Chapter 539: The Price of Two-timing (Part 2)

Chapter 539: Chapter 354: The Price of Two-timing (Part 2)

She was such a well-behaved and sensible child, yet she was neglected at home. During village banquets, no one looked out for her; the mothers would, of course, give the best chicken legs to their own children.

With no one to stick up for Lin Ruoxi, who would care about her feelings?

But Xue Rui cared. He would always subconsciously save the best portion for Lin Ruoxi, or give her a little extra.

“Humanity is far more selfish than you think. You live in a world of material wealth, so you might not understand why she could never get a chicken leg at the banquets…”

“Even if she’s a millionaire now, the things she lacked in childhood… once they’re gone, they’re gone for good…”

Xue Rui did his best to explain it to Gu Muxue in the simplest terms possible.

“I… I get it.” Gu Muxue’s eyes reddened.

The things that happened around her every day were exactly what Lin Ruoxi had always longed for but could never have.

Lin Ruoxi didn’t care about the chicken leg; she cared about having someone show her special love and attention.

‘No wonder Xue Rui holds such a special place in Lin Ruoxi’s heart. He’s so gentle. These were things that, even if I knew about them, I would have had a hard time noticing. But Xue Rui was always looking out for Lin Ruoxi.’

Just then, Lin Ruoxi came out of the private room. Gu Muxue reached out and took her arm. “That chicken leg earlier… it was from me.”

Lin Ruoxi looked at her blankly, then nodded. “Oh, thank you.”

She didn’t understand what Gu Muxue meant. ‘Didn’t they say Xue Rui gave it to me before?’

Gu Muxue pouted. ‘Xue Rui is still the most special person in Lin Ruoxi’s heart,’ she thought. ‘No one can change that.’

“Xiaorui is really a great person,” Gu Muxue whispered.

“Mhm, he’s the best.” Lin Ruoxi smiled sweetly, her gaze on Xue Rui full of affection.

Before long, Guo Wei came out of the private room. “Muxue,” he said, “have Ziyang drive you all out for a bit today. You young people don’t have much to talk about with us old fogeys, so we won’t get in the way of your fun.”

He and Gu Qingshan had already discussed it. ‘His son might be useless when it comes to academics,’ he thought, ‘but when it comes to wining, dining, and having fun, he’s an absolute expert…’

‘Besides, he has a driver’s license and is a decent driver.’

“Okay, thank you, Uncle Guo,” Gu Muxue replied, nodding obediently.

This was what she wanted, too. ‘After all,’ she thought, ‘if I’m always with my parents, Lin Ruoxi might feel envious…’

“Drive slowly, and be safe,” Guo Wei instructed quietly, stuffing a wad of cash into Guo Ziyang’s hand.

Once Guo Wei was back inside the private room, Guo Ziyang puffed out his chest. ‘It’s my time to shine,’ he thought.

He dangled the keys to an Audi A6. “Let’s go.”

‘Xue Rui and Gu Muxue are a couple,’ he schemed, ‘so I’ll have them sit in the back. Then I can naturally have Lin Ruoxi sit in my passenger seat.’

Xue Rui couldn’t be bothered to acknowledge him. ‘Who knows what kind of nonsense that kid is dreaming up.’

The group walked to the entrance of the restaurant. Lin Ruoxi said in a soft voice, “Boss, you and Muxue wait here. I’ll go get the car.”

Guo Ziyang froze, suddenly remembering that Lin Ruoxi was Xue Rui’s driver.

‘Xue Rui has a car, too?’

‘It’s probably not as nice as mine, though,’ he thought. So he chimed in, “There are only four of us. One car is enough.”

Lin Ruoxi thought it over and realized Guo Ziyang had a point.

‘If I drive, Boss will sit in the passenger seat. Does that mean Gu Muxue and Guo Ziyang sit together in the back?’

‘Xue Rui wouldn’t like that.’

‘What’s the arrangement that would make Boss the happiest?’

Lin Ruoxi was lost in thought…

A smirk spread across Guo Ziyang’s face. Lin Ruoxi was walking alongside him, which he took as a sign that she agreed with his suggestion.

As they reached the parking lot, Guo Ziyang saw Lin Ruoxi stop in front of a Range Rover and stare at it blankly.

Guo Ziyang gulped. ‘Damn, this car is cool,’ he thought. ‘And ridiculously expensive. Probably costs over a million.’

“Let’s go. My car’s over there,” Guo Ziyang said. He certainly wasn’t confident his dad would ever buy him a car this expensive.

Lin Ruoxi spoke up. “Didn’t you say one car would be enough? You can drive this one.”

With that, she handed the keys to Guo Ziyang.

Guo Ziyang stared blankly, murmuring as he held the Range Rover key, “This is… yours?”

“Oh, I told you before,” Lin Ruoxi explained. “I’m Xue Rui’s driver. This is my boss’s car.”

She had figured it out. ‘If Guo Ziyang drives, then me, Xue Rui, and Gu Muxue can all sit in the back. That would make Boss the happiest.’

Guo Ziyang’s lip twitched. He remembered how he’d been trying to show off in front of Xue Rui, constantly flaunting his car keys…

‘No wonder the guy never responded or even bothered to discuss it with him. He’d thought Xue Rui felt too inferior to join in, but it turns out he was just letting him save face?’

‘Thinking about it now, he was actually grateful that Xue Rui hadn’t publicly humiliated him. The gap between them was just too vast.’

Guo Ziyang asked quietly, “Lin Ruoxi, how much money do you owe Xue Rui?”

‘Honestly, he was suddenly feeling a lot less confident. Still, based on what Xue Rui had said earlier, it should just be some school tuition. Public school tuition wasn’t high; he could still afford to cover that.’

“Um, I can’t remember exactly,” Lin Ruoxi whispered.

She just wanted to stay by Xue Rui’s side. ‘Everything I have belongs to him anyway,’ she thought. ‘I’ve never taken stock of my assets, especially since the profits from the electronics factory are still an unknown.’

“You must have a rough idea, right? I can help you…”

Lin Ruoxi murmured, “Thirty million in cash, and as for the dividends…”

GULP. Guo Ziyang’s Adam’s apple bobbed.

‘What is with this girl?’ Guo Ziyang wondered.

‘Is she speaking Chinese? How come I can’t understand a word she’s saying?’

“Help me with what?” Lin Ruoxi stopped walking. She’d been feeling that Guo Ziyang was acting strangely, as if he had something he wanted to tell her.

“It’s nothing. Thanks for the smokes.” Guo Ziyang pulled out a cigarette and lit it.