Chapter 330 - 276: Lin Ruoxi After Five Minutes

Xue Rui fell silent for a moment. He had intended for Lin Ruoxi to play the pity card so that Xie Jianfeng wouldn’t give the girl any trouble in the future.

But... he didn’t know if the girl hadn’t understood his joke or was deliberately trying to prove her devotion to Xie Jianfeng, but what she said next was completely beyond his expectations.

Xie Jianfeng lit another cigarette. He didn’t know what to do either. He had originally planned to meet Lin Ruoxi’s family, but it turned out her only family was an old grandmother—the kind who doesn’t keep her word and never gave him a pleasant look from start to finish...

In other words, as long as this girl made up her mind, there was nothing he could do to stop her. And his son, on the other hand, clearly wasn’t going to listen to him...

"Sigh..." Xie Jianfeng let out a breath. He really couldn’t sit here any longer.

He could see it now. This girl was single-minded; once she set her mind on something or someone, she wouldn’t change.

Xie Jianfeng glanced at his watch. "I’m leaving. I have things to take care of at the shop."

"Uncle, I have a gift for Auntie here too." Lin Ruoxi hurried to the corner to pick up the large box.

Xie Jianfeng tilted his head slightly, signaling for Xue Rui to take it.

Xue Rui took the box. ’He figured Xie Jianfeng must have something to say to him.’

He whispered to Lin Ruoxi, "Don’t see us out. Just wait up here."

Lin Ruoxi nodded obediently and hurried to the entryway to set out their shoes.

Xie Jianfeng scratched his head. ’What is all this?’ he thought. Just as he reached the door, he saw a photograph lying facedown...

’I don’t remember having such a large photo in the house before,’ he mused. He flipped it over and saw it was a funeral portrait of a man.

"I’m... I’m sorry," Lin Ruoxi said hastily.

She knew Xue Rui didn’t like seeing things like this, but her grandmother insisted on displaying it when she was home. She had forgotten to put it away when she was cleaning up yesterday.

This apology was for Xie Jianfeng. She knew this used to be Uncle Xue’s home, and she felt terrible for placing a funeral portrait in someone else’s house.

At this point, Xie Jianfeng knew he couldn’t resolve the couple’s relationship. Only then did his attention focus solely on Lin Ruoxi...

’This girl really is pitiful. She’s only a few years older than my own daughter, supporting a family all by herself. How much has she been wronged, how much has she suffered?’

In his opinion, a girl this beautiful without family protection would find it hard to have a good future. In a way, Xue Rui had done a good deed...

He took a deep breath, pulled a business card from his wallet, and said slowly, "Xixi, no matter what happens between you and Rui in the future, you can always contact your uncle if you run into trouble."

Xue Rui’s expression froze. ’So my old man does have a conscience. But is that it? You’re not going to give her anything?’

’Just a phone number?’

’What about a greeting gift?’

He stared at Xie Jianfeng’s hands for a long time. ’You have to treat them equally,’ he thought. ’I might be a bastard, but you can’t give Gu Muxue a red envelope and then give Lin Ruoxi nothing at all.’

The corner of Xie Jianfeng’s eye twitched. He knew this brat was up to no good.

"Come downstairs with me to get it," Xie Jianfeng said irritably.

As Xue Rui was leaving, he glanced back into the room, winked at the girl, and mouthed the words, "Be right back."

Lin Ruoxi tilted her head. ’Isn’t Xue Rui going downstairs to drop something off?’

On the stairs, Xie Jianfeng’s pace quickened, and he muttered, "You just keep making trouble, you brat. If Muxue finds out, she’ll kick you to the curb."

Xue Rui didn’t answer. ’Dad’s right,’ he thought. ’If that girl finds out about this, all hell will break loose.’

"Her kicking you is the least of it! If you break that girl’s heart, Old Gu won’t come after you—he’ll beat the hell out of me! How did I end up with a son like you?" Xie Jianfeng said, completely exasperated.

Xue Rui let out a long sigh of relief. ’Thank god he’s not coming after me,’ he thought.

Xie Jianfeng spun around, his eyes blazing as he stared at Xue Rui. "Did you just sigh in relief?"

Xue Rui immediately shook his head in denial. "No, I’m just tired. Catching my breath."

"You’d better be." Xie Jianfeng kicked at the green belt. Still not feeling any better, he turned and kicked at Xue Rui.

Caught off guard, Xue Rui took the kick and put on a show of limping. "HISSS..."

Even though Xie Jianfeng knew the brat was faking it, he still felt a lot better. "I suggest you take it easy. You’re starting school soon. You’d better resolve this mess by the time you get to Chang’an. Find a gentler way..."

He couldn’t think of any solution for Lin Ruoxi; the girl simply couldn’t leave Xue Rui. That meant the problem had to be solved on Xue Rui and Gu Muxue’s end...

The words went in one of Xue Rui’s ears and out the other; he wasn’t listening to what Xie Jianfeng was saying at all.

When they reached the trunk of the car, Xue Rui put the box inside and stood to the side, staring at Xie Jianfeng.

Xie Jianfeng reached for a Zhou Da Fu shopping bag, muttering, "It’s always best to prepare a small gift when meeting a woman."

’Dad bought it already?’ Xue Rui thought.

’Why gold jewelry? Isn’t that a bit old-fashioned?’

’But it depends on who’s wearing it. It wouldn’t be a bad thing for Lin Ruoxi to look a little more distinguished.’

"She doesn’t have her ears pierced, does she?" Xie Jianfeng muttered.

"No," Xue Rui replied decisively.

Xie Jianfeng gritted his teeth and handed Xue Rui an Omega shopping bag. "Take this, then. I remember she doesn’t have a watch."

Xue Rui grinned as he took the bag. He opened it and glanced inside. There was a wooden box and a sales receipt for over 90,000 Hong Kong dollars. He praised, "Whoa, Dad, you’re so generous!"

"Who was this originally for?" Xue Rui asked curiously. It was obvious this thing had been prepared in advance.