Chapter 316 - 270: I’ll Listen to Xixi

Xue Rui didn’t answer. Instead, he shook his head with concern. "My dad is too relaxed about this. How could he not have come?"

Ren Qunfang started nagging, "I told him not to come. Next time you pull a stunt like this, give us a heads-up. You’re a grown man now, stop making us worry..."

"Alright, Mom, I know. I was in the wrong this time. I wanted to come back and give you a surprise, but I didn’t expect it to be a scare instead..." Xue Rui admitted his mistake with a sincere attitude.

Ren Qunfang quickly forgot her earlier displeasure. She knew her son was just bantering to smooth things over, ’but what can you do? She loved hearing it. Who wouldn’t want to feel cared for by their own son?’

"Xixi, Auntie will take you home first," Ren Qunfang said, walking over to get the car.

Xue Rui stood where he was, scanning the area. Knowing his dad, he refused to believe the old man hadn’t shown up.

Sure enough, after scanning the area a few times, he spotted a familiar car in a nearby corner. His gaze locked onto the driver’s seat.

And then, the car window slowly rolled down, revealing Xie Jianfeng’s face.

Xie Jianfeng pointed two fingers at his own eyes, then jabbed them in Xue Rui’s direction. The message was clear: ’I’ll be watching you.’

Then, he slowly rolled the window back up, and the car’s engine turned over.

Lin Ruoxi tilted her head, following Xue Rui’s gaze. She saw Xie Jianfeng’s silhouette as well.

Although she’d barely exchanged a few words with Xue Rui’s father, she had seen him many times before.

She gave a slight bow in Xie Jianfeng’s direction and called out in a clear, sweet voice, "Hello, Uncle!"

Xie Jianfeng was taken aback for a moment. The window lowered a little more, and he smiled and waved at Lin Ruoxi. "Hello."

Just as Lin Ruoxi was about to pull Xue Rui over toward him, Xue Rui shook his head. "Maybe next time. Can’t you see he’s about to leave?"

No sooner had Xie Jianfeng driven off than Ren Qunfang pulled up. She drove the two of them toward Lin Ruoxi’s neighborhood.

In the car, Lin Ruoxi muttered quietly:

"Auntie, his foot still hasn’t healed. It can’t get wet, so it needs to be wiped clean with a damp towel..."

"Xixi, aren’t you scared living all by yourself?" Ren Qunfang interrupted. ’This silly girl,’ she thought, ’you’re the one who really needs to be taken care of.’

"Um, I’m not scared." Lin Ruoxi’s voice was a little louder, as if she were trying to prove something.

Then, she added in a small voice, "I have Da Huang to guard the house."

"Da Huang is at Yaoyao’s place," Xue Rui said softly. "I’ll take you to pick him up in a few days."

The young woman’s pupils dilated. ’Xue Rui is inviting me to his house?’

She had heard from Yu Minlan that Xue Rui had bought some local specialties for her, including cigarettes. He probably intended for her to give them to Uncle Xue.

For some reason, her nose began to prickle, and tears started to drip down her cheeks.

’It wasn’t just Gu Muxue who could live her life openly, out in the sun. She could, too!’

When Ren Qunfang saw Lin Ruoxi crying, she immediately scolded, "Xiaorui, what did you do to Xixi?"

Lin Ruoxi flinched and hurriedly defended Xue Rui. "Auntie, he’s very good to me. I’m just so happy."

Ren Qunfang sighed. ’This girl, honestly... always protecting my son, no matter what.’

She couldn’t help but think about the future. ’If Xue Rui and Lin Ruoxi get married, does that mean I won’t be able to discipline my own son anymore?’

After dropping Lin Ruoxi off at home, Xue Rui flopped onto the back seat and pretended to be asleep.

"Hmph. Keep pretending," Ren Qunfang said, annoyed, turning around to pinch his arm.

Xue Rui squirmed and let out a sharp "HISS." He was trying to figure out what to do.

’Countless scientists have proven that triangles are stable.’

’His current position felt like one point of a triangle, with Lin Ruoxi and Gu Muxue as the other two points...’

’No, to be precise, their relationship right now isn’t a triangle. It’s more like a line twisted into some bizarre shape, with him as the point in the middle. Lin Ruoxi and Gu Muxue haven’t had any contact with each other yet...’

’To make it a triangle, Lin Ruoxi and Gu Muxue would have to come into contact.’

’And expecting Gu Muxue to be as accepting as Lin Ruoxi?’

’The odds were astronomical!’

’Still, he had to try. After all, the secret was more or less out now. It wouldn’t be long before Gu Muxue found out about Lin Ruoxi’s existence...’

’He had to let the two of them meet at some point. With a girl as pitiful and meek as Lin Ruoxi, nobody could possibly dislike her... right?’

’Of course, that was assuming there were no conflicts of interest. And right now, both of them held the title of "girlfriend"...’

’As the saying goes, one mountain can’t hold two tigers...’

’Xue Rui didn’t expect Gu Muxue to be accepting. The best he could probably hope for was a lack of animosity...’

Just as Xue Rui was lost in a pleasant daydream about holding one girl with his left hand and the other with his right, the car came to a slow stop in front of his house.

Xue Rui took a deep breath and shoved the car door open. The moment his right foot hit the ground, he saw the white gauze bandage that the young woman had wrapped around it...

’Hmm, I can use this,’ Xue Rui thought. ’With an asset like this, I have to take advantage of it.’

So, he put on a limp and hobbled toward the house, hoping to play the victim and reduce the tongue-lashing he was about to receive.

Ren Qunfang instinctively moved to support him, but then she remembered he was faking it. Indignantly, she gave his butt a swift kick.

Ren Qunfang hadn’t used any real strength, but as Xue Rui looked up, he saw that the light was on in Xue Yao’s room. It looked like someone was watching from the window.

He lurched forward, plopping right down on the ground, and then "valiantly" struggled back to his feet.

Ren Qunfang’s eyes widened. ’How can this kid be such a drama queen?’

"Get up! Who are you putting on this show for?" Ren Qunfang scolded.

Xue Rui put on a pained expression. "She just left and you’re already beating me."

His shamelessness made Ren Qunfang crack a smile. She whispered, "As long as you choose Xixi, I promise I’ll never lay a hand on you again. I’ll listen to Xixi, and Xixi listens to you. You’ll be like a little emperor in this house. Wouldn’t that be nice?"