Chapter 580 - 370: Found a Good Family for You (Part 2)

"Muxue doesn’t seem happy," Lin Ruoxi said softly.

Xue Rui sighed in resignation. Lin Ruoxi had no idea what Muxue was really thinking. The girl was actually quite happy, at least for now.

"Haven’t you noticed she values your opinion a lot?" Xue Rui asked casually.

Lin Ruoxi’s ears perked up. She whispered to Xue Rui, "Mmm, she’s just looking for an out."

"Well..." For a moment, Xue Rui couldn’t refute that. From Lin Ruoxi’s perspective, that was indeed how it looked.

"Mhm, you’re right. She’s just a classic tsundere." Xue Rui decided to go along with it, afraid Lin Ruoxi wouldn’t be able to handle the truth.

The truth was... on Gu Muxue’s end, their friendship had already become something more.

"Mmm, it wouldn’t be good if she heard you. Keep your voice down."

...

Meanwhile, Yu Minlan had followed the address Xue Rui sent and was now standing at Gu Muxue’s door. Da Huang, the dog on the other end of her leash, inexplicably grew agitated, as if urging her to hurry inside.

"You smell something?" Yu Minlan had been about to double-check the address on her phone, but seeing Da Huang’s reaction, she pressed the doorbell without hesitation.

DING-DONG~

Gu Muxue was in the living room, looking through a digital ledger. She wasn’t surprised by Yu Minlan’s arrival; she’d been the one to buzz her through the building’s main entrance just a moment ago.

Gu Muxue opened the door and gave Yu Minlan a slight smile. "Hello, come on in."

"WOOF!" Da Huang barked at Gu Muxue.

"Mhm, hello to you too, Da Huang." Gu Muxue bent down, and after a slight hesitation, reached out to pet Da Huang’s head.

"GRRR~" A low growl rumbled in Da Huang’s throat as his eyes locked fiercely onto Xiaobu.

Xiaobu, who had been napping, shot its head up. It glanced at the growling Da Huang, then scrambled frantically in a panic, climbing on top of the refrigerator while letting out a series of strange, terrified cries.

Yu Minlan’s mind was reeling. She was sure she hadn’t come to the wrong place, but... ’Whose home is this?’

"Hello, Miss Gu." Yu Minlan greeted her with a cautious nod.

She was aware of Gu Muxue’s existence. In fact, she had been the one to deliver a gift to her during the Qixi Festival, and they had met a few times before.

"Is Ruoxi here?" Yu Minlan ventured.

"Mhm, come in." A blush crept up Gu Muxue’s face. ’So, people are finding out about this after all...’

Xue Rui popped his head out of the kitchen for a look. The living room was filled with the cacophony of a cat and a dog.

Xue Rui took a deep breath, sighing to himself, ’It’s so damn lively in here.’

"AHEM!" Xue Rui cleared his throat loudly to get everyone’s attention. He announced, "Get your pets under control."

"Mhm!" Lin Ruoxi nodded emphatically, quickly drying her wet hands on a towel as she walked out of the kitchen.

The moment Da Huang saw Lin Ruoxi, he lunged forward, nearly yanking Yu Minlan to the ground...

Gu Muxue, however, paused for a moment before shooting Xue Rui a dark look.

Xue Rui’s expression remained unchanged. ’Got to let her save some face in front of my subordinate,’ he thought.

After their brief exchange of glances, Gu Muxue nodded slightly and walked over to the refrigerator to coax Xiaobu down, leaving Yu Minlan standing alone in the entryway with a dazed expression.

Yu Minlan’s pupils contracted. ’How long has it even been?’

’The three of them are living together?’

’Why?’

But she had no time to ponder it, as Xue Rui was already waving her over to the balcony to talk.

Lin Ruoxi was attending to Da Huang, Gu Muxue was coaxing her cat, and she was following Xue Rui out to the balcony.

Recalling Xue Rui’s earlier order to "get your pets under control," Yu Minlan suddenly felt like she had been insulted.

"We’re going to be living here from now on, so just giving you a heads-up," Xue Rui said, lounging leisurely in a chair. He reached out and tapped the table lightly, motioning for Yu Minlan to sit.

Yu Minlan froze for a second. ’Living here?’

"Boss, you..."

’Two women and one man, living together? He’s such an animal!’

However, when the words left her mouth, they were: "You’re really something else."

Xue Rui waved his hand dismissively. "It’s nothing special. Anyway, you don’t want to go home for those matchmaking dates, right? I’ll have a word with your parents. From now on, you’ll be responsible for driving Muxue and helping her with her work and studies. It’ll be good for your future. Her father is the Director of the Municipal Market Supervision Bureau, and her mother..."

Yu Minlan felt her vision dim. She genuinely adored Lin Ruoxi like a little sister, so with her, she’d never felt the pressure of class differences. She just thought the job was great—she got paid, had fun, and even got to see more of the world.

Ever since meeting Xue Rui, she had become the "perfect child" her relatives always talked about—so young, yet she had a stable job and had even bought a car outright...

Her parents bragged about her to everyone they met, the crow’s feet around their eyes deepening with their proud smiles.

But who knew what she truly had to go through to get all this?

The October morning air was tinged with a slight chill. The sky was a deep, vast blue—a perfect, crisp autumn day. Yet, an inexplicable weight settled on Yu Minlan’s heart.

Xue Rui coughed lightly. "Don’t zone out. Muxue might seem cold, but she’s actually very kind on the inside. She won’t mistreat you."

Yu Minlan’s expression soured. Thinking about the historical dramas she’d been watching recently, Xue Rui’s words sounded exactly like: ’I’ve found a good household for you. The master and madam are the kindest of people, and the young miss is famously gentle. It would be a fine placement for you to serve as a handmaiden in her manor.’

A strange sense of humiliation welled up inside her. Agitated, she took a sharp breath. "I..."

"You don’t want to?" Xue Rui’s eyes narrowed.

He felt he’d made the situation perfectly clear. ’Countless people would kill for an opportunity like this. The pay is good, and the connections she’d make are on a whole other level. Some people would even pay for a chance like this.’

"If you don’t want the job, plenty of others do," Xue Rui added coolly. "I’ll just tell your parents you’re heading home in a few days. Wouldn’t want to hold you back from getting married and having kids, only for you to blame me for it later."

"Boss, I’ll work hard! I promise!" Yu Minlan said, patting her chest in assurance.

Xue Rui had been observing her expression and body language the whole time. Once he was certain she had accepted the job, he stood up and returned to the living room.

Yu Minlan followed behind him, her eyes curiously sizing up her future "madam."

Gu Muxue was sitting primly on the sofa, her fair skin glowing healthily in the sunlight. With her charming, almond-shaped eyes and a beautiful long-haired cat nestled in her arms, she was the very picture of a wealthy young heiress.

"Miss Gu, hello. From now on... I’ll be working for you," Yu Minlan stammered.

Serving Lin Ruoxi and serving Gu Muxue felt completely different. Lin Ruoxi’s background made her feel a genuine, heartfelt affection; she served her willingly.

But Gu Muxue’s background was something she had only ever seen in historical dramas. With her, she felt the nervous formality of someone serving a wealthy man’s concubine...

’My aspirations are higher than the heavens, but my fate is thinner than paper. I really was born to be a handmaiden!’

"’Miss’?" Gu Muxue looked up at Xue Rui, her eyes full of confusion.

’What on earth did Xue Rui say to Yu Minlan? Why is she so tense?’

’Just a moment ago, Yu Minlan was happily calling out ’Ruoxi,’ so why am I ’Miss’?’

"’Miss?’ What century are you living in? Try something a little more modern," Xue Rui urged.

Yu Minlan paused for a moment before switching to a more modern form of address. "Hello, President Gu. My name is Yu Minlan. You can just call me Xiaoyu."

However, another thought flashed through Yu Minlan’s mind: ’Minlan pays her respects to the Young Miss. If my morning and evening greetings are ever lacking, I beseech the Young Miss to discipline me with a ruler...’

"What’s wrong?" Gu Muxue asked, walking over to Xue Rui’s side.

Gu Muxue shot Xue Rui an annoyed glare. "What did you say to her?"

"I just briefly told her about your family’s situation," Xue Rui said with a smile.

Gu Muxue sighed in resignation, walked over to Yu Minlan, and extended her hand. "Sister Yu, I’m a freshman majoring in finance. Just think of me as a junior from your field."

Yu Minlan only needed one person in charge. Since Xue Rui had already played the bad cop, she naturally needed to be gentler.

"Huh?" Yu Minlan looked stunned. She had never expected Gu Muxue to be so approachable.

"By the way, Sister Yu, you work at a bank, don’t you? I have some funds I need to deposit, and I’m not sure what the best service to use would be," Gu Muxue said with a smile.

A warmth spread through Yu Minlan’s chest. ’Gu Muxue is such a kind and gentle girl after all!’ she thought.

Xue Jianfeng pressured her, and Xue Rui blatantly threatened her.

’None of these people with the surname Xue are any good!’

But she had to admit, Xue Rui really had found a good "household" for her...