Chapter 321 - 273: Finding Lin Ruoxi’s Flaw

The next day.

It was already past nine in the morning when Xue Rui got up.

He glanced into Xue Yao’s room as he passed; it was completely empty. It was the same story downstairs—even Da Huang was gone.

He came to one conclusion—Gu Muxue had spirited them all away.

He pulled out his phone and checked it. The girl hadn’t sent him a single message; she had just taken off without a word.

But then it occurred to Xue Rui that the girl was proud and held grudges. She was bound to be angry now that she knew he was back safe, so ignoring him was her way of getting revenge.

He actually thought it was pretty normal. All he had to do was send a bunch of messages to bury the previous texts she considered "embarrassing," and she would’ve cooled down by evening.

So, he sent a whole slew of "good morning" stickers.

"You’re up? Breakfast is on the table. Muxue made it," Xue Jianfeng said, grinning so widely his face looked like it might freeze that way.

Xue Rui shot him a strange look. ’What’s with Dad? Does he have nothing better to do? Why is he just sitting there grinning to himself?’

"Dad, what’s got you so happy?" Xue Rui asked, carrying his plate over to eat next to Xue Jianfeng, phone still in one hand.

Xue Jianfeng slapped his thigh and said, "Muxue made breakfast for our whole family."

Xue Rui glanced at the fried egg on his plate. It had a dark black ring around the edge, a clear sign it had been overcooked.

He didn’t complain, though. He just picked up his chopsticks and started eating it with a CRUNCH CRUNCH.

The cold egg was a bit greasy, and the burnt edges were slightly bitter. It wasn’t inedible, but compared to the other girl’s cooking, it wasn’t even in the same league...

Seeing the look of disgust on Xue Rui’s face, Xue Jianfeng explained, "Ours weren’t burnt. All the burnt ones were saved for you."

Xue Rui figured Gu Muxue had done it on purpose, feeding him the failed scraps.

There was nothing to be done. His "patient halo" was gone, so naturally, he’d lost his special treatment.

The girl usually only made things like desserts or cookies; this was likely her first time making breakfast.

"Dad, this is what you’re so happy about?" Xue Rui asked.

"Forget whether it’s good or not. Old Gu wishes he could have some, but he can’t! I called to tell him about it this morning, then just sent him a picture. Now he’s blocked me on WeChat."

Xue Jianfeng placed his phone in front of Xue Rui, who saw a string of red exclamation points.

The corner of Xue Rui’s mouth twitched. ’Isn’t he just trying to provoke Gu Qingshan on purpose?’

But Xue Jianfeng just waved his hand nonchalantly. "He’ll unblock me in a few days when he needs me for something."

"Sigh, girls who are willing to cook are getting rarer these days. The fact that Muxue is willing to even go into the kitchen, that thought alone... You’d better cherish her."

Xue Rui sipped his congee. When he thought about a girl who cooked for him, the first person who came to mind wasn’t Gu Muxue, but Lin Ruoxi.

He opened his chat with Lin Ruoxi.

Ping An Insurance: Rui, are you awake? Sister Yu and I are at the nursing home. We brought breakfast for you.

Xue Rui smiled. He hadn’t said he was going to see the girl this morning, yet she had prepared breakfast for him anyway...

It had been this way for the past two years, but his life was no longer as predictable as it had been in high school. He couldn’t always make it to eat the breakfast she prepared.

Xue Rui replied: I’ve already eaten. In the future, if I’m not around, don’t go to the trouble of preparing anything for me. I won’t starve.

Lin Ruoxi’s reply was almost instantaneous: I’ll still make it.

Xue Rui shook his head, exasperated. The girl just wouldn’t listen when it came to things like this. She was just so stubborn.

Xue Rui: You’re just wasting food. If I don’t eat it, it goes to waste.

Lin Ruoxi: No, I won’t! If you don’t come, I’ll just eat it for lunch.

Seeing her reply, he suddenly felt his heart ache for her for some reason.

It was as if he was the only person left in Lin Ruoxi’s life. Every day, all she worried about was whether he was sleeping well and eating enough.

Xue Jianfeng leaned over curiously to take a look, but when he saw the words "Ping An Insurance" at the top of the screen, he immediately lost interest.

He spoke up. "That girl from last night, is that the Xixi your mother is always going on about?"

Xue Rui sensed that something was off about his dad’s tone. He hurriedly tried to scoot farther away, but Xue Jianfeng grabbed him by the back of the neck.

Wincing in pain, he said, "Yes."

"Do you have any idea what happened last night? Muxue was just crying her eyes out because you were missing, and Old Gu nearly snapped my neck." Xue Jianfeng squeezed a little harder.

How could Xue Rui fail to understand his father’s meaning? This was a naked threat, meant to push him toward Gu Muxue.

But things had already progressed to this point. Even if he were forced to choose Gu Muxue, Lin Ruoxi would never let go. The poor girl couldn’t handle it.

"Dad, don’t you have things to do today?" Xue Rui asked.

"I have to go to the shop later, but I’ve still got time to sort you out first," Xue Jianfeng threatened with a smile. ’This kid is trying to get rid of me,’ he thought, ’but I’m not soft-hearted like Ren Qunfang, who can be swayed by a few slick words.’

"Oh, in that case, you can give me a lift. I’m going to the nursing home to visit the lonely seniors," Xue Rui said.

Xue Jianfeng grunted in surprise. "Hmm? You? Visiting lonely seniors?"

He felt there was a hidden meaning in Xue Rui’s words, as if he wanted him to tag along.

"Alright, I’ll go have a look too," Xue Jianfeng agreed with a nod.

The two of them drove to the nursing home, and on the way, Xue Jianfeng stopped the car to buy a few things.

"It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve been or how well you know the people there; it’s always bad form to show up empty-handed," Xue Jianfeng said.

"I know."

Xue Rui naturally understood this, but Lin Ruoxi was another story. She had most likely gone empty-handed, but the seniors there still liked her quite a bit.