Rebirth: Saving the Lovely Girl from the Start

Chapter 237: Chapter 235: The Same Principle as a Scum Man Chasing a Girl

"This..." Teacher Zhang was at a loss for words.

It wasn’t unheard of for top students to be in relationships, but the latter half of Lin Ruoxi’s sentence was delivered too calmly. So calmly, it was as if she were simply stating her husband’s name.

’Isn’t he supposed to be her fiancé?’

Xue Rui nearly choked on his tea. They were sitting so close that he heard every word, no matter how quietly she spoke.

Yu Minlan pinched the bridge of her nose. ’If a girl says something like that in front of a boy, doesn’t it make her seem cheap?’

’Will Xue Rui still take you seriously after this?’

’But it doesn’t matter anymore. That’s just how Lin Ruoxi is...’

"Student Lin Ruoxi, may I ask where you are right now? How about we talk in person?" After some thought, Teacher Zhang decided to try for an in-person meeting.

Lin Ruoxi’s exact score was still hidden, but based on her average from the three mock exams before the Gaokao, she was a shoo-in for the top science scholar in Jin Province, even if she had an off day.

He had already contacted Lin Ruoxi’s school. Director Wang had answered the phone and said that everything depended on Lin Ruoxi’s wishes and that the school would not interfere.

It was just Hedong’s luck that its education system wasn’t well-known. Their admissions office was familiar with the top high schools in every province and had contacts everywhere, but not in Hedong.

What no one expected was that this year’s provincial top scholar came from one of Hedong’s bottom-tier high schools.

Their admissions office had quotas to meet. They were determined to get the top science scholar, and at the very least, they couldn’t let her fall into the hands of Peking University.

The school wouldn’t help, and Lin Ruoxi was an orphan...

He could only talk to Lin Ruoxi herself.

"Um, I’m in Shencheng," Lin Ruoxi said.

"Where in Shencheng?" Teacher Zhang was delighted. ’As long as I know the city, this will be easy,’ he thought. He could use his connections and have the Guangdong Province admissions team go talk to Lin Ruoxi.

"Bao’an..." Just as Lin Ruoxi was about to continue, Xue Rui quickly covered her mouth.

The whole reason he’d brought her to Shencheng was to prevent them from finding her in person. How could he let her give away her location?

Thankfully, a single district had millions of people, so revealing it was as good as not revealing it at all.

He hadn’t told Lin Ruoxi about this, so he didn’t blame her.

Lin Ruoxi looked into Xue Rui’s eyes and quickly understood what he meant.

After Xue Rui slowly let go of her mouth, Lin Ruoxi said meekly, "My guardian won’t let me say."

Xue Rui flinched. ’She sold me out just like that?’

Teacher Zhang understood immediately. The one who could sway Lin Ruoxi’s decision was the boy named Xue Rui.

"Then could you please hand the phone to your guardian? I’d like to talk with Xue Rui," Teacher Zhang said.

Lin Ruoxi obediently handed over the phone. "He wants to talk to you."

Xue Rui nodded and took the phone. He heard the person on the other end say, "Student Xue Rui, may I ask what conditions the other party offered?"

Xue Rui thought for a moment. Tsinghua and Peking University were competitors. The other party subconsciously assumed he had already accepted some offer from Peking University, which was why he was so firmly rejecting them.

"How much scholarship money did they offer? I can match it. You can also name your own additional terms," Teacher Zhang said.

In life, everything boils down to self-interest.

He’d seen this kind of situation many times. It was just a matter of wanting more money.

Xue Rui sucked in a breath of cold air. Back in school, he had to jump through so many hoops just to get a little scholarship money, and there were even requirements for his grades in every subject.

But Lin Ruoxi? Her scores had only been out for a few hours, and Tsinghua was already offering money?

’Is this the world that top students see?’

"Ahem, the money isn’t important. The main thing is, the other side promised to show me her score soon. I’ll decide after I see Lin Ruoxi’s score," Xue Rui said, lying through his teeth.

Right now, the scores of the top students were still hidden. Although the website showed Lin Ruoxi was in the top five, he was still a bit curious about her exact score.

He hadn’t even answered the call from the Peking University admissions office. He was just looking for an excuse to see if he could get the score from this side first.

"You don’t need to see Lin Ruoxi’s score. She’s definitely the top scholar in Jin Province," Teacher Zhang said.

"What if a dark horse appears out of nowhere? Don’t be so absolute," Xue Rui said with a smile.

Teacher Zhang hesitated. What Xue Rui said was true. It had happened in previous years where students with top scores on the mock exams fumbled the actual Gaokao.

It was just that Lin Ruoxi’s scores were so consistent that he had never even considered this possibility.

"Don’t tell me you can’t look it up? The folks at Peking University already promised to send it over soon," Xue Rui said leisurely.

Teacher Zhang chuckled. "Trying to bait me, are you? I’ll take it. Remember to answer my call when you get the score."

After Xue Rui hung up, Teacher Zhang suddenly felt that recruiting Lin Ruoxi was a hell-level challenge. Her fiancé had cornered him into using his connections to look up her score with just a few words...

He guessed Xue Rui had said the same thing to Peking University. If he didn’t check, his rival would.

Whoever sent the score first would gain more favor.

Xue Rui then took a call from the Peking University admissions team and used the same tactic to pry out Lin Ruoxi’s score. They agreed immediately.

As for the girl, she would occasionally feed Xue Rui a bite of food or offer him a small cup of tea to soothe his throat, completely unconcerned with what he was saying on the phone.

It was as if he wasn’t discussing her at all.

Yu Minlan leaned forward curiously. It was her first time seeing someone haggle with the admissions offices of Tsinghua and Peking University, and the shock was beyond words.

Their attitude was so subservient, it was almost pathetic!

"Is this the charm of a top student? I feel like Ruoxi would receive a lot of preferential treatment at Tsinghua or Peking University too." Yu Minlan took a sip of tea, thinking, ’Lin Ruoxi has already reached the absolute pinnacle of academics.’

Xue Rui shook his head. "It’s not the charm of a top student. It’s the helplessness of a wage slave facing a quota..."

The recruiters from Tsinghua and Peking University are just employees working for the school. Their bosses give them a task, and if they don’t perform better than their rivals, their jobs are on the line.

These recruiters had considerable authority. He was just curious to see what kind of high-stakes offers they would make for the girl.

Of course, it wasn’t that he was toying with the admissions offices for fun. It was just that if he firmly told them he wasn’t interested in any school, they would probably still blow up his phone...

"A quota?" Yu Minlan understood at once. They weren’t interested in Lin Ruoxi herself, but in her status as the Gaokao’s top scorer.

"It’s the same principle as a scumbag chasing a girl. Before he gets her, it’s all sweet talk and extravagant gestures. After they get married... well, that’s a different story," Xue Rui said bluntly.

Yu Minlan nodded slightly. If Lin Ruoxi did enroll, she might not necessarily get that many resources from the school. She was most in-demand right now, before she had decided where to go...

When she thought of the word "scumbag," her mind subconsciously drifted to Xue Rui...

Lin Ruoxi was practically his for the taking, yet Xue Rui didn’t try to control her in any way. She was even financially independent...

Everything was of Lin Ruoxi’s own free will.

When it came to important matters, Xue Rui would arrange everything for Lin Ruoxi perfectly...

Even her job was just one part of how Xue Rui took care of Lin Ruoxi...

She was a little dazed. ’Are scumbags these days really this alluring?’

"Um, what’s a scumbag?" Lin Ruoxi asked.

The tea in Xue Rui’s hand trembled. He said sternly, "That question is too profound. You wouldn’t be able to learn it, so don’t even try."

"Okay, I won’t learn it." Lin Ruoxi nodded obediently and fed Xue Rui another shrimp dumpling.

Compared to all that, the girl was more concerned with making sure Xue Rui ate well and had his fill.

The uncle at the next table heard everything clearly. ’What is this kid talking about?’

’The sound of his scheming is deafening.’

’This girl is someone who got into Tsinghua or Peking University. What couldn’t she learn?’

He shook his head. It was just a bit of fun between a young couple.

Xue Rui’s phone vibrated. It was a call from Director Wang.

"Hahaha, I actually turned down a dinner invitation from the admissions offices of Tsinghua and Peking University! That’s something I can brag about for the rest of my life," Director Wang’s hearty laughter came through the phone.

Xue Rui’s eyebrow twitched. ’How old is Director Wang?’ he thought. ’Is he calling just to show off about this?’

"Director Wang, is there something you need?" Xue Rui asked.

He had already told Director Wang that neither he nor Lin Ruoxi would be attending Tsinghua or Peking University.

Director Wang coughed twice. "Oh, I’m just giving you a heads-up. Your number is about to get blown up."

"You did this?" Xue Rui’s voice rose slightly.

"Yes, I did," Director Wang said, then quickly added, "If I didn’t give it to them, someone else would have. You can’t escape it."

Xue Rui pinched the bridge of his nose and turned his phone to Do Not Disturb mode.

Not long after, Lin Ruoxi’s phone received a few text messages. It was her detailed score report from both Tsinghua and Peking University.

Chinese: 145.

Math: 150.

...

Total Score: 745.

Yu Minlan’s breathing grew ragged as she looked. Aside from Chinese, Lin Ruoxi had gotten a perfect score in every other subject.

As someone who had also taken the Gaokao, she knew the true weight of that score.

At the same time, both Xue Rui’s and Lin Ruoxi’s phones rang.

’It’s over,’ Xue Rui thought. ’Wasn’t it a piece of cake for these people to find my information?’

Great. Now, as her "guardian," he was going to be harassed right along with the girl.

Seeing the unknown number, Lin Ruoxi handed the phone to Xue Rui without a second thought.

"Go ahead and answer. Just don’t tell them where we are," Xue Rui said with a smile.

After getting his permission, Lin Ruoxi pressed the answer button. "I do whatever Xue Rui says."

Xue Rui nearly coughed up a mouthful of old blood.

’The girl must be doing this on purpose, right?’

’At this rate, isn’t everyone going to start harassing me?’

"Student Xue Rui, as long as you have Lin Ruoxi enroll at our university, a scholarship, a spot in our graduate program..."

Tsinghua laid out a long list of generous offers. Xue Rui was shocked as he listened. ’The only thing they aren’t offering is an arranged marriage,’ he thought.

"Is the score you found even accurate? Why is it only 745?" Xue Rui sighed. He had given the girl a hint about the Gaokao essay topic beforehand, so why didn’t she get a perfect score?

Teacher Zhang fell silent. For a moment, he couldn’t comprehend what Xue Rui meant by the word "only."

’You’re telling me you’re not satisfied with a 745?’

"Student Xue Rui, you may not understand what a raw score of 745 means. Student Lin Ruoxi is the first person in history to get such a high raw score..." Teacher Zhang said, his voice filled with emotion.

Xue Rui’s fingers tapped lightly on the tabletop. He wasn’t sure why, but hearing other people praise the girl actually made him quite happy.