Rebirth: Start to Save the Treasure Girl

Lin Ruoxi's eyes widened in surprise, while Xue Xiaying was so angry she laughed.

Both of them thought Xue Rui was mediating a dispute, but they never imagined that Xue Rui would ask a child for New Year's money.

"Xiao Rui, please don't..."

Xue Xiaying was about to say "Don't bully children" when Lin Ruoxi stopped her with a look.

"He's just playing with the child," Lin Ruoxi whispered.

"Yeah?"

Xue Xiaying looked suspicious. She didn't know what image Lin Ruoxi had of Xue Rui, but based on her understanding of Xue Rui, she was sure he was capable of doing something like this!
But she didn't say anything more and watched quietly with Lin Ruoxi.

"Little Uncle" looked around and noticed that his friend was staring at him, as if watching to see what choice he would make.

The "nephew" had a big smile on his face and showed no intention of taking his hand back.

Xue Rui chuckled and said to the little boy's friend:

"Elders definitely have to give younger generations lucky money, otherwise what kind of elders are they? Don't you think so?"

"that is!"

The two spoke in unison, as if they had planned it beforehand.

The little boy looked conflicted; he now had two options.

One reason is to give Xue Rui New Year's money so he can show off to his friends.

Secondly, throw a tantrum to avoid financial loss.

He touched the red envelope in his pocket, which he had just warmed up. Inside were two bright red banknotes, worth two hundred silver dollars.

What should we do? Are there any other options?
Get your brain working faster...

After a brainstorming session, a glint flashed in the little boy's eyes, and he thought of a third option.

Thinking back carefully, when Xue Rui was in the courtyard before, many elders wanted to give him lucky money, but Xue Rui didn't accept any of it.

Following the usual practice of receiving lucky money during Chinese New Year, Xue Rui would definitely try to refuse him, and then he would take the red envelope back when Xue Rui refused.

Then I'll tell my friends: It's him who doesn't want it, not that I don't want to give it to him.

The little boy first took out the red envelope, deliberately showing a corner of the two red bills inside, and then, with his hands on his hips, handed it to Xue Rui with one hand: "Take it."

Xue Rui held the red envelope and noticed that the fingertips of the other hand were white from gripping it so tightly.

The little boy looked bewildered. Why wasn't Xue Rui refusing?

They didn't follow the script.

Having been through that age myself, Xue Rui roughly guessed what the little boy was thinking and didn't give him a chance to be polite.

He snatched the red envelope away forcefully and said with a grin, "Thank you, Uncle."

The little boy forced a smile and pretended not to care, saying to his friend, "See? I told you I wasn't lying, right?"

He comforted himself, thinking that according to the "rules" of previous years, the two hundred silver dollars would eventually have to be handed over to the adults in his family, and he wouldn't be able to get it himself.

Giving it to his nephew Xue Rui would give him something to brag about in the village for a long time; in the end, Xue Rui was the one who profited.

He hurriedly pulled his friend away and ran off into the distance because he noticed that Xue Rui had waved a red envelope at Lin Ruoxi, and that the pretty older sister had previously called him "Little Uncle".

"Hey? Why did you run away?" Xue Rui said, suppressing a laugh.

Xue Xiaying glared at Xue Rui and said irritably, "You even bully the child."

"What do you mean by bullying? I want to teach him a lesson: showing off comes at a price."

Xue Rui handed the red envelope to Lin Ruoxi and whispered, "Give it back to him later."

Xue Rui was just teasing the child and didn't intend to take the two hundred yuan.

According to common sense, children of this age should have their New Year's money "handed over to their parents for safekeeping".

The little boy gave him the money, but he might get a beating when he gets home.

"You're the best."

Lin Ruoxi smiled as she accepted the red envelope, then winked triumphantly at Xue Xiaying, a hint of anticipation in her eyes.

That means: Xue Rui is so good, why don't you praise him?
Xue Xiaying closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Speaking of which, she had received favors from her nephew at school, but she rarely praised Xue Rui.

Now that Xue Rui is an adult, it's time to change our old ways of getting along.

Praise more, scold less, keep your distance, and don't touch or grope others.

But what should I say to praise Xue Rui?
I've grown up, I'm not a child anymore...

She had been working on it in her mind for a long time, but when she turned around again, she had completely forgotten the draft she had made.

"Xiao Rui, how old are you? Do you still think of yourself as a child? Get down here!" Xue Xiaying said in an unfriendly tone.

Because at this moment, Xue Rui was sitting sideways on Lin Ruoxi's lap.

However, before Xue Rui could say anything, Lin Ruoxi's expression became flustered. She was afraid that Xue Rui would get off her lap, so she hugged him tightly.

"I asked him to sit down."

Lin Ruoxi buried her face in Xue Rui's arms and rubbed against him, earning a pat on the head from Xue Rui.

"That's also..."

Xue Xiaying wanted to say that wouldn't work either, but she met Lin Ruoxi's slightly complaining gaze, as if to say: Why are you so nosy?

Xue Rui cast an expectant glance at Xue Xiaying, who understood immediately: "You'd better do something about her, I really don't want to sit here."

In fact, that was exactly what Xue Rui thought. He asked Lin Ruoxi to move her bottom, but Lin Ruoxi patted her thigh, indicating that he should sit down.

Is it appropriate for a grown man to sit on a woman's lap?
This reminded him of the first time he rode the bus with Lin Ruoxi, when he let her sit on his lap.

Lin Ruoxi was so innocent back then.

He could make Lin Ruoxi blush with just a few words.

What's going on now?

After their relationship progressed further, he became the one being teased.

Therefore, Xue Rui hoped that Xue Xiaying could educate Lin Ruoxi, and Lin Ruoxi would listen to her teacher's advice.

Even if it's selective listening, it's better than nothing, right?

"Auntie, what are you spacing out for? What were you about to say?"

Xue Rui kept blinking, giving Xue Xiaying a hint.

Xue Xiaying smiled awkwardly and mentally went through a process of elimination.

The consequences of offending Lin Ruoxi are unknown.

The consequence of offending Xue Rui—nothing happened.

Okay, I'll choose the latter.

"Then it's none of my business. It's a mutual decision between you two, so sit if you like." Xue Xiaying turned to Lin Ruoxi and said:

"Lin Ruoxi, don't you think so? Unless someone doesn't want to sit."

Upon hearing this, Lin Ruoxi looked at Xue Rui and blinked expectantly.

From Lin Ruoxi's perspective, Xue Xiaying is asking her for "permission," and she is waiting for Xue Rui's affirmative answer.

Xue Rui's heart skipped a beat. He looked at Xue Xiaying in disbelief, gritting his teeth.

If you don't try to persuade me, fine, but why are you cutting off my escape route?
Xue Rui patiently said gently, "Xi Xi, there are quite a few stools in the yard, why don't you get one for me too?"

"Hmm, my legs are softer than the stool."

Xue Rui closed his eyes and felt it for a moment. Lin Ruoxi was right; it was indeed quite comfortable.

The problem is, even the dogs passing by in the alley would give him a second look.

In an instant, Xue Rui suddenly understood Gu Muxue's mindset.

When they were outside, Xue Rui would occasionally let Gu Muxue sit on his lap. The little girl would dawdle and look around, as if afraid someone would notice her.

Now, Lin Ruoxi is simply taking back what he did to Gu Muxue.

Sure enough, what goes around comes around.

Xue Rui thought to himself.

Suddenly, Xue Yao walked out of the gate, took a deep breath of fresh air, and muttered to herself, "It's so smoky inside, it's choking me."

Then she saw her older brother sitting on her sister-in-law's lap, and he said with a smile, "Brother, aren't you ashamed?"

Xue Rui's lips twitched. His younger sister was really straightforward, saying whatever came to mind.

However, after this provocation, Xue Rui no longer felt uncomfortable. He put his arm around Lin Ruoxi's shoulder and said, "As long as I don't feel awkward, it's you guys who are awkward."

"I'm not ashamed."

Xue Yao pouted. She didn't want to chat with her shameless older brother. She moved a stool and sat down next to Xue Xiaying, took out her phone and said, "Auntie, my uncle asked me to pass on a message to you."

Xue Rui frowned and interrupted, "Yao Yao, don't get involved in their affairs."

"You're a bastard if you don't make money."

Xue Yao muttered to herself, "Auntie, if you reply to him on QQ, I can get twenty yuan."

"Get over here. You'll make money off anything?"

Xue Rui stood up, grabbed Xue Yao by the ear, and walked away into the distance.

"Hiss~ I'm going to tell Mom." Xue Yao threatened.

"Go ahead, Mom will beat you harder than I did," Xue Rui sneered.

Xue Yao shuddered immediately: "Brother, what do you mean by that?"

"You've been home the longest. In the last six months, has Mom completely ignored this matter, or even badmouthed your brother-in-law to your aunt?" Xue Rui asked.

"It seems so." Xue Yao's expression held a hint of reminiscence.

But my brother is studying in another city, how did he know?
"that is because……"

Xue Yao crossed her arms and asked warily, "Brother, did you install surveillance cameras in the living room? Do you have any in my bedroom?"

"Can you please let me finish what I have to say?"

Xue Rui's fists clenched so tightly they cracked; his sister described him as if he were a pervert.

Xue Yao swallowed hard, then became serious for once: "Brother, you tell me."

“That’s because our mother is a smart person…” Xue Rui explained in detail.

In Xue Rui's eyes, his biological mother was a wise woman who appeared foolish.

She possesses exceptional intelligence and emotional intelligence, yet she always presents herself as a pretty face. For example, during the Chinese New Year, she only needs to sit at the mahjong table, leaving everything else to Xue Jianfeng.

Regarding Xue Xiaying and Ren Jun's matter, Ren Qunfang will neither help her own brother nor Xue Xiaying, but will choose to be a "bad person".

If the two end up together, there's no consequence to being the bad guy who breaks up a couple.

When the time comes, the two will live happily ever after, and the bad guys will at most get a few complaints.

But if they don't get along and it escalates to the point of involving relatives and elders, or even leads to divorce, his mother can shift the blame to both sides: "I advised you not to be with him in the first place, but you wouldn't listen."

If we choose to broker a match, things could get very complicated.

If someone is doing well, that's their own ability, it has nothing to do with you.

Not doing well? Then they'll blame you for the rest of their lives!

The key issue is that one of these people is her younger brother, and the other is her sister-in-law; there's no way to avoid them.

When Xue Rui chose to help matchmake, his original intention was to prevent Xue Xiaying from going down the same path as him and being bullied half to death by a scumbag.

But the moment they made contact, Xue Rui immediately abandoned everything, something Ren Jun still doesn't understand.

Actually, he also didn't want to take on this hot potato.

"After all that I've said, do you understand?" Xue Rui poked Xue Yao's forehead.

"understood."

Xue Yao belatedly realized what was happening, and when she looked at Xue Rui again, her eyes held a hint of admiration.

It turns out my brother really has some extraordinary abilities.

"Alright, now that we've finished talking about business, let's discuss how you framed me." Xue Rui grabbed Xue Yao's hand and said with a smile:

"Yaoyao, what do you usually secretly look at online?"

"N-nothing..." Xue Yao said guiltily, avoiding eye contact with Xue Rui.

"When I get back, I'll have your sister-in-law check your computer browsing history. She can even find out what time you turned on your computer," Xue Rui threatened with a smile.

"Brother, if that's what you're going to do," Xue Yao said with a look of heroic sacrifice, her voice filled with sorrow, "Just tell me what you want me to do."

Xue Rui's lips twitched. How did his family end up with such a spineless coward?

……

At the gate, Xue Xiaying was still basking in the sun.

She looked down at her phone, which only contained messages from Ren Jun.

Around the Mid-Autumn Festival last year, she didn't go home for one day, which upset her brother and led to a big fight with Ren Jun.

She promised her brother that she would not have any further contact with Ren Jun.

She hadn't replied to Ren Jun's messages for a long time, but the first thing she did every morning was still to pick up her phone and check for his "Good morning" message.

Once a habit is formed, it's hard to break. Sometimes, when Ren Jun forgets to send her a "good morning" message, she even worries that something might have happened to him...

Now that it's the Lunar New Year, Xue Xiaying still hasn't replied to Ren Jun's messages. She's afraid that because of her, Ren Jun might be in a bad mood during the New Year.

Xue Xiaying hesitated, wondering whether she should reply with "Happy New Year"...

Lin Ruoxi watched for a long time before gently saying, "Aunt, if you miss him, just send him a message."

"Ah!" Xue Xiaying screamed, hurriedly clutching her phone to her chest, her voice trembling, "Why do you walk so quietly?"

Lin Ruoxi explained, "Well, you were too engrossed in your work and didn't notice me."

"I...don't want to chat with him, but I still want to leave a message bubble of my own on the screen."

Xue Xiaying lowered her head, looking as guilty as a child who had made a mistake. She felt that her request was too much, wanting both things at once.

Lin Ruoxi rested her chin on her hand and murmured to herself as she carefully analyzed user needs.

"Then let's use QQ's auto-reply feature, an auto-reply for each individual user," Lin Ruoxi came up with a brilliant idea.

This way, it won't seem like you posted it yourself, but it will still leave your own mark.

"Could you help me set it up? I don't really know how to use it." Xue Xiaying handed the phone to Lin Ruoxi.

The two of them, heads close together, stared at their phone screens, looking at the QQ auto-reply template and getting caught up in a dilemma.

Message 1: Hello, I'm currently unavailable. I'll contact you later.

Article 2: Please do not disturb me while I am working.

Article 3: I'm going to eat now, I'll contact you later.

"Which one should we choose?" Lin Ruoxi asked.

Xue Xiaying shook her head: "None of them are suitable. I don't want him to have any expectations of me."

"Hmm, this can be customized, is it okay to change it like this?"

[Automatic reply: Happy New Year.]

"It's a bit too deliberate..."

Ten minutes later, Xue Xiaying said, "Lin Ruoxi, you can decide what to do yourself."

Lin Ruoxi frowned slightly, not understanding why Xue Xiaying was so conflicted.

……

On the other end of the phone.

Your grayed-out profile picture won't light up anymore~

Even a simple greeting...

Ren Jun sat in front of the computer, with an ashtray next to him overflowing with cigarette butts.

"Cough cough."

When the notification sound of a QQ friend coming online rang, Ren Jun sat up straight as if he had been electrocuted. He had deleted all the contact information of his old friends and only added Xue Xiaying to this account.

Her hand holding the mouse trembled slightly as Xue Xiaying, who had been invisible, came online.

He quickly typed: [Is Xia Ying there?]

Then a series of "beep beep beep" sounds rang out.

The gray avatar started jumping again.

Ren Jun's eyes lit up at first, but the more he read, the stranger his expression became.

[Automatic reply: Hello, I'm currently unavailable and will not be able to contact you again soon.] (End of Chapter)