Chapter 438 - 317: Fleeting Fireworks

Since it was a class reunion, the seating was basically open. Gu Muxue pulled Lin Ruoxi to a seat near the side.

Qiu Mengze scrambled to his feet to change his seat. ’Xue Rui has some serious nerve,’ he thought. ’How dare he show up with two girlfriends at the same time? Isn’t he just asking for trouble?’

He had just seen Xue Rui sitting in the middle and had even motioned for him to sit farther away. He’d been curious to see if both women would put food on Xue Rui’s plate, or which one Xue Rui would serve.

But he couldn’t make sense of what was happening now...

"What’s going on?"

Qiu Mengze stared straight ahead, his lips barely moving, using the "secret message-passing technique" they had perfected in high school to question Xue Rui.

"How would I know?" Xue Rui sat down next to Mei Lili, wanting to be a bit closer to Gu Muxue.

’He was growing more and more worried. He didn’t mind being isolated, but he suddenly remembered how strangely Gu Muxue had been acting today. She hadn’t hit him or blamed him. Instead, she was being exceptionally gentle. He wasn’t sure if his guess was right, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that Gu Muxue was targeting Lin Ruoxi.’

Gu Muxue, still holding Lin Ruoxi’s hand, gave Xue Rui a sweet smile. It made his heart plunge into an icy abyss. He gave a couple of sheepish laughs and greeted the classmates around him.

"Xue Rui, there were tons of rumors about you and Gu Muxue back in high school. Are you two now...?" someone asked with a suggestive look, glancing from Xue Rui to Gu Muxue while pressing their two thumbs together.

Everyone knew what that meant—it was the gesture for "together."

Xue Rui spoke up. "You guessed right."

Gu Muxue simply nodded and smiled, seemingly unaffected by the sudden shift in atmosphere. Under the table, she just gently held Lin Ruoxi’s hand. Lin Ruoxi’s expression didn’t seem to change at all.

’She can accept this?’

Gu Muxue felt a sudden, inexplicable wave of irritation. ’Aren’t you going to fight for yourself at all?’

The crowd broke into knowing laughter, but one female classmate opened her mouth slightly, then said nothing, as if she’d forgotten what she was about to say.

She actually wanted to ask about Lin Ruoxi. Back in high school, Lin Ruoxi would bring breakfast for many of their classmates, but the one she brought for Xue Rui was always special.

She had once seen them on the street over a weekend. Lin Ruoxi was trailing behind Xue Rui like a dutiful little wife, nodding without hesitation at whatever he said. She’d always assumed Xue Rui and Lin Ruoxi were a couple.

But the atmosphere wasn’t right for that now. To bring up Xue Rui’s past with another girl when everyone knew he and Gu Muxue were a couple wouldn’t just be tactless—it would be plain stupid.

"Wang Juan, what were you going to say?" Gu Muxue asked with a smile. ’She knew Wang Juan was in the same class as Xue Rui,’ she thought. ’Maybe she knows something?’

Wang Juan instinctively glanced at Lin Ruoxi and gave an awkward smile. "It’s nothing. I just remembered something from high school."

"Was it about Lin Ruoxi and Xue Rui?" Gu Muxue’s tone was light and breezy. "It’s okay, go ahead. I’d love to hear it too."

Though the atmosphere was light and cheerful, with everyone chatting about all sorts of memories from high school, Qiu Mengze felt increasingly tense. A moment ago, Gu Muxue had scanned the room with a smile, and her gaze had lingered on him for an extra second...

Just that one extra second was enough for Qiu Mengze to flash through everything he’d ever done. It felt as if her gaze could see right through him.

’It was as if... she knew he was the traitor!’

’In reality, he’d known Gu Muxue the longest and knew more of the inside story than anyone. He really was the traitor...’

He nervously squeezed Xue Rui’s thigh. "What’s going on?"

Xue Rui shoved Qiu Mengze’s hand away. ’How the fuck would I know?’ he screamed internally.

’This girl’s intuition is terrifying! I saw Wang Juan’s reaction, but I can’t believe she just went and asked so bluntly.’

’I’d thought for a second she was trying to get me off the hook by leading the little one away, but now it looks like that’s not it at all...’

’Gu Muxue is targeting me, the scumbag.’

’I guess that’s good news, in a way. She has to aim her fire somewhere. The more I take, the safer the little one will be.’

Wang Juan breathed a sigh of relief. ’Gu Muxue and Lin Ruoxi are so close,’ she thought. ’They came in holding hands...’

After a moment’s thought, she said in a relaxed tone, "Back then, Sister Xi always used to bring us food. But what Xue Rui ate was different from the rest of us. It seemed like it was homemade."

Xue Rui pinched the bridge of his nose. ’She told you to talk, and you actually fucking talked!’

’Nothing to be done about it. Who would have guessed he was two-timing?’

Lin Ruoxi hadn’t said a single word since entering the room. She just stared down at her hand, held in Gu Muxue’s. She didn’t know how things had come to this. ’But,’ she wondered, ’are things actually moving in a good direction?’

"Lin Ruoxi, is what she said true?" Gu Muxue asked the girl beside her.

Lin Ruoxi looked up blankly. ’I shouldn’t say anything,’ she thought. ’The more I say, the more I’ll get wrong.’

"Just tell the truth," Gu Muxue said gently.

Lin Ruoxi nodded. "Mhm. I made it for Xue Rui. Every day."

"Why?" Gu Muxue asked with a smile.

"Because... because I like Xue Rui," Lin Ruoxi said.

Gu Muxue let go of her hand. Lin Ruoxi instantly panicked. ’Is Gu Muxue upset?’

She looked up. Everyone around her looked shocked. Someone paused, their teacup halfway to their lips. Their eyes darted from her to Xue Rui.

Qiu Mengze clapped his hand on Xue Rui’s leg again. He couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat on Xue Rui’s behalf. ’This is terrifying!’

"Xiaorui?" Gu Muxue said, resting her chin on her hand with a beaming smile, but her eyes held a veiled threat.