Chapter 460 - 325: You Want Me to Marry Into Your Family?

Xue Rui glared at Xue Yao. He’d been set up by Lin Ruoxi, and now he couldn’t very well say the gifts were for Lin Ruoxi’s grandmother.

’That would be even worse. What kind of junk was I giving to a lonely old woman?’

"What? Didn’t our grandma win you over with these two things when you were little?" Xue Rui laughed.

Xue Yao tilted her head. ’He kind of has a point,’ she thought. Never mind back then; even now, whenever she went to her grandmother’s house, she was still greeted with soda crackers and custard pies...

Lin Ruoxi glanced timidly at the others. She hadn’t thought much of it earlier. ’Xue Rui was just going to his own home, so why would he need to bring gifts?’

"That’s not an excuse. Why are you comparing yourself to your grandmother? How old is she?" Ren Qunfang continued to nitpick.

"Some of these are for Xue Rui, too," Lin Ruoxi quickly added.

Xue Yao shook her head. Today, she was determined to mess with her older brother. She walked over to the gift boxes by Lin Ruoxi and picked out an incongruous box of sachima. "This one is my brother’s."

Amused by her daughter, Ren Qunfang chuckled behind her hand. Then she pointed at the two piles of gift boxes and asked, "Which side has yours?"

Xue Rui glanced from one pile to the other. ’Is Mom just asking about the gifts?’

Xue Rui couldn’t help but marvel at how sharp his mom was getting. ’All this talk about "managing relationships," and now "which side has yours"...’

’She’s subtly asking me if I’m choosing Lin Ruoxi or Gu Muxue.’

"Both sides," Xue Rui answered without hesitation.

"Both sides."

Lin Ruoxi said at almost the exact same time.

Xue Rui looked at Lin Ruoxi in surprise. ’She said it too?’

He had already braced himself for the fallout, but after Lin Ruoxi chimed in, the atmosphere suddenly went still.

Xue Yao sensed some major drama was about to unfold, but her mom’s expression was clearly off. ’I’d better make myself scarce.’ She stealthily slipped away with Da Huang.

Ren Qunfang’s eyebrow twitched. ’So Xue Rui wants both of them.’

’But I was grilling Xue Rui. Why is Lin Ruoxi answering?’

"Xixi, do you understand what I was asking?" Ren Qunfang asked in a low voice.

"I do. Gu Muxue... she hasn’t been doing well lately," Lin Ruoxi said.

Ren Qunfang fell silent, standing rooted to the spot with a vacant expression. ’Lin Ruoxi came with Xue Rui today, so naturally, I was on her side.’

’But from the sound of it, has Lin Ruoxi accepted Gu Muxue? Her words subtly imply a need to maintain a balance, to not favor one over the other.’

"Mom, we’re heading in," Xue Rui said, taking Lin Ruoxi’s hand and picking up a large bag of gift boxes with his other.

"Yaoyao, come out and help with the stuff!" Xue Rui shouted.

’I never should have come home,’ he thought. ’The house is swarming with women, all ready to gossip about me behind my back.’

’Fortunately, she adores me unconditionally and didn’t try to trip me up when my mom asked that question.’

He was very satisfied with her answer. His mom was completely bewildered now; the look she gave him was one of utter disbelief.

"Where’s Dad?" Xue Rui asked. Lin Ruoxi’s gifts included things like an electric razor, which were clearly meant for his dad.

"He’ll be back tomorrow," Xue Yao said, holding the leash and ordering Da Huang to help carry things inside.

"Just asking," Xue Rui let out a long sigh of relief.

Just then, Xue Xiaying happened to walk in the door, having just returned from school.

Seeing Xue Rui holding Lin Ruoxi’s hand, she couldn’t help but feel a wave of emotion. ’Time flies. My two students are already at the stage of holding hands and meeting the parents.’

"Xiaorui, Lin Ruoxi, you’re back for the Mid-Autumn Festival?" Xue Xiaying said in surprise.

"Hello, Teacher Xue," Lin Ruoxi said.

Xue Xiaying shot Lin Ruoxi a look of mock anger. "You’ve graduated already. Why are you still calling me Teacher?"

’Lin Ruoxi noticed Xue Xiaying’s gaze kept drifting to her and Xue Rui’s clasped hands. Is she hinting at our relationship?’

"A...Auntie," Lin Ruoxi stammered.

’As the saying goes, a wife should follow her husband,’ she thought. ’Should I be calling his relatives what he calls them?’

’Isn’t it too soon for that?’

"What are you, a chicken?" Xue Rui joked. ’Her stutter really does sound like a chicken,’ he thought, which reminded him of the first time he’d gone with her to her village to feed them.

"Xiaorui, what are you talking about?" Xue Xiaying shot him a sharp glare.

"I’m just telling her to say it properly," Xue Rui said, squeezing Lin Ruoxi’s hand a little tighter.

Lin Ruoxi squeezed his hand back lightly. She wasn’t so nervous anymore.

"Hello, Auntie," Lin Ruoxi said sweetly.

"Yes, that’s more like it. I’m going to go wash my hands. We can talk in a bit," Xue Xiaying said with a smile, patting Lin Ruoxi’s shoulder.

’In my opinion, Xue Rui bringing Lin Ruoxi home for the Mid-Autumn Festival makes things perfectly clear. He’s chosen Lin Ruoxi.’

Xue Rui gasped. ’I feel like Ren Jun’s been a bad influence on her.’

"Rui, am I supposed to call them what you call them?" Lin Ruoxi asked in a small voice.

’That feels too significant. How can I call them that when we’re not even married?’

’But calling Xue Xiaying "Auntie," just like calling Ren Jun "Uncle," didn’t feel like a big deal when I said it.’

’But when I think of Ren Qunfang...’

’Mom?’

’I have no memory of a "mom" figure in my life.’ Her heart started beating faster and faster.

Xue Rui hurriedly covered Lin Ruoxi’s mouth, looking around nervously. "Don’t say it out loud! She’ll have a meltdown."

’Other relatives are one thing; if you’re close, it’s fine. But you can’t just start calling someone’s parents Mom and Dad.’

’I can just imagine the look on Ren Qunfang’s face if Lin Ruoxi actually called her "Mom"...’

"Xiaorui, have you two eaten yet?" Ren Qunfang asked.

"A...Auntie, n-no, we haven’t. I’ll go cook now." Lin Ruoxi’s head was still spinning; she just wanted to hurry up and cook for Xue Rui.

"That’s not necessary. I’ll have the housekeeper make something."

"He likes my cooking," Lin Ruoxi insisted, heading for the kitchen without another word.