Chapter 575 - 368: Can’t Hear Anything

When Gu Muxue came to her senses, she picked up a strawberry and bit off half. She brandished the remaining half and slowly brought it toward Xue Rui’s lips. "I don’t like eating the bottom part, either."

’This girl is so full of tricks,’ Xue Rui thought. ’She could have just popped it in my mouth. This whole dramatic wind-up is clearly a show for Lin Ruoxi.’

Sure enough, Lin Ruoxi leaned over and ate the half of the strawberry that had been meant for Xue Rui.

"It’s bad to be a picky eater," Lin Ruoxi muttered under her breath.

"Then why don’t you say anything when he’s being picky?" Gu Muxue asked, surprised. ’Aren’t I doing the exact same thing he does?’

Lin Ruoxi retorted, "When he was little, he never got to eat the tips of the strawberries. Aunt Ren would eat the tips, and Rui would eat the bottoms. It’s only fair that he gets to eat more of the tips now."

Xue Rui shook his head repeatedly. "You two are just too much."

Both of them were so full of tricks. Gu Muxue had wanted to share a strawberry with Lin Ruoxi, so she used a little ploy to get her to eat it.

And Lin Ruoxi, in turn, would come up with all sorts of reasons to excuse his bad habits.

Gu Muxue pouted. ’Xue Rui will probably expose the whole thing,’ she thought, ’so I might as well be the one to ask.’

"Ruoxi, that strawberry... I already took a bite... It had..." Gu Muxue’s voice trailed off.

"It had my saliva on it. You don’t mind?" Xue Rui finished her sentence nonchalantly.

It wasn’t a big deal unless you made it one. But if you really wanted to get technical about it, it was as if the two women had just had an indirect kiss...

But Xue Rui was very easygoing. He wouldn’t even mind if Gu Muxue kissed Lin Ruoxi right in front of him. It would just give him an excuse to collect some "interest" from Gu Muxue later.

After he said that, both Xue Rui and Gu Muxue stared at Lin Ruoxi, waiting for her reaction.

Lin Ruoxi bit her lip, lost in thought. After a long moment, she said in a low voice, "Xue Rui kisses you, so... I... I don’t mind."

Gu Muxue’s eyes widened, while a corner of Xue Rui’s mouth gave an almost imperceptible twitch.

Lin Ruoxi’s one sentence had struck them both silent.

Gu Muxue had only wanted to see how Lin Ruoxi really felt about her, to see if there was anything besides guilt. But Lin Ruoxi’s answer sounded as though she did find it distasteful, and was only forcing herself to accept it for Xue Rui’s sake.

Gu Muxue’s mind was a mess. She lowered her head and walked toward the bathroom. "I’m going to take a shower and go to bed."

Xue Rui quickly trotted a few steps to follow her.

Gu Muxue whipped her head around. "What are you doing, following me?"

"Didn’t you just call for me?"

Gu Muxue shouted towards the living room, "I was calling for Ruoxi!"

"Oh, um, I can’t take a bath today."

Lin Ruoxi’s voice drifted in from the living room.

Xue Rui pointed to his own chest. "Her loss. I, on the other hand, am available 365 days a year, no days off. A two-person bathtub is such a waste of water. For the sake of all humanity’s freshwater resources, I’ve decided..."

"...so you’ve decided not to take a bath," Gu Muxue finished, smiling as she pushed Xue Rui out.

The door slammed shut with a BANG. Xue Rui returned to the sofa, looking a little dejected.

"Rui, when I can, I’ll take a bath with you," Lin Ruoxi said comfortingly.

"Sounds good," Xue Rui said with a smile.

It wasn’t that Gu Muxue was being proud; it was just that the most intimate they had ever been was kissing. When it came to anything else in their daily lives, Gu Muxue would become extremely sensitive and wary.

Lin Ruoxi, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. What request of his would she possibly refuse?

The answer was nothing, no matter how "perverted" Gu Muxue might claim it to be.

In the living room, Xiaobu strutted about with its head held high before leisurely hopping onto the sofa. As it passed Xue Rui, it hesitated for a moment, then obediently curled up on his lap. It tilted its little head back and let out a few soft mews at him.

Xue Rui stroked Xiaobu’s head. "You’re the complete opposite of your owner. You should teach her how to be more affectionate."

Suddenly, the furry sensation beneath his hand vanished. He looked up to see Lin Ruoxi holding Xiaobu by the scruff of its neck. She casually tossed the cat onto the floor, seemingly unconcerned about whether it might get hurt.

Xue Rui chuckled wryly. Lin Ruoxi’s attitude toward people was completely different from her attitude toward animals. ’If this were her cat,’ he thought, ’it probably would’ve gotten a smack the moment it jumped on the sofa...’

"Pet me. It sheds," Lin Ruoxi said as she curled into a ball and gently lay down, resting her head on Xue Rui’s lap.

"Getting jealous of Xiaobu?" Xue Rui teased.

"Not really. I just don’t get it. Aren’t cats supposed to catch mice? Why is it allowed on the sofa?" Lin Ruoxi said quietly.

Xue Rui was speechless. Having come from the countryside, Lin Ruoxi’s view of animals was still stuck in a utilitarian mindset; they were tools. The only animal she had any affection for was Da Huang, the dog who had been with her since she was a little girl.

Even so, Da Huang had never been allowed inside the house back in the village. After they moved to the city, where there was no yard, the dog was always meticulously careful, never chewing on any furniture. He was so well-behaved it was heartbreaking.

In truth, behind that good behavior, there was undoubtedly Lin Ruoxi’s strict training.

"Do you have any idea how expensive Xiaobu is?" Xue Rui asked quietly.

Lin Ruoxi blinked. "Oh? How expensive?"

Xue Rui pinched Lin Ruoxi’s cheek. "Hmm... worth tens of thousands of Da Huangs."

He didn’t know the exact price, but a Ragdoll cat was by no means cheap nowadays, especially one with Xiaobu’s features.

"Wow! That’s so expensive. More expensive than me," Lin Ruoxi said in surprise.

"Haha." Her comment made Xue Rui laugh. He suddenly remembered the time he had brought cash to her family’s home as a form of "poverty relief," and the young woman had thought she was signing a contract to sell herself.

Xue Rui kissed her forehead. "You’re priceless. How could he possibly compare to you?"

"Mhm!" Lin Ruoxi hugged his waist tightly, nuzzling her face all over his stomach...

’He praised me again!’

After a little while, Lin Ruoxi got up and found Xiaobu. She picked the cat up and looked it over from top to bottom, as if trying to see what was so different about such an expensive animal.