Chapter 474 330: Go Sleep on the Sofa

In Gu Muxue's room.

Lin Ruoxi sat obediently in the swivel chair, hanging up on Xue Rui at Gu Muxue's instruction.

Gu Muxue was sitting right across from her. They made eye contact for a moment before Lin Ruoxi looked away first.

"Next time, if you want to say no, just say it yourself," Gu Muxue sighed. She had planned to exchange a few pleasantries, have Lin Ruoxi politely refuse a few times, and then Gu Qingshan wouldn't have suspected anything was amiss.

But Lin Ruoxi had followed her straight upstairs. 'She either can't read the room, or she just has a hard time saying no to people,' Gu Muxue thought.

Lin Ruoxi fumbled under the chair for a moment before lowering it to its lowest setting, bringing herself to eye level with Gu Muxue.

"Aren't we friends? At least... that's what I thought," Lin Ruoxi said softly.

Gu Muxue froze. 'So you actually wanted to come up?'

"No. The only reason I got in touch with you was to make Xiaorui stay away from me. I... I hate him," Gu Muxue said.

'If things between her and Xue Rui were still the same as before, she'd be happy to be friends with Lin Ruoxi. But now, their interests were in direct conflict.'

'How could someone be so naive?'

'After everything that had happened, how could they possibly still be friends?'

Lin Ruoxi bit her lip. "He... he said he really likes you. That he wants to possess you."

'She'd just heard Gu Muxue use Xue Rui's nickname. He must have become a habit for her. Giving that up had to be painful.'

She felt a pang in her heart. 'He wants to possess her? Then why did he get involved with me?'

Lin Ruoxi's words had an undertone of suggesting she, too, could stay by Xue Rui's side.

"I'm not as... magnanimous as you. If I'm with him, then I'm the only one he can be with," Gu Muxue replied. 'She wouldn't be as submissive as Lin Ruoxi.'

She turned her face toward the window, tilting her head back to stare blankly at the moon.

'There was so much she wanted to ask Lin Ruoxi, but she was just so emotionally drained. All she wanted was to empty her mind and rest for a bit.'

'Lin Ruoxi didn't know what to say to Gu Muxue. It was obvious Gu Muxue didn't want to talk about Xue Rui, and her last words had sounded almost like a threat...'

'But besides Xue Rui, did she and Gu Muxue have anything else in common to talk about?'

Her eyes scanned the room, hoping to find some common ground, something girls talk about.

Gu Muxue's room was beautiful, much nicer than her own. It had light-colored wallpaper and soft, fluffy bedding. Shelves against the wall were filled with toys and trophies, and a long-haired cat yawned by her feet...

'She had never owned any of those things. Even their pets were different. They didn't have this breed of cat in her village. Xue Rui had said they were expensive and difficult to care for, unlike Da Huang, who was happy with a few leftovers...'

Lin Ruoxi and Gu Muxue had grown up in completely different worlds. Lin Ruoxi couldn't find any common ground...

After some time, Lin Ruoxi was the one to break the silence. "You forgot to take my gift last time. I had Xue Rui include it with that batch of gift boxes yesterday."

"Ah, yes. I got them. They're very nice headphones." Gu Muxue snapped out of her daze and gave Lin Ruoxi a small smile.

'Where could Xue Rui be right now?'

'Gu Muxue didn't know, but based on her understanding of Lin Ruoxi, the two of them were probably inseparable.'

"It's getting late. If you don't go back, won't Xue Rui be worried?" Gu Muxue asked, probing. It was also a hint for Lin Ruoxi to leave.

Lin Ruoxi said weakly, "He knows I'm with you, so he won't be worried."

Gu Muxue pursed her lips. 'A few days ago, when she'd taken Lin Ruoxi away, Xue Rui had been in a complete panic. His whole body was trembling when he saw Lin Ruoxi. And that's what she calls "not worried"?'

"Can you tell the difference between love and dependence?" Gu Muxue asked.

'She'd wanted to ask that for a long time.'

'When had Lin Ruoxi started to develop feelings for Xue Rui?'

'She didn't know.'

'But the root cause was all the help Xue Rui had given her, and Lin Ruoxi had to know that.'

Lin Ruoxi took a deep breath. "I can't tell the difference. And I don't want to."

'Xue Rui had once said that sometimes, ignorance is bliss.'

'She just had to follow her heart. Thinking too much would only make things more complicated.'

"I envy you," Gu Muxue said bitterly. "Lin Ruoxi's family background isn't great, but because of that, she has so much freedom."

'If she weren't home at this hour, her family would be worried sick by now.'

'Lin Ruoxi could decide where she wanted to go, like how she followed Xue Rui to the same school without a second thought.'

'She didn't have to worry about complicated social ties or what anyone else in the world thought of her.'

"Mm," Lin Ruoxi mumbled, nervously rubbing her sweaty palms on her legs.

She felt she had wronged Gu Muxue. The Gu Muxue before her now wasn't the same girl she used to know.

The old Gu Muxue had been so lively. She would sometimes chase Xue Rui and playfully fight with him at school. She smiled so happily back then.

But the person in front of her now was somber and quiet. In over an hour, they had only exchanged a few sentences, with Gu Muxue spending most of the time staring blankly out the window.

For the next hour, neither of them said a word. It wasn't until a little past nine that Lin Ruoxi glanced at her watch. She couldn't stop wondering if Xue Rui had eaten dinner.

"Uhm, I should get going," Lin Ruoxi said.

'She knew Gu Muxue didn't like her, yet she'd shamelessly stayed for so long...'

"Okay, I'll see you out." Gu Muxue took a deep breath and slowly stood up.

After saying goodbye to Gu Muxue's parents, Lin Ruoxi walked slowly to the car with her.

"I'm heading back in." Gu Muxue smiled, waved at Lin Ruoxi, and turned to clear a path for her.

Watching Gu Muxue's lonely figure retreat, Lin Ruoxi's heart ached. Her voice choked with emotion as she said, "I... I'm sorry. Xue Rui and I have been lying to you this whole time. I'll make it up to you... for his part, too."