Chapter 542: Selfish Bad Woman (2)

Chapter 542: Chapter 355: Selfish Bad Woman (2)

Xue Rui was taken aback for a moment. Praying to gods and buddhas?

He knew plenty of people who believed in such ethereal things, but they were usually praying for wealth or good fortune. Or they were older, bored, and just looking for some peace of mind.

Take his mother, Ren Qunfang, for example. She was always getting safety talismans, spending money to ensure the family’s well-being.

When young people prayed, it was usually because they’d run into an unsolvable problem or felt lost about the future.

‘Gu Muxue probably falls into the latter category…’

Lin Ruoxi asked quietly, “Rui, which temple do you want to go to?”

“I don’t believe in any of this. They’re all the same to me.”

Xue Rui thought for a moment before adding silently in his head, ‘Except for the God of Wealth, of course.’

“There are lots of temples in Chang’an. Some for praying for safety, some for good fortune in love…” Lin Ruoxi said timidly.

After a moment of thought, Xue Rui asked, “Which one is most effective for love fortunes?”

Lin Ruoxi paused. “Then… let’s go to Guangren Temple.”

You could pray for safety there, and for love as well.

Lin Ruoxi found a nearby parking lot. Once the car was parked, Xue Rui gently jiggled his leg. “Muxue, are you planning on sleeping tonight or what?”

Gu Muxue stretched languidly on Xue Rui’s lap, shiny teardrops squeezing from the corners of her eyes. She suddenly noticed a warm hand resting on her stomach and sat up nervously.

“Just making sure your stomach doesn’t get cold. I was covering you,” Xue Rui said.

Gu Muxue watched him warily. The hand had clearly been on its way up. ‘Xue Rui was trying to take advantage of her again…’

“Where are we going now?” Gu Muxue asked, briefly tidying her hair.

She had imagined many scenarios for a date between the two of them, but with three people… ‘Where would be a suitable place to go?’

“A temple.” Xue Rui opened the car door and gestured for Gu Muxue to get out.

Gu Muxue glanced at Lin Ruoxi, a faint smile gracing her charming eyes. Her mother had a habit of praying at temples, and she herself had been thinking of visiting one recently. And now, Xue Rui and Lin Ruoxi were here with her.

“Let’s go.” Gu Muxue clasped her hands behind her back and walked ahead of the other two.

‘This isn’t so bad,’ she thought. ‘Xue Rui will go along with me, and Lin Ruoxi listens to me, too.’

‘Even if she faintly felt that Xue Rui and Lin Ruoxi’s relationship was more intimate, she was still the leader.’

But after a few steps, she realized the other two hadn’t followed. She frowned. “Why aren’t you coming?”

Xue Rui’s mouth twitched. He nudged Lin Ruoxi’s arm.

Lin Ruoxi spoke up timidly, “Muxue… you’re going the wrong way.”

“I… I knew that, of course,” Gu Muxue said, pouting.

Xue Rui quickly tried to smooth things over. “Of course Teacher Gu knew. Teacher Gu was just testing us, like when a teacher deliberately makes a mistake on a problem.”

Gu Muxue shot Xue Rui a glare. ‘Isn’t he just making things worse?’

“Xiaolinzi, lead the way,” Xue Rui said.

Lin Ruoxi tilted her head and thought for a second. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

A smile crept onto Xue Rui’s lips. ‘The little girl is still so adorable. When he calls her his disciple, she calls him master. Today, she’s actually calling me Emperor.’

“In that case, I’ll have to be a decadent emperor.”

Xue Rui quietly took Gu Muxue’s hand and then gestured with his eyes for Lin Ruoxi to stand on his other side.

However, Gu Muxue shook his hand off. “In your dreams.”

‘Did he really think he could hold one of our hands in each of his?’

‘She had spinelessly accepted this whole situation, but that didn’t mean she could be pushed around whenever he pleased!’

Xue Rui sighed. Gu Muxue wasn’t that easy to fool. She was now walking arm in arm with Lin Ruoxi.

But they still left a space for him between them. He could walk on either side, but his dream of having one on each arm was shattered.

Almost without hesitation, Xue Rui chose to walk next to Gu Muxue, leaving the center spot to her.

There were quite a few people coming and going in the parking lot. ‘Out in the open, it would be next to impossible, but it’s a different story when no one is around…’

The three of them walked arm in arm into Guangren Temple. With its red walls and golden roofs, the sunlight glinted brilliantly off the eaves, exuding the alluring scent of money.

Most of the tourists coming and going were just there to take pictures to post online; you probably wouldn’t find many who were actually there to pray.

To be honest, even though Xue Rui had lived in Chang’an for years, he had only ever glanced at it from the entrance. This was his first time actually stepping inside.

From the moment she walked in, Gu Muxue had a clear destination, heading straight for the Great Hero Hall.

Xue Rui noted that the landscaping was nice, feeling the same sense of helplessness as a guy forced to go shopping with his girlfriend.

He was bored but had no idea where he could go sit down for a while.

While Gu Muxue stood before a Buddha statue with her palms pressed together, he just stood behind her and watched. Lin Ruoxi stood beside him.

“Why aren’t you praying? Don’t want to spend the money?” Xue Rui asked in a low voice.

‘Offering incense costs more than ten yuan. The little girl probably can’t bear to part with it, can she?’

Lin Ruoxi glanced around, then leaned close to Xue Rui’s ear and whispered, “I don’t believe in Buddha. I only believe in you.”

She had prayed when she was little, but the things she begged for never came true.

But the promises Xue Rui made always became reality.

Gu Muxue slowly turned around and walked toward the next statue. “Xiaorui, I don’t really believe in all this either. It’s just that praying always makes me feel a little more at ease.”

Xue Rui nodded, following Gu Muxue to the next point of interest.

It wasn’t until they reached an unfamiliar Buddha statue that Xue Rui pressed his palms together and bowed with a solemn expression.

Lin Ruoxi was stunned. If Xue Rui was praying, that must mean this Bodhisattva was effective. She also stepped forward and bowed her head in prayer.

Gu Muxue stared. “You two are only praying to the Manjushri Bodhisattva?”

‘The two of them were completely uninterested before. Do they have something to ask of the Manjushri Bodhisattva?’

“Who’s the Manjushri Bodhisattva? Never heard of him,” Xue Rui said, shaking his head.

Gu Muxue looked confused. She really couldn’t figure out what these two were thinking.

Lin Ruoxi began to explain, “The Manjushri Bodhisattva is the symbol of wisdom. People who seek wisdom…”