Chapter 343 - 280: Don’t Want to Let Him Show Off (Part 2)

’That must be what Xue Rui is thinking. Since we’re going to school with classmates, if we did everything according to my spending habits, it would place a considerable burden on them. I guess that’s also why I never had many friends before.’

She glanced back in Xue Rui’s direction. ’If we were traveling business class, we’d be in the air-conditioned lounge by now, not just chatting with the other students out here.’

"Xiaorui is right about this. There’s nothing wrong with experiencing it once," Gu Qingshan said with a nod.

Xue Rui waved and smiled at Gu Muxue, but her eyes landed on the two girls flanking him, one of whom she didn’t even recognize. For some reason, a wave of discomfort washed over her.

"Are all boys like this? She ignored you," Qin Wanqing teased. ’Boys this age are so funny,’ she thought. ’They just have to say hi to any pretty girl they see.’

’That’s because you’re standing next to me,’ Xue Rui thought. ’She’s definitely a little jealous.’

"She..." Xue Rui started to say.

Just then, a voice from nearby said, "She looked at me."

"That’s one of the three great illusions of life," Xue Rui said, looking up to meet the eyes of the boy who had spoken. ’This guy is way too full of himself,’ he thought.

"Don’t tell me she was looking at you?" the boy said, glancing at Xue Rui with disdain. He noticed Xue Rui was just sitting on a napkin on the floor, a completely undignified pose with no regard for his image.

Mei Lili frowned. "You’re both wrong. Muxue was obviously looking at me."

The boys stared, stunned. ’A girl is saying that? What’s going on here?’

Xue Rui waved his hand dismissively. "Alright, alright, she was looking at you."

The boy’s ears perked up. This girl actually knew her by name. He pulled a bottle of chilled mineral water from his bag and offered it to Mei Lili with a sycophantic smile. "Hey, you know that beauty? What’s her full name?"

Mei Lili ignored the water. Instead, she laid her suitcase on its side and plopped down right next to Xue Rui.

Seeing the boy holding the bottle out awkwardly, Xue Rui reached over and took it. "Thanks. I was just getting thirsty."

The boy shot an annoyed look at the other bottle of water already in Xue Rui’s hand. ’Don’t you already have one?’ he thought.

’Oh, he must be helping me out of an awkward situation. What a stand-up guy.’

"Sigh... Muxue’s going to Jiao University. We won’t even be in the same district. We won’t be able to see each other much anymore," Mei Lili said with a heavy sigh.

Hearing that the beauty attended such a prestigious university, the boy sucked in a sharp breath. "Hiss... That makes things a little difficult," he muttered. "It would be a different story if she went to my school."

"So it’s easier to chase a girl if she goes to your school? Is that a thing?" Qiu Mengze asked. He had noticed the guy’s relaxed vibe; he didn’t seem like an anxious freshman. ’Maybe I can get some advice from him,’ he thought.

"I’m a sophomore. On the student council. There are plenty of opportunities."

When the boy said "student council," his voice rose with obvious pride.

"Senior, what does the student council do?" Qiu Mengze asked curiously. He had no idea how university departments worked, and since he’d run into a student council member, he figured he might as well ask. He assumed they were all pretty much the same, regardless of the school.

"That depends on which department you’re asking about. The ones with real power have lots of perks. Others just get stuck with grunt work all year and never see any of the benefits..."

The boy’s words drew the attention of several other freshmen, who began to eavesdrop. The corners of his mouth turned up in a smirk. ’I can use this same spiel to get that beauty’s attention later,’ he thought.

Just then, Gu Muxue happened to walk over toward the entrance gate. Xue Rui dusted off his pants and got up, which made the other boy look over.

"You’re not actually going to approach her, are you? Even I’m not that confident," the boy said, surprised. As a sophomore, he didn’t expect much from a green freshman like Xue Rui, who was still carrying a big backpack.

"Um, Senior..." Qiu Mengze started to say sheepishly.

"Don’t interrupt, we’ll talk later," the boy said, assuming Qiu Mengze had another question. He was busy admiring the view.

Of course, he also wanted to watch Xue Rui get shot down. ’That girl’s outfit alone must be worth over a hundred thousand yuan. I definitely don’t have the confidence to go talk to her myself.’

"You’ll never know if you have a chance unless you try. We young people have to be bold," Xue Rui said, walking toward Gu Muxue with the water bottle in hand.

Gu Muxue saw Xue Rui walking over to her, holding out a bottle of water.

Xue Rui twisted the cap off the bottle and handed it to Gu Muxue. As she took it, she passed him her parasol and gently looped her arm through his.

The boy’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. ’What is happening?’

’We were just talking over here for ages... how do those two seem to know each other? They’re so intimate, they look exactly like a couple.’

Xue Rui winked at the boy. Before the boy could even react, Mei Lili pouted and turned her head away.

Remembering his earlier attitude toward Xue Rui, the boy felt his face burn. It was a total slap in the face. He quickly turned his attention to Qiu Mengze, pretending to forget what had just happened.

"Oh, right, junior. What were you about to say earlier?"

Qiu Mengze was amazed at how thick-skinned this guy was. He muttered, "Oh, nothing much. I was just going to warn you that Gu Muxue is his girlfriend. I didn’t want to give him the chance to act all smug about it."

"Look, she’s drinking the water you gave her. At least you got to be part of it, right?"

"That’s not my thinking. I’ve known that guy for over a decade. I’m just guessing that’s what’s going through *his* head."

"Then why didn’t you tell me sooner?" The boy’s face clouded over.

"You kept telling me not to interrupt," Qiu Mengze said, exasperated. He then continued, "Anyway, about that External Relations Department you were talking about..."

Seeing Xue Rui getting closer, the boy quickly grabbed his suitcase and melted into the crowd. "See you around!"

Qiu Mengze scratched his head. "Damn it. Shows off and then runs away. I called him ’Senior’ for nothing. He didn’t say a single useful thing."

’That kid sure runs fast,’ Xue Rui thought. ’He didn’t even give me the chance to rub it in. I guess he learned a thing or two at university after all.’

"Let’s go, it’s time to enter the station," Xue Rui said.

Before, the station had been too crowded; they could see through the glass that the waiting hall was packed with people standing around. But now a wave of passengers had boarded, freeing up plenty of space inside.

"Let me get your luggage," Xue Rui said, taking Gu Muxue’s suitcase from her.

Gu Muxue tilted her head. "Uncle Yang already took most of my luggage. Where’s yours?"

She found it very strange. Everyone else heading to school was loaded down with bags, but Xue Rui only had a simple backpack.

"I don’t have much to bring."

"I think the school provides bedding and all that. I can buy anything else I need when I get there. No point in lugging it all back and forth; it’s just a hassle," Xue Rui said honestly.

"Oh, right," Gu Muxue said. "I checked the bed dimensions for your dorm and had a mattress custom-made for you. Just ask Uncle Yang for it later." She thought the mattress in Xue Rui’s own room was a little too hard.

"How thoughtful." Xue Rui subconsciously leaned in close, only remembering at the last second that this was Gu Muxue, not Lin Ruoxi.

Gu Muxue frowned and pushed him away. ’He’s been getting too forward lately,’ she thought, ’always so impulsive.’ She didn’t want her first kiss to be something so casual.

Besides... with so many people around at the station, it was just too embarrassing.

...

After they went through the gate, Mei Lili pulled Gu Muxue to sit down on one side, while Qiu Mengze pulled Xue Rui aside to have a hushed conversation.

As for their other schoolmate, Qin Wanqing, her father had dragged her off somewhere.

"What about Lin Ruoxi? Are you planning to let her go alone? She gave up Qingbei for you, for crying out loud. Are you even human?" Qiu Mengze hissed, adding, "Registration for the University of Posts and Telecommunications is today, too."

’My childhood buddy sure has a strong sense of justice,’ Xue Rui thought. He whispered back, "She and I are registering tomorrow. I’m heading back today after I see Muxue off."

Qiu Mengze suddenly remembered that when he’d picked up the tickets earlier, he’d seen a return trip to Hedong listed for Xue Rui. He’d assumed it was a system bug and hadn’t printed that ticket.

Qiu Mengze shook his head. "You’re going to run yourself ragged, you idiot."

Xue Rui opened his phone and saw that Lin Ruoxi had sent him several messages:

[Rui, are you coming over for dinner tonight?]

[I’ll keep the acceptance letter safe. Travel safely.]

[Is rice okay for dinner? We’re out of noodles, and if I buy more, we won’t finish it before it goes bad...]

...

Xue Rui replied: *Either is fine.*

After putting his phone away, he said to Qiu Mengze, "Stop worrying about my affairs. What about your girlfriend? Whoops, I mean, your *potential* girlfriend?"

Qiu Mengze stammered, "Qin Tong... she already left. Our schools have different start dates."

"Oh, I see," Xue Rui said dismissively.

"You can look it up if you don’t believe me."

"Mhm, you’re right."

"You’re so infuriating! You have to look it up for me right now!"

...

Gu Muxue looked around with curiosity. She had always been a distant observer, but now, immersed in the crowd, she felt a different kind of energy—something like what Xue Rui called the "hustle and bustle of real life."

She opened her QQ group chat for a look. Many of her classmates had already arrived on campus, and some were posting pictures. The registration area looked completely packed.

"Xiaorui, how will you get to your school later?" Gu Muxue called out to Xue Rui. She had Yang Xing to accompany her, but it seemed Xue Rui really would be going to his school all alone.

"What school? I’m not going to school. I came here today specifically to see you off."