Chapter 401 - 303: What Is a Date Like?

「In the Changjiang University cafeteria.」

Gu Muxue listlessly slurped her noodles. She’d been so busy chatting with Xue Rui that they’d grown soggy and bloated. Now, every bite made her stomach feel uncomfortably full.

Earlier, when Xue Rui said he didn’t know what to eat for lunch, she had suggested noodles. They had picked them out for each other.

The noodles Xue Rui had chosen, however, were not very good at all...

’I wish Xue Rui could taste these,’ she thought. ’If he were here, he’d finish them for me, wouldn’t he?’

’It’s his fault for picking something so awful.’

A smile touched her lips at the thought. But the moment she switched the app to the University of Posts and Telecommunications feed, her eyes were immediately drawn to a photo of Lin Ruoxi.

Even though Lin Ruoxi was wearing sunglasses, she could still recognize her. After all, she and Lin Ruoxi had been high school classmates for several years.

They were talking and laughing, and for some reason, she could almost picture the scene playing out right before her.

Xue Rui had actually told her this morning that he and Lin Ruoxi were out promoting the app.

But seeing the actual photo still left a sour feeling in her stomach.

’Is this what a long-distance relationship feels like?’

Anxiety gnawed at her. She was desperate to know everything that was happening around Xue Rui.

"Jerk, didn’t you say you’d come see me in a couple of days? It’s already the third day..." Gu Muxue pouted and mumbled under her breath.

She pressed her lips together and opened the comments under the photo, wanting to see what other students were saying.

Unsurprisingly, many people were asking for Lin Ruoxi’s contact information.

She suddenly found it a little funny. ’Talking to Lin Ruoxi is so boring. You ask a question, you get a one-sentence answer. It’s like talking to a robot.’

’If any of these guys actually got her contact info, they’d probably have nothing to talk about.’

Suddenly, one jarring comment caught her eye.

The chopsticks in Gu Muxue’s hand paused, and she stared intently at her phone screen.

’Someone’s saying Lin Ruoxi is Xue Rui’s girlfriend?’

"They’re mistaken..." Gu Muxue murmured. After all, *she* was Xue Rui’s girlfriend.

’But if I just let this go, and more and more people start making the same mistake... would Xue Rui really not be tempted to enjoy the misunderstanding?’

Thankfully, Lin Ruoxi knew about her and Xue Rui’s relationship, which was a small comfort.

’A girl as proud as Lin Ruoxi would never interfere in someone else’s relationship, right?’

’But with so many guys chasing her, has Lin Ruoxi really not accepted a single one?’

’Her picture hasn’t shown up on the "Confession Wall" section, either. Did she delete the posts?’

’Any girl who’s constantly being helped by a guy her age is bound to feel grateful, then dependent, and eventually, that turns into attachment.’

She suddenly had a gut feeling. Had Xue Rui sensed Lin Ruoxi’s feelings for him?

She kept scrolling and, to her surprise, found comments blatantly insulting Xue Rui. She frowned. ’Why don’t these guys ever look at their own flaws instead of just attacking others?’

She had wanted to refute that misleading comment, but the thread below it had already exploded into a huge argument...

[I thought they were supposed to be a perfect couple, but they don’t seem to match at all. Probably just classmates.]

[Wrong, they’re a couple.]

[Proof?]

Some people defended Xue Rui, while others accused him of being a toad trying to eat a swan.

[I’m in Software Engineering ’141 too. You think I wouldn’t know if they’re a couple?]

[You’re in their class?]

CLATTER!

The chopsticks fell to the floor with a sharp crack.

Beside her, Gao Shufen picked them up. "Huh? Muxue, what’s wrong?"

She noticed that Gu Muxue’s eyes were misty.

Gu Muxue realized her emotions were getting the better of her. She blinked rapidly and forced a smile. "It’s nothing, I just choked on something."

"Muxue, you dropped your chopsticks anyway. If you don’t feel like eating, just leave it," Gao Shufen said. Gu Muxue had been glued to her phone, chatting with Xue Rui, from the moment they’d gotten their food all the way through the meal.

’Is this what people in love are like? So distracted they can’t even eat a meal properly?’

"You guys go back to the dorm and rest. I’ll be back in a bit," Gu Muxue said to her roommates.

After her roommates had left, she picked up her phone, which was lying face down on the table. The hard metal frame left a white mark on her fingers.

Xue Rui had sent her a message, but she didn’t want to reply. Her attention was completely focused on the posts about Lin Ruoxi.

’Lin Ruoxi is an introvert, and Xue Rui is her only friend. Plus, he’s technically her superior on this project, so of course she’d seem more obedient...’

’That must be why people are getting the wrong idea, right?’

And yet, she also knew that Lin Ruoxi had a crush on Xue Rui.

The confidence in his classmates’ comments didn’t sound like speculation. It sounded like they were absolutely certain.

Gu Muxue’s mind was a mess, her heart pounding with panic. She didn’t know how to reply to Xue Rui’s message. Should she confront him?

She picked up the half-eaten bowl of noodles and slowly walked toward the trash can...

"Forget it. If he doesn’t come and explain things to me today..."

"I... I’ll just ignore him..."

Gu Muxue sighed softly and turned to grab a new pair of chopsticks.

...

「In the cafeteria at the University of Posts and Telecommunications.」

"Bro, just help me out. You can at least check the location data for their phone numbers, right?" Qian Huabiao said with a cheeky grin.

Xue Rui sneered. "Don’t you know it’s illegal to disclose someone’s personal information without their consent? The person who obtains that information is also breaking the law."

"I’m just concerned about our female classmates. It’s not as serious as you’re making it out to be," Qian Huabiao said.

Xue Rui winked at Lin Ruoxi, then leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Xixi, hit him with the serious stuff."

"Um, Article 253 of the Criminal Law..."

Qian Huabiao’s forehead broke out in a sweat as he listened. These two were ruthless!

One of them wanted to lock his account in a little black room, and the other was getting ready to lock *him* in a physical little black room!

’Damn it. I know I can’t mess with them, but can’t I at least run away in peace?’

"Forget it. Just pretend I never said anything." Qian Huabiao turned and left. His account had already been unbanned, anyway.