu Xiuwen. She frequently asked him if he was thirsty, hungry, or comfortable—practically treating him like an emperor.

Before they knew it, it was 5 p.m. Once again, Shen Minyao asked if he was hungry. Xu Xiuwen nodded in acknowledgnt, so Su Yanyan and Tang Weiwei decided to go buy dinner together.

The two girls left the hospital room, leaving only Xu Xiuwen and Shen Minyao behind.

Previously, with her roommates present—especially Tang Weiwei—there were many questions Shen Minyao couldn’t ask. Now seed like the perfect opportunity.

When Su Yanyan was around, her chatter created a lively atmosphere. But with her absence, Xu Xiuwen suddenly found himself unsure of what to say to Shen Minyao. The room grew quiet, with a hint of awkwardness in the air.

After a dozen seconds of silence, Shen Minyao broke it first.

She couldn’t hold back and asked, “Xu Xiuwen, why did you go upstairs to save today?”

Xu Xiuwen froze at the question. He noticed the hopeful, almost expectant look in Shen Minyao’s eyes.

He had a vague sense of what Shen Minyao wanted to hear, but he also knew the consequences of saying such things were not sothing he could bear.

Shifting his gaze to the window, he answered softly, “No particular reason.”

That was clearly not the answer Shen Minyao was hoping for. A flicker of disappointnt crossed her face, but she didn’t give up. She pressed on, “I don’t believe you. Even if what you said is true, let ask you: If it were another girl up there, would you have risked your life to save her?”

“If it were Weiwei or Yanyan, I would’ve gone up to save them too.”

“And if it wasn’t them? If it were another girl?”

“I still would.”

“You’re lying!”

“How am I lying?”

“You rushed upstairs because you were worried about my safety, didn’t you? If it had been soone else, you wouldn’t have taken that risk,” Shen Minyao insisted.

Xu Xiuwen didn’t dare et Shen Minyao’s eyes, because she was right.

The situation was so dangerous at the ti. Unless it was Tang Weiwei, Cheng Lu, or soone he shared a close relationship with, he absolutely wouldn’t have risked running into the fire.

It wasn’t that Xu Xiuwen was cowardly or afraid of death, but he always weighed the consequences before taking action.

In his previous life, he had lived through so many hardships. Now, having been reborn a decade earlier, he felt like he had won the lottery. His career was gradually getting on track, and his future was bound to be brighter and more exciting.

He hadn’t yet had the chance to truly enjoy life—how could he possibly risk his life for soone who didn’t an much to him?

Besides, the situation was particularly uncertain. No one could say for sure if Shen Minyao was even upstairs. She might not have been in the dorm at all, making the trip utterly pointless.

The effort and reward simply didn’t add up.

So if it had been soone else—say Su Yanyan or another girl in their class—he wouldn’t have done it.

Xu Xiuwen likely wouldn’t have taken the risk under normal circumstances. But Shen Minyao was different.

In their previous life, Shen Minyao had sacrificed so much for Xu Xiuwen—not just financially, but also her career, her ti, her family relationships, and even her own health.

Xu Xiuwen had always carried a deep sense of guilt toward Shen Minyao. And, deep down, his feelings for her hadn’t disappeared.

So, even though he knew the situation was dangerous, even though the risk might have been unnecessary, he still chose to take it. Because it wasn’t a gamble he could afford to lose. He couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to Shen Minyao.

As it turned out, his decision was the right one. Shen Minyao had indeed been in the dorm, dazed and disoriented from inhaling too much toxic smoke. Without him, there was no chance she could have escaped.

Having his true feelings laid bare by Shen Minyao, Xu Xiuwen couldn’t bring himself to et her gaze.

Shen Minyao waited for a response, but hearing nothing from him, her impatience grew. She couldn’t help but ask, “Xu Xiuwen, why do you care about so much?”

“Do I? I don’t,” Xu Xiuwen denied.

“Don’t lie. Back in the dorm, you gave the only wet towel instead of keeping it for yourself. If you didn’t care about , why would you do that?”

“You must be misunderstanding. I only did that because I didn’t want anything to happen to you. If sothing happened to you, wouldn’t my trip have been in vain?”

Xu Xiuwen’s tone was calm, but his words cut like a knife, leaving Shen Minyao deeply hurt.

After a mont of silence, she couldn’t help but ask, “Just answer one question for .”

Sensing what might co next, Xu Xiuwen quickly interjected, “I’m tired. I need to rest.”

“No resting!” Shen Minyao imdiately objected.

Xu Xiuwen frowned. “Do you have no sympathy? I got these burns because I saved you. I’m tired now, and you won’t even let sleep?”

Shen Minyao replied earnestly, “I’m very grateful you saved . I’ll do anything for you—even if you ask to die right now.”

Her tone was incredibly serious.

“What nonsense are you spouting? Who wants you to die? I worked so hard to save you, just to watch you die? If you keep saying things like that, don’t ever show up in front of again,” Xu Xiuwen said angrily.

Hearing his anger, Shen Minyao’s mood unexpectedly brightened. She even smiled slightly. “Alright, I won’t say it again.”

“Good. That’s more like it.”

“Then answer my question. Once you do, I’ll let you sleep.”

“Shen Minyao, aren’t you being annoying?” Xu Xiuwen pretended to be exasperated, turning his head to the other side.

But Shen Minyao wasn’t about to give up. She walked around the bed to face him again. Xu Xiuwen turned his head away, and she walked back to the other side.

After this repeated two or three tis, Xu Xiuwen finally sighed in resignation. “Shen Minyao, what exactly do you want?”

Shen Minyao’s expression was resolute. “I don’t want anything. I just want you to answer my question.”

Xu Xiuwen let out a helpless sigh. “I must owe you from my previous life.”

“Then hurry and ask.”

Hearing this, Shen Minyao’s eyes lit up with joy.

“You—” The words reached her lips but didn’t co out.

“I find you quite amusing. If you have sothing to say, just say it. Don’t be so hesitant. That’s not like the Shen Minyao I know.”

Shen Minyao perked up instantly. “What was the Shen Minyao you knew like?”

“Huh?” Xu Xiuwen hadn’t expected her to take his casual comnt so seriously.

“Hurry and tell ,” Shen Minyao urged.

Xu Xiuwen was quite sincere in his response. “The Shen Minyao I know is a confident and graceful Dalian girl who knows when to let go.”

Hearing this, Shen Minyao blushed slightly. “I’m not as good as you say.”

“Whether you are or not is my opinion, not yours to judge. Weren’t you going to ask sothing? Hurry up and ask,” Xu Xiuwen said, pretending to sound impatient.

Shen Minyao nodded. After a mont of hesitation, she finally asked her question.

“Xu Xiuwen, do you like ?”

“What?”

“I’m asking if you like .”

Xu Xiuwen had a hunch about what she wanted to ask, and after a brief pause, he replied, “No, I don’t. Happy now?”

“No!”

“Why not?”

“Because you’re lying!”

“When did I lie?”

“You hesitated just now, which ans you’re lying.”

“Shen Minyao, can you stop making a fuss? Didn’t we make it clear back then that we’d just be friends?”

“Yes, we did. But back then, I was the one who liked you, and you said you didn’t like , so I gave up. But now you like , which changes everything!”

“Can you stop being so full of yourself? Did I ever say I like you?”

“You didn’t say it, but the fact that you risked your life to save proves you do.”

Xu Xiuwen couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation, though there was also a faint sense of helplessness and lancholy in his heart.

This beautiful Dalian girl, whether in his past life or this one, was always so bold and straightforward in love. A girl like her—who wouldn’t fall for her?

But Xu Xiuwen also knew her well.

In his past life, Shen Minyao had many admirable qualities, but she also had so flaws—or rather, traits shared by many girls. One of them was her strong sense of possessiveness.

For instance, when they lived together in the past, every ti Xu Xiuwen was caught watching sothing on his phone, she would imdiately snatch it away and curate it for him, declaring certain things “not interesting.”

In Shen Minyao’s own words from their previous life: “Xu Xiuwen belongs only to . You’re not allowed to have other won in your heart or even look at them.”

If Xu Xiuwen were to be with Shen Minyao, he would have to give up his interactions with other girls entirely.

But that was sothing Xu Xiuwen couldn’t do.

With a silent sigh, he decided it was better to make things clear with her.

“Shen Minyao, I really don’t like you. Stop wasting your ti on . I heard Liu Zhihao has been pursuing you this sester. He seems like a decent guy with a good family background—”

“Stop it!” Shen Minyao interrupted him.

“I have nothing to do with Liu Zhihao. I know he likes , but I don’t like him at all. The person I like has always been you. It’s always been you. Why are you so cruel to ? You clearly like , so why won’t you admit it? You risked so much to save . The way you looked at then, full of worry and concern—it was obvious you care about . Why are you lying?”

As Shen Minyao spoke, her emotions grew more intense.

“If you’re determined to think that way, then I have nothing more to say,” Xu Xiuwen said, closing his eyes and turning his head away.

Suddenly, he felt his head being “seized.”

Xu Xiuwen opened his eyes to see Shen Minyao holding his face with both hands, forcing him to look at her.

“Shen Minyao, what are you doing?”

“Look in the eyes and tell the truth. Do you like or not?”

“How many tis do I have to say it? No, I don’t. Now let go of !”

Shen Minyao’s expression was blank as she looked down at Xu Xiuwen, her gaze sharp and piercing.

Her intense stare made Xu Xiuwen feel uneasy. “What are you trying to do?” he asked warily.

In a soft voice, Shen Minyao said, “I don’t believe what you’re saying. If you didn’t like , there’s no way you’d risk so much to save .”

Before Xu Xiuwen could respond, Shen Minyao leaned down suddenly.

“You—” He barely got the word out before Shen Minyao silenced him with her lips.

Xu Xiuwen’s eyes widened in shock. Shen Minyao was kissing him—forcefully! And in a hospital, no less!

After the initial shock wore off, Xu Xiuwen tried to turn his head to break free, but Shen Minyao firmly held his face in place, refusing to let him escape. Helpless, Xu Xiuwen could only stare, stunned, as Shen Minyao continued her bold move.

She had no technique, no experience—just like when they were together in their previous life. Even her flushed cheeks were the sa as he rembered.

For a brief mont, Xu Xiuwen felt like he had been transported back to the days when he and Shen Minyao were dating.

Back then, Shen Minyao was nothing like his ex-wife. Every quality she had seed to fill the gaps left by his failed marriage, making her feel like an angel sent to rescue him from despair.

He had truly loved her during that ti.

Lost in this fleeting mory, Xu Xiuwen froze, his resistance fading.

But the mont passed, and clarity returned. He tried to push back again, but with his injured hands, he was no match for Shen Minyao’s determined grip.

Forced to endure her kiss, Xu Xiuwen felt both helpless and “suffering imnsely.”

This was Shen Minyao’s first kiss. She lasted barely a minute before pulling back, panting heavily, her face bright red.

Xu Xiuwen imdiately glared at her. “Shen Minyao, are you insane?! Do you even realize what you just did?” he shouted.

Shen Minyao, still catching her breath, said nothing. She simply looked at him, her eyes sparkling with a determination that unsettled him.

And just as he feared, after a few more quick breaths, she leaned in again, repeating her earlier move.

With both his hands injured and unable to move, Xu Xiuwen had no way to fight back. His head alone was no match for Shen Minyao’s persistence.

Once again, he was forcefully kissed.

Xu Xiuwen was completely dumbfounded.

Shen Minyao’s actions were so unexpected, so unbelievable, that he couldn’t reconcile them with the girl he thought he knew. Was this really the sa Shen Minyao? It was unfathomable.

Xu Xiuwen was no saint—he enjoyed kissing girls. But being kissed like this, against his will, left a strange, uncomfortable feeling in his chest.

For over ten minutes, he endured Shen Minyao’s relentless advances. Finally, she stopped her wild behavior.

Her face was still flushed, but her eyes shone with excitent as she asked, “Now, do you still want to say you don’t like ?”

Xu Xiuwen frowned. “Stop being ridiculous. What you’re doing won’t do you any good.”

“I don’t care,” Shen Minyao replied. “All I care about is that you like .”

Seeing her unyielding attitude, Xu Xiuwen felt a wave of helplessness.

After a mont of silence, he suddenly asked, “What about Weiwei? Are you asking to abandon Weiwei and be with you?”

At the ntion of Weiwei, Shen Minyao’s face turned pale instantly.