Chapter 333 - 277: How About Giving It to Your Sister?

In the blink of an eye, it was mid-August.

In front of Qunfang Tower.

"Xiaorui, you’re off to college in the blink of an eye! Your mom must be overjoyed," a woman said, patting Xue Rui’s shoulder. She then slipped a red envelope into his hand and whispered, "Take this. For spending money at school."

"Aunt, I can’t possibly accept this." Xue Rui put up a show of resistance for a moment. Finally, after the red envelope had become thoroughly crumpled from the back-and-forth, he stuffed it into his pocket with a resigned look.

’Dad’s done a great job keeping this under wraps,’ he thought. ’None of these relatives have mentioned me earning money. They just keep praising me for my good grades.’

On the surface, the star of the show today was the birthday girl, Xue Yao. In reality, he, the new college student, was also a main attraction. Otherwise, so many relatives wouldn’t have shown up.

He remembered his previous life. To celebrate him getting into college, his dad had hung up banners and even offered discounts at their business...

Now, Xue Jianfeng wasn’t concerned about which college he was attending. Instead, he was nursing a headache over his son’s two-timing. With that going on, how could he be in the mood to celebrate his son’s matriculation?

After waiting by the entrance for a bit, Xue Rui spotted Gu Muxue.

The girl had finally cooled off over the past few days and had stopped mentioning the day he went missing.

"Xiaorui, can you give this to Yaoyao for me?" Gu Muxue said with a smile, handing Xue Rui a wrapped gift box.

Xue Rui opened his arms for a hug, but Gu Muxue quickly hopped back a step, blushing as she whispered, "My dad’s still in the car."

Xue Rui glanced at the car’s tinted windows and gave a polite wave to the person inside. The window, however, didn’t roll down...

"Aren’t you coming up to eat?" Xue Rui asked with a smile, keeping a polite distance from Gu Muxue.

’I have to say, Gu Qingshan really puts a lot of pressure on a guy!’ Even through the tinted glass, he felt a gaze practically stabbing his hand.

Gu Muxue shook her head slightly. "Yaoyao told me not to. She said there are too many relatives."

Xue Rui figured as much. He hadn’t actually planned on having Gu Muxue join them anyway; he was just being polite.

Gu Muxue hefted the light gift box and muttered, "Why did you only have me buy a mouse?"

She felt the gift was too inexpensive and light; it felt a little embarrassing to give...

Xue Rui spun a tale. "Everyone knows she loves gaming. I was worried too many people would get her a keyboard."

’The truth was, Lin Ruoxi’s gift was just too exceptional. It was a high-end, custom-made keyboard, the likes of which couldn’t be bought on the market. It was a crushing blow by comparison...’

’No comparison, no pain. Knowing my sister, she would definitely show off a keyboard like that to her friends. Then Gu Muxue would be crushed by my clueless sister’s bragging, and the gift-giver, of all people, was Lin Ruoxi...’

"So what did you get her?" Gu Muxue asked curiously.

"I got her a headset," Xue Rui replied honestly.

Gu Muxue pouted. She had thought Xue Rui was getting a keyboard, so their gifts would make a matching set...

"I’m going to have dinner with my dad now. This afternoon, we have to visit an elderly gentleman..." Gu Muxue told Xue Rui her plans for the day.

"Alright then. But you have to let me give you a proper hug once we’re at school," Xue Rui said in a low voice.

Gu Muxue playfully stomped on his foot, and Xue Rui dodged again and again. For a moment, it looked like they were playing some little game at the entrance.

A honk from the parked car finally urged her on, and the young woman skipped back to the vehicle.

When Xue Rui turned his head, he realized his eldest maternal uncle had been watching him from the top of the steps.

"Xiaorui, that girl looks just like your mother did when she was young. Is she your girlfriend?" Ren Deqiu asked curiously. ’Do the father and son both go for the same type?’ he wondered.

Xue Rui didn’t answer, turning his head to ask instead, "Why didn’t my younger uncle come?"

He had just asked about it on the phone earlier. Xue Xiaying had gone on a team-building trip with the other schoolteachers, and surprisingly, Ren Jun had tagged along. Right now, though, he just wanted to change the subject.

"Never mind him. Who knows where he’s off fooling around? Let’s talk about you first," Ren Deqiu said, his face a mask of curiosity.

"What is there to talk about? School’s starting soon and I don’t even know how I’m getting there. My dad said he won’t take me..."

’Great,’ Xue Rui thought sarcastically. ’Now we have at least one guaranteed topic of conversation for dinner.’

By then, almost everyone had arrived. After a round of polite pleasantries, they lit the candles for the birthday girl, cut the cake, and began to eat and chat amongst themselves.

Xue Rui and Xue Yao sat at the kids’ table, each with a slice of cake in front of them.

"Xiaorui, back during the New Year, you said you’d bring home a granddaughter-in-law if Grandpa built a house for you."

"Well, the house is almost done! You’ll be able to move in by the end of the year. So, where’s my granddaughter-in-law?" the old man boomed at Xue Rui.

Xue Rui put on a serious expression. "At our age, we should be focusing on our studies."

The old man was instantly displeased. "Don’t think getting into college is the end of it. Marrying a wife is what’s most important! You think there aren’t plenty of bachelors out there with college degrees?"

Someone else chimed in, "Exactly! Look at so-and-so from our village. He went to college, and now he’s 29 and still can’t find a partner. What a waste of an education..."

Xue Rui scooted closer to Xue Zhuang. "I haven’t even started my first semester, what’s the rush? If we’re going by seniority, it’s hardly my turn."

Xue Zhuang was in the middle of heartily enjoying his cake, a smear of sweet cream at the corner of his mouth. When all eyes suddenly fell on him, he swallowed the bite in his mouth with a loud GULP and stared blankly at the cake in front of him.

A flash of clear disgust crossed the eyes of Xue Zhuang’s father. With everyone watching, his son could have at least said a few words.

Xue Rui was also surprised. ’This kid’s been in school for two years now, how is he still so useless?’

’He hasn’t found a girlfriend, and he hasn’t even learned how to bullshit?’

"Sigh..." Xue Rui let out a long sigh, drawing everyone’s attention back to himself. ’If this keeps up,’ he thought, ’the poor kid won’t be able to sleep tonight.’