Chapter 318 - 270: I’ll Listen to Xixi

She glanced at Xue Rui’s foot again, then asked in a fluster, "Xiaorui, did you walk up here all by yourself?"

"Alas, no one was willing to help me," Xue Rui sighed.

Gu Muxue rushed over to Xue Rui and gently took hold of his shoulder. "I’ll help you."

Xue Yao also stood up to help support him.

Xue Rui breathed a silent sigh of relief. ’He knew playing the victim would work.’

’If this is how it is, I might have to be ’frail and sickly’ more often when I mess up in the future.’

However, Da Huang was jumping and hopping at his feet, sniffing him insistently...

Gu Muxue asked in surprise, "Are you and Da Huang that close? Why is he so excited?"

Xue Yao was also taken aback. Although Da Huang was always friendliest with Xue Rui, he had never been *this* excited before.

Xue Rui swallowed hard. ’Good thing humans have a poor sense of smell,’ he thought. ’Da Huang must have smelled Lin Ruoxi’s scent on me.’

"Da Huang, where are you going?" Xue Yao quickly locked the door, shutting Da Huang inside the room.

Da Huang had just tried to run outside.

Watching Da Huang pace anxiously before the door, Gu Muxue felt a flicker of doubt. ’There’s nothing outside, is there?’

’Da Huang was clearly looking for something just now. They say dogs are smart, so his behavior can’t be for no reason...’

’And this only started happening right when Xue Rui got back...’

She shook her head. Right now, she wasn’t concerned with that.

She helped Xue Rui into a chair, then pulled up another one for herself and sat down.

Gu Muxue patted her lap, motioning for Xue Rui to rest his leg on it. "Why didn’t you tell me you were hurt?"

The two of them used to tell each other everything, big or small, when they chatted. When she had the occasional stomachache, she’d mention it to Xue Rui, and he would comfort her and order medicine and milk tea for delivery.

But now that he was the one who was hurt, why hadn’t he said a single word?

Xue Rui was riddled with guilt. He was almost completely healed now; how could he possibly let Gu Muxue take a look?

"I was afraid you’d worry. I was in Guangdong Province, so it’s not like you could have helped anyway. People who are away from home tend to report the good news and hide the bad," Xue Rui sighed.

"Not even to me?" Gu Muxue’s voice began to choke with emotion.

"I’m really fine. I’ll be able to walk around by tomorrow," Xue Rui said.

Xue Rui sensed Gu Muxue’s mood souring. He turned to Xue Yao and said, "Yaoyao, I have a feeling you’re craving some beef balls right about now. I just brought them back from Guangdong Province, and Mom has probably cooked them already. Go downstairs and bring up two bowls."

Xue Yao paused. ’Aren’t you the one who wants to eat them?’ she thought.

But she figured her older brother was just trying to get rid of her. She patted Da Huang on the rump. "C’mon, Da Huang, let’s go."

After Xue Yao had left, Gu Muxue couldn’t hold back any longer. She moved behind Xue Rui, her small hands gripping his shoulders.

"You jerk! Do you have any idea how worried I was when you were gone for so long?"

Xue Rui felt himself being pressed firmly into the chair. Every time he tried to turn his head, Gu Muxue would just turn it back. Still, he could feel that the girl’s hands were wet with tears.

’She’s too proud to cry in front of me,’ he thought. ’She has to hide behind my back to do it secretly.’

"I’d never taken a train before, so I thought I’d ride one back. My phone battery dies way too fast, though. I sent you a text before I turned it off, but the signal must have been bad because it failed to send..."

Xue Rui took out his phone to show Gu Muxue.

But Gu Muxue pushed his phone down. "Xiaorui, I believe you."

’She didn’t know what was wrong with her. A moment ago, she had desperately wanted to question Xue Rui.’

’But now that he was sitting right in front of her, she didn’t want to hear any of it. All that mattered was that Xue Rui was back, safe and sound...’

She leaned forward slightly, resting against Xue Rui’s back.

Suddenly, Xue Rui felt a warmth on the back of his head, and he heard Gu Muxue speak slowly:

"Xiaorui... actually, I was at fault, too."