Rebirth: Start to Save the Treasure Girl

Xue Xiaying looked blankly at the message history for a while, then pinched her brow and fell into deep regret.

"This..." Xue Xiaying hesitated, but ultimately did not continue.

Lin Ruoxi's reply met her requirements: it neither left the other person with any lingering feelings nor failed to maintain a sense of distance.

Why does it sound like flirting when you read it?

Perhaps this is how girls in love are...

Xue Xiaying looked around. Xue Rui was still chatting with Xue Yao, while Lin Ruoxi sat quietly watching Xue Rui in a daze, a smile in her eyes.

Xue Xiaying watched for a while, but didn't find anything interesting about Xue Rui.

Suddenly, she faintly heard Lin Ruoxi sigh.

"Lin Ruoxi, you're so young, why are you sighing?" Xue Xiaying teased.

"Um, no... nothing. I was just thinking how fast time flies." Lin Ruoxi shook her head and glanced at her watch.

The clock has already passed twelve o'clock, and half of today has already passed. By this time the day after tomorrow, will I already be at home with my grandmother?
But she didn't want to leave...

Thinking of this, Lin Ruoxi's eyes dimmed.

I've already received so much.

They have more money than they can spend, a career they love, and they even went to university...

Things she never dared to dream of before, Xue Rui has now made possible one by one.

But why am I not happy at all?

Lin Ruoxi felt that she was too greedy and an insatiable woman.

Now, she just wishes time would slow down, just a little bit more.

Even if she does nothing, she can just quietly look at the boy in front of her.

"Time flies! Xiao Rui brought his girlfriend home this year, and they'll be getting married soon. If they have another child, I'll really be a grandmother."

Xue Xiaying echoed the sentiment.

After graduating from university, I worked as a teacher for a few years. Just as my career was getting on track, I turned thirty.

But... I received lucky money yesterday.

Brother, you spoil me too much...

Xue Xiaying thought to herself.

Xue Xiaying knew very well that it was because Xue Jianfeng had protected her too well that she was still living with the mentality of a child.

People are very sensitive about their names, and Xue Rui was no exception. Hearing someone mutter his name, Xue Rui subconsciously turned around:

"What bad things are you saying about me, Aunt?"

Xue Xiaying rolled her eyes and turned back to continue chatting with Lin Ruoxi.

However, at this moment, Lin Ruoxi was rubbing her eyes with her head down. When she leaned down to look, she saw that Lin Ruoxi's eyes were red, as if she had just been crying.

"Lin Ruoxi, what's wrong?" Xue Xiaying subconsciously moved closer to Lin Ruoxi.

"No...it's nothing, I just got some sand in my eye," Lin Ruoxi stammered in her explanation.

She didn't want Xue Rui to see that she was crying.

Lin Ruoxi's lie was so clumsy that Xue Xiaying immediately saw through it all. She recalled her conversation with Lin Ruoxi and wondered if she had said anything wrong...

Hmm... there isn't any?

It was just a simple discussion about the future, a chat about Xue Rui...

With a "gulp," Xue Xiaying swallowed hard, realizing something was wrong!
The problem is, Xue Rui has two girlfriends!
She just mentioned that Xue Rui got married, but didn't say who he married.

It's normal for Lin Ruoxi to overthink things.

But is this her responsibility?

Xue Xiaying didn't think so, and she didn't believe she could appease Lin Ruoxi.

Before leaving, she waved to Xue Rui: "Xiao Rui, Lin Ruoxi got sand in her eyes, come and help blow it out."

"okay."

Xue Rui quickly approached Lin Ruoxi, cupped her face in his hands, and softly asked, "Which eye?"

Lin Ruoxi pursed her lips, wondering if she should admit her mistake to Xue Rui now, since she had just lied to her aunt.
Admitting your mistake might get you scolded;

If she didn't admit it, Xue Rui would coax her gently...

So Lin Ruoxi pouted, blinked her beautiful big eyes, and hinted to Xue Rui to look with both eyes.

Xue Rui leaned closer and examined it carefully for a long time, then muttered to himself, "There's nothing there?"

Lin Ruoxi's eyes remained clear and pure, without a trace of impurity.

"Brother, move aside, your eyesight is failing."

Xue Yao tried to push Xue Rui away, but Lin Ruoxi stopped her with a look.

Xue Yao shivered. The usually gentle Lin Ruoxi actually frowned at her.
Upon closer reflection, it seems that Lin Ruoxi only smiles at her older brother, and her smiles to others are always forced and insincere.

"Look closely, there are some," Lin Ruoxi said softly, a smile curving her lips.

Xue Rui had no doubts about Lin Ruoxi, so he moved closer and searched carefully.

After searching for most of the day, Xue Rui began to doubt whether his eyesight was failing him. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Lin Ruoxi had a smile on her lips.

"Xixi, what is it?" Xue Rui asked with a smile.

Oh dear, the little girl is starting to go astray; she's even playing pranks on people now!

Lin Ruoxi stretched out a finger and gently poked Xue Rui's nose: "You are the most handsome person."

Lin Ruoxi's eyes curved into crescents, and Xue Rui's figure was reflected in her clear, almond-shaped eyes.

Lin Ruoxi looked into Xue Rui's eyes, then at his lips. After hesitating for a moment, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her red lips to his.

Xue Rui's mind went blank, and his cheeks burned uncontrollably.

Kissing is nothing; it happens everywhere on campus.

But in conservative rural areas, people will gossip about it for days.

A few seconds later, Xue Rui pushed Lin Ruoxi away, his voice low: "Xixi, tone it down, we're in the village."

"Oh." Lin Ruoxi pouted and offered the stool to Xue Rui: "I'll go inside and cook. You and your sister can sunbathe."

Xue Rui nodded and bent down to sit, when suddenly he felt a warm touch on his forehead again.

Lin Ruoxi secretly kissed him again.

Before Xue Rui could say anything, Lin Ruoxi had already turned and left...

"Like a female hooligan," Xue Yao muttered, frowning.

From an objective standpoint, if the swan kisses the toad, then the toad is the one who benefits.

The problem is that the swan's "stealing" is too obvious, making people feel that the toad is at a disadvantage.

Xue Rui frowned and said coldly, "Yao Yao, how can you talk like that?"

"Sure enough, between my sister and my girlfriend, the latter is more important?" Xue Yao muttered discontentedly.

“What I mean is, you should remove the word ‘like’,” Xue Rui corrected.

"Are you saying that my sister-in-law Xixi is a female hooligan?" Xue Yao said slowly.

"I didn't say that, you said it," Xue Rui hurriedly tried to shift the blame.

……

Amidst laughter and conversation, the aroma of food wafted from every household, and children along the roadside were called home one by one for dinner.

Xue Rui stretched and slowly walked into the gate. The sound of a child crying came from the courtyard, accompanied by a woman's scolding.

Xue Rui quickened his pace, ready to enjoy some fresh gossip.

Upon entering the courtyard, I was shocked to find that the person who had been beaten was none other than my "little cousin" who had given me New Year's money.

"You told me to keep it safe, and you only had it for a short while and lost two hundred yuan?" The woman chased after him relentlessly, wielding a broom. "It's gone," the little boy said, his voice trembling with tears.

"Did you hide it somewhere?"

"What's lost is lost!"

No matter what the woman said, the little boy kept repeating the same sentence.

But Xue Rui knew where the two hundred yuan went.

"It's the Lunar New Year, it's just a few hundred yuan, let's eat first."

A relative standing nearby was pulling the woman along.

"You don't know, he has a criminal record..."

……

Xue Rui looked at Lin Ruoxi not far away, as if to say: You didn't return the money to him.

Lin Ruoxi walked to Xue Rui's side, handed him the red envelope, and whispered:

"No, my cousin doesn't want it. He said that once a red envelope is given out, there's no reason to take it back."

"This little cousin of mine is really reliable; he'll definitely step up when things go wrong," Xue Rui said, suppressing a laugh.

Xue Yao got the gist of it: the child was beaten because her older brother had taken a bribe?

"Brother, you're shameless," Xue Yao mocked.

"Yaoyao, you should learn from her. Look at her, she didn't give up even after being hit so hard. Unlike you, you spineless coward." Xue Rui retorted irritably.

"Xi Xi, go to the car and get two hundred consecutive ten-yuan notes, put them in a red envelope, and return them to him later," Xue Rui whispered.

Lin Ruoxi didn't understand why, but she still did as Xue Rui asked.

When it was lunchtime, Xue Rui still sat at the same table with the children.

Children often eat the fastest because there are other kids waiting to play with them at the door, while adults are the ones who can eat slowly.

Within minutes, only "Little Uncle" remained of the children at the table.

"Here, this is your New Year's money." Xue Rui secretly handed over a red envelope.

The little boy glanced at the envelope and saw that it contained brand-new change. He hesitated for a moment, then secretly slipped the envelope into his pocket: "Thank you, brother!"

"Okay, from now on, we'll call each other by our own names. You'll call me 'brother,' and I'll call you 'little cousin.'"

Xue Rui patted the little boy's head: "Go play."

After the little boy left, Lin Ruoxi asked with a puzzled look, "It was two hundred yuan, why did he take the one you gave him?"

"Because the nature of the two bills is different, the two large bills belong to the parents, but if it's twenty ten-yuan bills, then it belongs to the children..." Xue Rui explained.

Large bills would only go into the parents' pockets, while consecutively numbered coins, even if the adults knew, would not be taken directly. They would mostly be kept at home for the children to spend gradually.

Lin Ruoxi has been earning money to support her family since she was a child, and she doesn't understand the complexities between children and adults.

Xue Yao chuckled and said, "Sister-in-law, you have no idea what my brother used to do. He took things from home..."

"Eat yours!"

Seeing that his dark past was about to be exposed, Xue Rui grabbed a steamed bun from the table and stuffed it into Xue Yao's mouth.

With a soft "pfft," Lin Ruoxi covered her mouth and chuckled, "I'm going to the kitchen."

Xue Yao looked at the remaining plates, put down her chopsticks, and said, "There's nothing good left, and I'm full."

Children often focus on the sweets on the table, such as candied sweet potatoes and crispy bananas, which are the first to be devoured.

As an older child, she certainly couldn't compete with the younger ones.

Just as Xue Yao got up to leave, she saw Lin Ruoxi return with several plates of desserts.

"sister in law."

Xue Yao was deeply moved. In her opinion, what was a grown man like her eating sweets? These were obviously prepared by Lin Ruoxi for her.

"What's wrong?" Lin Ruoxi asked blankly, taking a step to the side.

"Not for me?" Xue Yao said, pointing to herself.

Lin Ruoxi paused in her steps: "Do you want to eat?"

Xue Rui couldn't help but find their conversation somewhat amusing.

Lin Ruoxi dotes on him like a child, but she still doesn't understand the meaning behind Xue Yao's words.

Before long, Xue Yao will probably get jealous again.

"Yaoyao, your sister-in-law is just joking with you. She specially saved it for you," Xue Rui said.

"Thank you, sister-in-law." Xue Yao immediately beamed with joy.

Lin Ruoxi then realized what was happening, and she nodded and smiled at Xue Rui.

Xue Rui has always been on my side.

"Xi Xi, I'll take you out for a walk." Xue Rui waved his hand, signaling Lin Ruoxi to follow him out.

Lin Ruoxi looked at the leftover food on the table with a conflicted expression.

There were still many people who hadn't finished eating, and she had to stay and wash the dishes.

Without waiting for a reply, Xue Rui took Lin Ruoxi's hand and said, "These weren't your jobs to begin with, and you've already done a good enough job."

After lunch, the time for visiting relatives came to an end, and it was time for the women to chat about everyday things and the men to drink.

Lin Ruoxi can't fit in anywhere, so there's no need for her to stay here.

Lin Ruoxi's emotions were written all over her face. She was always looking down at the time, which Xue Rui had long noticed.

After walking out the door, Xue Rui released Lin Ruoxi's hand and said:
“Xixi, we’re still kids, you can use this identity to do whatever you want.”

They were all the same age. While other college students were at home eating and sleeping, Lin Ruoxi could do the same.

"Hmm." Lin Ruoxi nodded and extended her palm to Xue Rui:
"You said you'd walk me, hold my hand, right?"

Xue Rui paused for a moment, then grasped Lin Ruoxi's soft, boneless little hand, squeezing it occasionally.

The two had walked for a short while when they encountered a family of three taking a walk in the village.

The child holds his parents' hands, and every now and then his feet are off the ground, swinging back and forth like a swing.

"Daddy, one more time!" the little girl shouted excitedly.

"Alright, one, two, three..."

……

Lin Ruoxi subconsciously slowed her pace, gazing tenderly at the heartwarming scene, as if she couldn't get enough of looking at it.

Xue Rui followed Lin Ruoxi's gaze and noticed that Lin Ruoxi was staring at the little girl in the middle, probably envying her childhood.

No matter how capable he is, he cannot change Lin Ruoxi's past; all he can do is try his best to make amends.

"You want to play too?"

Xue Rui blinked and said, thinking of taking the little girl to the amusement park.

Lin Ruoxi shook her head and tentatively said, "I...I want to play with children."

Xue Rui was speechless. It turned out that Lin Ruoxi wasn't envious, but rather looking forward to the future.

Come to think of it, he never seemed to have made any promises to Lin Ruoxi, which left the young girl feeling insecure.

Lin Ruoxi waited for a while and, finding that Xue Rui did not reply, said weakly, "I... I was just teasing you."

Xue Rui took a deep breath and said calmly, "Xi Xi, this day will come."

Lin Ruoxi paused, Xue Rui's words still echoing in her ears.

Yes, it will happen...

She looked up at the sky, a single tear silently sliding down her cheek. She smiled, wiped away the tear, and nodded firmly.

"Hmm!" (End of Chapter)