Rebirth: Start to Save the Treasure Girl

Gu Muxue: [Smiling]

Lin Ruoxi: [Smiling]

Gu Muxue: [Smiling]

……

The smiling expression has most of the whites of the eyes covered, with only the lips turned up, just like the "goodbye" expression. It gives people a "forced smile" feeling, and in a few years it will become a synonym for sarcasm and fake smile.

To prevent Lin Ruoxi from sending him the "smiling emoji," Xue Rui once explained the concept to her.

He had just given Gu Muxue a brief explanation.

Therefore, both Lin Ruoxi and Gu Muxue knew that "smiling" was aggressive, but they still used it with great enthusiasm.

Smiling emojis filled the screen, making Xue Rui break out in a cold sweat.

Xue Rui said in a low voice, "Xi Xi, stop sending it. This emoji isn't good."

“I know,” Lin Ruoxi replied with a smiley face.

"You knew that, yet you still posted it?" Xue Rui's eye twitched.

"Well, it's fine as long as Mu Xue doesn't know," Lin Ruoxi said softly.

Xue Rui opened his mouth, but then stopped himself from speaking.

He desperately wanted to tell Lin Ruoxi that Gu Muxue knew, but he couldn't.

Perhaps... Gu Muxue thought so too, assuming Lin Ruoxi didn't know?
The smiling emojis continued to appear; every time Gu Muxue sent a smiling emoji, Lin Ruoxi would reply with a smiling emoji.

It looks like they're locked in a fierce battle.

From Xue Rui's perspective, Lin Ruoxi and Gu Muxue were practically "pulling each other's hair" through the screen.

"Stop talking."

Xue Rui grasped Lin Ruoxi's wrist; he simply couldn't bear this mental torment any longer.

"Okay, I'll reply to her later."

Lin Ruoxi gave a sweet smile; right now, the most important thing was to play with Xue Rui.

"Later?" Xue Rui almost choked on his breath.

So it's not over yet?

"Yes, I don't want Mu Xue's chat bubble to be at the bottom."

As she spoke, Lin Ruoxi pulled up her chat history with Xue Rui.

As the records scrolled across the screen, Xue Rui noticed that each chat ended with Lin Ruoxi's last sentence.

"It's not good to put Mu Xue at the bottom. I don't want Mu Xue to feel like I'm ignoring her," Lin Ruoxi explained softly.

Xue Rui breathed a sigh of relief, finally understanding what was going on.

But he only figured out Lin Ruoxi's thoughts; Gu Muxue's situation was still unknown.

Xue Rui had a vague premonition: Did Gu Muxue know that Lin Ruoxi hadn't left?

Otherwise, why would he send another message to Lin Ruoxi right after sending "goodnight"?

Is this a test?
"Xixi, does Muxue usually say goodnight to you?" Xue Rui asked.

Lin Ruoxi gently shook her head: "No."

Xue Rui's lips twitched almost imperceptibly; he was probably right.

Gu Muxue likely already knows that Lin Ruoxi hasn't left.

As for who leaked the information...

Only Da Huang and Xue Yao knew that Lin Ruoxi was at home.

The answer is obvious.

……

At Gu Muxue's home.

[Ruoxi, is this shared location service broken? It shows you're still at Xue Rui's house.]

Gu Muxue took a screenshot of the iOS family sharing location and sent it to Lin Ruoxi on WeChat.

Then she patted the bear doll's head with satisfaction; the doll had now been sewn up.

Gu Muxue felt that her hints were clear enough.

She wanted to tap Lin Ruoxi and Xue Rui on the head once each, and then give them a sweet treat later, which would make her seem more gentle.

"Humph!"

Gu Muxue snorted, angrily grabbed the bear ears of the teddy bear, and slapped it across the face.

In an instant, a sharp pain shot through her fingertips, and Gu Muxue recoiled as if she had been electrocuted.

Upon closer inspection, a red dot, resembling a cinnabar mole, appeared on Gu Muxue's fair fingertips.

"If you open the seam again next time, I won't sew it up for you."

……

At one o'clock in the morning, all was silent.

The room was dimly lit. Lin Ruoxi lay on Xue Rui's chest, her cheeks slightly flushed and a satisfied smile on her lips.

"Ha~"

Xue Rui yawned, and glistening tears welled up in the corners of his eyes.

He was so sleepy that his eyelashes were all tangled together.

Lin Ruoxi kept him from sleeping, which eventually exhausted him a lot.

"Sleep, sleep."

Xue Rui mumbled in a daze, completely forgetting that Lin Ruoxi was planning to sneak away in the middle of the night.

"Okay, you can go to sleep." Lin Ruoxi nodded gently, propped herself up, and adjusted the pillow to the most comfortable position for Xue Rui.

Actually, Lin Ruoxi was also very tired, but when she thought about not seeing Xue Rui for a long time, she felt like she would be missing out if she didn't do something today.

Before long, Lin Ruoxi heard Xue Rui's steady breathing. Lin Ruoxi propped her chin up and quietly looked at the sleeping boy in front of her.

She leaned forward slightly and kissed Xue Rui on the corner of his eye, wiping away the tears he had squeezed out due to exhaustion.

Looking up again at the dark window, Lin Ruoxi's expression became conflicted.

Xue Rui has already fallen asleep; now is the best time to leave.

But she still couldn't bear to leave, even if it was just to lie in Xue Rui's arms a little longer.

After hesitating for a long time, she snuggled closer to Xue Rui and decided to leave before dawn.

"I really am a greedy woman," Lin Ruoxi thought to herself.

Lin Ruoxi checked the time on her phone and found that Gu Muxue had sent her another message.

When Lin Ruoxi clicked on it, she was shocked to see a screenshot of her and Xue Rui's locations.

In an instant, Lin Ruoxi's eyes widened.

She forgot to turn off location sharing.

But Gu Muxue was asking "Is it bad?", and as long as she said it was bad, she could escape responsibility.

Lin Ruoxi's heart pounded. She sat up abruptly, tiptoed out of her bag, took out her laptop, and connected her phone.

A few minutes later, Lin Ruoxi switched her location to home; she used technical means to create a fake location on her phone…

Lin Ruoxi then took a screenshot and replied to Gu Muxue: "[The system is bugged. Refresh the page and I'll be home soon.]"

But after waiting for a long time, Gu Muxue did not reply to the message. Lin Ruoxi did not know whether Gu Muxue was asleep or not, and she became more and more nervous.

She suddenly understood what her teacher had once said: one lie requires countless lies to cover it up.

Lin Ruoxi reluctantly walked to the bedside and gently kissed Xue Rui on the forehead: "I'm leaving now."

Lin Ruoxi dared not delay any longer; she had to leave immediately.

However, just as she was getting dressed, she heard footsteps outside the door.

Judging from the frequency of his steps, Xue Rui's mother had returned from playing mahjong.

Lin Ruoxi held her breath nervously, trying not to make the slightest sound.

"Mom, what are you doing in the middle of the night?" Xue Yao's lazy voice came from outside the door.

“Your dad drank today, so I’ll sleep with you.”

"Get out, Yao Yao, why are you sleeping in the same room as the dog?"

"Wang!"

……

Half an hour later, the area outside the door became completely silent. Lin Ruoxi tiptoed to open the door, and the big yellow dog at her feet immediately pounced on her, wagging its tail excitedly and making strange "whimpering" noises.

Lin Ruoxi hurriedly closed the door and leaned against it with a blank expression.

If she tries to leave, Da Huang will definitely make a scene...

To be precise, Lin Ruoxi was blocked by her own dog.

Lin Ruoxi believed there was only one way—to wait until Dahuang fell asleep.

But is this realistic?
Lin Ruoxi didn't know, but she had no other choice.

Lin Ruoxi was extremely frightened, not knowing what to do.

But seeing Xue Rui fast asleep, her heart calmed down considerably.

She quietly slipped into Xue Rui's blanket and rubbed her face against his chest.

Xue Rui unconsciously hugged Lin Ruoxi, just like always.

Perhaps it was because he had been thinking about it during the day, he dreamed about it at night, and Xue Rui had another nightmare, muttering in his sleep.

"@#…"

Lin Ruoxi leaned closer and listened for a while, finally managing to discern the name "Mu Xue" amidst the babbling.

Her lips were slightly downturned, and she seemed quite dejected.

Even while sleeping, Xue Rui kept calling out Gu Muxue's name.

Speaking of which, Xue Rui is really unlucky. Every time he talks in his sleep, he can always accurately call out another girl's name.

Lin Ruoxi leaned close to Xue Rui's ear and whispered, "What did you dream about?"

Xue Rui squinted his eyes, a rare occurrence for him, and glanced at Lin Ruoxi groggily before pulling her into a tighter embrace: "Xixi, go to sleep."

A few seconds later, Xue Rui fell into a deep sleep again.

Lin Ruoxi felt a warmth in her heart; Xue Rui's gentle voice eased her tense emotions.

The previous tension vanished, and the accumulated fatigue overwhelmed Lin Ruoxi's mind.

Xue Rui's embrace was warm and reassuring, which made Lin Ruoxi temporarily lower her guard.

After hesitating for a long time, Lin Ruoxi took out her phone and set an alarm for 5 a.m.

"Just...just taking a short nap."

Lin Ruoxi murmured to herself, burying her face deep in Xue Rui's arms and closing her eyes peacefully.

……

The next morning, at eight o'clock.

Golden light streamed into the room. Xue Rui instinctively shielded his eyes with his arm. His phone, which was next to his pillow, kept lighting up, displaying more than a dozen missed calls.

"Boom boom boom!"

After a series of rapid knocks, Xue Yao's impatient voice came from outside the door:

"Brother, why aren't you up yet? My sister-in-law has been waiting for you at the village entrance for half an hour."

With a "whoosh," the blanket was suddenly thrown off, and Lin Ruoxi sat up abruptly, her face deathly pale.

Xue Rui, on the other hand, was curled up in a ball because the blanket had suddenly disappeared and he was freezing.

"I...I..." Lin Ruoxi was so nervous that she was about to cry.

Did you oversleep?

How to do how to do……

"Okay, Yao Yao, you can go down now."

Xue Rui rubbed his sleepy eyes, and the moment he saw Lin Ruoxi's back, his eyes widened instantly.

"Xi Xi?" Xue Rui rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

Xue Rui wondered if he had acted too quickly. Gu Muxue was already at the door, so why was Lin Ruoxi still at home?

When Lin Ruoxi heard Xue Rui call her name, she slowly turned around, her face covered in tears.

Lin Ruoxi lowered her head, not daring to look Xue Rui in the eye.

This was the first time she had caused such a huge mess, and she didn't know how to face Xue Rui.

Lin Ruoxi was afraid to see the disappointment in Xue Rui's eyes, and her body trembled uncontrollably.

"I...I was wrong..."

Xue Rui was only confused for a moment before getting up and pulling Lin Ruoxi into his arms, gently comforting her, "Don't be afraid, I won't scold you."

Things have already progressed to this point, so there's no point in blaming anyone.

And speaking of which, it's his own fault for not seeing the little girl off.

"I...I set an alarm, but I still overslept..." Lin Ruoxi said weakly.

Xue Rui squinted as he recalled the incident. He vaguely remembered that an alarm clock had rung for a second in the middle of the night, which he had turned off with lightning speed.

If we're really going to be nitpicky, his muscle memory is to blame...

However, Xue Rui would not admit his mistake. He tapped Lin Ruoxi's forehead with a stern face and said, "Xixi, you are sleeping too soundly."

"Hmm..." Lin Ruoxi lowered her head even further.

"Alright, hide well for now, I'll find a chance to send you away later," Xue Rui said with a smile.

"Yes, I will hide it well," Lin Ruoxi promised.

……

Going downstairs again, Xue Rui headed straight for his front door with a clear purpose.

Not far from the small villa, a black Land Rover was parked on the side of the road. Gu Muxue stood straight on the side of the road, glancing at the direction of Xue Rui's house from time to time.

The moment she saw Xue Rui, her eyes lit up, but then she deliberately put on a stern face and turned her head to the side.

When Xue Rui walked up to her, Gu Muxue said sarcastically:
"Oh, young master, you've finally arrived riding on auspicious clouds. It's quite remarkable that you remembered the appointed time. I wonder if you were so captivated by someone's tender embrace that you forgot there's a wooden figure standing here in this cold wind..."

Yu Minlan glanced at Xue Rui with pity. Miss Gu could curse without using any vulgar words, yet every word she uttered was extremely aggressive.

Xue Rui's lips twitched uncontrollably; the little girl today was uttering nothing but harsh words from the very first word.

However, it's understandable that Gu Muxue would be furious if she were deceived and couldn't get through to anyone after making more than a dozen phone calls.

Xue Rui put on a big smile and reached out to rub Gu Muxue's ears: "My bad, go inside and warm up."

"Hmph! Take these things." Gu Muxue snorted coldly and walked towards Xue Rui's door with the gift box in her hand.

As they approached Xue Rui's house, Gu Muxue paused and whispered, "Walk ahead! Why are you standing behind me?"

"Doesn't this make you seem more important?" Xue Rui quickly said with a smile.

"It's as if I often bully you."

Gu Muxue took a deep breath and tried to compose herself.

Not angry, not angry.

In fact, Xue Rui did this for a purpose. He wanted to wait until Gu Muxue was in a better mood before telling her that Lin Ruoxi hadn't left.

After all, without Gu Muxue's cooperation, it would have been difficult for her to send Lin Ruoxi away.

Xue Rui tentatively asked, "That Mu Xue..."

"Mu Xue, what did you bring with you when you came to our house?"

Xue Jianfeng's enthusiastic shouts drowned out Xue Rui's voice.

"Here's your New Year's money, take it and go inside to warm up."

Xue Jianfeng hurriedly took the things from Gu Muxue's hands, stuffed the red envelope into Gu Muxue's hand without saying a word, pushed Gu Muxue into the living room, and then waved to Xue Rui, signaling him to come in.

Xue Rui's expression revealed a hint of disdain. His father's attitude towards the two girls was like heaven and earth.

Xue Jianfeng seemed to understand the meaning in Xue Rui's eyes, and he smiled sarcastically, "Aren't you the same?"

"I…"

For a moment, Xue Rui was speechless.

Dad's words make a lot of sense.

He gave Lin Ruoxi more care, and in return, he naturally wanted to give Gu Muxue a higher status in the family.

"Come in quickly, go back and introduce him to your grandparents."

Xue Jianfeng lifted the curtain, gestured for Xue Rui to enter, and wore a smug smile, as if he was ready to watch the spectacle unfold.

Xue Rui stood alone in the courtyard, his back view looking somewhat lonely.

He looked up at the second-floor window, took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind. (End of Chapter)