Chapter 498 339: We'll Live Together

A night breeze brushed past, bringing a chill to Gu Muxue's cheeks, but what she felt most keenly was Lin Ruoxi hugging her from behind.

Lin Ruoxi's arms were wrapped tightly around her. She had never been held like this before; not even Xue Rui had dared to do so.

But she could vaguely feel the dampness of tears on her neck. She knew Lin Ruoxi was crying, yet her own heart was perfectly calm.

"You already have everything you ever wanted. Why are you pestering me? Are we that close?" Gu Muxue said flatly. She didn't want Lin Ruoxi interfering in her life, even if it was with good intentions.

"No, we're not close, but you need someone with you," Lin Ruoxi said weakly.

She had read some psychology books and knew that people with depression needed companionship.

Gu Muxue was unwilling to talk about her problems, not even telling her own parents. 'If this goes on, it'll only get worse.' Lin Ruoxi didn't want to see someone she knew get hurt.

Lin Ruoxi took off her own outer shirt, draped it gently over Gu Muxue's shoulders, and took the bag full of medicine from Gu Muxue's hand. "I'll take you home. Get in my car."

"Did Xiaorui ask you to take me home?" Gu Muxue asked. 'Based on what I know about Lin Ruoxi, she's usually glued to Xue Rui's side. She stayed behind just to drive me home?'

'Xue Rui was very concerned about her, but his current girlfriend driving his ex-girlfriend home?'

'Only Lin Ruoxi would do something like this.'

"Mhm. From now on, I'll drive you," Lin Ruoxi said, bending down to pick up the diagnostic report from the ground. When she saw the words "moderate depression," her heart ached as if pierced by a needle.

'I got everything I wanted, but Gu Muxue has endured so much more than I ever imagined... '

'If it weren't for me, Gu Muxue and Xue Rui would be together, the perfect pair of childhood sweethearts. The wonderful life I have now should have been hers.'

Gu Muxue snatched the diagnostic report from Lin Ruoxi's hand. She threatened, "Don't you dare tell him. And don't you dare come looking for me again. If he sees this paper, you know the consequences."

Lin Ruoxi stood frozen in a daze. She couldn't help but think that if Xue Rui found out about Gu Muxue's condition, he would agree to anything Gu Muxue asked...

'If Gu Muxue demanded that he push me away from his side, would Xue Rui do it?'

'He probably would, at least on the surface. But as long as I stick to Xue Rui, he'll still come find me, right?'

'But in that case, the one who would ultimately get hurt is still Gu Muxue.'

Lin Ruoxi believed she was the root of the problem. Her eyes were vacant. "If I... if I leave, will that help your condition?"

Gu Muxue looked away and said coldly, "Lin Ruoxi, don't think so highly of yourself. My illness has nothing to do with you."

"He has two people in his heart. He and I... we can't go back."

'Truthfully, if Gu Muxue wanted to, she had plenty of ways to keep Xue Rui by her side. But Lin Ruoxi wouldn't be able to handle the consequences. And if something happened to Lin Ruoxi, it would create an indelible rift between her and Xue Rui.'

'Did Lin Ruoxi just offer to give Xue Rui back to me?'

'Could you really handle that?'

"Please get in, okay?" Lin Ruoxi pulled open the passenger side door and stood there, waiting for Gu Muxue to get in.

Gu Muxue hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided to get in.

'I'll be there for you,' Lin Ruoxi vowed silently in her heart.

'Gu Muxue doesn't mean what she says. Her words just now were only to comfort me. I know how pathetic I am; leaving Xue Rui is impossible for me.'

'But Gu Muxue's interests and mine are in conflict... '

Lin Ruoxi drove to the gates of Jiao University as if she knew the route by heart. She then asked, "You haven't had dinner yet. Want to get something to eat first?"

Gu Muxue shook her head. "I'm staying somewhere else tonight. You can go back."

'My strange behavior lately has already drawn my roommate's attention. I don't know what I'll be like after I start taking the medication. Eventually, they'll find out... '

'I don't want to worry my parents. It's better if I move out now.'

But when she tried to get out, she suddenly found that the car door wouldn't open.

"What are you doing?" Gu Muxue said in disbelief.

"I'm taking you." Lin Ruoxi had locked the car doors. She had to take care of Gu Muxue; she couldn't let her run around at night.

A deep sense of powerlessness suddenly washed over Gu Muxue. She was stuck with Lin Ruoxi...

Lin Ruoxi was a stubborn girl. Once she set her mind to something, she would do it, and no one could talk her out of it.

"I'll ask Uncle Yang for an address. Once you drop me off, you leave immediately," Gu Muxue said.

Half an hour later, the two arrived at an upscale residential complex. Lin Ruoxi followed Yang Xing and Gu Muxue upstairs.

"Muxue, you've come around? It's a shame Aunt Liu heard you weren't moving out, so she stayed in Hedong after the Mid-Autumn Festival. I'll call her back over in the next couple of days." As Yang Xing spoke, he was about to make a call to Hedong.

"No need," Gu Muxue said hurriedly. 'I'm terrified of interacting with people I know right now. My secret will get out...'

"Why not? Can you cook?" Yang Xing muttered.

"I can," Lin Ruoxi quickly interjected.

Yang Xing's eyes widened instantly. He sized up Lin Ruoxi and said as if a lightbulb went off, "Oh, I get it. You're moving in with Muxue, right?"

It was quite common for university students to live with friends. Those who were a bit better off financially would choose to move out and rent a place, since the school dorms had poor conditions and too many restrictions.

Since Gu Muxue had an apartment, it was perfectly normal for her to ask a close friend to live with her.

He had originally thought it would be Mei Lili, but perhaps her social circle had changed.

"I..." Lin Ruoxi was stunned. 'I never thought about that.'

'She had just completed the paperwork to live off-campus, thinking she would be living with Xue Rui... '

"We're living together." Gu Muxue gave Lin Ruoxi a gentle push, signaling for her to play along and help deal with the situation.