Rebirth: Start to Save the Treasure Girl

"What? Say it again?" Qiu Mengze thought he had misheard.

"It was arranged by Mu Xue."

Xue Rui spoke calmly, as if recounting an extremely ordinary matter.

Qiu Mengze knows Xue Rui too well. Xue Rui can boast, but he wouldn't boast in this tone.

"Fuck..."

Qiu Mengze murmured, both words spoken softly.

Qiu Mengze's original intention was to subtly probe, because in his mind, Lin Ruoxi and Gu Muxue were both academic geniuses whom he could not reach.

With the intelligence and talent of these two girls, how could they be fooled by someone who is at the bottom of the grade?
He believed that Lin Ruoxi and Gu Muxue would eventually discover Xue Rui's despicable behavior.

Qiu Mengze was waiting to see him make a fool of himself, but he ended up becoming the fool himself.

Xue Rui's nonchalant demeanor was simply too pretentious.

Damn it, this is infuriating!
"You really deserve a beating. If our high school classmates find out, you'll probably get ganged up on," Qiu Mengze said sarcastically.

Those two figures represent the youth of countless boys.

For countless nights, the topic of conversation in the boys' dormitory was these two school beauties, and who they would be marrying in the future.

As a result, Xue Rui managed to take care of everything by himself?

He certainly wanted his childhood friend to be doing well, but Xue Rui's behavior went too far.

"Then go ahead and beat me up. Thinking about it now, I was pretty much a jerk too," Xue Rui said with a grin, revealing his true feelings.

When the three first met, Lin Ruoxi pleaded humbly, and Gu Muxue's eyes reddened.

Even now, thinking back on it still causes him a dull ache in his heart.

Fortunately, those days are over, and Lin Ruoxi and Gu Muxue are on good terms now, even having arranged the order of their New Year's visits.

Qiu Mengze sneered, "If anyone's going to fight, it won't be me. Who knows, maybe the two of them will give you a mixed doubles beating later."

"Then you probably won't be able to wait that long," Xue Rui said smugly.

Qiu Mengze looked around and lowered his voice:
"Xue Rui, tell me the truth, if you had to choose one, who would you pick? You can't marry both of them, can you?"

"If it were you, what would you choose?" Xue Rui threw the question back at him.

"Me?" Qiu Mengze gasped, his expression gradually becoming conflicted.

Qiu Mengze wasn't very familiar with Lin Ruoxi, but Lin Ruoxi always asked Xue Rui's opinion before doing anything. During high school, Xue Rui's breakfast was always different from everyone else's; it was specially made for him by Lin Ruoxi. He formed a preconceived notion and gave Lin Ruoxi a gentle and virtuous impression.

As for Gu Muxue, he was much more familiar with her, especially when Xue Rui and Gu Muxue's relationship was in its nascent stage, Qiu Mengze often acted as a messenger between them.

Looking back now, Gu Muxue was the kind of girl who "influenced people subtly and quietly."

Gu Muxue never refused anything Xue Rui gave her. At first, he thought Gu Muxue liked to make Xue Rui run errands. Later, after learning about Xue Rui's "poor household" image with Gu Muxue, he realized that Gu Muxue was secretly helping Xue Rui.

Just like the notes Gu Muxue made for Xue Rui in their senior year of high school, every stroke was so careful. Sometimes when he read them, he wondered what Gu Muxue's mindset was when she wrote those things...

Another time, Xue Rui's meal card inexplicably had an extra thousand yuan on it. The two of them reported it to the school teacher, who said that there was a problem with the school system and told Xue Rui not to make a fuss about the benefit he had taken.

The two were overjoyed for several days, indulging in lavish spending in the cafeteria, only eating expensive food and not the right kind.

Looking back now, was it a system problem?

hey~
Qiu Mengze had to admit that Xue Rui was really lucky.

Choosing between the two is really a difficult decision.

Xue Rui nudged Qiu Mengze, interrupting his thoughts: "No, you actually got elected?"

"I don't think I'm good enough for any of them, so I'll choose chicken feathers."

Qiu Mengze looked embarrassed. He hadn't even thought about it that way; he had just compared the two girls side by side.

"Men should be more confident and more composed."

Xue Rui patted Qiu Mengze on the shoulder heavily.

Qiu Mengze looked surprised, and Xue Rui, unusually, didn't criticize him.

Sure enough, as I got older, those bad friends became a thing of the past.

Adults should speak with refinement. Xue Rui meant that he should be "poor in appearance but not in spirit".

Qiu Mengze nodded, feigning seriousness, and said, "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, never underestimate a young man's potential!"

Xue Rui's lips twitched. This is so damn childish.

He corrected, "What I mean is, let's be more confident and remove the word 'seems'."

"what?"

Qiu Mengze thought for a moment and silently read aloud in his mind:
I'm not good enough for either of them.

Xue Rui added, "By the way, don't choose chicken feathers."

"Damn it! You haven't changed a bit!" Qiu Mengze laughed and cursed.

After a bit of playful fighting, the two sat on the south-facing steps, basking in the sun and chatting about what had happened in the past six months.

"By the way, a few days ago some idiot called and cursed at me..." Qiu Mengze got angry as he spoke, gesturing wildly in the air.

"Did you win or lose?" Xue Rui asked, suppressing a laugh.

"Of course I won. He was furious and bombarded my phone number with SMS verification codes. I want to ask you if you know anything about that..."

"I don't know," Xue Rui decisively distanced himself from the situation.

Qiu Mengze frowned: "I'm asking if you know where I can find a text message bomber so I can bombard them back."

Qiu Mengze vaguely felt that this matter was related to Xue Rui, but he wasn't sure.

"Forget it, let's not talk about this during the New Year."

Qiu Mengze hesitated for a long time, then looked up at the horizon and said:

"Xue Rui, I've been doing this for a few months and I've figured out some of the tricks of the trade. I want to go out and work independently in the self-media industry."

Qiu Mengze wants to quit the operations job that Xue Rui gave him.

Strangely enough, ever since Xue Rui became his boss, he felt that he didn't have much confidence when talking to Xue Rui.

“That’s your hard-earned money. You did no worse than anyone else. Wouldn’t I still pay anyone else’s salary?” Xue Rui saw through Qiu Mengze’s thoughts.

His childhood friend is petty and cares too much about what others think.

I'm afraid of owing others things, and I'm afraid of being looked down upon by others.

Just like that secondhand Xiaomi 2S, if it were someone else, they probably wouldn't have brought it up. But Qiu Mengze returned the money for the phone, and when he went to the restroom just now, Lin Ruoxi said that Qiu Mengze had put 2500 yuan in his red envelope.

That phone, even a brand new one, only cost 1999 back then, let alone a second-hand one that had been released for several years.

"Anyway... thanks." Qiu Mengze raised his teacup, gesturing for Xue Rui to pick it up and clink glasses.

Xue Rui raised his glass and lightly clinked it against Qiu Mengze's. He thought to himself that Qiu Mengze probably wouldn't last long, just like in his previous life. He would rather go out and suffer a bloody defeat than be helped by him.

The moment he finished drinking the water, Xue Rui vaguely felt that someone was watching him.

He glanced back and saw a head flash past a first-floor window.

Xue Rui chuckled; of course he knew who it was.

Lin Ruoxi had been secretly watching him all noon, and he could tell from her eyes that the little girl was in a bad mood.

A series of footsteps sounded behind him, and Qiu Mengze subconsciously covered his teacup: "Thank you, but I really can't drink anymore."

"Hmm, drink more tea."

Without saying a word, Lin Ruoxi took the teacup from Qiu Mengze's hand.

Hearing the "splashing" sound of running water, Qiu Mengze suddenly felt the urge to urinate.

"No, I need to go to the restroom again." Qiu Mengze stood up and ran to the restroom as if he knew the way well.

Lin Ruoxi pouted her red lips, pressing them into a "W" shape, her furrowed brows revealing her anxiety. "Xixi, are you angry?" Xue Rui asked softly.

"You...you said it before, that you should fill the teacup before seeing a guest off."

Lin Ruoxi paused here, her gaze fixed on Qiu Mengze's cup, where the water level was only a few millimeters below the rim.

Qiu Mengze had been chatting with Xue Rui all afternoon, and Lin Ruoxi wanted Qiu Mengze to leave quickly.

Judging by the time, it will be lunchtime in half an hour.

In rural areas, lunch is usually eaten late, and in winter it gets dark early...

In other words, she had to say goodbye to Xue Rui's family after finishing her meal.

She planned to spend the last few hours with Xue Rui, but Qiu Mengze took up all her time.

Thinking of this, Lin Ruoxi felt a surge of grievances, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Lin Ruoxi had tried very hard to hint to Qiu Mengze, but Qiu Mengze kept drinking one cup after another, repeatedly saying "thank you" to her, and went to the toilet six times in the middle, but still showed no intention of leaving.

Xue Rui's lips twitched incessantly. Qiu Mengze was so clueless; he actually managed to make Lin Ruoxi cry.

It's true that a fool can defeat a master.

However, Xue Rui also bears some responsibility for this matter; in fact, he had already seen it coming.

But Xue Rui deliberately didn't mention it. He felt that it was rare for Lin Ruoxi to get angry, and he wanted to see just how far she could go...

But this little pushover, in a fit of anger... only got angry for a moment, and ended up crying.

Lin Ruoxi kept blinking. She felt so pathetic that she would cry over such a small thing.

"I...I was wrong. I shouldn't have interrupted your reminiscing, but I..."

Lin Ruoxi's voice choked with emotion. She tried to take deep breaths to calm herself and stop herself from crying.

Xue Rui stood up and gently hugged Lin Ruoxi, patting her back softly: "Don't cry, Ruoxi."

In an instant, the world before Lin Ruoxi's eyes blurred, tears traced winding tear tracks on her cheeks, and a few tiny teardrops hung precariously on her eyelashes.

She had managed to control herself, but as soon as Xue Rui started coaxing her, her eyes began to wander.

"Rui, no... don't try to coax me anymore, you'll spoil me." Lin Ruoxi said, choking back tears.

"If you're so capable, then go and show me how bad you can be."

Xue Rui smiled and held his sleeve in his palm to wipe away the tears from the corners of Lin Ruoxi's eyes.

"I...I'm incompetent." Lin Ruoxi hugged him tighter and tighter, burying her face in Xue Rui's shoulder and taking a deep sniff.

I couldn't smell it for a long time after today.

"You can't cry in winter, the cold wind will make your face all stained." Xue Rui stroked the back of Lin Ruoxi's head, feeling a surge of tenderness in his heart.

Sometimes, being with Lin Ruoxi feels like raising a child; you have to use gentle words to care for her.

Actually, Xue Rui didn't need to coax Lin Ruoxi; she would have gotten better on her own. But Xue Rui just couldn't help it.

Lin Ruoxi seemed to possess some kind of magic, constantly touching the softest part of his heart.

Qiu Mengze stood blankly at the toilet door, completely unaware of what had happened.

No, I was just taking a piss, how could I be crying with tears streaming down my face?

"Xue Rui, what did you do to him?" Qiu Mengze asked, instinctively siding with Lin Ruoxi.

However, Lin Ruoxi only glanced at Qiu Mengze before quickly turning her head back, hugging Xue Rui's face and kissing him, saying in a soft voice, "He's very good. It's me who was naughty."

In an instant, Qiu Mengze's face was filled with embarrassment.

Oh no, how did I become a third wheel?
"Um... my mom's calling me home for dinner, I have to go now."

Qiu Mengze walked past the two of them and hurriedly fled into the alley.

Once Qiu Mengze's figure disappeared, Xue Rui, with Lin Ruoxi in his arms, swayed and moved to the sofa, then plopped down on it.

No one was home at the moment. Xue Rui cupped Lin Ruoxi's face in his hands and kneaded it for a while: "Xixi, are you angry with me?"

"No." Lin Ruoxi shook her head repeatedly.

"I heard you hum once before, hum again so I can hear it?" Xue Rui joked.

"Hmm~~"

Lin Ruoxi obediently hummed a long hum, her tone rising and falling, as if she were whimpering and being coquettish.

Xue Rui couldn't stop laughing; the little girl was just too funny.

Lin Ruoxi lay on Xue Rui's lap, letting him pinch her cheeks, her eyes full of smiles.

However, happy times always pass quickly.

"Dingling bell~"

A cell phone rang, and Xue Rui hung up after only glancing at it.

Xue Rui patted Lin Ruoxi's flat stomach: "Are you hungry? My mom is calling us for dinner."

As soon as she finished speaking, a hint of panic flashed in Lin Ruoxi's eyes.

She hugged Xue Rui tightly around the waist and said in a muffled voice, "I...I'm not ready yet."

"What do you need to prepare for a meal?" Xue Rui asked, puzzled.

"I...I plan to spend some time with you today, and then I'll head home." Lin Ruoxi paused abruptly at this point.

She left in the afternoon, and Gu Muxue will visit Xue Rui's parents tomorrow morning.

In other words, Xue Rui will be alone tonight.

And she would have to lie alone in her room.

Lin Ruoxi felt a sudden sense of loss, as if she had wasted precious time.

"Do you...do you want to sleep with me tonight?"

Lin Ruoxi's eyes widened in surprise. She had a bold idea in her mind, but she still needed Xue Rui's permission.

Xue Rui looked surprised, thinking to himself, "What is this silly girl saying in broad daylight?"

"Of course I do."

No one can say they don't want to.

Xue Rui continued, "But..."

In an instant, Lin Ruoxi's lips drooped again, and she curled up into a ball, as if she couldn't accept what came after "but".

Xue Rui felt a lump in his throat, afraid that if he continued, Lin Ruoxi would cry again.

Lin Ruoxi shrank her neck, occasionally stealing a glance at Xue Rui, and said weakly, "You...you say it, I won't cry."

Xue Rui swallowed hard, his pitiful little eyes making it seem as if refusing was a crime.

Such a strong sense of guilt!

The young girl is a natural seductress; she makes people unable to resist stepping into a trap even when they know it's ahead...

"Of course there are no buts. I owe you time today. What do you want to do about it?" Xue Rui chose to go along with Lin Ruoxi.

Lin Ruoxi hugged Xue Rui and kissed him deeply, her little hands rubbing together, a look of secret joy on her face: "I...I don't want you to be alone in an empty room."

Xue Rui was speechless. It turned out that the phrase "alone in an empty room" could also be used to describe a man.

"Hmm... After we finish eating, I'll say goodbye to your aunt and uncle, and then I'll sneak back and hide in your room..."

Lin Ruoxi laid out her entire plan.

"Xixi, what if my family finds out? That would be so embarrassing," Xue Rui interrupted.

"You...you could have hidden me in the closet." (End of Chapter)