Chapter 450 - 321: Played by Lin Ruoxi

’Gu Muxue said she was giving Xue Rui to me, but Xue Rui is still in love with Gu Muxue...’

’Back at the KTV, he was so tense when he came in and held me. I was so, so happy, but my happiness was built on Gu Muxue’s pain...’

"Okay," Xue Rui nodded. He was soaking wet, and his back was even covered in muddy water. He really needed to change his clothes.

Lin Ruoxi smiled faintly and stepped forward to help Xue Rui take off his clothes.

"I can do it myself," Xue Rui sighed, swiftly taking off his clothes and walking into the bathroom.

But as he went in and started to wash, he noticed that the girl had opened the door a crack. She was peeking her head in and staring at him, giving him the distinct impression that he was being watched by a pervert.

’No, this isn’t an impression. It’s reality.’

"Rui, I want to shower with you," Lin Ruoxi said, her face flushed red.

Xue Rui stared in utter disbelief. ’Is that something a girl should say?’

"Um, we’ll save water if we shower together..." Lin Ruoxi offered an excuse, not even giving Xue Rui a chance to refuse as she shut the door behind her.

However, Xue Rui didn’t play in the water with her. He just stood there in a daze, lost in thought.

Hearing Lin Ruoxi’s words, Xue Rui couldn’t help but recall a time he had teased the girl. ’Hadn’t he used that same excuse?’

’Unfortunately, before he could act on it, he had angered her and she’d run off...’

Lin Ruoxi pouted. She didn’t know what was wrong with her; she was just afraid that the moment she turned her back, Xue Rui would disappear.

She was afraid that Xue Rui would finish his shower and tell her to take hers, and that when she came out, she would find the room completely empty. The mere thought of that moment made her heart feel hollow.

She had hidden the car keys in the toilet tank, but she was still so scared. She knew a set of keys couldn’t stop Xue Rui...

She was already very content with today, but this was her and Xue Rui’s first day in their new home. This was supposed to be a momentous occasion, one that might even call for a grand banquet to celebrate with guests...

But she had no friends or family to invite. In her world, there was only Xue Rui.

She had prepared a lot of food to celebrate, but Xue Rui was in such a terrible mood...

She was showering with him now because she wanted to make him stay, but he showed no intention of touching her today...

Lin Ruoxi didn’t want Xue Rui to leave. At least not today.

Lin Ruoxi stole a glance at Xue Rui, a flicker of determination in her eyes. She squeezed a huge glob of shampoo into her hand and, when he wasn’t looking, smeared it all over his head.

Xue Rui touched his head, but the more he rubbed, the more suds frothed up until he couldn’t open his eyes. He had seen pranks like this online, but he never imagined he would one day be the victim of one...

"Xixi?" Xue Rui gasped for breath, sweeping his arm out to the side.

But there was no one there...

’Did Lin Ruoxi just play a trick on me?’

"Xixi, what on earth are you trying to do?" Xue Rui muttered to himself, but he received no response from Lin Ruoxi.

Xue Rui couldn’t help but feel that the girl had changed. ’Even a doormat will snap if you step on it too many times. Could it be that Lin Ruoxi has finally had enough and is getting her revenge?’

’No, that’s not it. I should think about what day it is today...’

Suddenly, Xue Rui’s heart sank. For him and Gu Muxue, today was a day of sorrow.

But for him and the girl, today was supposed to be a celebration of moving into their new home...

The girl was usually very frugal and never cared about getting gifts for holidays, but she placed great importance on having a sense of occasion!

’Though, this "occasion" was something she prepared all by herself. All he had to do was show up.’

The problem was, his earlier actions of frantically searching for his keys were tantamount to saying, "I’m leaving. I can’t be with you today."

’No wonder he couldn’t find the keys. The girl must have hidden them.’

’Well, he was on Lin Ruoxi’s turf now. The girl’s temper was skyrocketing, and she was becoming a bit more assertive...’

After Lin Ruoxi left, Xue Rui kept scrubbing his head. He felt like he had to rinse for at least ten minutes to completely wash out all the shampoo.

Now his scalp felt cold, and he had the strange sensation that he’d gone bald...

"I’m done showering," Xue Rui called out to the other side of the door. Normally, the girl would come hopping in to blow-dry his hair for him.

But today was different. Lin Ruoxi didn’t answer. She had even taken the hairdryer with her, but at least she’d left him a bathrobe.

"Xixi, where are you?" Xue Rui felt a sense of unease. Lin Ruoxi had changed.

He opened the door and saw Lin Ruoxi kneeling primly at his feet...

Xue Rui’s eyes flew wide open. Lin Ruoxi always kept her word, and she never procrastinated.

’The maid outfit. She actually bought it...’

The form-fitting cut was perfect, with a white apron tied at her waist. Looking down from above, Xue Rui could see a pretty bow on her back. Beneath the puffy skirt were long legs wrapped in black stockings, her small feet fidgeting restlessly. For the first time, Xue Rui realized just how long Lin Ruoxi’s hair was; as she knelt, it cascaded down to cover her entire back...

Lin Ruoxi clutched at her skirt with her small hands, causing the hem to ride up slightly, revealing a flash of skin and a black garter on her thigh...

The warm yellow light spilled onto Lin Ruoxi’s face. Her cheeks were faintly flushed, though it was hard to tell if it was from the alcohol she’d had earlier or from embarrassment over her outfit.

’Wait, was she being choked?’

A pink collar was fastened tightly around Lin Ruoxi’s slender neck. Unlike the decorative accessories one might see at a comic convention, this collar was noticeably thicker. A metal chain was attached to the front. It looked just like the one he had bought for Da Huang...

"You..." Xue Rui’s breath came in ragged gasps. The whiplash was too much for him to process. He had thought he’d made Lin Ruoxi unhappy, but it turned out the girl was just finding new ways to please him.

Lin Ruoxi quietly raised her eyes, her flustered gaze sweeping across Xue Rui’s face before darting away as if she had received an electric shock.

She replayed his expression in her mind. ’Xue Rui seemed to like it. He kept staring at me...’

’If that’s the case...’

Lin Ruoxi raised her hands and placed the other end of the metal chain into Xue Rui’s palm. "I’ll play with you, so please be a little happier, okay?"

"C-Can you please not leave today?" Lin Ruoxi pleaded in a small voice.

Xue Rui gripped the leash tightly in his hand, momentarily speechless.

’This girl really knows what she’s doing. Kneeling before me, putting a collar on her own neck, and then handing me the leash?’

’Who could possibly resist this kind of temptation?’

Xue Rui took a deep breath to calm himself. He slowly loosened his grip on the leash. If they had spent the day happily playing, he might have gladly taken the leash and played along.

But the situation now was different. The girl was doing this to make him stay. In that case, it wasn’t playful fun anymore; it was an act of extreme, desperate submission.

"Xixi, you don’t have to do this," Xue Rui said softly, bending down to unfasten the collar from Lin Ruoxi’s neck.

The girl had fastened it too tightly; there were already red marks on her slender neck.

"I..."

However, tears instantly welled up in Lin Ruoxi’s eyes, and she grabbed his hand tightly.

Lin Ruoxi slowly shook her head, placing the leash in Xue Rui’s hand once more. Her breathing was a chaotic mess. "Rui, I... I don’t want to take it off."

’He let go of the leash. Is he still going to leave?’

’But she had already given him everything she could. She really didn’t know what else she could do to make him stay.’

She would rather be led around on a leash by Xue Rui, but he wanted to unfasten the collar from her neck...

Somehow, in that instant, she felt like she was being abandoned.

Xue Rui smiled helplessly and wiped away the girl’s tears. He reached out and gently tapped Lin Ruoxi’s nose. "Silly girl. I meant that I’m not leaving today. Don’t hurt yourself with that collar."

"Really?" Lin Ruoxi hugged Xue Rui tightly, which made the collar press even harder against her neck, causing her whole face to flush bright red.

Xue Rui seized the opportunity to unfasten Lin Ruoxi’s collar, then wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her into his arms.

Lin Ruoxi nestled lazily in Xue Rui’s embrace, her arms wrapped gently around his neck as she whispered softly in his ear:

"Rui, I was wrong. I was the one who hid the car keys."

"Mm, I know."

"Can we go to sleep now? From now on, you can have the side by the wall."

"Okay. Where did you buy the collar? The shop owner is pretty irresponsible."

"Um, at the pet store. You used to say that since Da Huang is a girl, she should wear a pink collar."

"..."