Chapter 84: Chapter 84: Who Does She Like More?

A week passed.

Aside from the ginkgo leaves by the roadside beginning to turn a faint yellow, everything was the same as always. Nothing had changed.

Xue Rui attended his classes during the day, escorting Lin Ruoxi to and from school.

Of course, he would also use the excuse of "tutoring" to play on the computer at Lin Ruoxi’s house for a while.

He had thrown all thirty-thousand-some yuan into different platforms, buying a total of three hundred bitcoins.

As for his daily spending money? It didn’t matter. He now had money he couldn’t spend.

He ate better meals at Lin Ruoxi’s house and occasionally mooched snacks off Gu Muxue. Life was carefree and pleasant.

After lunch, near the back door of the Year Two, Class 2 classroom.

"Who’s that girl? Is she a new transfer student?"

A male student said, pointing at Lin Ruoxi’s back.

He was from the liberal arts track and rarely came to this floor. He found it bizarre to suddenly see a beauty of this caliber! He had no impression of her whatsoever.

He had wanted to say hello to Lin Ruoxi just now, but her disdainful look made him swallow his words.

"The girls who transfer here are prettier than the last," another male student chimed in.

Of course, he added in his head: ’And weirder than the last.’

Chen Tingting pursuing Xue Rui was already surreal enough, but this new girl was cold to the extreme.

"What transfer student? That’s Lin Ruoxi from our class. She’s been at our school since our first year," Guo Qingqing corrected.

"No way. How come I’ve never noticed her before?" the boy said, his face a mask of disbelief.

He didn’t doubt Guo Qingqing’s words, though; after all, she was the president of Year Two, Class 2.

"The teachers told us not to discuss it," Guo Qingqing explained.

She was in the same class as Lin Ruoxi in their first year.

Because Lin Ruoxi was introverted, and her family’s financial situation wasn’t good.

The teachers had privately instructed the female students not to discuss Lin Ruoxi’s affairs at school.

Coupled with Lin Ruoxi’s self-imposed isolation, she often wore clothes that didn’t fit in, and her hair hung limply, giving off a "keep your distance" vibe.

For a girl who looked so "gloomy," the boys would at most mutter a few words behind her back, and the other girls didn’t want to hang out with her either.

Lin Ruoxi wasn’t just self-isolated; her outward appearance had caused everyone to ostracize her.

But now, Lin Ruoxi had changed so much that Guo Qingqing felt there was no need to be secretive anymore, and she could discuss it openly with everyone.

Xue Rui happened to be passing by and overheard their conversation.

"What are you all talking about?" Xue Rui said with a grin.

"Lin Ruoxi, that name sounds so familiar... Second in the grade?" someone suddenly realized.

"So, what do you think? Pretty, isn’t she?" Xue Rui said, slinging an arm around the male student’s neck.

The male student thought for a moment. "She’s pretty, yeah, but she’s still a long way off from Gu Muxue."

Xue Rui just smiled and didn’t argue.

In terms of looks alone, Gu Muxue and Lin Ruoxi were on par with each other.

But Gu Muxue had so, so much more.

For example, a healthy, curvaceous figure and an elegant, graceful bearing.

Then there was her performance at the New Year’s Gala, which had left a deep impression on the entire school.

Plus, being chauffeured in a luxury car every day added a filter of mystery and nobility in the students’ eyes.

Lin Ruoxi had none of these things, so naturally, she couldn’t usurp Gu Muxue’s position as the school belle.

Xue Rui thought about it carefully. ’If he really had to compare, it seemed Lin Ruoxi fell short of Gu Muxue in every way.’

’Hmm... then again, not entirely.’

’Lin Ruoxi is an excellent cook, and she’s also a bit taller than Gu Muxue.’

The reason he’d told Lin Ruoxi to hold her head up was that he was afraid of her wasting her natural gifts.

She was born with the bone structure of a beauty; if she kept her head down all the time, her posture would eventually be ruined. It was still early enough to correct it.

Lin Ruoxi sat at her desk, listening to her classmates discuss her with a blank expression.

She did as Xue Rui had instructed. Whenever a boy approached, she would "glare" at him with the look Xue Rui had taught her, and sure enough, no one came to bother her.

Even though her face was revealed now, it didn’t feel much different from before, which put her at ease.

"Sister Xi, this is the money for my breakfast tomorrow morning." A chubby Yi Bing walked over and handed Lin Ruoxi twenty yuan.

"Mm... okay. Still one bowl of Hulatang, a hand-grabbed pancake with sausage and egg, four vegetable buns, and four meat buns, right?"

"Right."

After getting his confirmation, Lin Ruoxi nodded and tucked the money into a compartment in her schoolbag.

She had pretty much memorized the habits of everyone in class. She felt that her classmates were very good to her, very supportive of her "day-student business."

In fact, during this time, many students from other classes, mostly boys, had asked students from Class 2 to get Lin Ruoxi to buy things for them.

Even though other day students could buy things for them just the same, they still chose Lin Ruoxi.

It was as if breakfast handled by a beautiful girl would taste better.

Of course, the main reason was the chance to exchange a few words with Lin Ruoxi when picking up their breakfast.

Yi Bing shot a smug glance at the students from other classes at the back door, lifting his head proudly.

He had just been talking with Lin Ruoxi face-to-face for quite a while—something the students from other classes could only envy.

Xue Rui walked over and returned the lunch box Lin Ruoxi had given him that morning.

"Don’t wear yourself out. If you don’t want to pack lunches, then don’t," Xue Rui said lightly.

Lin Ruoxi had changed a lot recently. After frequently interacting with her classmates, her speech had become much more fluid.

Although she still stumbled a bit when talking to strangers...

"I’m not tired," Lin Ruoxi said in a small voice.

Suddenly, Xue Rui caught sight of Mei Lili entering the classroom out of the corner of his eye and quickly distanced himself from Lin Ruoxi.

Lin Ruoxi’s face was exposed now. If Mei Lili saw them, word would inevitably get back to Gu Muxue, who would hear things like him hitting on pretty girls, tarnishing his image.

"What are you doing in our class?" Xue Rui asked.

"Oh yeah? Then why don’t you stay out of *our* class."

Mei Lili jabbed back, feeling that Xue Rui was being incredibly nosy.

"Xue Rui, it’s my birthday today."

A girl walked over and pressed an egg tart into Xue Rui’s hand.

"Thanks, and happy birthday," Xue Rui said with a smile.

The girl was carrying a bag and handed out egg tarts to everyone in the class.

Xue Rui took a bite, and it suddenly occurred to him that it was already mid-September.

’When was Gu Muxue’s birthday again?’

He racked his brain, recalling that during the last dinner between their two families, Gu Muxue’s mother had mentioned it once. It seemed to be in September.

Xue Rui was self-aware; he had a bad memory, especially with numbers. ’Don’t tell me it’s already passed?’

He thought to himself, ’Then I’m truly fucking screwed! Did I not even put in a half-assed effort this year?’

Thinking about it, Gu Muxue had been acting very strange lately, as if she didn’t care about anything, listless all day long.

’Women are like that,’ he mused. ’They like to bottle things up, stew in their own anger, and then bring it all up during a future argument to rehash old grievances...’

"Mei Lili, you say Muxue is your goddess, so I’m going to test you to see if you’re a worthy disciple," Xue Rui said with a serious expression.

"Ask away," Mei Lili snorted.

She knew he had a question for her.

In fact, she also wanted to ask Xue Rui why Gu Muxue had been in such a bad state lately. Even when she walked, the distance between each step showed a slight deviation.

"What’s Muxue’s favorite fruit?"

"Strawberries."

"What’s Muxue’s favorite color?"

"Purple."

"When is Muxue’s birthday?"

"The third day of the ninth lunar month, which is October 5th on the Gregorian calendar."

Xue Rui heaved a long sigh of relief. ’Good, nothing’s wrong yet.’ The other day, Zhao Lizhen had said the ninth lunar month.

It was just... he had gotten his answer, but Mei Lili was a bit too much;

She was just like one of those crazed fans, having memorized her idol’s information so thoroughly that she answered without a hint of hesitation.

A mischievous thought sparked in Xue Rui’s mind, and he said languidly:

"Who do you think Muxue likes more? Me, or you?"