Chapter 447 - 320: We Owe Each Other Nothing

Inside private room 888.

After shooing the waiter away, Gu Muxue couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of Lin Ruoxi’s face, which was covered in lipstick marks. She figured her own face probably looked about the same.

They’d had their fun. It was time to wash their faces and put an end to all this.

"Let’s go wash our faces. And from now on, don’t let him get away with anything. You have to smear lipstick all over his face for me one day," Gu Muxue said, searching the sofa for her bag so she could tie up her hair.

Lin Ruoxi had a bad feeling. Gu Muxue’s words today were tinged with a sense of farewell, as if she wouldn’t be around anymore.

She felt torn. A part of her wanted Xue Rui all to herself, but she didn’t want Gu Muxue to leave, because she knew Xue Rui would be unhappy if Gu Muxue left.

"From now on... you should do it yourself," Lin Ruoxi said weakly, glancing at Gu Muxue. She took the hair tie from her own hair and handed it to her.

Gu Muxue had told her a lot of things: how to have an equal relationship with Xue Rui, how to keep him in line...

Gu Muxue was like a big sister, and Lin Ruoxi really liked her.

Gu Muxue didn’t respond, just stared at Lin Ruoxi in silence.

Lin Ruoxi could accept Gu Muxue, but Gu Muxue couldn’t accept Lin Ruoxi.

Lin Ruoxi thought they were already friends, but Gu Muxue had never agreed to it.

The reason she didn’t outright deny it was because Lin Ruoxi was always by Xue Rui’s side. After she left Chang’an, she still wanted to hear news about Xue Rui from time to time.

From the very beginning, she had been the one guiding their interactions. The lighthearted, pleasant atmosphere right now was entirely her own creation.

’Why do you think I’m leaving? Isn’t it because of you?’ Gu Muxue thought. Lin Ruoxi’s timid and submissive nature made her deeply uncomfortable.

She didn’t say it out loud, but Lin Ruoxi still noticed the shift in her mood.

"You, you should go wash your face first." Lin Ruoxi pressed the hair tie into Gu Muxue’s hand.

"Thanks for the hair tie." Gu Muxue averted her gaze.

After Gu Muxue went into the restroom, Lin Ruoxi didn’t know what to do. Both her phone and Gu Muxue’s were turned off. She lowered her head and started picking up the shards of glass on the floor.

She could feel that Gu Muxue didn’t like her. She had just been playing along earlier, and now it seemed like they could never be friends...

’That’s right. Gu Muxue had never agreed to it.’

’It feels like I’ve ruined everything. Why is getting along with people so hard?’

As this thought crossed Lin Ruoxi’s mind, two streams of tears slid from the corners of her eyes.

...

Just then, Xue Rui jogged all the way to the door of Room 888. He quickly peeked inside. ’It seems empty?’

His heart was in his throat. From what he’d overheard the waiters discussing, it sounded like the two of them had gotten into a fight. A bloody one.

But he didn’t have time to ask for details, since they were all in the same KTV. He took a deep breath and decisively pushed open the heavy door.

The KTV was decorated in a nightclub style, with black tiles covering even the walls and floor. The private room was dimly lit. Only a few inconspicuous spotlights in the corners were on, barely allowing him to make out the scene inside.

Xue Rui scanned the room and saw Lin Ruoxi crouching nearby, her hair unbound. On the floor tiles in front of her was a puddle of dark red liquid.

Hearing someone enter, Lin Ruoxi slowly lifted her head, her eyes meeting Xue Rui’s.

In Xue Rui’s eyes, Lin Ruoxi’s face was full of helplessness and exhaustion, with two streaks of bloody tears running down her cheeks...

Xue Rui froze on the spot. He didn’t have time to tell if it was actually blood on Lin Ruoxi’s face. His mind went blank as he rushed forward, bent down, and pulled her into his arms.

"Xixi, are you okay?" Xue Rui’s breathing was ragged as he held Lin Ruoxi tightly.

The scene triggered a memory of Lin Ruoxi falling from a building, making his heart pound uncontrollably. He frantically checked her for injuries.

"Rui, stay back. The red wine bottle broke, there’s glass on the floor." Lin Ruoxi pushed Xue Rui back onto the sofa.

"It’s not blood? You scared me to death," Xue Rui muttered to himself, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

He had just touched the girl’s face, and now his hands and clothes were also covered in lipstick...

Lin Ruoxi was in a daze. How did Xue Rui know they were here?

But that didn’t matter. He was holding her so tightly now, and he seemed incredibly tense, his whole body trembling... ’Did my appearance frighten him?’

"Rui, I’m fine. What’s wrong?"

’Xue Rui’s heart is beating so fast, and he’s shaking. I have to comfort him.’

Lin Ruoxi closed her eyes and placed a light kiss on Xue Rui’s cheek. She cupped the back of his head with one hand and gently patted his back with the other, as if soothing a child.

Xue Rui took several deep breaths to calm himself. He knew he suffered from psychological trauma, and his trembling was a stress response.

’But I don’t want to explain. All that matters is that she’s safe.’

Lin Ruoxi held on to Xue Rui tightly, greedily taking in everything about him. He had shown up right when she was at her lowest.

Xue Rui sniffed gently. There was a strong smell of alcohol on Lin Ruoxi’s breath, and her cheek, pressed against his, felt a little hot.

He recalled that girl’s strange behavior today, how it all seemed to be aimed at Lin Ruoxi. And after she’d texted him, both of their phones had been turned off.

Xue Rui knew this was all that girl’s doing.

’But what happened to Lin Ruoxi? Her face is covered in lipstick, and she’s been forced to drink a lot of red wine. Did that girl do this, too? Isn’t this just bullying?’

"Muxue went too far. Let’s go home," Xue Rui said comfortingly.

Lin Ruoxi’s eyes flew open. ’I did drink,’ she remembered, ’but I wanted to! It had nothing to do with Gu Muxue!’