Chapter 573 - 367: Backbone Straightened (2)

Lin Ruoxi looked dazed, deeply touched. She whispered, "Muxue, thank you, but I’ve had Xue Rui all to myself for so long. Let him stay with you today."

They had agreed to give Gu Muxue half his time, but in reality, she’d taken far too much of his company for herself. She felt a little guilty toward Gu Muxue.

’Xixi is the best,’ Xue Rui praised her internally. He squeezed a little harder, making her squirm on the sofa.

Gu Muxue had wanted to use Lin Ruoxi as a shield, but Lin Ruoxi hadn’t understood her intentions at all.

In Lin Ruoxi’s heart, he was the most precious treasure. She believed anyone who got to be with him was lucky, so it never occurred to her that Gu Muxue might be getting the short end of the stick.

"I... I..." Gu Muxue nervously snatched a tissue from the coffee table and vigorously wiped each of her fingers, pinching them so hard that the tips turned pale.

She knew she’d have to face it someday. But whenever Xue Rui made a move on her, along with the anticipation, she felt an even greater fear of the unknown...

Her mind would sometimes conjure images of a flirtatious Xue Rui, acting as if he already had her completely wrapped around his finger...

’Will he be as casual with me as he is with Lin Ruoxi?’

’In any case... he’s the one who’s in a hurry, not me.’

"BEEP BEEP BEEP~"

Xue Rui’s phone alarm went off. He shut it off with a sigh, stood up, and stretched his back. "Old Gu will be on my case soon. I’m going to swing by the dorm. I’ll be right back."

"Okay, I’ll go with you," Lin Ruoxi said, scrambling up from the sofa to join him.

Hearing this, Gu Muxue stood up and walked to the balcony. She stretched out her hand, feeling the light pitter-patter of rain. After taking a deep breath of the cool air, she turned and called out to the two as they were about to head out.

"Come back. It’s raining, so it’s not safe. I’ll call my dad."

Xue Rui stopped in his tracks and plopped back down on the sofa. "Muxue, tell him I’m crashing here tonight and not leaving."

"Okay," Gu Muxue said with a smile, raising her phone and aiming the camera right at Xue Rui’s face.

When he heard the chime of a video call, Xue Rui dodged the camera out of reflex, even though he knew the little vixen wouldn’t actually do it.

Gu Muxue huffed, walked over to the balcony holding her phone, and aimed the camera out the window.

"Dad, it’s raining really hard here in Chang’an. Is it raining back home?"

"The weather is getting chilly, so remember to dress warmly. And if it’s raining, don’t go out with Xiaorui," Gu Qingshan’s gentle voice drifted from the phone.

Xue Rui held his breath. ’Old Gu’s first sentence is about me,’ he thought. ’This is...’

"I have plenty of friends, why would I have to hang around him? Do you think your daughter is some silly girl obsessed with romance?" Gu Muxue shot a cold glance at Xue Rui over her shoulder.

Xue Rui grinned. ’Those words don’t sound like they came from an eighteen-year-old...’

Lin Ruoxi pouted. She felt as if Gu Muxue had just taken a subtle jab at her, implying she was a lost cause.

"That puts my mind at ease. You can’t just let him into the house whenever he wants. Calling you when he’s had too much to drink, claiming he’s locked out of his dorm, asking you to a midnight movie... whatever the excuse, you can’t see him after eight in the evening."

The corner of Xue Rui’s eye twitched. ’It takes a man to know a man.’ Following Gu Qingshan’s precautionary advice would block off almost all of his routes!

’Coupled with Gu Muxue’s proud and aloof personality, if I hadn’t claimed her, she’d probably be single for the rest of her life.’

Lin Ruoxi perked up her ears, listening intently. ’The tricks Uncle Gu is talking about... are those for dating?’

"Rui, how come you’ve never used these tricks on me?" Lin Ruoxi asked quietly. She always felt like something was missing from her relationship with Xue Rui.

Xue Rui poked Lin Ruoxi on the forehead. "You shouldn’t be asking me. You need to do some self-reflection."

’Old Gu is a real piece of work,’ Xue Rui thought. ’Back in his day, he was handsome, gentle, and proud. He wrote love letters full of cheesy poetry and even knew all the tricks for convincing a girl to stay out all night!’

’How many girls from that era could have resisted that one-two punch?’

’Then again... maybe not. My mom resisted it. Gu Qingshan’s tactics were useless against an uncultured foodie. She couldn’t understand a single thing he wrote and was probably just thinking about her next meal...’

Lin Ruoxi replied without a second thought, "Oh, then it must be my fault. Here, have a strawberry."

Lin Ruoxi pinched the strawberry in the middle, offering only the tip to Xue Rui so she could savor the rest herself.

A small smile played on Xue Rui’s lips. Lin Ruoxi was highly cultured, but these tricks were just as useless on her.

...

"I know, Dad. You get some rest, too."

Gu Muxue glanced at Xue Rui and Lin Ruoxi, who were sitting on the sofa eating strawberries. She suddenly felt that this whole situation... was oddly thrilling?

"Alright. I’ll give Xiaorui a call, and then I’m off to bed," Gu Qingshan said with a chuckle.

Gu Muxue’s heart skipped a beat. Her mind raced as she tried to come up with an excuse for why Xue Rui wouldn’t be able to answer his phone.

Gu Muxue said with a pout, "Dad~ what could you possibly have to talk to him about? I get angry just thinking about him. He was out fooling around with his friends all night yesterday and still hasn’t replied to my messages. He’s probably still asleep. It makes me so mad."

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line before Gu Qingshan’s gentle voice came through:

"Boys his age are meant to be a little wild. Back in the day, your Uncle Xue and I disappeared for several days once. Your grandfather had the whole city looking for us, and he gave us a real tongue-lashing when we came back... Xiaorui will mature when he gets a bit older. Boys are always late bloomers."

Xue Rui straightened up, a sudden jolt of confidence running through him. He felt like he could stand a little taller now.

’Gu Qingshan is defending me?’

’This father and daughter are both so proud and contrary. One moment they’re plotting how to defend against me, and the next, there’s a total reversal...’