Chapter 534 - 352: Xiaorui, Who Allowed You to Smoke?

With that, she headed toward Lin Ruoxi. Today, Lin Ruoxi wasn’t in her usual simple white shirt and jeans. She had changed into a slim-fit pantsuit, which made Gu Muxue’s eyes light up, and she couldn’t help but take a longer look.

A small smile played on Gu Muxue’s lips as she walked up and looped her arm through Lin Ruoxi’s.

Lin Ruoxi looked a little dazed. She didn’t think there was anything wrong with it; many close female friends walked with their arms linked...

But Lin Ruoxi had never had a friend like that.

She thought about it seriously. ’I’m Xue Rui’s girlfriend, and Gu Muxue is also Xue Rui’s girlfriend. Gu Muxue mentioned being ’more than friends,’ so linking arms should be perfectly normal, right?’

So, she gently took hold of Gu Muxue’s wrist in return, a gesture of her own friendship.

"Ruoxi, you look so beautiful today," Gu Muxue said with a sweet smile.

"You’re very beautiful too," Lin Ruoxi returned the compliment in her gentle voice.

Gu Muxue shook her head. "You’re more beautiful. You look so much more mature than I do."

Lin Ruoxi blinked. "Um, you’re cuter than I am."

"Ruoxi, you have a great figure."

"Um, Muxue, your eyelashes are long..."

...

Guo Ziyang watched with rapt attention as the two peerless beauties held hands, while Xue Rui simply covered his face.

’A stampede of wild horses was galloping through Xue Rui’s mind. He had no idea what was going on!’

’How did these two end up in a mutual admiration society?’

’If they were trading barbed insults, he could still mediate. But these two were sincerely praising their love rival. To be honest, this was the first time he’d ever seen anything like it...’

"Bro, look quick, another long-legged beauty just showed up," Guo Ziyang said in a low voice.

"Yeah, I see her," Xue Rui said.

’Xue Rui was terrified that Gu Muxue and Lin Ruoxi would continue their bout of modesty, insisting on ranking who was first and second best. He couldn’t possibly be the "judge" in that scenario.’

’If he answered, "You’re both equally beautiful,"’

’Lin Ruoxi wouldn’t get angry, but there was no guarantee with Gu Muxue...’

’Even if he praised Gu Muxue, Lin Ruoxi wouldn’t get angry. But would Gu Muxue be happy?’

’Why did he have the nagging feeling that Gu Muxue would get angry anyway?’

Xue Rui sucked in a sharp breath. ’This question is a real brain-twister.’

’Harder than the last math problem on the college entrance exam!’

Lin Ruoxi’s gaze was fixed on Xue Rui’s back. ’Why isn’t he turning around to look at us?’ she wondered.

Guo Ziyang quickly sized up Xue Rui. ’I’ve seen that kind of avoidant gaze many times before,’ he thought. ’It’s usually from guys with poor family backgrounds who lack confidence around beautiful women.’

Meanwhile, it seemed to him that both beauties were looking his way. A smile crept onto his lips. He nonchalantly hitched up his waistband, causing the keychain on his belt to jingle crisply.

’Now this was his area of expertise. It wasn’t just students who often stared at the Audi key on his belt; even many of the teachers would give it a second glance.’

He pulled a pack of hard-box Zhonghua cigarettes from his pocket and offered one to Xue Rui. "Bro, don’t feel so insecure. Not everyone can be as eye-catching as me. After all, very few people our age can afford to drive an A6."

Xue Rui was taken aback for a moment. ’Such a big beer belly, his shirt tucked into his waistband, a leather bag tucked under his arm, and a string of keys hanging from his waist...’

’He was barely twenty, yet he exuded the greasy vibe of a man in his thirties or forties.’

’Being "eye-catching" probably had nothing to do with what car he drove. Very few college students could pull off an outfit like that.’

"Thanks, I don’t smoke." Xue Rui shook his head, pushing the cigarette back.

"What are you pretending for? Isn’t that the outline of a cigarette pack in your pocket?"

’Guo Ziyang assumed Xue Rui’s cigarettes probably weren’t a good brand. Seeing him take out Zhonghuas, Xue Rui must have felt too embarrassed to show his own cheap pack and just claimed he didn’t smoke instead.’

"Here, take this pack of Zhonghuas. You can smoke them when we eat later. I’ve got more in my bag." After lighting one for himself, Guo Ziyang generously shoved the pack into Xue Rui’s hand.

Xue Rui’s brow twitched as he held the cigarette pack. ’Just how much backstory has this guy made up in his head? I can barely keep up.’

’But he could sense the guy’s air of superiority. He was probably a habitual show-off.’

"There are people around, so it’s not a good time to smoke." Xue Rui glanced toward Gu Muxue and Lin Ruoxi and handed the pack back to Guo Ziyang.

Guo Ziyang didn’t take them. He exhaled a plume of smoke through his nostrils, patted Xue Rui’s shoulder, and said, "Bro, you’re still young. Women don’t hate men who smoke; they hate men who smoke cheap cigarettes."

’And besides,’ Guo Ziyang added silently, ’I don’t think those two care one bit whether you smoke or not.’

Xue Rui paused for a moment. "You’re right."

’He had to admit, what Guo Ziyang said made a lot of fucking sense. It just didn’t apply to his situation.’

But seeing the other guy’s smug "lecture successful" expression, Xue Rui figured further explanations were pointless. He decided to just prove his point with action instead.

"Bro, got a light?" Xue Rui took out one of his own cigarettes and stuck it in his mouth.

"Now you’re talking." Guo Ziyang grinned, holding out a Zippo lighter.

CLINK! The lighter made a crisp sound. After lighting his cigarette, Xue Rui handed it back. "Nice lighter. You should probably put it away quick."

Guo Ziyang nodded in complete agreement. He’d lost count of how many times people had tried to pocket his lighter after borrowing it.

At that exact moment, Gu Muxue and Lin Ruoxi’s conversation came to an abrupt halt. As if on cue, they both started walking toward Xue Rui.

Guo Ziyang looked confused. ’What’s going on?’

’Are they coming for me?’

Slightly excited, he wiped his hands on his pants, dropped his cigarette butt and stomped it out, then extended a hand with a cheerful grin. "Ladies, a pleasure to meet you..."

However, the two women brushed right past him with no intention of stopping, leaving his chubby hand hanging in midair.

Gu Muxue shot Xue Rui a vicious glare. Without a word, she snatched the cigarette from his lips, threw it on the ground, and stomped on it furiously. "Xiaorui," she snapped, "who said you could smoke?"