Chapter 402 - 303: What is a Date Like? (2)

After Qian Huabiao left, Xue Rui stared worriedly at his chat with the girl.

She hadn’t replied to him for a while now. ’She must have seen that post.’

He had to go to Jiao University today, but he had just promised to take the little one out yesterday. He couldn’t go back on his word.

In the little one’s mind, she had a date with him this afternoon...

’Well, it’s not like she knows what a date entails anyway. I could probably get away with some kiddie rides and a couple of candied hawthorns.’

"Rui, do you want to sleep for a bit?" Lin Ruoxi yawned, tears welling up at the corners of her eyes.

"If you’re sleepy, just say so. Why are you trying to pin it on me?" Xue Rui wiped the tears from the corners of the little one’s eyes. She had woken up too early and had barely gotten any afternoon naps since they left Jin Province. Now that the cafeteria had quieted down, she was getting drowsy.

"Mmm, I’m sleepy." The little one squinted her eyes and gently leaned her head on Xue Rui’s shoulder.

Xue Rui used his phone to notify the part-time student workers at the University of Posts and Telecommunications, telling them to go promote the app in the afternoon.

University students were cheap, after all. Thirty yuan for an afternoon, plus the promise of "all the Xigua you can eat," and they were practically scrambling over each other to sign up.

Of course, he only hired female students. The male students, after all, were so competitive they’d even offer to work for free...

’You get what you pay for.’ The ones working for free were definitely just trying to hit on the first-year girls. Xue Rui rejected them without a second thought.

While the little one slept, he kept a close eye on the comments in the backend system, terrified that some "explosive news" about him might pop up.

After all, that other girl could be watching at any moment. He had to have a "showdown" with her today, and he couldn’t afford any trouble before then.

Half an hour passed. Students in military training uniforms began trickling into the cafeteria in twos and threes, apparently looking to buy drinks ahead of their afternoon session.

"They sell drinks on the first floor. What are you doing up here on the third?" one of them asked.

"I heard Senior Sister Xigua is on the third floor of the cafeteria, so I came to check it out early."

"Look, over in that corner..."

...

The noisy chatter made Lin Ruoxi groggily open her eyes.

The feeling of seeing Xue Rui the moment she opened her eyes was truly wonderful...

She habitually wrapped her arms around Xue Rui’s neck and kissed him. It was something she loved to do every time she woke up.

"Whoa, they’re really a couple..." Someone hurriedly took out their phone to sneak a picture.

Xue Rui reacted even faster, hastily pushing the little one’s face away.

"Rui, what’s wrong?" Lin Ruoxi looked flustered. She thought she had made Xue Rui unhappy.

When she saw that they were in the cafeteria, her face instantly flushed red.

She had thought she and Xue Rui were sleeping at home...

Xue Rui stood up and stopped the students who had been taking pictures. He said sternly, "Don’t you know that taking pictures without permission is immoral? Distributing them is an invasion of privacy and a violation of the law."

They were just university students, after all. A few sharp words were enough to scare them, and they quickly deleted the photos they had just taken.

When Xue Rui saw the photo, his heart skipped a beat. The picture the kid had taken made it look as if he were slapping Lin Ruoxi...

’If someone slapped a sensational headline on this, like, "SHOCKING! Scumbag Does This to Senior Sister Xigua in Public!"...’

’The sky would fall!’

He decided this wouldn’t do. The little one had become one of the most talked-about people on campus. He needed to speed up his search for a community manager to help him—the boss—control the campus narrative.

But for now, the little one had slung her backpack on, her face full of anticipation, ready to go out for a stroll with him.

He could have just told her he was busy and couldn’t go, but he had already promised. Backing out now would only hurt her feelings. He had to take her out for a little while.

"Let’s go shopping," Xue Rui suggested.

"Mmm, okay." Lin Ruoxi scurried a few steps to catch up.

The University of Posts and Telecommunications was located in a cluster of schools in University City. Next door was Normal University, a school teeming with girls. Naturally, all sorts of places for young couples to shop and hang out had sprung up.

Dates usually took place in the afternoon and evening. You’d go out, buy some things, eat some good food, watch a movie to kill time, and finally, get a room. A perfect end to the day.

Of course, Xue Rui wanted to. Just not today.

The two of them strolled leisurely down the pedestrian street, the little one’s stunning looks attracting a great deal of attention.

Their shopping style was different from the other couples around them. Whenever Xue Rui spotted a store he liked, the little one would hurry over to get in line and buy something.

Xue Rui was squatting by the side of the road when he saw a young guy with a cigarette dangling from his lips, various paper bags tucked under his arm, frantically patting himself down for a lighter.

"Here." Xue Rui handed him a lighter. He just couldn’t watch anymore.

"Thanks, bro. Which school are you from?" the male student said, offering Xue Rui a cigarette.

He was waiting for his girlfriend and her best friend to try on clothes. Even though they hadn’t walked far, he was already exhausted.

"University of Posts and Telecommunications."

"I’m at the polytechnic." Xue Rui tucked the cigarette behind his ear.

The student figured Xue Rui must be a kindred spirit and started complaining, "I don’t even know what’s so fun about shopping. The semester just started and I’ve already spent half my living allowance."

Xue Rui laughed. ’This is nothing.’

’The real estate bubble and consumerism haven’t even really taken off yet. As housing prices rise, driven by the wealth effect, these girls will only get more and more expensive in the future.’

But before he could say anything, the male student started wiggling his eyebrows, signaling for him to look to his right.

Xue Rui didn’t even have to think about it. ’That expression could only mean there’s a beautiful woman nearby.’ He glanced to his right and saw a tall, slender girl walking past, the scent of her perfume drifting across his nose.

She wore a low-cut, tight-fitting dress with black stockings. The back was scandalously bare, held together by just a few ribbons, showing off her captivating back.