Chapter 369 289: Step on It with All Your Might

But after the recent manual labor, followed by a smoke break and some melted ice pops by the door, the atmosphere had gradually grown friendlier, as if they had known each other for ages.

After all, they all knew they would have to live with each other for the next four years. There was no point in getting hung up on the little things.

"Did you get a water card yet? That senior selling them earlier was gorgeous. She even added me on WeChat. I think she's into me." Qian Huabiao lifted his arm, deliberately flicking his wrist to show off the gold Longines watch there. It was a gift from his older cousin, and he was convinced the watch was what did the trick.

The corner of Xue Rui's mouth twitched. Qian Huabiao clearly came from a well-off family, showing off his watch right off the bat.

'And the guy sure bounces back fast,' he thought. 'Yesterday he was acting like a total simp, and today he thinks every girl is into him…'

Zhao Chaojie said teasingly, "She added me too. I just chatted with her. She asked if my roommate had gotten a card yet."

"Hahaha."

…

Amid the laughter, the dorm room floor finished drying. Lin Ruoxi took the initiative to walk in and make Xue Rui's bed.

This time, Xue Rui didn't try to help. The girl enjoyed doing it and was very good at it; he'd probably just get in the way.

Lin Ruoxi had chosen an empty spot for Xue Rui near the balcony, right by the head of Qian Huabiao's bed. While making the bed, she accidentally stepped on Qian Huabiao's pillow and quickly apologized, "I'm so sorry, I stepped on it by accident."

Qian Huabiao gulped as he stared at Lin Ruoxi's fair ankle and pure white cotton socks. 'What's there to be sorry about?'

"It's fine! I'm a very magnanimous guy. Go ahead, step on it all you want. I don't mind," Qian Huabiao said, waving his hand dismissively with an air of grandeur.

Zhao Chaojie glanced over, his eyes green with envy. 'To have a goddess like her step on your pillow… you'd be guaranteed sweet dreams tonight.'

Xue Rui was exasperated. 'The poor girl thinks she actually did something wrong, completely unaware that to this pack of single guys, her stepping on it is practically a reward!'

Xue Rui spoke up, "Be careful. Make absolutely sure you don't step on anyone else's bedding."

"Mm, okay," Lin Ruoxi murmured, her movements becoming extra cautious.

Qian Huabiao's lips twitched. 'This Xue Rui is so petty! So what if your sister stepped on my pillow? What's the big deal?'

He was green with envy. 'Yesterday it was Gu Muxue, and today there's another gorgeous girl. How does Xue Rui always have these goddess-level women around him?'

'Still, this one is Xue Rui's sister. She looks mature, but up close, you can tell she's not much older than them. She must be a university student too.'

'A gentle, considerate, beautiful university student who even makes your bed for you… where else could you find a girl like that?'

'And… if I can win over Xue Rui's sister, wouldn't that be like having him right where I want him?'

'If that happened, who would even remember that embarrassing business from before when I was trying to show off?'

He'd secretly sworn to himself just yesterday that he would find an even more beautiful girl to show off in front of his ex. The girl in front of him now was on a whole other level—a complete game-changer.

"So, where do you study?" As Qian Huabiao spoke, he snuck a glance at Xue Rui's reaction. Xue Rui's eyes looked a little angry, but was that a smile playing on his lips?

He couldn't quite figure it out. In any case, he decided it would be better to just keep his mouth shut.

"He's asking you," Xue Rui said to her.

"Xue Rui, how can you talk to your sister like that?" Zhao Chaojie piped up, wanting to leave a good impression on Lin Ruoxi. 'Xue Rui is clearly the rebellious younger brother,' he thought, 'he doesn't even bother calling her 'sis'.'

Xue Rui narrowed his eyes. 'Great, just great. I think of you guys as brothers, and the moment you meet her, you're already trying to move in on my girl…'

'No, that's not quite right,' he corrected himself. 'They've misunderstood our relationship. Right now, they're trying to become my 'brother-in-law'.'

But either way, he wasn't having it.

Lin Ruoxi had just climbed down from the top bunk. "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Lin Ruoxi. I'm probably a little older than you all, and I'm also in the software engineering program here at the University of Posts and Telecommunications."

"Hello, Senior!" Zhao Chaojie exclaimed. 'Perfect,' he thought, 'now I can ask her for help with my studies.'

"Huh? Senior Sister Lin's last name is Lin, but Xue Rui's is Xue… Are you two cousins?" Cai Huazhou had spotted the crucial detail.

Lin Ruoxi seemed to shrink into herself. Back in Shencheng, she would have openly told everyone that she was Xue Rui's girlfriend…

But now… she knew about Gu Muxue.

She didn't want to hide their relationship, but she was also afraid of causing trouble for Xue Rui. She was torn about whether or not to tell his roommates the truth.

Xue Rui had a good idea what Lin Ruoxi was struggling with. He sighed. He'd initially avoided introducing her properly simply because he didn't want his roommates to die of envy.

But right now, her feelings were more important. He put his arm around her shoulder and announced to everyone, "This is Lin Ruoxi, my girlfriend. From now on, she'll be our classmate, too."

"Holy shit! You beast!"

Qian Huabiao's booming voice echoed through the dorm room.