Chapter 323 - 273: Finding Lin Ruoxi’s Flaw

’Where was the most effective place to apply pressure?’

’He was as stubborn as they come, and his family couldn’t do a thing about him. Plus, he used to be away from home so often that they had a fixed image of him, and they were afraid that pushing too hard would just make him stop coming back altogether.’

’As for Gu Muxue? She was his old man’s favorite candidate for a daughter-in-law; he couldn’t spoil her enough.’

’That only left Lin Ruoxi. Xie Jianfeng was probably trying to find a gentle way to drive her away.’

’But the poor girl wouldn’t be able to handle it.’

’So, the plan was to let his old man meet Lin Ruoxi, this sweet girl who was always getting the short end of the stick, and make him feel too guilty to open his mouth.’

"I... I thought you weren’t coming, so I ate your breakfast," Lin Ruoxi said in a small voice, not daring to look Xue Rui in the eye, like a child who’d gotten into trouble.

"Then you owe me one breakfast," Xue Rui said, playing along with her.

"Oh, how about I make it for you tomorrow?" Lin Ruoxi asked, looping her arm through Xue Rui’s.

"No. I want to eat my breakfast at noon today," Xue Rui said, his brow furrowed.

Lin Ruoxi blinked. "But what you eat at noon is called lunch."

"It’s breakfast," Xue Rui insisted.

"Oh, okay. I’ll make you breakfast at noon, then," Lin Ruoxi agreed with a nod. ’As long as Xue Rui was eating here with her, it was all good.’

The midday sun was blinding, so the two of them strolled slowly through the shaded areas of the nursing home. Nearby, elderly residents sat in the shade, fanning themselves and chatting idly. They smiled as they watched the affectionate couple.

"Xixi, come play a game of chess with me," Uncle Liu called out.

"Oh, can I?" Lin Ruoxi asked, turning to Xue Rui.

Xue Rui shook his head. "No."

Lin Ruoxi obediently called back to Uncle Liu, "Grandpa, I’m not playing."

Old Liu scowled in frustration. Whenever Xue Rui showed up, Lin Ruoxi transformed into a different person, clinging to his side like a shadow.

Especially after his month away, she seemed to have gotten even clingier, seeking his approval for every little thing.

As the two of them ambled over to one of the old ladies’ rooms, Xue Rui spotted his father gathered with Yu Minlan and a few other seniors. They were pointing at him and Lin Ruoxi, whispering about something.

"Your son is a lucky man. Xixi is a wonderful girl. She even came by this morning and helped me move my flower pots out into the sun," one of the old ladies said.

"Heh, yes," Xie Jianfeng replied, his smile not reaching his eyes.

"It’s just a shame she’s had such a hard life..."

Xie Jianfeng’s brow furrowed. He’d been here for half an hour, and all he’d done was listen to this group of old ladies either praise Lin Ruoxi to the heavens or repeat the tragic story of her life and experiences over and over.

’Honestly, it was starting to make him feel bad for the girl.’

’He knew what these people were trying to do—get more people to sympathize with Lin Ruoxi...’

’He had to admit, Lin Ruoxi seemed quite introverted, but her popularity with the elderly was surprisingly high.’

’If he went to her hometown and asked around, the entire village would probably do the same thing—only say nice things. But was that what he wanted to hear?’

’Her school was even less likely to provide dirt. Who would dare slander a student so brilliant that even Qingbei would stoop to recruit her?’

’Lin Ruoxi didn’t have any friends. The first half of her life could be summed up in just a few sentences.’

’It wasn’t that he was dead set on finding flaws in Lin Ruoxi. It was just that the picture everyone painted of her was so relentlessly positive it felt illusory, unreal.’

’How could a person only have one side?’

’He was afraid his son was being deceived.’

’But now, he felt like he’d fallen right into Xue Rui’s trap.’

"Uncle Xue, Ruoxi is a really good person," Yu Minlan ventured.

Xie Jianfeng frowned. He’d asked earlier and learned that Yu Minlan was technically Xue Rui’s driver, on his payroll, but she spent most of her time running errands for Lin Ruoxi.

He said coldly, "Xiaoyu, why are you always siding with an outsider? Don’t forget who your boss is."

Yu Minlan instantly felt an invisible pressure weighing down on her. She said meekly, "Yes."

Xie Jianfeng pulled out a cigarette and tapped it against the box. Yu Minlan hurriedly fished a lighter from her pocket, cupping her hand around the flame as she lit his cigarette.

Xie Jianfeng nodded. "In your opinion," he began slowly, "does Lin Ruoxi have any flaws?"

Yu Minlan’s eyes went wide and vacant. She clutched the lighter in her hand, her expression a mask of inner turmoil.

’She... she couldn’t think of a single one!’

Watching Yu Minlan’s expression, Xie Jianfeng took a deep drag from his cigarette. ’And there we have it,’ he thought to himself.

Yu Minlan took a deep breath and said with grave seriousness, "She really... she’s just terrible at taking care of herself!"

"COUGH, COUGH..."