Chapter 253: Chapter 246: Brilliant, Brilliant
By the time Gu Muxue spoke the last few words, her voice was barely a whisper.
Hearing his daughter’s words, the teacup in Gu Qingshan’s hand trembled slightly.
He had never forbidden puppy love, and given his own circumstances, what right did he have to tell her she couldn’t date in college?
Hadn’t he gotten married in college himself?
Therefore, his attitude toward dating was one of neutrality—neither supportive nor opposed. Gu Muxue was aware of this. ’So by bringing this up now, is she asking me what I think of Xue Rui?’
Gu Muxue’s hands gripped the edge of the sofa. It was the first time she had ever brought up the topic of romance in front of her family, especially with her dad.
She didn’t know what kind of attitude Old Gu would have, but she was more concerned with Xue Rui’s answer.
Xue Rui briefly analyzed the situation. ’Is she trying to give me a hint? Reminding me that it’s time to confess my feelings?’
’No, that doesn’t seem right either. Her words almost sounded like a confession in themselves.’
’Thinking back on Gu Muxue’s past moves, they were always this subtle. She must be waiting for his answer.’
’But how was he supposed to answer? Gu Qingshan hadn’t even said anything. Could he just say yes?’
’Wouldn’t that just be asking for a beating?’
’But saying no wouldn’t appease Gu Qingshan, and it would make her angry...’
So, he also chose not to answer.
The atmosphere instantly grew awkward. Xue Rui didn’t know where to put his hands, so he simply scratched the chin of the cat in his lap until it suddenly let out a meow, shattering the silence.
"Xiaobu is right," Xue Rui said.
Gu Qingshan glanced at Xue Rui. ’What kind of stunt is this kid trying to pull now?’ he thought.
Gu Muxue tilted her head to look at Xue Rui and asked, "What did Xiaobu say?"
’Neither of them had answered her question. It was like they were pretending they hadn’t heard her.’
Xue Rui leaned close to Gu Muxue’s ear and whispered, "It said, ’Purr-fect.’"
A flustered look flashed in Gu Muxue’s eyes. ’What does that mean?’
’Is he using Xiaobu to say he agrees? But it also feels like he’s just fooling around...’
Gu Qingshan’s fingers turned white as he gripped his teacup. He had no idea what Xue Rui was whispering to his daughter, but seeing her blush filled him with a strong sense of unease.
Even though he had known for a while that the two of them liked each other, seeing them whisper secrets right in front of him was still a bit much for his heart to handle.
"Xiaorui, the rain has stopped. I’ll have someone take you home so your parents don’t worry," Gu Qingshan said, looking out the window.
"Okay," Xue Rui nodded. He slowly stood up, placed the cat on the sofa, said goodbye to Zhao Lizhen, and walked out the front door.
Gu Muxue pouted. ’Xue Rui’s family didn’t say a thing when he went to another province for the summer, so why would they suddenly be worried just because it’s getting a little dark?’
She knew Old Gu was trying to get rid of Xue Rui, probably because he wanted to talk to her.
"Dad." Gu Muxue sat down next to Gu Qingshan.
Gu Qingshan stared at her for a long time before letting out a deep sigh. "I’m not against it, but you need to be careful. Don’t let that boy take advantage of you."
After saying this, he lifted his teacup and drained it in one gulp, even chewing on the tea leaves that ended up in his mouth.
He knew his daughter. She was stubborn, and once she set her mind on something, no one could change it. Besides, she was already grown up; any more interference would only be counterproductive.
"Honey, what’s wrong?" Zhao Lizhen asked as she returned from seeing Xue Rui off, noticing Gu Qingshan chewing on tea leaves.
"Just getting some vitamin C," Gu Qingshan said. He felt an indescribable frustration, so irritated at the situation—and himself—that it made his teeth itch.
’It wasn’t that he disapproved of Xue Rui. Would he be happy if it were any other boy?’
’Just imagining it made him want to beat up that non-existent boy, too.’
’This is what it’s like having a daughter. It’s a goddamn raw deal.’
...
Xue Rui sat in the passenger seat and offered a cigarette to Yang Xing. "Uncle Yang, you can just drop me off at the same spot as before."
"How’d the talk go?" Yang Xing asked. He knew the kid must have gone in there to talk about Gu Muxue’s school situation.
"You’re definitely going to have to go. We’ll be colleagues then," Xue Rui said. With how much Zhao Lizhen doted on her daughter, she would surely assign a full-time driver.
"Huh? We’ll be colleagues?" Yang Xing leaned back slightly.
"You’ll handle the morning drop-offs, and I’ll take care of the evening pickups," Xue Rui said.
Yang Xing scoffed. "You must have a death wish."
"Just kidding. Muxue said she’s going to live in the dorms, so your job will be easier from now on," Xue Rui said.
Yang Xing chatted with Xue Rui for a while longer before dropping him off next to the plaza where he had left his e-scooter.
The earlier thunderstorm had been brief, but it had cooled down the sweltering summer heat in Hedong. The night air carried the refreshing scent of damp earth, and many people were out in the plaza enjoying the cool evening.
Xue Rui found his new pink e-scooter, only to discover that some dumbass had locked their bicycle to it.
A mountain bike is light and easy to carry off, so it needs to be locked to something heavy, but why his e-scooter?
He looked around and saw an identical pink scooter to the right of the bicycle. They must have locked it to the wrong one.
He had nothing better to do, so he sat on the seat of his scooter to play on his phone and wait for the person to show up. If no one came after a while, he’d have to find someone to cut the lock.
Gu Muxue sent him a message: Purr-fect.
Xue Rui: Purr-fect.
’She was definitely still bothered about what happened earlier.’
Gu Muxue: Stop copying me! [Angry] So, tell me, are college students allowed to date or not?
She lay on her stomach on the bed, waiting second by agonizing second for Xue Rui’s reply.
Xue Rui: Academics should be the priority.
He laughed to himself as he sent the message. It had only been a little over a month since he’d left high school, and he could already feel all the knowledge he’d learned rapidly returning to his teachers.
Gu Muxue: ??
She was utterly confused. ’Is that something Xue Rui would really say?’
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