Chapter 415 - 308: Seizing Fate by the Throat

The next morning, Xue Rui was up before dawn. He washed up and got dressed quietly, careful not to wake his roommates.

’Why is my throat so sore? Getting up this early is the worst...’ Xue Rui grumbled to himself.

He had told the girl last night that he would bring breakfast for her and her roommates, and even though she hadn’t agreed, he had to keep his word.

The reason he was up so early was simple: Jiao University was in a different district from his school, so he had to leave two hours in advance.

However, as he bent down to tie his shoelaces, he discovered the reason for his sore throat—three cigarette butts on the floor.

’Hongtashan?’ Based on the brand of cigarette and where they’d been dropped, Xue Rui quickly identified the "culprit."

"Xuelun, wake up," Xue Rui whispered, leaning close to Zhang Xuelun’s ear.

"What is it?" Zhang Xuelun groggily opened his eyes to find Xue Rui shining a phone’s flashlight right in his face. The harsh glare made him instinctively turn his head away.

Xue Rui yanked the pillow out from under Zhang Xuelun’s head, making it impossible for him to go back to sleep.

He knew it wouldn’t be easy to get these guys to behave. A verbal warning was useless; if one person started, the others would soon be smoking in the dorm too.

’Since I’m up this early anyway, might as well deal with the troublemaker.’

"Get up, I need you for something," Xue Rui said in a low voice.

"What is it?"

"Something huge," Xue Rui said gravely.

Zhang Xuelun did a quick analysis. ’We all just met. Why would Xue Rui lie to me?’

He noticed Xue Rui was sweeping the floor in the dark. His first impression of Xue Rui was that he was the type who "liked to contribute to the group." ’Maybe the class advisor really did assign something, and Xue Rui couldn’t find anyone else?’

In reality, Xue Rui was just cleaning up Zhang Xuelun’s cigarette butts so the others wouldn’t see them when they woke up.

Still muddle-headed, Zhang Xuelun got dressed and followed Xue Rui downstairs without even washing his face.

The dorm manager had just woken up to unlock the main door. As she was about to go back to sleep for a bit, she saw two male students greeting her.

"Where are you boys off to so early?"

Xue Rui replied casually, "Going for a run."

Zhang Xuelun looked utterly bewildered. ’Didn’t he say it was an emergency?’

"Old Xue, what are you up to?" he asked, curious.

Xue Rui didn’t answer, just motioned for Zhang Xuelun to keep following.

The two of them reached the school’s south gate just as the sun was peeking over the eastern horizon, painting the sky a brilliant red. Lin Ruoxi was waiting by the security booth, staring blankly at the sunrise.

Suddenly, as if sensing his presence, she turned. A smile bloomed on her face the moment she saw Xue Rui.

She had borrowed a car from Yu Minlan last night to drive Xue Rui to Jiao University this morning.

’But why did Xue Rui bring a classmate with him?’

"Hello, Zhang Xuelun," Lin Ruoxi said softly.

"Get in," Xue Rui said.

"Mm, okay." Lin Ruoxi nodded obediently.

Xue Rui took the passenger seat while the girl drove. Before pulling away, she even reminded Zhang Xuelun in the back to fasten his seatbelt and handed him a bottle of water, just like a rideshare driver...

Xue Rui glanced at the utterly baffled Zhang Xuelun in the back. ’What’s my objective? Just to leave this kid with a bit of psychological trauma, that’s all.’

’They were up until eleven last night discussing "international affairs," and I wake up to cigarette butts on the floor?’

’This kid Zhang Xuelun definitely didn’t get to sleep until one or two in the morning. Waking him up before five and then making him walk all the way back to school for military training that lasts until evening... that should leave a lasting impression.’

He directed the girl through a winding series of turns until they reached a breakfast shop in a residential area, where he told her to stop the car.

The breakfast shop wasn’t too far from the school—only about an hour’s walk. The main thing was, you couldn’t get a taxi from here.

"Let’s get something to eat first. This place looks decent," Xue Rui said with a smile. "Nothing’s more important than a good meal."

Zhang Xuelun didn’t refuse. ’Xue Rui still needs me for something later, so it’s normal for him to treat me to breakfast.’

Xue Rui and the girl picked a table by the road, chatting as they ate.

"Rui, does it still hurt?" Lin Ruoxi asked, her face full of guilt. She had noticed the bite mark on Xue Rui’s hand still hadn’t faded.

"It doesn’t hurt," Xue Rui said with a smile, peeling a tea egg for the girl and placing it on the small plate in front of her.

Lin Ruoxi stared blankly. ’Xue Rui peeled an egg for me. What am I supposed to say?’

’I can’t just say thank you, but my mind’s a complete blank.’

So, she chose to thank him with an action, pressing a light peck on his cheek with her rosy lips.

Xue Rui patted the girl’s head. ’She’s so adorable.’

’It’s just that she’s always taking the blame for me. In Lin Ruoxi’s mind, I can do no wrong.’

Of course, he hadn’t asked the girl to play along as a "fake couple" either. One lie would just lead to countless others to cover it up, and in the end, it would only make her hate him.

’So, the current situation is for the best. As far as Gu Muxue is concerned, Lin Ruoxi has a "fake identity." It’s the only way he and Ruoxi can interact as "boyfriend and girlfriend."’

’Lin Ruoxi knows that Gu Muxue is my girlfriend, while Gu Muxue believes my relationship with Lin Ruoxi is "fake." But there’s a subtle twist to it all—Gu Muxue knows that Lin Ruoxi actually likes me.’

’Which means this "fake girlfriend" isn’t entirely "fake" after all.’

Xue Rui knew very well that this situation was the absolute limit of what the girl could accept.

’Getting her to accept him two-timing her? As if...’

’But he believed nothing was impossible. If he could just get the two girls to become inseparable best friends, many of his problems would solve themselves.’

"Rui," Lin Ruoxi began timidly, "should... should I apologize to Gu Muxue? It’s okay if she wants to bite me too..."