Chapter 328 - 275: Earning Money to Marry You (Part 2)

Xue Rui sat down next to Xie Jianfeng and asked, "So, Dad, was it good?"

’Dad is being way too picky,’ he thought. ’Finding fault with a girl like Lin Ruoxi?’

He recalled his past life, when he refused to get married. ’What were Dad’s standards again?’

’I think... as long as she was a girl, it was fine?’

’Well, people are always picky when they’re facing an imperial feast. When you’re starving, even a dry bun seems fine.’

The question about the meal made Xie Jianfeng’s temper flare. Xue Rui had really put him through the wringer today. He wanted to grab a slipper and give Xue Rui a few whacks, but he was too stuffed to bend over. There really wasn’t anything he could do to his son right now.

He patted his pockets in annoyance, then tossed his car keys to Xue Rui. "Go on. Head down to the trunk and get me a pack of cigarettes."

Xue Rui didn’t take the keys. He was too lazy to go downstairs and decided to look around Lin Ruoxi’s apartment to see if he’d left any cigarettes behind.

Instead, he spotted a large cardboard box. He took a look inside and found it stuffed with two cartons of Da Guoxi cigarettes that Yu Minlan had brought back from Guangdong Province.

He figured that since Lin Ruoxi had just made a dish to soothe the lungs for Xie Jianfeng, she probably wasn’t going to present these two cartons. It’d be better for him to be the one to give them away.

He placed the two cartons on the coffee table and said, "She brought these back for you from Guangdong Province."

"Oh?" Xie Jianfeng said, surprised. Gu Qingshan had given him a pack before, claiming it was from his son, and he had wondered why he didn’t get any himself. So they were waiting for him here all along.

He assumed Xue Rui had arranged this on Lin Ruoxi’s behalf. Lin Ruoxi wasn’t that considerate.

He tore open a pack, lit a cigarette, and asked with a smile, "Where’d you meet a girl like this? You’ve got some real luck."

It wasn’t that he didn’t know Xue Rui was two-timing. That sort of thing wasn’t rare in the circles of the rich second generation; he just never expected it to land on his own doorstep.

The point was, the nature of Xue Rui’s two "boats" was completely different...

Other guys were just playing around. Both the man and woman knew exactly what the other wanted: he lusted after her body, she was in it for the money. By getting what they each needed, it almost seemed straightforward.

But Xue Rui’s situation was completely different.

Gu Muxue was Xue Rui’s childhood sweetheart. From a family standpoint, his family was the one marrying up, but the two families were close and knew everything about each other. Since the kids were fond of one another, it was a match made in heaven.

As for Lin Ruoxi... he didn’t know what to say.

He didn’t approve of this type of girl. From his son’s perspective, she might seem flawless, but thinking long-term, Lin Ruoxi was absolutely not the best choice.

Xue Rui chuckled. "I just kind of picked her up out of the blue."

’At first, I just wanted to solve the issue of Lin Ruoxi’s suicide,’ he thought. ’Who would have guessed my life would get more and more entangled with hers? Now it feels like I can’t be without her.’

Xie Jianfeng glanced toward the kitchen and said, "Xiaorui, listen to me."

"Okay, I’m listening," Xue Rui replied.

"I know a girl like her is hard to quit," Xie Jianfeng said seriously.

’Lin Ruoxi is that beautiful, and to top it off, she’s completely submissive,’ he thought. ’She’s willing to squat down and change her man’s shoes. I bet if Xue Rui told her to kneel, she wouldn’t hesitate for a second...’

’That sense of absolute control is like a drug to a man.’

"But life is nowhere near as simple as you think. If you broaden your perspective, you’ll see that she isn’t right for you..."

Xue Rui knew his dad meant well. From his third-party perspective, Xie Jianfeng could see things more clearly, trying to ensure his son’s life went smoothly.

Xue Rui nodded. "You have a point, Dad, but—"

Just then, Lin Ruoxi walked out of the kitchen, wiping her hands. She saw Xue Rui’s back and heard him saying something about "having a point."

When Xie Jianfeng saw Lin Ruoxi emerge, he gritted his teeth and cut his son off. "No ’buts.’ Since you think what I said makes sense, then break up with Lin Ruoxi."

’Better to rip the Band-Aid off,’ he thought. ’Making the decision sooner is better for both of them. Don’t let it drag on until it becomes a huge, dramatic mess.’

He suddenly understood his wife. She must have felt guilty about giving the girl an apartment, wanting to offer her some form of compensation.

He reasoned that if Lin Ruoxi could accept the apartment, it meant she had material desires. He could just offer some extra compensation to sever this relationship as quickly as possible.

However, what Xie Jianfeng didn’t know was that Lin Ruoxi had accepted the apartment for one reason: to have Xue Rui’s baby...

If Xue Rui hadn’t given her the nod, Lin Ruoxi never would have accepted it.

When Lin Ruoxi heard Xue Rui’s father tell him to end their relationship, her world started to spin.

’I’ve never faced a situation like this before,’ she thought. ’Xue Rui’s mother really likes me. And even though his grandmother dislikes Xue Rui, she never told me to leave him.’

’This is the first time anyone has told me to leave, and it’s his own father.’

’I can’t accept a world without Xue Rui, but what can I do?’

The young woman’s limbs went cold. She felt completely drained of strength. She took a few trembling steps before bumping into the dining table and collapsing to the floor. Tears streamed down her small face, splashing onto the tiles... PATTER, PATTER...

Xue Rui flinched. ’She heard?’

He shot his dad a fierce glare. "But I’m not listening to you."

He rushed to help Lin Ruoxi up, but she was already scrambling to her feet in a panic, her elbows trembling...

"Sir, I..." Lin Ruoxi choked out, unsure of what to say.

Xie Jianfeng stubbed out his cigarette, muttering to himself. ’Why is she having such a strong reaction?’

’Has it really gone that far?’

Xue Rui helped Lin Ruoxi sit down across from Xie Jianfeng, then whispered in her ear, "Say what you want to say. It’s not like I listen to him. I’m on your side."