Rebirth: Saving the Lovely Girl from the Start

Chapter 233: Chapter 231: I’ll Go Easy on You

They had arrived in the afternoon, and the subway was still quite empty at the time. Now, however, it was packed wall-to-wall. He opted to take a taxi back.

In the car, Xue Rui hesitated for a long time before finally sending both Lin Ruoxi’s and Yu Minlan’s phone numbers to Gu Muxue.

’She must have figured that since Lin Ruoxi and I are together, she could contact the people around me if she couldn’t get ahold of me.’

And then, he started to feel anxious.

’What would she say to the little lass?’

The more he thought about it, the more his curiosity gnawed at him.

After getting out of the car, the group took a stroll down a nearby street.

"Hey, handsome! Come on in for a bite?" the owner of a small roadside restaurant called out to the passersby.

Xue Rui was in no mood to be called ’handsome’ right now. He put his arm around the girl’s shoulders, his eyes darting to his phone screen from time to time.

"Should we cook when we get back? What would you like to eat?" Lin Ruoxi asked.

She’d peeked in the kitchen earlier and seen that it was completely empty. They would have to buy some groceries on their way back.

"We’re already out, so why bother cooking? Let’s just grab some local Guangdong food," Xue Rui said offhandedly.

’I’m not really in the mood to eat right now. A few bites of something will do.’

The girl noticed that every street and alley was lined with shops selling Longjiang pig trotter rice. She pointed to one and said, "Then let’s have that."

"Okay," Xue Rui nodded. ’A local specialty indeed...’ he thought wryly.

Yu Minlan pinched the bridge of her nose. "Endless pig trotter rice."

"Want to get something else, then?" Xue Rui chuckled. Yu Minlan had gone to school in Guangdong Province for so long, she was probably sick of it by now.

"Nah, it’s delicious," Yu Minlan said, signaling for the two of them to head back and turn on the air conditioning. She would just get their orders to go.

Lin Ruoxi noticed Xue Rui kept looking at her phone. Lowering her head, she pulled a power bank from her bag and said, "Is your phone dead?"

"It’s charged. I just want to see yours," Xue Rui said brazenly.

"Mm, okay, here you go," Lin Ruoxi said with a smile, handing him her phone.

"The passcode is your birthday, and the payment PIN is your birthday on the lunar calendar," Lin Ruoxi added.

Xue Rui’s heart skipped a beat. ’What is this girl talking about?’ he thought.

He’d actually known for a while, having occasionally peeked when the girl entered her passwords. But hearing her say it out loud still touched him in a way he couldn’t quite describe.

She was the second person to use his birthday as a password. The first had been his parents, something he’d only found out about later on.

Although his younger sister Yaoyao was the most doted on at home, the PINs for all the family’s bank cards were his birthday.

"Aren’t you afraid I’ll take all your money and run?" Xue Rui chuckled, already moving to open her Alipay app for a peek.

"Nope," Lin Ruoxi said, smiling.

Xue Rui tickled her neck, making the girl flinch. "You’ll end up with nothing, then—no money and no me."

Hearing him say she’d end up with "no money and no me," the girl suddenly hugged Xue Rui tightly, her voice filled with anxiety. "You can have all my money, just please don’t leave, okay?"

She knew Xue Rui was joking, but she still felt so scared.

Xue Rui was taken aback. The girl should have known he was only joking; he’d thought she wasn’t so easy to tease anymore.

But when it came to him, Lin Ruoxi still reverted to that same silly little girl she’d always been.

"I’m not leaving," Xue Rui said. "And you can’t turn into a homebody like Yu Minlan, who insists on getting takeout just to eat at home."

"Mm, but I don’t like going out by myself," Lin Ruoxi murmured, seizing the chance to nuzzle against his chest.

’The world outside was a wonderful place,’ she thought, ’but if I had to be alone, I didn’t want to go anywhere at all.’

As the two of them were walking upstairs, Director Wang called Lin Ruoxi.

Lin Ruoxi glanced at Xue Rui and turned on the speakerphone.

"Lin Ruoxi, if you don’t want to go to Qingbei, it’s best to lie low for a few days. I’ll take care of it," Director Wang’s voice came from the phone.

"Director Wang, we’re in Shencheng right now," Xue Rui said.

"What are you doing in Shencheng?"

Xue Rui suddenly remembered Huang Siyue’s words. "Discussing a multi-hundred-million-dollar project."

"Hah? Damn it, I knew you were up to no good, you brat! Hanging up!" Director Wang cursed before ending the call. With Xue Rui there, he didn’t have to worry. He just needed to handle matters at the school; he had already locked Xue Rui’s and Lin Ruoxi’s files away in his safe.

Just as they finished the call with Director Wang, Yu Minlan came upstairs carrying three orders of pig trotter rice.

The moment she came in, she stuck her head right under the air conditioner. "I’m alive again."

’She really had to hand it to Xue Rui and Lin Ruoxi. How could they stand the heat? It was a sweltering day, and they were still draped all over each other.’

The girl pouted. "I didn’t want to get such a high score. I’m not going to Qingbei anyway."

She had looked it up online. The admissions office from Qingbei was known to visit the homes of high-scoring students to recruit them.

Yu Minlan cooled off in the A/C’s breeze for a moment before opening the three takeout containers on the coffee table. She knew about Lin Ruoxi’s scores and her personality, so she didn’t interpret that last comment as a humblebrag.

Xue Rui stroked the girl’s head. "It’s different."

"How is it different? I’ll go wherever you go. All I need is to score higher than you," Lin Ruoxi asked, tilting her head.

Yu Minlan clutched her chest. "Now *that’s* love. Willing to throw away one or two hundred points on her score. If I ever met a man like that for me, I’d marry him on the spot."

Xue Rui shot her a cold glare. "Quiet, old-timer."

’If this keeps up, what am I going to do if the girl asks me if I’ll marry her?’

Yu Minlan cleared her throat and quickly steered the conversation back on track. "How is it different?"

Xue Rui said nonchalantly, "If I told you Qingbei was begging me to attend, would you believe me?"

Yu Minlan took a bite of her pig trotter rice. "No way."

"See?" Xue Rui nodded. "Because I only scored in the five-hundreds, nobody would believe me."

Yu Minlan immediately understood. Xue Rui didn’t want Lin Ruoxi to have any regrets.

’Lin Ruoxi choosing a lesser school is her own decision; it’s not because she couldn’t get into a better one. But without any proof, people would just think she was full of it.’

"That’s true," Yu Minlan said, finally understanding his reasoning. "Being the top scorer in the college entrance exam is something you can brag about for the rest of your life."

’Wanting to do something and being able to do it are two completely different things.’

"Brag about what?" Lin Ruoxi mumbled, her cheeks puffed out with savory pig trotter rice.

"Flexing is a primary motivator, you know. Girls like to show off too, right?" Xue Rui said to Yu Minlan.

Yu Minlan paused. "You’re right. Girls might not be as blatant about it as guys, but they love to flex too."

It’s human nature to seek a sense of superiority. It doesn’t matter what your class or status is.

Even old folks with one foot in the grave are constantly comparing their children’s jobs and their grandchildren’s grades...

The girl just shook her head blankly. She couldn’t comprehend that feeling.

Xue Rui and Yu Minlan exchanged a glance. This genius really wasn’t like other people. She had an almost unworldly air about her, completely uninterested in fame and fortune.

"But what if she wants to flex someday?" Xue Rui mused.

Suddenly, Lin Ruoxi’s phone screen lit up with a text message from an unknown number.

"Hello, Lin Ruoxi. I’m Gu Muxue. This is my number."

Xue Rui’s heart sank. He handed the phone to Lin Ruoxi. "Muxue asked for your number earlier."

Yu Minlan’s phone also buzzed with a text. "Hello, Sister Yu. I’m Xue Rui’s friend, Gu Muxue. Thanks for taking such good care of him."

Lin Ruoxi quickly typed out a reply: "Hello, I’m Lin Ruoxi. My QQ number is..."

Xue Rui was aghast. "Why are you giving her all of your contact info?"

"Am I not allowed to give it to other girls either?" Lin Ruoxi asked, obediently deleting her QQ and WeChat info.

Xue Rui froze. ’What kind of an answer is that?’

"Text messages cost money," the girl whispered. "QQ and WeChat are free."

Xue Rui breathed a long sigh of relief. He’d thought the girl had some ulterior motive, but it turned out she was just trying to save money on texting fees.

Yu Minlan, however, sensed there was more to the story. She secretly texted back: "Just a friend?"

’She and Lin Ruoxi were very close, and Ruoxi told her everything. She had known for a while about a girl named Gu Muxue in Xue Rui’s life, a childhood friend. Now, this text basically confirmed it: their relationship was definitely more than "just friends".’

But she got no reply.

’Of course, it was just a casual question. What could she do about it anyway?’

She’d chatted a bit about Xue Rui with her landlord, Uncle Wu, when she rented the apartment. Uncle Wu hadn’t thought it was a big deal at all, even telling her that many wealthy couples basically lead separate lives...

Her entire worldview had been shaken. Compared to those scumbags, Xue Rui’s two-timing almost seemed... sincere.

"Damn it! This world is just too messed up!" Yu Minlan cursed inwardly. She grabbed a can of beer from the fridge and chugged it down. GLUG, GLUG, GLUG.

Xue Rui pulled Lin Ruoxi closer to his side. "She’s a lush. Don’t be like her."

"Sister Yu, drinking is bad for you," Lin Ruoxi gently chided.

"You drink when you’re upset."

Yu Minlan could hold her liquor well; this one beer was nothing to her.

After her drink, she pulled out a deck of playing cards, wanting to play with Lin Ruoxi.

"Wanna play Fight the Landlord?" Yu Minlan asked.

Her friends and classmates were all either job hunting or already working. The cards had been left behind by a classmate who’d visited a few days ago.

Besides, the college entrance exam scores were being released tonight. She figured students their age would be too excited to sleep, so they might as well play a few rounds before the results were announced.

"Sure, with sticky notes as the penalty," Xue Rui grinned.

"Yep, sticky notes," Yu Minlan agreed, tearing off a bunch of paper strips and setting them to the side.

Xue Rui leaned in and whispered in Lin Ruoxi’s ear, "You have to go easy on me."

"Mm, I will," Lin Ruoxi whispered back.

Yu Minlan’s brow furrowed. The two of them were plotting right in front of her, and not even quietly.

"What’s the point of going easy on him? This game is all about luck and skill," Yu Minlan said with confidence.

...

A few rounds later.

Yu Minlan slammed her cards down with a loud THWACK, sending a few of the sticky notes on her face flying. "A pair of aces!"

She then brandished her last card, letting them know she was one away from winning.

’Xue Rui already played two 2s and the small joker. He can’t possibly have four 2s, can he?’

Xue Rui glanced at the two useless cards in his hand, then at Yu Minlan’s chest. "Pass."

Yu Minlan’s brow twitched. She felt like he had just insulted her, but she had no proof.

Lin Ruoxi lightly tossed down two cards. "A pair of 2s."

Yu Minlan shot to her feet, completely exasperated. "Ruoxi! He’s the Landlord!"