Chapter 572 - 367: Gaining a Backbone

October 6th. It was the day before the end of the National Day Golden Week; in another day, they’d have to report back to school.

After spending the first half of the week showing Gu Qingshan and his wife around, Xue Rui was too tired to move a muscle. Add to that the light drizzle outside, and it was the perfect weather for staying in—especially with two beautiful girls.

After all, a lone man and two single women, cooped up on a rainy day...

Something’s bound to happen, right?

At first, Xue Rui was quite grateful to the heavens, but after thinking it over, he realized there was probably no need to be.

Lin Ruoxi was a classic tech-loving homebody who never liked going out to begin with. And ever since Gu Muxue’s depression set in, her desire to interact with the outside world had diminished. Even without the rain, the outcome would have been the same.

Just now, Xue Rui had finished dinner and was sitting on the sofa, scrolling through news on his phone. His other hand was toying with Lin Ruoxi’s small, white-socked foot.

Gu Muxue wouldn’t let him play with her feet. She said his hands couldn’t behave themselves and always tried to wander higher.

Lin Ruoxi, however, was quite generous. She’d even changed into a brand-new pair of white socks for him to play with.

"Xixi, you don’t have to be so wasteful. Don’t bother changing your socks next time." Xue Rui reached out and tickled the sole of her foot.

Lin Ruoxi laughed, squirming. "But pilled socks don’t feel nice to the touch."

Xue Rui poked Lin Ruoxi’s little foot. "Xixi, that just shows you’re an amateur. Cotton socks without any pilling have no soul."

"It tickles~" Lin Ruoxi instinctively curled her toes but didn’t pull her foot away from his hands.

Every now and then, Xue Rui would give the girl’s sole a quick tickle, earning a peal of laughter from her as clear as a songbird’s.

"Hmph. What a perverted hobby," Gu Muxue’s voice drifted over from nearby, a trace of dissatisfaction in her tone.

Xue Rui turned his head to look at the figure at the dining table. Gu Muxue was in a deep blue sleep dress, a glowing MacBook open in front of her. A cup of coffee sat to her left, and on her lap, Xiaobu was sleeping soundly.

It reminded Xue Rui of Zhao Lizhen, who he’d seen at Gu Muxue’s home, often working alone in a corner.

’Is being a career woman hereditary?’ Xue Rui wondered to himself.

Gu Muxue was planning to invest in his businesses and claimed she needed to understand his company’s financial situation. She had already been poring over the accounts for two days. The air around the dining table was always tense, a stark contrast to the scene on the sofa.

But the moment Gu Muxue spoke, Lin Ruoxi would lower her voice, causing Xue Rui to prick up his ears as well.

"What’s wrong with Muxue? She’s barely said a word these past two days. Is her condition getting worse?" Lin Ruoxi leaned in and whispered into Xue Rui’s ear.

"That’s because she’s giving you the cold shoulder. You want to know why?" Xue Rui asked loudly, using the opportunity to get Gu Muxue’s attention.

The truth was, when Xue Rui and Lin Ruoxi were together, they didn’t need much to keep them occupied. It was either Lin Ruoxi pestering Xue Rui for hugs or each of them doing their own thing—like right now, with him playing with her foot while she was typing out code.

They didn’t need words to communicate; they mostly interacted through a silent, unspoken understanding.

This so-called unspoken understanding was simply a force of habit from living together for so long. Xue Rui only had to stretch out his hand for Lin Ruoxi to know what he wanted.

For example, if the morning sun was glaring, Xue Rui would give Lin Ruoxi a little push, and she would get up and draw the curtains.

If Xue Rui rubbed his face against her back, the girl knew to roll over and give him his ’face wash’.

Xue Rui and Gu Muxue, on the other hand, shared more of an intellectual rapport. Most of the time, he only needed to say half a sentence for her to know what he was thinking.

Xue Rui’s shouting now drew a dark look from Gu Muxue.

"Yes, I want to know." Lin Ruoxi closed her laptop and knelt obediently in front of Xue Rui, ready for his explanation.

"Because you scared her the other day. I honestly thought you were going to hit Muxue," Xue Rui said, poking Lin Ruoxi on the forehead.

Gu Muxue breathed a sigh of relief at his words, then shot Xue Rui a resentful glare. He knew perfectly well that Lin Ruoxi would take it seriously, yet he still went ahead and "framed" her.

She had quietly asked Lin Ruoxi last night what she had actually been planning to do. Lin Ruoxi’s answer had been surprising, yet perfectly logical.

Lin Ruoxi had secretly suggested that, in the future, whenever Gu Muxue got mad at Xue Rui, she could hit her instead...

"Xiaorui, that’s enough," Gu Muxue cut in.

"A certain someone used to let me get a little handsy, but now that I have an official title, I’m not even allowed to touch her feet," Xue Rui said mournfully.

Lin Ruoxi looked from one to the other. ’The way Xue Rui and Gu Muxue talk is so cryptic,’ she thought. ’Are they talking about sleeping together?’

"You have such a one-track mind." Gu Muxue’s face flushed. She got up, went into the kitchen, and came back with a bowl of washed strawberries. Placing it on the coffee table, she picked one up and stuffed it into Xue Rui’s mouth. "Eat. And talk less."

Chewing the strawberry, Xue Rui mumbled, "It’s not that I’m holding a grudge, Muxue, but you should really talk to Old Gu. He’s watching me like a hawk. Tell me, have I ever crossed the line with you here?"

Later tonight, Xue Rui would have to proactively return to his dorm and make a video call to Gu Qingshan to "check in," proving that he hadn’t sullied the Gu family’s precious little cabbage.

However, thanks to the "little cabbage’s" cooperation, Gu Qingshan was under the impression that this wild boar, Xue Rui, was staying put in his pen at school. In reality, Xue Rui had already built his nest right next to the cabbage.

Of course, Xue Rui had only built a nest; he hadn’t yet found a chance to take a bite. Gu Muxue might look delicate, but if he actually tried to force the issue, he’d likely get a mouthful of thorns for his trouble.

"Ruoxi wants to sleep with you. I... I’m just indulging her," Gu Muxue said, her eyes darting away.