Chapter 413 - 307: Killing a Smart Girl with Praise (Part 2)

After all, he had handed over the power so decisively. It was self-evident who was more important.

This girl was ten thousand times smarter than the other one. With a clever girl, putting her on a pedestal worked better than outright deception.

’Anyway, my goal is to lower this girl’s standards. What use do I have for power?’

’Weren’t there plenty of people in history who feigned compliance?’

Gu Muxue froze. ’Xue Rui wants *me* to solve this?’

Although it felt like he was just making her clean up his mess, Xue Rui’s attitude was at least proper. He knew when he was out of his depth and had the sense to hand things over to her.

To be precise, the situation she learned about from Xue Rui was much better than her earlier guesses. After all, they were still in the "fake couple" stage; it wasn’t an irreversible mistake.

But she was still furious!

She tried to pull her hand out of Xue Rui’s, but how could her strength possibly match his?

The only thing she could move now was her head. In a fit of anger, she bit down on his hand.

Xue Rui silently endured the pain, but inwardly he breathed a long sigh of relief. ’Gu Muxue is willing to bite me. That proves the apology worked, and she’s accepted the power I just gave her.’

Gu Muxue ground her teeth into his hand, shifting her jaw back and forth. When she finally felt a bit better, she lifted her head and looked at the two deep teeth marks she had left. Her mood improved slightly.

’Xue Rui told me to handle it, but who am I supposed to pressure?’

’I can’t imagine Lin Ruoxi would accept such a request from Xue Rui. Pretending to be his girlfriend? She could accept that?’

’The Lin Ruoxi I remember had a strong sense of pride. It looks like I need to revise that impression.’

’At least, in front of Xue Rui, Lin Ruoxi’s boundaries could be shaken at any time.’

In her view, Lin Ruoxi was also at fault, but the vast majority of the responsibility still lay with Xue Rui.

"Just this once," Gu Muxue said coldly.

She analyzed the current situation. This mess wouldn’t be easy to handle; she felt like she had all this strength but nowhere to direct it.

’Xue Rui admitted his mistake so quickly, and he’s so shameless...’

’Then my only option is to talk to Lin Ruoxi. But Lin Ruoxi’s family background...’

’Some of the usual methods might cause deep harm, and Xue Rui still has to interact with Lin Ruoxi for work. This is an incredibly tricky situation...’

"Muxue, if that wasn’t enough, slap me a couple of times to blow off some steam," Xue Rui said magnanimously, guiding her hand toward his face.

Gu Muxue instinctively controlled her arm, yanking it back just as it was about to hit Xue Rui. She was truly furious with him, but she didn’t want to slap his face.

’A man’s face is a line you don’t cross unless you absolutely have to...’

But a few pinches would be fine. She reached out, grabbed Xue Rui’s cheek, and squeezed hard.

"This is domestic abuse! I’m calling the cops," Xue Rui said, squeezing his eyes shut. He was really suffering. Whether she was biting or pinching him, the girl showed no mercy.

"Oh? Go ahead and call them. Let’s see if the nice policeman believes you or me," Gu Muxue said with a pout.

Xue Rui fell silent. ’If Gu Muxue bullies me, it feels like the whole world will be against me.’

’I can already imagine their attitude...’

’Domestic abuse? So what if a girl hits you a couple of times? It’s not like you’re going to die.’

’But if I hit her back, *that* would be considered real domestic abuse!’

Sigh. Xue Rui sighed to himself.

’Actually, the girl is pretty gentle. She’s the one who prepared my mattress and sunscreen when school started.’

’But making her angry is another story entirely. If she ever really accepts the fact that I’m two-timing, I’m afraid I’ll be getting beaten up every day.’

’But... I think it’s worth it!’

’That’s just how life is. You win some, you lose some. Although I got a little roughed up today, the plan was a complete success.’

Suddenly, he heard the sound of students chatting in the hallway outside, wondering which classroom they were headed to.

Xue Rui smiled with satisfaction. ’When people are around, she’ll give me some face.’ While she was listening intently to the sounds outside, he seized the opportunity to pull her into a tight hug, as if collecting a bit of interest on the beating he’d taken.

"Let go!"

The girl bared her teeth and threatened in a low voice, posturing as if she were about to bite him.

Xue Rui was unmoved. "Go on, bite me. It’s a kind of bliss to be bitten by you. Other guys wish they had this opportunity."

As he spoke, he leaned in and nuzzled her soft cheek.

"Let go, now." Gu Muxue felt her cheeks burning. ’He’s hugging me, in a lecture hall where someone could walk in at any moment?’

She struggled out of Xue Rui’s embrace with all her might and stood in the aisle of the lecture hall. "I have a class reunion this weekend. You should invite Lin Ruoxi. I’ll talk to her then."

After saying this, Gu Muxue left without a backward glance.

"Muxue, wait for me!" Xue Rui scrambled to his feet.

Gu Muxue spun around and shot him a fierce glare, pointing at the wrappers and bones left over from their meal. "You stay and clean up. Don’t you dare follow me."

"Absolutely not!"

Xue Rui nodded. "Then I’ll come over tomorrow morning."

Gu Muxue didn’t answer. After she walked out the door, she stood by the window and secretly watched Xue Rui.

Without the slightest sign of disgust, Xue Rui picked up the bones she had chewed on and put them away. He even shook her drink container and finished what she had left. A smile unconsciously lifted the corners of her mouth.

When Xue Rui finished cleaning up, she, afraid of being discovered, scurried down the stairs.

She stared blankly at the gloomy sky. ’Why did things turn out this way?’

’Ever since they made their relationship official, I had planned to control the distance between us, to get a handle on Xue Rui and bully him a little.’

In a way, her wish had come true... Xue Rui had been incredibly obedient today, satisfying her small desire for control. It felt as if she was finally getting revenge for all the times he had picked on her when they were children.