Chapter 331 - 276: Lin Ruoxi 5 Minutes Later

"Your ass," Xie Jianfeng said.

Xue Rui opened his mouth, then snapped it shut. He had almost instinctively cursed back.

He crumpled the receipt and tossed it into a trash can downstairs. Ruoxi would be upset if she saw the price, even though she could just look it up herself later.

After he’d done that, he instinctively glanced around. He sometimes felt as if a pair of eyes were watching his back.

He glanced up at the building, and his eye twitched. The girl was staring down at him from upstairs again.

He smiled and waved at her, then took the stairs two or three at a time.

He hadn’t even reached the landing when he saw her figure in the open doorway, waiting for him.

"It’s from my dad," Xue Rui said. ’If I didn’t say so,’ he thought, ’Xie Jianfeng would probably forget this whole thing ever happened.’

However, the girl didn’t rush to look at the gift he’d brought. Instead, she knelt and brushed the dust from the spot on his leg where his dad had just kicked him. "Rui, does it hurt?" she asked, her face full of concern.

Xue Rui shook his head. "It doesn’t hurt. He wouldn’t kick me for real."

Lin Ruoxi let out a soft sigh of relief and pulled Xue Rui inside.

Xue Rui opened the box. Inside was a round, silvery-white watch, which happened to suit the girl’s understated personality. He started to put it on her wrist, but she kept shaking her head. "I don’t need a watch. I have my phone to check the time."

"It’s an accessory. Behave," Xue Rui said with a frown.

He knew full well that while the girl was practical, her reluctance was more about not wanting to spend money. The money he’d given Lin Ruoxi at the start hadn’t dwindled at all; in fact, it had grown a bit...

Bank interest rates are high these days.

"Mm, I’ll be good," Lin Ruoxi said obediently, quietly waiting for Xue Rui to set the time for her.

Xue Rui looked at the girl’s delicate, pale wrist and thought the watch suited her temperament—it wasn’t flashy or gaudy.

However, Lin Ruoxi set the watch five minutes fast.

"What are you doing?" Xue Rui asked.

"Mm, I want to be ahead of you, so I’ll always be early to wait for you," Lin Ruoxi said with a smile.

Xue Rui gave a wry smile. It was only then that he remembered that whenever he went to meet her, the girl was always waiting for him ahead of time. She’d never been late, not even once.

So that was it—he and Lin Ruoxi lived in different times.

’Is the girl standing before me now the Lin Ruoxi from five minutes in the future?’

"I told you to rip my dad off earlier. Why didn’t you?" Xue Rui asked, sensing there was more to it.

The girl hugged Xue Rui tightly. "No amount of money could make me leave..."

Xue Rui had expected this answer from her, so he wasn’t surprised.

"But, how much money would it take... for you to stay?" Lin Ruoxi asked softly.

For a moment, Xue Rui didn’t know how to answer her question. It felt as if she was asking him to choose.

He glanced at the shelf and found that the photo from just now had suddenly disappeared. He had no idea where the girl had hidden it.

He stood and looked around for it, only to see Lin Ruoxi on tiptoe, retrieving the photo from the top of a cabinet. "Are you... are you going to throw it away?" she asked, her voice laced with worry.

Xue Rui frowned. ’Does this girl still have feelings for that bastard?’

’That can’t be right.’

"Grandma would get angry if she found out," Lin Ruoxi said in a small voice.

Xue Rui nodded. ’Why should I get angry over a photograph?’

’Pissing on that old bastard’s grave every year can count as my offering.’

He glanced from the photo to the girl and couldn’t help but marvel at how good-looking the whole family was.

’To have a face that handsome and still end up such a mess.’

Lin Ruoxi tilted her head. "Rui, what are you thinking about?"

Xue Rui murmured, "Nothing. I was just curious. It seems like most beautiful women have a handsome dad."

’Whether it was Lin Ruoxi or Gu Muxue, both had handsome fathers. Even Chen Tingting...’

Lin Ruoxi pondered for a moment. "Well, facial features are determined by dominant genes, and dominant genes are more likely to be passed on."

"Yeah, I really should have studied more," Xue Rui muttered, shaking his head.

’It made him worry about his future daughter. Will I drag down the next generation’s looks? Then again, as long as the mom is pretty enough, the average should still be okay, right?’

’Whatever, I’ll worry about that later.’

"Mm, a wealth of knowledge gives one a natural air of grace," Lin Ruoxi said, her eyes curving into happy crescents as she looked at him.

Xue Rui looked astonished. ’Is she actually complimenting me?’ He rubbed his belly. "Do I look like I have a belly full of poetry?"

Lin Ruoxi slowly shook her head, and Xue Rui grimaced playfully. ’So she’s learned how to mess with me now, huh.’

But then Lin Ruoxi looked at him with adoration and said in her soft voice, "It’s not that you look the part. You just are."

A smile crept onto Xue Rui’s lips. ’The girl really has a unique way of complimenting people.’ He tickled her belly. "So what’s in your belly, then?"

"Food," Lin Ruoxi said seriously.

"From now on, we’ll give the leftovers to Da Huang." Xue Rui figured this household really needed Da Huang. If Da Huang didn’t eat the leftovers, the girl would have to.

"Rui, when are you bringing Da Huang back?" Lin Ruoxi asked. She hadn’t seen Da Huang in a long time.

Xue Rui was suddenly reminded of his sister and Da Huang. They were probably at Gu Muxue’s place. He’d bring Da Huang back later.

After all, Da Huang had been Lin Ruoxi’s only playmate in the past, and now he’d been monopolized by his sister.

"Yaoyao’s birthday is in a few days. We’ll get him after her birthday," Xue Rui said. If they took Da Huang away before then, it would definitely put a damper on Xue Yao’s birthday.

Lin Ruoxi’s eyes lit up. She had worn Xue Yao’s clothes for a long time, and the walls of her bedroom still had Xue Yao’s elementary school award certificates hanging on them...