Rebirth: Saving the Lovely Girl from the Start

Xue Rui instinctively wanted to stop her, but anything he did now would just make him look guilty.

So, he found a spot where he could see the two of them and calmly sat down to eat.

Lin Ruoxi was picking at her food with small bites, her eyes glued to her phone screen.

Suddenly, Lin Ruoxi noticed someone sit down across from her. She glanced up to see who it was.

When she saw it was Gu Muxue, Lin Ruoxi tensed up and choked on the rice in her mouth, breaking into a fit of coughing.

"COUGH COUGH..."

Lin Ruoxi instinctively turned her head under the table, afraid her coughing would disturb others while they were eating.

Gu Muxue glanced curiously at the phone on Lin Ruoxi’s table—it was the latest iPhone 5.

She had heard that Lin Ruoxi’s family was very poor. This phone was far beyond Lin Ruoxi’s means.

She was now more certain than ever that Xue Rui had bought it for her.

It suddenly occurred to her that Xue Rui had probably used *her* money to buy it. A wave of bitterness washed over her, and her heart ached.

She glanced at the phone on the table. Lin Ruoxi was searching online: "What to do if you’re too tall?"

Gu Muxue felt another pang of discomfort. It was something she was actually a bit insecure about, yet here was this girl worrying about being *too* tall?

Gu Muxue took out a pack of tissues and offered it to her. "Thanks for the tissues the other day."

She remembered this girl had given her a pack of tissues when Xue Rui made her cry before.

Lin Ruoxi’s face was flushed from coughing, and a few tears had squeezed out of her eyes. She waved her hand. "I have my own."

Xue Rui didn’t let her randomly accept things from others. If they left a name, he’d have someone return it. If not, she was to give it away to someone else. She wasn’t allowed to eat it or keep it for herself.

Lin Ruoxi took out her own tissues, blew her nose, glanced around, then wrapped up the used tissue and put it in her pocket, just like a little kid.

"Hello, my name is Gu Muxue. We see each other on the awards stage pretty often," Gu Muxue said with a polite smile.

She was so angry she could grind her teeth, but this girl was so naive that she couldn’t bring herself to be mad at her.

She felt it was all Xue Rui’s fault.

Lin Ruoxi’s expression was dazed. She was actually a little afraid of Gu Muxue. ’This girl hits people...’

She clutched the phone in her palm, nervously rubbing it.

Xue Rui’s mind was a mess. He really wanted to sneak over and listen to what they were talking about.

After hesitating for a long time, he decided to call Lin Ruoxi.

Xue Rui put the phone to his ear, his eyes fixed on the corner of the cafeteria.

Hong Zihan also came and sat next to Xue Rui. He figured Xue Rui wasn’t actually that scary—just a bit vulgar. His suggestions, however, had been quite sincere.

He stuck a straw into a milk tea and placed it on the cafeteria table.

Before he could even sit down, he saw Xue Rui pick up his milk tea and start drinking it.

"That’s my milk tea," Hong Zihan reminded him.

"Sorry, here." Xue Rui also realized how distracted he was to have just drunk someone else’s drink.

Hong Zihan looked at the chewed-up straw with a disgusted expression. He sighed in resignation. "Forget it, you can have it..."

...

"I... I rec... ognize you."

Lin Ruoxi was very nervous, her words coming out in a stutter.

She always got a little nervous when facing peers she didn’t know well.

Gu Muxue was a bit surprised. ’This girl has a stutter? Mei Lili never mentioned that.’

Mei Lili noticed Gu Muxue’s confusion and leaned in to whisper, "Muxue, she’ll be fine in a moment. She was the same way the first time I talked to her."

Suddenly, Lin Ruoxi felt her phone vibrate. It was a call from Xue Rui, and he had also sent a text message.

[Answer the phone. Don’t say anything.]

Lin Ruoxi didn’t know why, but since Xue Rui told her to do it, she did.

Gu Muxue had no idea that while it looked like the two of them were talking, Xue Rui was actually listening in from a short distance away.

Xue Rui could have had Lin Ruoxi mislead Gu Muxue—Lin Ruoxi would have cooperated unconditionally—but doing so would have made his conscience uneasy. He just planned to listen to what they were saying.

Lin Ruoxi glanced down at her phone screen. It showed that the call was in progress. It was as if Xue Rui was holding her hand, which calmed her down a lot.

"Hello. I recognize you, too."

Now that she was more relaxed, Lin Ruoxi was no longer stuttering as much.

Xue Rui’s heart sank. ’It’s over...’ he thought. ’Why did she go back to normal?’

"I’m very curious, how did your grades improve so quickly? I’d like to learn from you," Gu Muxue said with a smile.

Lin Ruoxi’s rate of improvement was terrifying. She went from being a regular top student to the level of a science stream champion in the span of a single exam, and after that, she consistently scored above 745 every time.

If she was a genius, why hadn’t anyone noticed before?

She planned to chat with Lin Ruoxi about school stuff first. If she brought up Xue Rui right away, her intentions would be too obvious. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Lin Ruoxi thought about how Gu Muxue was Xue Rui’s good friend and even tutored him. She was actually very grateful, since she couldn’t teach Xue Rui herself.

She thought for a moment and answered truthfully, "Xue Rui won’t let me control my scores, and I’m too stupid to teach anyone."

Xue Rui’s palms began to sweat. ’Isn’t the little brat usually quiet? Why is she blurting everything out today?’

’The main thing is, why bring me up out of the blue?’

Gu Muxue froze. ’So Xue Rui is involved in this?’

’But why mention Xue Rui specifically?’

’The future provincial science stream champion is calling herself too stupid? What kind of logic is that?’

’How demoralizing must that be for students like them who were struggling to catch up?’

’Who says things like that?’

Gu Muxue felt like Lin Ruoxi was showing off, but after taking a good look at her, she saw that the girl’s attitude was sincere, even a little downcast...

"Are you and Xue Rui close?" Mei Lili asked, getting straight to the point.

Lin Ruoxi was a little lost when she heard that question.

Interpersonal relationships were something she couldn’t comprehend. ’What does "being close" even mean?’

’She and Xue Rui are together often, does that count as being very close?’

Gu Muxue’s heart was pounding. She hadn’t dared to ask the question herself, afraid of getting an affirmative answer.

She had come over today simply because she couldn’t hold back any longer.

Lin Ruoxi glanced around before looking toward the distant Xue Rui with a questioning gaze.

Xue Rui felt like his head was about to split open.

Lin Ruoxi knew he could hear her. That look was asking him: *Are we close or not?*

If he answered no, it would definitely hurt the little brat’s feelings.

If he answered yes, then Gu Muxue...

Xue Rui subconsciously weighed the pros and cons, but faced with Lin Ruoxi’s pitiful gaze, he could only nod and answer truthfully.

"Xue Rui and I are very close."

After getting Xue Rui’s confirmation, the corners of Lin Ruoxi’s eyes crinkled with a smile, and a spark of liveliness appeared in her gaze.

However, the light in the eyes of Gu Muxue, who sat opposite her, suddenly vanished, as if veiled by a thin layer of haze.

"He found me a place to live, gives me food, gives me work..."

Lin Ruoxi was in a good mood, so she became a little more talkative.

Xue Rui covered his face and repeatedly banged his head on the metal cafeteria table.

’Of all the times, this girl just had to get chatty now.’

’It’s like she’s doing it on purpose just to target me.’

Xue Rui began to wonder, was Lin Ruoxi’s usual ditziness all an act? Who was the hunter, and who was the prey?

They say... the most skilled hunters often appear in the guise of prey.

With every word Gu Muxue heard, her heart felt as if it were being pricked by a needle. A single tear slid from the corner of her eye.

"What’s wrong?" Lin Ruoxi asked, offering her the tissues.

"It’s nothing. An eyelash got in my eye," Gu Muxue said, realizing her composure was slipping and quickly adjusting.

Gu Muxue realized this girl was so naive she didn’t have a conniving bone in her body. She thought it was very likely Xue Rui would take advantage of a girl like this, and she wondered just how far things had gone between them.

"I’ve known him for over ten years. He’s a total rogue. Has he tried to take advantage of you?" Gu Muxue put on a smile, her tone light and joking, as if she and Lin Ruoxi had known each other for years.

Hearing this, Lin Ruoxi suddenly looked guilty. Her eyes darted around, and she subtly shrank her neck...

She had looked up what "taking advantage" meant online. If anyone was taking advantage of anyone, it was her who had taken advantage of Xue Rui while he was sleeping.

And she’d even gotten yelled at by Xue Rui for it.

Xue Rui was stunned. ’Why are you shutting up now, right when you’re supposed to be talking?’

’And with that guilty look, you’re making it seem like I actually did take advantage of you!’

’I really didn’t do anything!’ Xue Rui screamed internally.

Xue Rui couldn’t take it anymore. He sent a text to Lin Ruoxi: *Just tell the truth.*

Lin Ruoxi saw Xue Rui’s text, took a deep breath, and said timidly, "If I get too close, he gets mad at me."

Xue Rui let out a huge sigh of relief.

Gu Muxue’s expression went blank. This wasn’t what she had imagined.

’Xue Rui looks for any chance to take advantage of me, so why not Lin Ruoxi?’

’Lin Ruoxi is so beautiful. Is there really any man who wouldn’t be moved?’

’Why would Lin Ruoxi get scolded for getting close to Xue Rui?’

’Does that mean... I’m the special one?’

As this thought occurred to Gu Muxue, a sense of relief suddenly bloomed in her heart.

But she was still furious, so angry she wanted to take a bite out of Xue Rui.

The truth was, Xue Rui didn’t have absolute confidence in his own self-control. And that girl, Lin Ruoxi, had no sense of personal space; she only knew that getting closer to Xue Rui made her happy.

But she was oblivious to the fact that her actions were testing the limits of his restraint. He wanted to make a move but couldn’t, which was why he always ended up yelling at her.

"I’m full. Take your time," Gu Muxue said as she picked up her tray and left with Mei Lili.

Lin Ruoxi found it very strange. ’Gu Muxue obviously didn’t have a single bite. How could she be full?’

But she didn’t dwell on it, simply lowering her head to finish the rest of the food on her plate.

Gu Muxue felt that communicating with Lin Ruoxi was exhausting.

Lin Ruoxi often gave answers that were completely off-topic. Unless she was incredibly blunt, the girl couldn’t understand the hidden meaning behind her words, and sometimes she would just fall silent out of nowhere...

’With a personality like that, no wonder she eats alone every day.’

"Muxue, was the cafeteria food not to your liking today?" Xue Rui asked, knowing full well what the answer was.

When Gu Muxue walked past Xue Rui, she shot him a cold glance.

"Did you get taller?" Xue Rui asked, a little surprised. Gu Muxue clearly looked much taller than usual, almost as tall as Lin Ruoxi.

He glanced down at Gu Muxue’s shoes. The soles looked thick, and there were probably shoe lifts inside...

Gu Muxue clenched her teeth. As she passed by Xue Rui, she secretly stomped on his foot.