Chapter 315 - 270: I’ll Listen to Xixi

With a soft SMACK, Lin Ruoxi caught the descending wrist.

Her voice rose a notch. "Aunt Ren?"

Xue Rui spun around. Seeing who it was, he instinctively blurted out, "Mom, what are you doing here?"

Ren Qunfang patted Lin Ruoxi’s hand. "Xixi, I didn’t hurt you just now, did I? Why are you blocking for him?"

"It doesn’t hurt. You didn’t use any force, Aunt Ren," Lin Ruoxi said.

Xue Rui glanced around. His mom was here to get him. Why hadn’t his sister said anything?

Thankfully, there was no sign of Gu Muxue.

"Feeling guilty? What have you been up to?" Ren Qunfang said coldly.

She knew Lin Ruoxi would definitely be by Xue Rui’s side, so she had intentionally left Gu Muxue at home.

She now felt as if she’d been forced onto the same side as Xue Rui. To think she had deliberately kept Gu Muxue away from Lin Ruoxi... it was as if she were abetting a villain.

It wasn’t for Xue Rui’s sake, but because she was afraid of hurting the two girls. She wanted Xue Rui to find the gentlest way to resolve the situation.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and the darker her expression grew.

Xue Rui’s eye twitched. ’Mom, where did you learn that face-changing trick?’

The way she looked at him was a complete one-eighty from how she looked at Lin Ruoxi.

Xue Rui sensed that things were about to go south for him. With a smile, he pushed Lin Ruoxi in front of him to act as a human shield.

Even Lin Ruoxi realized what was about to happen. In a soft, pleading voice, she begged, "Aunt Ren, please don’t hit Rui, okay? It’s all my fault..."

"Alright, I won’t hit him," Ren Qunfang said amicably. But she hadn’t even asked anything. What fault was Lin Ruoxi admitting to?

It was just that Lin Ruoxi’s name for Xue Rui—Rui—was a bit... intimate.

She had Gu Muxue on WeChat, and Gu Muxue’s Moments feed made it obvious she had confirmed her relationship with her son...

And yet, it seemed to be the same with Lin Ruoxi, too?

"Xiaorui, what’s wrong with your foot?" Ren Qunfang suddenly felt exhausted and decided to check on her son’s condition first.

Although her tone was still cold, her eyes and actions betrayed her concern as she moved to bend down for a closer look.

Xue Rui pulled his mom aside, keeping his foot raised. He whispered, "It’s just a minor injury, and it’s already healed. But Xixi thinks it’s a big deal."

"Really?" Ren Qunfang asked seriously.

"Really." Glancing at Lin Ruoxi, who was staring off into space, Xue Rui secretly tapped his foot on the ground a couple of times.

"Well..." Ren Qunfang laughed. That was just the kind of girl Lin Ruoxi was—she watched over Xue Rui meticulously, paying more attention to detail than even she had when raising him.

"Why was your phone off? And you made Xixi turn hers off too?"

"No, Lin Ruoxi said cell phone radiation is strong on the train, so I turned it off after sending a group text. Who could have known the message didn’t go through?" Xue Rui fabricated an excuse. He couldn’t exactly admit he’d turned it off because he was afraid of being disturbed, could he?

"This afternoon, Muxue asked me where you went. I was out shopping with her mother at the time. I figured I’d let Muxue play with Yaoyao for a while and we could talk about it tonight... But then you were out of contact for so long that Muxue got so worried she started crying in secret. It was Yaoyao who secretly told me... Remember to make it up to her when you get back."

...

Xue Rui gritted his teeth. ’Great. Xue Yao really knows how to stir things up.’

No wonder. No wonder someone as composed as Muxue had suddenly become so emotional.

He imagined the scene Gu Muxue must have pieced together from his mom’s words... Gu Muxue had probably just been worried at first, unsure what to do. She would have asked the people around him if they knew where he was. Then, while hanging out with Xue Yao at home, she must have gotten upset, hidden in his room, and had a secret cry. Next, Xue Yao would have shown the family the photo she’d secretly taken, and they all would have gone to comfort Gu Muxue...

As the saying goes, three women make a show, all chattering away. He didn’t even dare to imagine what four women together would be like!

Some things are best left unsaid, treated as if they never happened. But it only takes one person with a negative thought to spark endless speculation.

People can sense the atmosphere. Gu Muxue was already flustered, so even if no one said a word, everyone would subconsciously assume the worst. For all he knew, in Xue Yao’s wild imagination, he’d already been abducted by aliens and brought back.

And that line, "Bro, you’re alive!" had nearly shocked him to death.

Eventually, the poor girl’s mind must have gotten into such chaos that she was about to ask Gu Qingshan to start a search...

"It’s fine. Muxue isn’t that petty," Xue Rui said with a laugh.

"You’ve confirmed your relationship with both of them?" Ren Qunfang asked in a low voice.

The current situation was that both girls were getting in deeper and deeper. No matter which one Xue Rui chose, he would deeply hurt the other.

"Mhm, confirmed," Xue Rui said with a nod.

Although Ren Qunfang had long suspected it, upon hearing Xue Rui’s shameless answer, she still couldn’t help but take a deep breath...

’This topic is a landmine,’ Xue Rui thought. ’I want two girlfriends, but the problem is, nobody’s on my side! Well, except for sweet, silly Lin Ruoxi.’

He had to cut his mother off. He decided to strike first.

Xue Rui said in a scolding tone, "Mom! Why would you come to pick me up by yourself so late at night? It’s far too dangerous!"

Ren Qunfang was thrown by his sudden concern. She scolded him with a laugh, "Have you forgotten? Our family’s old diner was right by the train station. None of the surrounding shops have changed. This whole area is full of people I know. What’s there to be afraid of?"

"It doesn’t matter if you know people. Mom, you have absolutely no realistic perception of your own looks. I’m going to have to buy you a mirror so you can take a good, long look," Xue Rui said with great solemnity.

Ren Qunfang froze for a second. It was the first time anyone had complimented her quite like that. She secretly pinched Xue Rui. "No wonder you’ve managed to sweet-talk two young women. Where did you learn that from?"