Chapter 139: Chapter 138: First Conversation

After the class meeting, the students had free time.

Normally, Xue Rui would be in Class 1 with Gu Muxue, chatting about fun things that happened over the holiday, eating snacks, or doing practice problems together.

But today, Mei Lili blocked Xue Rui at the door.

"Muxue is in a bad mood and doesn’t want to see you."

Having received her "imperial decree," Mei Lili spoke with unshakable confidence.

"Why?"

"Don’t ask why. You’re just not allowed in."

...

Gu Muxue sat listlessly in her seat, her mind a mess.

She had thrown the DNA test report away. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

She wasn’t going to use the evidence to confront Xue Rui, because she didn’t know what right she had to question him.

’Lin Ruoxi is so beautiful, and even taller than me...’

If it were any other girl, she would have gone and asked about her relationship with Xue Rui herself.

But Lin Ruoxi... That girl was too introverted. Mei Lili had tried digging for information on the sly for a long time but came up with nothing.

Today, Mei Lili had also told her that Xue Rui once helped Lin Ruoxi run a meal delivery service for day students.

’And her family is apparently very, very poor, and she doesn’t have any friends...’

Even though Xue Rui could be careless and goofy, she knew he was actually very kind-hearted. Maybe he was just helping a classmate.

’No, no, no! It’s not that simple...’ Gu Muxue shook her head.

It wasn’t that Gu Muxue was angry about Xue Rui getting close to another girl. It was that he had lied to her.

Take Chen Tingting, for example. Even though she was always finding excuses to playfully ambush Xue Rui and hang all over him, Gu Muxue would only frown slightly when she saw it, not feeling particularly bothered.

In fact, seeing the annoyed look on his face brought her a certain smug satisfaction. She’d then step in at the right moment to lead the troublesome Chen Tingting away, feeling a small sense of accomplishment.

’But Lin Ruoxi is different. If he was just helping a classmate, he could have just told me. Why did he have to hide it from me?’

She was convinced there was something more going on between Xue Rui and Lin Ruoxi.

’This time, I’m definitely not going to forgive him... Definitely...’

Whenever Xue Rui made her angry, she could never hold out for more than a few days before forgiving him.

’She felt so pathetic. She shouldn’t be such a pushover.’

But this time, she was truly angry. She vowed she wouldn’t even listen to his explanation for a whole month.

"Muxue?" Xue Rui called out to her.

Gu Muxue subconsciously started to turn her head, but then she remembered the vow she had just made to herself. She stopped, pretending not to have heard him.

Xue Rui was completely baffled. ’What the hell is going on?’ he wondered.

’Just two days ago, we were talking until midnight, and now she’s suddenly ignoring me?’

From Mei Lili’s smug attitude, it was clear that Gu Muxue was the one who didn’t want to see him.

"Then give this to Muxue," Xue Rui said, pulling Mei Lili aside and taking a red envelope from his pocket.

"No. Muxue said she won’t accept anything from you," Mei Lili said warily, afraid Xue Rui would bypass her and go straight to Gu Muxue.

Xue Rui thought for a moment. "I owe Muxue a lot of money. She won’t even take it if I’m paying her back?"

"Well..." Mei Lili was conflicted.

’But Muxue had said not to take anything. Accepting this would go against her orders.’

"Fine, forget it. Saves me some money," Xue Rui said, quickly stuffing the envelope back into his pocket as if he was afraid Mei Lili would snatch it away.

Her body moved faster than her brain. Mei Lili snatched the red envelope away and said triumphantly, "In your dreams."

She couldn’t let her goddess lose out, and she certainly wouldn’t let a scoundrel like Xue Rui take advantage of Gu Muxue.

Mei Lili clutched the red envelope tightly to her chest and resumed her post blocking the back door of Class 1, her eyes fixed warily on Xue Rui.

"Alright, I’m leaving." Xue Rui waved and walked away, his mind racing to figure out where he had gone wrong.

Normally, he could have just pushed Mei Lili aside. But today, Gu Muxue hadn’t even spared him a glance. She was clearly furious.

He scrolled through their chat history. ’Everything seems fine here,’ he thought.

’Sigh, I’ll figure it out later.’

Gu Muxue was probably just blowing off steam. If he was too clingy right now, he’d only make things worse. It was better to wait a couple of days. That would give him time to figure out what was wrong.

「Inside Class 1.」

"Muxue, that scoundrel’s gone. Here’s the money he’s paying you back," Mei Lili said, handing the red envelope to Gu Muxue.

"Mm, thank you," Gu Muxue said.

Mei Lili was her only good friend; no other girls wanted to hang out with her.

In truth, only a girl like Mei Lili, who was willing to put herself in a subordinate position, could last by the side of a rich heiress.

Gu Muxue was just too brilliant. Standing next to her, what boy would even notice you? Every girl was afraid of being outshone.

And that was just one reason. Other girls spent their time gossiping about celebrities and talking about online games. But Gu Muxue? She traveled the world during vacations. She didn’t have much in common with her peers.

The occasional gifts she gave were returned, either by her friends or their parents.

Gu Muxue’s gifts were too extravagant. The pressure of being friends with a girl like that was just too much.

’Lucky money?’ Gu Muxue wondered.

She opened it to find a stack of banknotes, a mix of vibrant colors...

The red envelope contained several sets of mint-condition, old-edition banknotes.

"Huh? Where did he find such old bills?" Mei Lili asked, surprised. "I’ve only ever seen these when I was a little kid."

The truth was, Xue Rui figured that Gu Muxue didn’t need money. Giving too much would seem tacky, and giving too little would seem insincere.

So he’d opted for something with collector’s value instead. He bought some old banknotes for Gu Muxue, roughly equivalent in value to 10,000 yuan worth of phone credit.

Gu Muxue carefully put the red envelope away. It was, without a doubt, the most unique lucky money she had ever received.

Her mood lifted a little after receiving the lucky money.

Still, she had no intention of talking to Xue Rui.

「That evening, at Lin Ruoxi’s house.」

Xue Rui had been thinking for a long time, but he only grew more and more confused. He didn’t have a single clue.

To be honest, he had never been in a serious relationship in his past life. All his damn dating tips came from scrolling through short-form videos.

He was full of theoretical knowledge, but when it came to his own life, he was completely lost.

He could only sigh. A girl’s mood was as fickle as the weather—it could change in an instant.

Xue Rui turned on Lin Ruoxi’s computer, planning to watch a show or two before heading back to school.

When he clicked on the search bar, the search history popped up.

Why do I like hugging people

How to make clear-broth chicken

What does the first time feel like

How long can raw meat be kept in the fridge

Is 130 pounds fat?

Why do guys like boobs

...

Xue Rui silently closed the browser.

Lin Ruoxi was full of curiosity about the world. ’She clearly has too much time on her hands,’ Xue Rui thought...

When he walked into the living room, Xue Rui found Lin Ruoxi at it again, soldering something with an electric iron.

Xue Rui walked over and asked, "What are you doing?"

"A remote control."

Lin Ruoxi paused her work to give Xue Rui a demonstration.

It was a simple PCB board with neat rows of buttons soldered onto it.

Lin Ruoxi pressed one button, and the TV turned on. She pressed another, and the air conditioner whirred to life...

"A universal remote?" Xue Rui nodded. He thought Lin Ruoxi was pretty creative, a real multi-talented individual.

Lin Ruoxi stared at Xue Rui, her large eyes glistening—limpid and pure, without a speck of dust.

Xue Rui felt a wave of resignation. What ulterior motives could Lin Ruoxi possibly have? Right now, she was just like a little kid waiting for praise.

"Amazing," Xue Rui said with a smile, patting Lin Ruoxi on the head.

Lin Ruoxi lowered her head, basking in his touch, her heart filled with joy.

"If you’ve got time on your hands, you should learn more skills you’re interested in. But don’t just blindly believe everything you read online," Xue Rui added.

’Netizens’ worldviews are too extreme and bizarre. What if they end up leading Lin Ruoxi astray?’

"Mm, I’ll listen to whatever you say," Lin Ruoxi replied, nodding obediently.

’In reality, she was just curious. She wouldn’t actually believe what she read online. In her heart, only Xue Rui’s words were truth.’

More than half a month went by, and Gu Muxue was still giving Xue Rui the silent treatment.

「Noon, in the school cafeteria.」

Gu Muxue was grinding her teeth in frustration. ’Why hasn’t he come to explain things to me yet?’ she fumed internally.

’So if I don’t text you, you’re not going to text me either?’ Gu Muxue’s chest felt tight with frustration.

A week had gone by, and she was the only one stewing in her anger. Xue Rui was just carrying on as usual, eating and drinking like nothing was wrong.

Every evening at home, she would pick up her phone, only to put it down again with a hollow feeling in her chest. It really felt like she’d been abandoned...

But then she’d remember her vow and force herself to hold out.

"Muxue." Xue Rui greeted her as usual, moving to sit down next to her.

And just like every other day, Gu Muxue angrily picked up her tray and walked away.

"Gu Muxue isn’t talking to Xue Rui anymore. I think this is my chance," a male student muttered.

"Are you sure?"

"Look at that, she left again. They must be fighting."

Xue Rui overheard the whispers around him but paid them no mind. He watched Gu Muxue’s retreating back with a grin. ’This girl is about to crack,’ he thought. ’Two more days at most, and she’ll break down and demand an explanation.’

He’d just deal with it when it happened.

"Muxue, my mom packed me a hot milk tea. Here, it’s for you."

Hong Zihan offered her a cup of milk tea.

Gu Muxue frowned. She had just been about to sit down. ’Now who’s this?’ she thought, annoyed.

She got up and walked toward a corner of the cafeteria.

"Dude, are you braindead? Who goes around saying ’my mommy this, my mommy that’? And did you not see that she always eats with her friend? What’s the point of bringing only one cup?"

Xue Rui couldn’t take it anymore. This kid really was a fucking moron.

Hong Zihan was a little scared of Xue Rui, but he had to admit the guy had a point. "Thanks. I’ll have my mom send two cups tomorrow."

"..." Xue Rui was speechless.

However, when he turned his head, the smile on his face instantly froze.

Gu Muxue was walking toward Lin Ruoxi’s table!

"Holy crap!" Xue Rui instantly understood what the problem was.

No wonder he’d been sensing a faint whiff of jealousy.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t considered it, but he had been certain that Gu Muxue had no way of confirming his connection to her.

But now, the situation had changed. Muxue must have used some method to discover that he was frequently with Lin Ruoxi.

"How did she find out?"

Xue Rui pondered for a long time, his mind even conjuring up images of business cards for private investigators slipped into alleyway cracks...

But there was no time to think about that now. The two of them were already sitting at the same table!