Chapter 473 329: Studious Baby Award (Part 2)

In the bottom-most drawer, he found a file folder. Seeing it wasn't sealed, he opened it without a second thought.

'He'd thought about asking Lin Ruoxi, but the girl would never say no to him, so it was better not to ask.'

Opening it, he saw several award certificates neatly stored inside.

Xue Rui pulled one out. The paper had turned pale and yellow, its back held together with clear tape, but the text was still sharp and clear. It boldly proclaimed the "'Loves to Learn' Baby Award."

He glanced at the top-left corner and saw the two words "Xue Rui" written in large print.

Xue Rui couldn't help but laugh. To think the time he'd won the most awards in his life was in kindergarten.

'But these certificates were meaningless to him. He was sure he'd torn them up the very first day he brought Lin Ruoxi here…'

Lin Ruoxi must have gathered up the pieces, repaired them, and pressed them flat in the back of the drawer for safekeeping.

Xue Rui pulled out the rest and laid them on the table. A few were "Most Improved" awards from high school that he'd left here and never taken with him. Lin Ruoxi had carefully preserved them all.

Xue Rui couldn't help but think about how Lin Ruoxi had countless awards of her own—the walls of her village home were practically wallpapered with them. Yet when she left, she didn't take a single one, not even sparing them a glance.

'And yet, she had carefully treasured his meaningless kindergarten awards, even placing them in a special file. Was she trying to document every moment of a child's growth?'

Coupled with the meticulous way she always looked after him, Xue Rui could only shake his head. Lin Ruoxi really did treat him like her own son.

Always giving so much behind the scenes, yet never asking for anything in return.

Xue Rui felt he still knew far too little about Lin Ruoxi's "secrets."

He lowered his head and continued to rummage through her room, curious to see what other strange trinkets she had collected.

The results were a huge disappointment. All he found under the mattress were two condoms in faded, crumpled wrappers.

Oh... and some spare cash.

Lying on the bed, Xue Rui recalled all the little moments that had happened in this room. It seemed time always moved so slowly in his childhood. The wait from Monday to the weekend felt as long as a prison sentence.

But after growing up? Each year passed in the blink of an eye. A whole year could go by if you weren't paying attention.

He idly opened his phone's photo album, scrolling through old pictures and occasionally checking the messages the girl had sent on All-Purpose Campus.

Gu Muxue hadn't relinquished control over the Jiao University account, likely because she hadn't found a suitable replacement. According to the device info, she was still the one managing it.

Xue Rui would occasionally send Gu Muxue a message or two, just to remind her of his constant presence. 'After all, even though the girl hates me, she can't quite let me go,' he thought. 'Otherwise, she wouldn't be in touch with Lin Ruoxi.'

'His plan was to send her daily updates, then suddenly vanish one day. He'd also tell Lin Ruoxi not to reply to Gu Muxue's messages. That way, there was a good chance the girl would secretly come looking for him…'

'Yeah, that wouldn't count as him breaking the rules.'

And then he'd have a chance to win her back.

Suddenly, he got a call from his dad.

"Dad, are you back?" Xue Rui asked.

"Xiaorui, did you grab that case of red wine? Find some time to deliver it to your Uncle Gu. It's the first batch from our family's winery—have him try some."

"Got it."

"Good. And make sure you give it to him from you, got it? Don't mention my name."

"Got it," Xue Rui said, putting down his phone. His heart sank.

His mom had given the wine directly to Lin Ruoxi, and it was currently sitting in the trunk of her car.

The main thing was, Lin Ruoxi had already arranged things with Gu Muxue. Ruoxi was going to deliver it this afternoon and had specifically told him not to come…

He never imagined the two of them could get along so peacefully, leaving him completely out of the loop.

As evening approached, Lin Ruoxi changed into a sharp black business suit with a white blouse underneath. The slim-fit trousers accentuated her long, captivating legs, and she wore a pair of low-heeled leather shoes. To any outsider, she looked every bit the part of a professional career woman.

She was getting ready to drive to Gu Muxue's house.

"Xixi?" Xue Rui said with a cheeky grin.

Lin Ruoxi pouted. "N-no, you can't."

'She felt she owed Gu Muxue. She'd promised not to bring Xue Rui, but it was so hard to say no to him.'

"It's already dark out. I'm just worried about you. I'll ride in the passenger seat, I promise I won't even get out of the car," Xue Rui pressed.

For a moment, Lin Ruoxi's eyes welled up with anxious tears.

Xue Rui sighed. "Fine. At least wear a Bluetooth earpiece so I can hear what she says."

"Mm, okay, I can do that."

...

「Half an hour later」

In front of Gu Muxue's house, Xue Rui received a call from Lin Ruoxi.

"I'm at Gu Muxue's front door," Lin Ruoxi said, hoisting a large bag and walking toward the house.

'Gu Muxue had told her to come in the evening, saying her parents would ask fewer questions that way…'

'It was originally a full case, but Xue Rui had told her to only bring half, saying a whole case would look bad.'

At that moment, Gu Muxue was already waiting at the door. She watched Lin Ruoxi approach, noting how much more mature her outfit was than her own.

She shook her head in resignation. 'Why am I even comparing myself to her?'

'This whole situation was a last resort. The wine was a gesture of goodwill between her parents and Xue Rui's; she couldn't refuse it. But she also didn't want Xue Rui coming to see her. Until they sorted out their relationship, this was the only way to handle things.'

Gu Muxue stepped forward and whispered, "You remember what to do, right?"

"Yes, I remember," Lin Ruoxi whispered back.

Listening in on the call, Xue Rui was dying of curiosity. 'What are those two plotting?'

"Xixi, remember what?" Xue Rui asked.

Lin Ruoxi quickly turned her head and whispered, "Um, that I'm your employee, and Gu Muxue is your girlfriend."

Xue Rui: "…"

Gu Muxue froze for a second. 'What is she muttering about?'

But she quickly put two and two together. She said coldly, "Are you on the phone with him?"

Lin Ruoxi panicked. 'But Xue Rui isn't here!'

"Sh-should I hang up?" Lin Ruoxi asked timidly.

"Forget it. Do what you want," Gu Muxue said coldly.

"I'm sorry. I'll apologize on his behalf," Lin Ruoxi said, glancing meekly at Gu Muxue.

'Gu Muxue had been deceived so many times. She wasn't sure if this counted as another lie, but she didn't want Gu Muxue to get hurt again.'

Stepping into the living room, Lin Ruoxi saw Gu Qingshan sitting on the sofa with his back to them. She wasn't sure if Gu Muxue's mother was home.

Lin Ruoxi began, "Uncle Gu, Aunt Zhao, hello. My… my boss had something come up and couldn't make it. This is the wine he asked me to deliver."

Lin Ruoxi still wasn't used to lying, and her words came out haltingly.

Gu Qingshan didn't even look over. 'It's always like this during the holidays,' he thought.

'This year he sends some young girl to call me 'uncle' all sweetly?'

'The tricks these corrupt characters pull!'

He said coldly, "Take it away. And tell your boss that if this continues, I'll be sure to give him some… 'special attention.'"

Lin Ruoxi stood frozen in place. 'This wasn't how it was supposed to go.'

Gu Muxue didn't say a word, either. 'Should I just leave now?'

In reality, Gu Muxue knew Xue Rui was "remote-controlling" Lin Ruoxi from the other end of the line, so she figured she might as well wash her hands of the situation.

"Xixi, just say it's from Boss Xue, from Xie Jianfeng," Xue Rui's voice came through the Bluetooth earpiece.

Xue Rui suddenly felt a pang of panic. 'Gu Muxue is standing right there, why isn't she saying anything to help Lin Ruoxi?'

'Sorry, Dad!'

'Who's to blame that your name carries more weight than mine?'

'If he said it was from him, Gu Qingshan would definitely ask where he was.'

"Um, this is from Boss Xue… Xie Jianfeng," Lin Ruoxi said, following Xue Rui's instructions.

Sure enough, at the mention of Xie Jianfeng's name, Gu Qingshan turned his head to look.

Gu Qingshan smiled faintly. 'Xie Jianfeng, sending me wine for the holidays?'

'But why send this particular girl?'

'Lin Ruoxi is Xue Rui's employee, right…'

He couldn't be bothered to guess at the machinations behind it all. The point was, Xie Jianfeng had made the first move by sending a gift. An unconscious smile touched his lips.

Gu Qingshan leaned over, pulled out two boxes of tea from under the coffee table, and said in a much softer tone, "Don't go just yet, young lady. Take these two boxes of tea to your boss."

'One good turn deserves another. Since Xie Jianfeng was willing to extend an olive branch, he wouldn't press the matter.'

Lin Ruoxi handed the wine to the Gu family's housekeeper and accepted the tea from Gu Qingshan.

"Thank you, Uncle," Lin Ruoxi said sweetly.

"You can head out if you need to. I'll see you to the door," Gu Muxue said, reaching for the doorknob.

"Hm?" Gu Qingshan grunted, his brow furrowing.

'Just last night she told me they were good friends. Why does it look like she's trying to rush her out the door today?'

Gu Muxue bit her lip. She was terrified that if her dad chatted with Lin Ruoxi for even a minute, he'd get the whole truth out of the simple-minded girl in just a few sentences.

"Lin Ruoxi, come hang out in my room for a bit," Gu Muxue said with a smile, linking her arm with Lin Ruoxi's.

As they were heading upstairs, she reached out and plucked the earpiece from Lin Ruoxi's ear.