Chapter 515 - 345: How Did I Become the Villain?

"Xixi, it’s almost eleven. How about we get up?" Xue Rui whispered.

Staring at the bright sunlight filtering through the curtains, Xue Rui couldn’t stand lying in bed any longer. He’d been called back to bed by Lin Ruoxi yesterday, only to be left to sleep alone all night. He’d lost track of how long he’d been lying down.

But the young woman wouldn’t let him get out of bed, draped over him and refusing to get up.

"You’ve already eaten, and you just went to the bathroom," Lin Ruoxi said, gently shaking her head and nuzzling against Xue Rui’s stomach.

"Mmm..." Xue Rui pinched the bridge of his nose. He really had no excuses left. The young woman had fed him in bed and even escorted him to the bathroom. ’It was all premeditated.’

He gently stroked Lin Ruoxi’s soft, smooth hair. For a moment, it felt like he was petting Da Huang’s head—just like how the dog would jump all over the place, desperate for Lin Ruoxi’s attention whenever he saw her.

He couldn’t help but let out a resigned laugh. "You missed me this much?"

"Very, very much..." Lin Ruoxi murmured, her eyes closed.

Xue Rui had actually figured it out last night. ’It’s not that she’s stopped being clingy,’ he thought. ’She was just being held captive by that other girl.’

As for why Gu Muxue would do such a thing, it was surely a form of retaliation against her.

’But what I still can’t figure out is, how on earth did Lin Ruoxi manage to stay by Gu Muxue’s side?’

"I stole the mascot costume. Is there anything else you want me to do?"

Lin Ruoxi’s finger traced endless circles on Xue Rui’s stomach. She was nervous. She’d done something wrong, which was why she’d clung to him the moment she got home, seeking his affection...

Lin Ruoxi had discovered a secret about their time together—every time after they were intimate, Xue Rui would become much gentler with her.

"Did she accept the award from you yesterday?" Xue Rui asked curiously.

’The custom ’Campus Belle’ trophy I ordered hasn’t even arrived yet, and Lin Ruoxi already took it upon herself to present the award in my place...’

Lin Ruoxi said, a little uncertainly, "Umm, I think she accepted it?"

Xue Rui’s brow twitched. ’What do you mean, "I think so"?’

He changed his tack. "So, how are things between you two?"

This was his biggest concern. As long as the two of them weren’t in major conflict, he was confident he could win Gu Muxue back over one day.

"She said we’re a little closer than good friends, so I guess that makes us besties," Lin Ruoxi said, lifting her head with a triumphant glint in her eyes.

’Still, I can’t quite put my finger on it,’ she thought. ’Gu Muxue was acting a little strange. Was it because she was sick?’

She suddenly didn’t dare to ask Xue Rui about it, afraid of what he might find out.

’If Xue Rui finds out that Gu Muxue is sick, I don’t know if he’ll blame me.’

Xue Rui sucked in a sharp breath at the word "besties." ’I can’t believe it,’ he thought. ’Their personalities are polar opposites, and they have basically nothing in common. How on earth did they become best friends?’

But Xue Rui frowned, reaching out to gently poke the tip of Lin Ruoxi’s nose. "What kind of best friend keeps you captive and won’t let you see me?"

Lin Ruoxi pouted. "I’m not lying. She said it herself."

Xue Rui said casually, "I don’t believe you. Unless you call and ask her yourself."

Lin Ruoxi bit her lip. ’He’s just trying to use my phone to contact Gu Muxue,’ she thought.

She leaned over the edge of the bed and pulled out two phones, hoping to distract him.

"The phones I bought arrived! This is the gray one you like, mine is gold, and Muxue took the silver one."

Lin Ruoxi sat cross-legged on the bed. She needed to transfer data to Xue Rui’s phone and add his fingerprint to her own.

Lin Ruoxi looked delighted. ’It’s a good thing Gu Muxue and I are using different colored phones to avoid mixing them up,’ she thought happily. ’And what a coincidence! We all liked different colors, so everyone got the one they wanted.’

"Rui, your guess was spot on! They really did release a large-screen iPhone this year." Lin Ruoxi’s eyes sparkled as she stared at the big phone.

"Oh, well, there are leaks online every year, aren’t there?"

Xue Rui looked resigned. ’Every time I bring up contacting Gu Muxue, she changes the subject...’

Lin Ruoxi cupped Xue Rui’s face and gave him a kiss. "Mmm, but you’re still more impressive. You knew about it way before any of the leaks."

"Well, of course," Xue Rui said, thinking to himself that this girl really knew how to flatter someone.

’It was no surprise that Lin Ruoxi, who loved bright colors, would pick gold,’ he mused. ’But Gu Muxue liked it too. Otherwise, her last phone wouldn’t have been gold...’

’So Gu Muxue gave her favorite color to Lin Ruoxi?’

He had always assumed that when his two-timing eventually blew up in his face, Lin Ruoxi would be the one to back down and make concessions. But looking at how things were playing out, it was Gu Muxue who was constantly getting the short end of the stick.

From willingly backing out to picking phone colors...

Since Gu Muxue had already conceded, he wouldn’t bring it up with Lin Ruoxi. No need to put her under any pressure.

’Still, there was one thing he couldn’t figure out...’

Gu Muxue certainly didn’t go easy on Chen Tingting. Now, Chen Tingting only dared to send him a couple of texts on the weekend; she wouldn’t even think of contacting him on a weekday.

But Lin Ruoxi... Xue Rui suddenly had a feeling that Lin Ruoxi held a special place in Gu Muxue’s heart, too, though he couldn’t offer any concrete proof.

Lin Ruoxi opened the curtains and held her new phone up to the light, admiring it now that the protective film was peeled off.

Xue Rui squinted against the glaring sun. ’She’s always been a sucker for new electronics.’

Apple might be resting on its laurels ten years from now, but here in 2014, the company was so dominant it had virtually no rivals. The reason was simple: its chips were several generations ahead of its Android contemporaries, giving it a level of smoothness that was in a league of its own. A single company monopolizing over ninety percent of the entire mobile phone industry’s profits.

Technology is the primary engine of productivity, and chips are a mountain that can’t be circumvented. Xue Rui understood this better than anyone.

"What have you been studying lately?" Xue Rui asked.