Chapter 458 - 324: You Came Empty-Handed?

If Xue Rui went looking for Gu Muxue, it would make her miserable.

’She finally understood what Xue Rui meant when he said he owed Gu Muxue. She owed Gu Muxue, too...’

’If they were to fight over him, she was the one who couldn’t afford to lose. The life she had now, sitting side-by-side with Xue Rui, was a gift from Gu Muxue.’

"Did you... did you hear me clearly?" Lin Ruoxi deliberately put on an angry expression, trying to make a stronger impression on Xue Rui.

Because that was how Gu Muxue acted, and Xue Rui always listened to Gu Muxue.

Xue Rui was stunned for a long moment. He had never seen Lin Ruoxi act so tough, though he could clearly sense the lack of conviction in her voice.

"Xixi?" Xue Rui softly spoke that one word, then stared silently into Lin Ruoxi’s eyes.

Soon, Lin Ruoxi’s head drooped, and she rested it gently on Xue Rui’s shoulder. "Rui... I was wrong."

"What were you wrong about?" Xue Rui chuckled, ruffling Lin Ruoxi’s hair.

"I was wrong because you got angry," Lin Ruoxi said in a small voice.

’Gu Muxue had told her to change the way she interacted with Xue Rui, but... she couldn’t change in this lifetime. And she didn’t want to.’

Suddenly, Lin Ruoxi’s phone chimed. Gu Muxue had sent her a message.

Gu Muxue: [Lin Ruoxi, you keep an eye on Xue Rui. Don’t let him come looking for me.]

Lin Ruoxi stole a glance at Xue Rui and replied to Gu Muxue: [Okay.]

Gu Muxue: [Xue Rui needs a psychologist. I’ll send you the doctor’s contact information later. You make sure he goes.]

The moment she sent it, Gu Muxue felt a pang of regret. With Xue Rui’s sharp perception, he would definitely know it was her doing.

But what could she do? ’Some people know they’re sick but are too afraid to see a doctor, letting a small problem drag on until it becomes a big one.’

’Boys are just terrible at taking care of themselves. She just couldn’t rest easy.’

Lin Ruoxi: [Thank you.]

’Lin Ruoxi didn’t understand why Xue Rui would need a psychologist. Did he have some sort of mental illness? She hadn’t noticed anything.’

’But there’s no way Gu Muxue would do anything to harm Xue Rui. She trusted Gu Muxue completely.’

Besides, the fact that Gu Muxue was willing to contact her put her mind at ease.

Xue Rui found this strange. Lin Ruoxi usually revolved around him all day. ’Does she even have friends to chat with?’

He guessed it was a message from Gu Muxue and instinctively tried to lean over for a look, but the girl clutched her phone warily and scooted away.

’Gu Muxue won’t reply to his messages, but she’s contacting Lin Ruoxi instead?’

’That was good news, in a way. From start to finish, the only person Gu Muxue hated was him.’

Lin Ruoxi’s face was full of anxiety. She quickly deleted her chat history with Gu Muxue. She had promised Gu Muxue she wouldn’t tell Xue Rui.

"Let’s not go find her, okay?" Lin Ruoxi pleaded in a small voice.

"Xixi, I... I owe her." Xue Rui looked conflicted. It was difficult for him to agree to Lin Ruoxi’s request.

Lin Ruoxi lifted her head, looked into Xue Rui’s eyes, and said, "I owe her too. I’ll repay my debt and yours along with it."

’She didn’t know if Gu Muxue considered her a friend, but she knew very well that Gu Muxue needed someone with her right now, someone to talk to—and that someone couldn’t be Xue Rui.’

’Although she was one of the "culprits" who had caused Gu Muxue pain, she was also someone who knew the whole story.’

Gu Muxue hadn’t told anyone about Xue Rui, not even her parents.

’But people need an emotional outlet, or they’ll get sick from bottling it up. She could be Gu Muxue’s punching bag.’

’In Lin Ruoxi’s heart, Gu Muxue was already a good friend. She didn’t want to see her friend get hurt. Since Gu Muxue was willing to contact her, it meant she had a chance to make amends...’

’She knew Gu Muxue also loved Xue Rui very much, just in a different way than she did.’

’She was used to giving Xue Rui everything, letting him take whatever he wanted;’

’Gu Muxue, on the other hand, was cold on the outside but warm on the inside, her words not matching her heart, always giving silently behind the scenes.’

’Though their methods were different, she could tell who was genuinely good to Xue Rui, and she didn’t resent it.’

Xue Rui’s expression was complicated after hearing Lin Ruoxi’s words. ’This silly girl wants to pay my emotional debts for me?’

Xue Rui gave a bitter laugh. "Silly girl, what could you possibly repay?"

"I can give her anything I have."

’Lin Ruoxi thought to herself.’

’But Xue Rui... she could only give Gu Muxue half of him.’

"Forget it. Let’s get going."

Seeing the girl remain silent, Xue Rui didn’t think much of it. ’My problems are my own to solve.’ His gaze fell upon Lin Ruoxi’s phone.

Lin Ruoxi shot Xue Rui a wary glance and placed her phone in the storage compartment to her left, keeping it out of his reach.

"You..." Lin Ruoxi’s actions made Xue Rui’s brow twitch.

Xue Rui looked at Lin Ruoxi in disbelief. Just moments ago, Gu Muxue had changed her phone’s wallpaper and password right in front of him. ’Though he knew what the new password was; the girl was just pouting at him...’

’But from the way Lin Ruoxi was acting, did she have a secret she was hiding from him?’

’It even felt like she was getting ready to secretly change her own phone password.’

"Rui, I... I can’t let you see my phone anymore," Lin Ruoxi said with a pout.

After saying this, Lin Ruoxi suddenly felt a pang of panic, as if she were intentionally creating distance between them. But she was afraid Xue Rui would use her phone to contact Gu Muxue, and if he did, Gu Muxue would stop contacting her too.

She hurriedly held the phone out to him, adding a condition, "As long as you don’t contact Gu Muxue, you can look at anything else..."

Xue Rui smiled and pushed the phone back. "I won’t."

’He wasn’t stupid. Gu Muxue needed time to lick her wounds. All he could do was make her life a little easier from the sidelines, but he absolutely could not appear before her. He needed to lower his profile for a while.’

’As for whether Gu Muxue would forgive him, he could only leave it to fate.’