Chapter 287 - 261: Lin Ruoxi’s Sad Night

Xue Rui was lying on his side on Lin Ruoxi’s lap, his phone screen angled to the side. He only glanced at it, but Lin Ruoxi should have been able to see it, too.

After a moment’s hesitation, he turned off the screen and set the phone aside.

’Gu Muxue wants to add Lin Ruoxi as a friend?’

Gu Muxue had just said she wanted to add some friends. As the girl who interacted with him most, Lin Ruoxi would naturally be on her list.

’Normally, those friend request messages are just the generic default. But Gu Muxue had typed out the recipient’s name, giving it a "you’re special" kind of vibe.’

That meant there were two possibilities.

One: Gu Muxue was just very well-mannered. She typed out everyone’s name when adding them as friends to make them feel comfortable, and Lin Ruoxi was just one of many.

Two: Gu Muxue was especially interested in Lin Ruoxi and had made a point of typing out her name.

He hoped it was the former. That way, even if they became friends, they wouldn’t have much to chat about.

If it was the latter... then he’d just have to accept the inevitable clash of rivals.

Of course, he had another option: he could just tell Lin Ruoxi not to accept the request. But he didn’t want to use their relationship to control the girl. Whatever was meant to happen would happen. The decision was hers to make.

Lin Ruoxi glanced over and saw the friend request screen, but she didn’t get a clear look at the name...

But Lin Ruoxi wasn’t concerned about that. She was more focused on Xue Rui’s mood.

Xue Rui had seemed a little unhappy just now, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on the specific emotion...

"How about we take the train back?" Lin Ruoxi asked.

"Why? To save money?" he asked with a smile.

He’d never taken the train from Shencheng back to Hedong, but he estimated it would be at least a thirty-hour trip, which seemed a bit too long.

"Because... a lot of things... can’t be taken on the plane," Lin Ruoxi stammered.

Xue Rui shifted, turning to lie on his back on Lin Ruoxi’s lap so he could look up at her flushed face. ’She’s actually lying to me?’

’She’s terrible at lying, but she’s forcing it anyway. What’s she trying to do?’

He reached out and tickled her waist in mock revenge. "You actually lied to me! I’m going to tickle you."

Lin Ruoxi squirmed from the tickling, laughing as she said, "I... I was wrong! Lying is bad."

"So, you just want to take the train?" Xue Rui asked.

’Right. The girl is interested in all kinds of transportation.’

"That’s right," Lin Ruoxi said with a nod.

Xue Rui didn’t hesitate, nodding decisively. "Alright."

’So what if it was a few dozen hours on a slow train? He could handle it.’

Lin Ruoxi’s long, slender fingers gently stroked Xue Rui’s forehead. "Grandma calls me every day," she said softly. "She told me you visit her every time you go home. Thank you."

Xue Rui’s heart skipped a beat. He and Lin Ruoxi had agreed never to say "thank you" to each other. But the Lin Ruoxi of the past was simple and one-tracked; she just did exactly as he said. In reality, whether to use those two words depended on the atmosphere and the specific situation.

And this time, Lin Ruoxi had actually used it correctly—whether it was to thank him on her grandmother’s behalf or for agreeing to the slow train ride...

This made Xue Rui’s mind race. He feared he wouldn’t be able to pull the wool over her eyes anymore...

In the month he had been gone, Lin Ruoxi had interacted with all sorts of people, and her thinking had matured by leaps and bounds.

Just as Xue Rui was feeling insecure, Lin Ruoxi’s eyes suddenly grew flustered. She remembered her agreement with him and hurriedly added, "N-No ’thank you’! We don’t say ’thank you,’ and we definitely can’t say ’sorry’ either."

Xue Rui couldn’t help but smile. The girl was still so adorable.

But this time, as they reaffirmed their pact, he had the vague feeling that control was now in Lin Ruoxi’s hands.

Gu Muxue’s sudden appearance on the scene, coupled with the girl’s growing maturity, left Xue Rui feeling emotionally drained.

He suddenly felt too restless to keep lying down and craned his neck to get up. But then Lin Ruoxi said, "Mmm, if you like lying here, stay a while longer. I’m not tired."

"Alright," Xue Rui replied. It was the first day since they’d made their relationship official. He figured he should just let the girl do as she pleased.

By now it was late, and an utter silence had fallen over everything, so quiet they could hear each other’s breathing and heartbeats. Xue Rui was terrified Lin Ruoxi would hear his innermost thoughts.

Yes, he felt completely exposed.

Lin Ruoxi’s soft, gentle voice broke the strange atmosphere in the room. "Rui, you used to say my stories about Da Huang were too ordinary. How about I tell you one that isn’t?"

"Hm? A bedtime story?"

"Mmm, you could call it that. Do you want to hear it?"

"I’m listening."

"We used to raise some chickens at home, but a weasel would come by at night. So Da Huang would sleep next to the chicken coop to watch over them for me..."

Xue Rui figured the girl just wanted an excuse to talk to him more. ’What’s so interesting about a story like this?’ he thought.

Still, he figured the girl would be a natural at putting kids to sleep someday. Her small hand was patting his chest in a gentle rhythm, and her voice was like a clear stream flowing past his ear. The soothing, simple story was like a lullaby, making his eyelids grow heavier and heavier.

’Falling asleep on her lap? That’s a luxury in itself...’

A long while later, Lin Ruoxi watched Xue Rui sleeping soundly on her lap. The corners of her eyes crinkled into a smile as she gently stroked his chin.

Lin Ruoxi loved the deep of night, and she loved it even more when Xue Rui was by her side. Especially now. A small surge of possessiveness rose within her. ’Xue Rui is my boyfriend.’

As this thought crossed her mind, her legs trembled a little with excitement...

Seeing his head wobble along with her legs, she quickly suppressed her excitement, afraid she might wake him.