Chapter 393 300: Still Far From Being a True Scumbag (2)

"Did Secretary Li say that?" Lin Ruoxi buried her head in Xue Rui's chest, inhaling deeply. All she could smell, however, was the scent of a cheap military training uniform.

'How can you be so dense?' Xue Rui thought.

'He said to turn everything in to him tomorrow. If it was just the startup paperwork, why would he say to submit it all at once? It must include the training exemption forms too.'

But this tent was just a sheet of plastic; it wouldn't do for anyone to overhear.

Just as Xue Rui was trying to think of a simpler way to explain it to her, he felt her unzip his training uniform and start nuzzling against his chest.

"Stop messing around." Xue Rui cupped her face in his hands and wiped the lingering tears from her eyelashes.

Lin Ruoxi had a small beauty mark near the corner of her eye, one you wouldn't notice unless you were close. 'If I had it removed, would she stop crying so easily?'

But he quickly dismissed the thought. She was already quite plain, so the beauty mark could be considered a kind of adornment.

"Rui, don't bottle up your anger. It's not good for you. You... you can take it out on me..." Lin Ruoxi whispered.

Xue Rui squeezed her cheek and asked softly, "And how would I do that?"

'She's really come a long way,' he thought. 'She even knows how to flirt now.'

"You can hit me, yell at me, whatever you want..." Lin Ruoxi said tonelessly.

She didn't know what else she had to offer Xue Rui. Letting him vent his anger on her was fine, as long as he didn't leave her.

Xue Rui's smile vanished. 'Why would she think something like that?'

He couldn't help but be reminded of her childhood experiences. It had to be because of her father...

'She actually thinks getting hit would make her feel secure?'

He considered himself a pretty big scumbag, but compared to that piece of trash she called a father, he wasn't even in the same league!

'Damn it,' Xue Rui cursed internally. 'I should find a monk to go consecrate his grave for him.'

Psychological trauma from childhood takes a long time to heal, and it was clear she still had mental health issues.

Hiring a psychologist was out of the question; Lin Ruoxi only opened up to him.

As for anyone else?

Yu Minlan?

No, that wouldn't work either.

She and Yu Minlan were on good terms, not even shying away from topics about their personal lives, but she never listened to a word Yu Minlan said.

What about him? His relationship with Lin Ruoxi wasn't one of equals. She was far too subservient around him.

'Muxue?'

The thought made Xue Rui's heart skip a beat. Maybe having Muxue and Ruoxi become friends would work. Since they were both his girlfriends, their status was technically equal.

Gu Muxue came from a happy family and was well-adjusted. Plus, Lin Ruoxi had shown a willingness to talk with her...

But the problem was, that would blow everything up for him!

'Right,' he thought. 'Better to just let her interact more with other university students. If she spends enough time in the sun, the gloom is bound to fade away.'

When Xue Rui returned to the training grounds, the students were on a break. Supporting Lin Ruoxi, he handed their leave slip to the drill instructor.

"Lin Ruoxi, are you okay?" Zhao Ru asked, seeing Xue Rui helping her along. She thought something was physically wrong with her.

A number of girls crowded around, asking about Lin Ruoxi's condition.

Xue Rui waved Jiang Yuan over. "Lin Ruoxi and I have taken leave to go to the hospital. If the counselor shows up, let him know."

He hadn't notified the counselor, going directly to the department secretary instead—basically, he'd gone over the counselor's head.

But he knew Xia Tianjun. His actions wouldn't cause any resentment from him.

Military training was a pointless affair, but on paper, it was taken very seriously. The process for requesting leave was a huge pain, requiring approvals from multiple departments.

Xia Tianjun was new to the job and still intimidated by his superiors. If Xue Rui piled this on him, Xia Tianjun would be the one with the headache, dragging his feet on the paperwork. It was better to just handle it himself.

Having her pretend to faint earlier had just been a small trick to get Secretary Li's attention.

"Old Xue, are you guys all right? Want me to come with you?" Zhang Xuelun asked, stepping forward.

"Thanks, but we're good," Xue Rui said with a smile.

Of all the guys in their dorm, Zhang Xuelun was the most level-headed.

He looked much older than his age, though. He never bothered to clean himself up and had a full beard he couldn't be bothered to shave. Rumor had it that back in high school, all he had to do was take off his uniform jacket, and he could walk right past the security guards and out the front gate...

"Old Zhang, you should shave that beard. Military training is prime time for finding a girlfriend. Didn't you see Old Qian dousing himself in hair gel this morning?" said Zhao Chaojie.

"Too bad about the green cap on his head—no one will see his hair," Xue Rui laughed.

"Fuck! You bastard."

Suddenly, a whistle blew. Everyone scrambled to their feet, albeit reluctantly.

Lin Ruoxi came over and adjusted Xue Rui's cap. "Rui, Sister Yu is here. Are we going to the hospital?"

Xue Rui smiled, taking her arm. "Let's go."

"What for?"

Xue Rui raised an eyebrow at the guys. "Me? I'm a little sick. Need to get a doctor's note."

"What kind of sick?"

Xue Rui pointed to the sun. "I'm allergic to it."

"I think you're sick in the head."

...

That afternoon, Xue Rui took Lin Ruoxi to a nearby hospital and got a doctor's note.

Getting a note for most things would have been difficult, but a supposed UV allergy was much simpler. Xue Rui specifically chose a hospital in the suburbs, the kind that didn't have the equipment for proper testing. He just described his "symptoms" to the doctor and walked out with a note.

After all, with no way to run tests, the hospital had to take the patient at his word...

A UV allergy wouldn't lead to any accident-related lawsuits, so there was no risk for the doctor.

He spent the rest of his time at a farmers' market in the suburbs, where he procured a large batch of Xigua. He had them delivered ahead of time to a warehouse he'd rented, where he also had several freezers delivered. He was making preparations for his project launch the next day...