Chapter 387 - 296: Lin Ruoxi and Gu Muxue’s Awkward Chat

"Lin Ruoxi?"

On the other end of the line, Gu Muxue murmured to herself, slightly surprised.

The man who delivered the food handed the phone to the young woman. He then stepped aside and lit a cigarette, looking like he had no intention of taking his phone back until he finished it.

Lin Ruoxi froze for a moment before slowly saying, "Yes... it’s me."

She didn’t mind skipping a meal herself, but she hadn’t been prepared today and had let Xue Rui go hungry. Because of that, she was very grateful to Gu Muxue.

"Are you and Xue Rui in the same class?" Gu Muxue asked calmly.

"Yes..."

...

"Let’s eat first. Move this over to the entrance and hand them out to our classmates as they come out," Xue Rui said, seeing the situation and wanting to send the others away.

Just a moment ago, he had only given the young lady a casual reply. He never expected the girl to actually start a conversation with her...

"Alright," Cai Huazhou said with a nod.

He didn’t find anything wrong with being ordered around by Xue Rui. After all, Xue Rui had bought them all breakfast.

Besides, while he was still talking, Zhang Xuelun had already started moving a box, and Zhao Chaojie was already fucking eating.

The guys from Room 622 were so famished their stomachs felt stuck to their backs. All their attention was on the breakfast, except for Qian Huabiao. He knew the "inside story" and stood frozen in place, a shocked expression on his face as he listened intently to Lin Ruoxi’s phone call.

’Holy crap, they know each other?’ Qian Huabiao exclaimed inwardly. He wanted to hear what was going on. He’d previously boasted to Xue Rui that one girl wasn’t enough to heal his emotional wounds, but he hadn’t even made a move yet and was already witnessing someone two-timing.

Xue Rui placed the heavy insulated container in the eavesdropping Qian Huabiao’s hands. Qian Huabiao’s shoulders sank under the sudden weight, and he shot Xue Rui a resentful glare. He knew Xue Rui was trying to get rid of him.

"Old Xue, okay, okay..." Qian Huabiao sneered meaningfully at Xue Rui, his expression screaming, ’I know everything!’

However, the next moment, Xue Rui said coolly:

"Old Biao, you wouldn’t want people to find out about you pretending to be a senior at Jiao University, would you..."

"Oh, and that girl... She seems to..."

Qian Huabiao’s eye twitched. He reluctantly started shuffling away. "Sigh... What’s done is done. Let’s just eat first."

After shooing Qian Huabiao away, Xue Rui pretended to stand nonchalantly beside Lin Ruoxi, straining his ears to overhear their conversation.

When Lin Ruoxi noticed Xue Rui wanted to listen, she turned up the phone’s volume and held it between them.

Xue Rui gave an awkward smile. ’The girl is getting smarter and smarter. She only hesitated for a second before seeing right through me...’

Lin Ruoxi and Gu Muxue didn’t really have much contact back in high school, but now, because of him, they were gradually starting to connect.

The fact that the young lady could chat so calmly with the girl was entirely because he had laid so much groundwork beforehand.

Lin Ruoxi knew the truth and was helping him hide it from Gu Muxue. Besides, Xue Rui figured that with Lin Ruoxi’s unassertive personality, even if Gu Muxue felt something was off, she would find it hard to get angry at her.

’But if the young lady ever found out about the girl’s existence, wouldn’t she tear him to shreds?’

The girl had absolutely no pride in front of him; she would agree to even his most unreasonable requests.

But the young lady was different. He had to constantly lay the groundwork, slowly lowering her bottom line...

"Lin Ruoxi, after the military training is over, let’s have a get-together with our old high school classmates. A lot of them are studying here in Chang’an. Xue Rui and I can arrange it," Gu Muxue said from the other end of the line.

Gu Muxue knew Lin Ruoxi liked Xue Rui, but she also knew about her past. Chasing Lin Ruoxi away would be like cutting off one of the few friends she had.

In her eyes, Lin Ruoxi had never accepted handouts even in extreme poverty, which meant she had a very strong sense of pride.

So, she chose to use a gentler approach: occasionally emphasizing her relationship with Xue Rui and sometimes giving Xue Rui a little nudge. This way, she could maintain a normal friendship between classmates without hurting anyone.

Hearing about meeting up with Gu Muxue, Lin Ruoxi turned to look at Xue Rui. She had to wait for his permission.

After seeing Xue Rui nod, she murmured, "Mm, okay..."

"Bye-bye, see you then," Gu Muxue said cheerfully.

"Mm, goodbye." After speaking, Lin Ruoxi waited where she was. She wanted to wait for Gu Muxue to hang up before returning the phone to the man who delivered breakfast.

However, the seconds ticked by on the call screen, and Gu Muxue still hadn’t hung up.

Just as she was about to hang up herself, Gu Muxue spoke again. "Let’s... let’s add each other as friends, okay? It’ll be easier to send you the location then."

Gu Muxue’s voice was a little muffled, as if she were speaking with half her face buried in her clothes.

’I questioned Lin Ruoxi when Xue Rui disappeared before. She probably didn’t accept my friend request back then because she was afraid it would be awkward, right?’

’Now that we’re all studying in the same city, it’s necessary to exchange contact info. Lin Ruoxi must know that.’

’I’m the one making it awkward, so was Lin Ruoxi waiting for me to be the one to ask?’

Gu Muxue sighed inwardly. ’Lin Ruoxi’s gentle nature really is beyond my expectations...’

’Still, I don’t mind being friends with a girl like her.’

Hearing Gu Muxue’s request, Lin Ruoxi once again blinked her big, watery eyes and looked at Xue Rui.

Xue Rui’s mouth twitched. He nodded in helpless agreement. If they didn’t add each other now, the young lady would definitely get suspicious.

After hanging up, Lin Ruoxi returned the phone to the breakfast delivery man and took the initiative to add Gu Muxue as a friend on QQ.

Xue Rui leaned in curiously, wanting to see what the two would talk about.

Lin Ruoxi: Hello [Smile]

Gu Muxue: Hey there [Laugh], have you eaten?

Lin Ruoxi: Haven’t eaten.

Gu Muxue: What are you planning to eat?

Lin Ruoxi: The food you sent.

...

Xue Rui’s eye twitched. ’What is this awkward small talk?’

But this actually made him feel more at ease. The girl’s chatting style was just like her code: concise and efficient.

Small talk? Didn’t exist in her world.

Xue Rui figured it wouldn’t take more than a few minutes for the girl to exasperate the young lady into silence...

Lin Ruoxi reached out and gently tugged on the corner of Xue Rui’s shirt. "Rui, can... can you promise me one thing?"

Xue Rui was just about to go get his blood drawn. Hearing the girl’s earnest plea, he nodded seriously and said, "Go on."

The girl rarely asked him for anything. Since it was such a rare occasion, he wouldn’t refuse as long as it was something he could do.

"I... I’m very stupid," Lin Ruoxi said in a small voice.

A classmate had just come out of the hall holding a meal. Qian Huabiao and the others had told him that Xue Rui was treating everyone to breakfast, so he was heading over to say thanks. But what the hell did he just hear?

The fact that the national top scholar was in their class was already insane—he’d told his high school friends on QQ last night and no one believed him. And now Lin Ruoxi was saying she was stupid?

"This world is too crazy," he muttered, stuffing a soup dumpling into his mouth.

PHEW... "Hot..."

...

Xue Rui pulled Lin Ruoxi to a corner of the hospital. He heard her say softly, "Rui, when Gu Muxue is close to finding out, will you tell me?"

"I know you’ll be able to tell in advance."

"What are you planning to do?" Xue Rui didn’t quite understand the girl’s train of thought. ’What does she mean, "when she’s close to finding out"?’

"I... I want to talk to her then..." Lin Ruoxi said quietly.

In her eyes, Gu Muxue was a very gentle person, but she had a gut feeling that if Gu Muxue were to discover the truth—that she was Xue Rui’s girlfriend...

Gu Muxue would definitely be heartbroken, and Xue Rui would get a beating...

She didn’t want either of those things to happen, but she knew the truth was bound to come out eventually.

She wanted to solve it herself.

Hearing this, Xue Rui suddenly felt a pang of guilt. ’The girl is actually planning to take responsibility for my two-timing?’

He sighed and said, "It’s my fault. You don’t have to think about these things..."

This was both an apology and an attempt to let Lin Ruoxi live a little more care-free, without always shouldering such strange responsibilities.

But to his surprise, the girl immediately covered his mouth and said seriously, "Rui, you’re not at fault. I am. I’m the one who’s been hiding it from Gu Muxue."

Lin Ruoxi had thought about it for a long time. She realized that the only way to solve everything was for her to leave voluntarily...

But she was selfish, too. She didn’t want to leave, so she could only watch as everything unfolded.

Therefore, she felt she had to take responsibility.

Xue Rui pinched the girl’s cheek. "Alright, don’t overthink it. Let’s finish the physical and eat."

When the two of them returned to the blood drawing area, they found many of their classmates squatting in the shade and eating, their faces filled with pure satisfaction.

In reality, a single meal couldn’t bring that much satisfaction or a sense of superiority, but that’s just how the world works—the problem isn’t scarcity, but inequality.

Seeing the envious gazes from students in other classes, the feeling of having something that others didn’t was just too good.

"Old Xue, thanks." A male student casually used the nickname, following the lead of Xue Rui’s roommates.

"Xue Rui, thank you! I was one second away from starving to death," Du Miaomiao said, her mouth full.

As she spoke, her brow furrowed. She had actually started choking on her food and could only repeatedly pat her chest.

As Xue Rui walked past, he casually gave Du Miaomiao a few hard pats on the back. "Eat slower. No one’s going to fight you for it."

Lin Ruoxi thought Xue Rui had been too rough, so she gently rubbed Du Miaomiao’s back a few times and said softly, "I’m sorry, did that hurt?"

The food in Du Miaomiao’s mouth was dislodged by the pats. She had been about to curse him out, but after Lin Ruoxi’s gentle gesture, she was suddenly at a loss for words...

Zhao Chaojie saw an opportunity. He deliberately raised his voice and yelled dramatically, "Old Xue, don’t go! I’m choking too!"

’Get hammered by Xue Rui a couple of times and earn Lin Ruoxi’s comfort?’

’Sounds like a solid win...’

Qian Huabiao gave a cold smile and stuffed another bun into Zhao Chaojie’s mouth. "Just shut it. I can practically hear the gears turning in that head of yours."

Hearing this, Xue Rui swung his arms. "Come on, I’ll give you a couple of pats."

Zhao Chaojie’s whole face twitched. Xue Rui was nearly six feet tall, and he was warming up?

’If he got hit with two of those punches, wouldn’t he puke up yesterday’s breakfast?’

"Er... never mind. I can manage on my own," Zhao Chaojie hastily refused.

’Why are the guys from Room 622 so dramatic?’ Lin Ruoxi wondered. ’They’re always calling for Xue Rui, but he’s very busy.’

She called out in a clear voice, "You... you shouldn’t just eat! Drink some water! Aren’t you holding a water bottle?"

Xue Rui couldn’t be bothered with those clowns. His roommates had been just as shameless in his past life—they were born thick-skinned.

He shouted to the crowd, "If you’re not full, come get some more! We have more than enough food."

"If anyone pretends to be from our Class 141, don’t give them any. Everyone, keep an eye out," Xue Rui added, half-joking.

Cai Huazhou said proudly, "You have no idea. A guy from Class 2 was practically drooling with envy just now. He even asked me if he could temporarily transfer to our class."

"Hahaha."

Everyone burst into laughter. Xue Rui hadn’t said he was treating them to breakfast, only that they should guard their class’s food and not let anyone trick them out of it.

In that instant, as they looked at the unfamiliar classmates around them who had come from all over the country, they suddenly felt an unexpected sense of belonging. One of the girls was so moved her nose began to tingle.

In this atmosphere, the students who had originally planned to pay Xue Rui for the breakfast also dismissed the thought. No one wanted to ruin the mood.

...

Meanwhile, Jiang Yuan was watching anxiously from inside the hall. The guys from Room 622 were squatting near the exit, asking everyone who came out which class they were from.

How could she not know that this was a tactic employed by Xue Rui?

She was inside, working herself to the bone maintaining order and arranging the physical exam schedule, yet everyone seemed to take it for granted, completely ignoring her efforts.

At that moment, Xue Rui was handing a drink to a teacher.

"The class monitor for Software Engineering 141?" a female teacher asked with a smile as she accepted it.

She had seen what happened outside just now. She thought Xue Rui’s move was quite brilliant—he had deliberately emphasized at the entrance that the breakfast was for their class. It was a premeditated and skillful maneuver.

In her eyes, the choice for class monitor was pretty much set in stone.

"Not at all. I just wanted my classmates to have a full meal. Teacher, have you eaten? I bought too much."