Chapter 374 291: I'm on Your Side

"Lin Ruoxi, how much is this oscilloscope? I took a quick look at the specs, and it must be at least two hundred thousand, right?"

"F-Four hundred and twenty thousand."

Lin Ruoxi's soft, delicate voice made Xia Tianjun's heart skip a beat.

'Four hundred and twenty thousand? And you just casually leave it on your dorm desk?'

When Du Miaomiao heard the number, her breathing hitched. She whispered, "Lin Ruoxi, I didn't break any part of it just now, did I?"

"Mm, no." Lin Ruoxi shook her head.

She had bought a new set of these things after arriving in Shencheng. Once she left the city, even if she could buy them, there would be no one to calibrate and deliver them, so she simply bought some extra high-end instruments.

"Sir, I'll move these out in a few days after I buy a house." Lin Ruoxi looked flustered. She knew it wasn't good to keep these things in the dorm, but she had nowhere else to store them.

Xia Tianjun felt inexplicably crushed. He was already 26 and still worrying about a down payment, yet Lin Ruoxi had just talked about buying a house as casually as if she were going to the market to buy groceries...

Jiang Yuan's eyes widened in shock. She had thought her family was the wealthiest in the dorm, but it turned out Lin Ruoxi was the real "rich second generation," completely low-profile. The equipment on her desk was worth half of Jiang Yuan's family apartment...

'Thankfully, Lin Ruoxi has an introverted personality. She probably has no intention of running for class monitor.'

"Well, if you don't want to move it, that's fine. Just contact me if any problems come up," Xia Tianjun said patiently.

Just as he was about to leave, he saw a male student carrying a bucket and walking toward the girls' dorm. He stepped in front of the student to block his way.

Xue Rui looked up. 'Isn't this my goofy guidance counselor and class advisor? I remember him getting drunk and peeing at the security office door once. The guards recorded it, and it cost him a carton of cigarettes to make the video go away.'

"Hello, sir. I'm from Software Engineering, Class 141," Xue Rui said as he tried to walk past. He wanted to see what was going on for himself.

Yu Minlan had previously sent him a video of Lin Ruoxi's dorm room, showing that Lin Ruoxi had been assigned the worst spot.

If it were just a matter of arriving late, that would be one thing. But he hadn't heard Lin Ruoxi talking with anyone on the phone, and the little gal hadn't messaged him either. He felt it was necessary to come and check on her.

Xia Tianjun grabbed Xue Rui's shoulder. "I didn't ask where you're from. What are you doing in the girls' dorm?"

"I heard the party secretary is coming to inspect the dorms tonight. I've already got the guys' dorms sorted out, so I came over to see if the girls in our class need any help. I already registered with the dorm matron," Xue Rui said with a straight face.

It was common for school leaders to do a round of inspections in the first few days of the semester. In any case, his old dorm was the type that never opened the door when leaders knocked, which got their counselor chewed out in the work group chat every day.

If the Xia Tianjun from his previous life were here, he definitely wouldn't have been able to resist punching him a couple of times...

Xia Tianjun gave Xue Rui a surprised look. 'This kid must be trying to run for a class officer position, right?'

'Putting in so much effort right at the start of the semester?'

"Alright, keep up the good work." Xia Tianjun nodded in satisfaction. As long as there were one or two proactive students in the class, his job would be much easier in the future.

Jiang Yuan looked at Xue Rui and suddenly felt a sense of crisis. She had been busy mediating between the two girls' dorms, but now someone had already handled the boys' dorms and was even "expanding" his influence to the girls' side?

If it came down to a vote, the boys' votes would be overwhelming. Xue Rui was a strong competitor.

In reality, Xue Rui just wanted to see how Lin Ruoxi was doing. A leader's inspection? He couldn't care less.

Jiang Yuan spoke up, "Thank you for your hard work, but I can handle things here in the girls' dorm."

Xue Rui pointed at the equipment on Lin Ruoxi's desk and said, "Why are these valuables placed by the door? There's too much foot traffic. If they get knocked over and damaged, it could easily lead to unnecessary disputes."

When Lin Ruoxi saw Xue Rui arrive, her nose suddenly stung, and her vision began to blur.

She didn't want Xue Rui to worry, but he had come anyway. A part of her had really wanted him to come, but...

'I feel so useless. Why can't I stop the tears?'

Xue Rui pulled a tissue from his pocket and handed it to the little gal. 'This girl... she gets wronged and doesn't tell anyone, but then she can't help but start sniffling the moment I show up.'

It couldn't be helped. Lin Ruoxi ultimately had a childish personality; she couldn't suppress her emotions when someone she felt close to was around.

Xia Tianjun was a little surprised. He realized the relationship between Lin Ruoxi and Xue Rui was unusual. He, as her advisor, had been so accommodating, yet Lin Ruoxi hadn't let her guard down. But the moment Xue Rui arrived, her emotions spun out of control.

Moreover, Xue Rui was very thorough in his thinking, spotting the potential hazard in the girls' dorm at a single glance.

"I… I'll move my things out after a while. I want to live in the dorm," Lin Ruoxi explained in her soft voice.

Xue Rui gave a helpless smile. 'What I just said was obviously meant for the others. How did this little gal take it seriously?'

"I'm on your side," Xue Rui whispered, comforting Lin Ruoxi.

"Sir, regardless of whose fault it is, the priority right now should be to solve the problem. We should arrange a temporary spot for Lin Ruoxi and switch her position," Xue Rui said.

Jiang Yuan panicked. She absolutely couldn't let someone else take the lead; it would make her look too passive. She quickly said, "Sir, I'm the dorm leader. Of course I know what to do. I'll switch places with Lin Ruoxi."

Xue Rui's goal was achieved. All he needed was for a fish to take the bait. That crappy spot was noisy in the summer, cold in the winter, and came with the responsibility of turning the lights on and off. Whoever wanted it could have it.

"Good, you all sort it out among yourselves. Remember to gather for the meeting tonight. I have to go now," Xia Tianjun said.