Chapter 464 326: One More Sister's Love (Part 2)

"Xixi, I can do it myself..." Aunt Ren's eyes smarted. Her own two children had never washed her feet for her...

Schools often assigned homework where you had to wash your mother's feet and write an essay about the experience.

But those two brats of hers! They always just looked up what to write online...

"I'm used to it. My grandma has a bad back, so she can't bend over."

Lin Ruoxi said. She didn't think it was a big deal. She often washed Xue Rui's feet and socks, and they would even play in the water for a bit.

As soon as she was done washing Aunt Ren's feet, she could go find Xue Rui. The thought made her happy.

"Have you and Xiaorui... d-done... *that*?" Ren Qunfang asked in a low voice.

Lin Ruoxi froze for a moment. 'She must mean *that*...'

"Mm," she acknowledged with a faint nod.

Ren Qunfang clenched her jaw, silently cursing, 'That irresponsible bastard!'

"Xixi, what would you think about becoming my daughter?" Ren Qunfang asked, testing the waters. She'd actually been thinking about this for a while.

Lin Ruoxi somehow had so much in common with a woman her age. They had even discussed which wild vegetables tasted best.

Sometimes, she felt as if Lin Ruoxi was from her own generation.

In reality, she knew it was only because Lin Ruoxi came from a poor family that they had so much to talk about.

She often told people that kids these days were raised with silver spoons in their mouths, but now that she'd actually met a young person she could relate to, her heart ached for her...

If Lin Ruoxi and her son's relationship developed naturally and they became family, that would be wonderful. The problem was Xue Rui, the unpredictable variable.

Technically, since they weren't married, Lin Ruoxi was a guest and should have been waited on. Instead, Lin Ruoxi was always bustling around the house, doing all sorts of chores that weren't her responsibility.

Was it really 'habit,' as Lin Ruoxi claimed?

Or was it the insecurity that came with living under someone else's roof?

Every child is headstrong. A child who isn't headstrong is one who never had the chance to be.

Lin Ruoxi had never had the privilege of being willful. That was part of why she was so 'sensible,' wasn't it?

Lin Ruoxi looked up, her expression dazed. 'What does Aunt Ren mean?'

'Her daughter...'

'Does she mean... marrying Xue Rui?'

Her heart hammered in her chest, and her head felt fuzzy.

Ren Qunfang realized her words might have been misleading and quickly clarified, "I mean as my goddaughter. You'd be like a real daughter to me. I'll treat you just like I treat Yaoyao."

Now that Xue Rui had taken everything from her, she wanted to give Lin Ruoxi a status in their family that would never change, no matter what happened.

"From now on, no matter what happens between you and Xiaorui, you'll always be my daughter. Okay?" Ren Qunfang said.

A lump formed in Lin Ruoxi's throat. The weight of this new identity was too much; she couldn't accept it.

Flustered, Lin Ruoxi said reflexively, "Aunt Ren, I... I have to discuss this with Rui. And Uncle Xue and Yaoyao don't know..."

"What's there to discuss with them? This is between you and me. You don't need to worry about your Uncle Xue..." Ren Qunfang said assuredly.

'She knew Xie Jianfeng well. If he really disliked Lin Ruoxi, the watch he'd been planning to give away wouldn't now be on Lin Ruoxi's wrist.'

'Xue Yao was very fond of Lin Ruoxi, though she wasn't sure if her daughter would be on board with the idea.'

"I... I'll do what Xue Rui says," Lin Ruoxi repeated, her head bowed.

Ren Qunfang sighed. This was Lin Ruoxi's biggest problem: she deferred to her son on everything.

She added, "There's a long road ahead of you two. It would be best if you and Xiaorui could end up together, of course. But if he ever acts like a jerk, you come straight to me and tell on him..."

She didn't want Lin Ruoxi to get the wrong idea; of course, in her heart, she truly wanted Lin Ruoxi as a daughter-in-law.

Even though it felt like a betrayal to the Gu Family's daughter—she could already imagine how guilty she'd feel around Zhao Lizhen—she really wanted to give Lin Ruoxi some security...

'It was all that bastard son of hers' fault for stirring up all this trouble! Making this poor girl suffer so much for no reason.'

Lin Ruoxi remained silent, simply drying Ren Qunfang's feet with a towel.

Ren Qunfang knew she had to get Xue Rui's approval. But given his talent for balancing acts, would he even let Lin Ruoxi agree?

She took out her phone, unlocked it, and dialed Xue Rui's number, planning to sweet-talk him into agreeing over the phone.

"Aunt Ren, we have the same password," Lin Ruoxi said with a blink. Aunt Ren's phone password was also Xue Rui's birthday.

Ren Qunfang laughed. "Then what's Xiaorui's password?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.

'She felt a knot of nervousness in her stomach. Whose birthday was Xue Rui's phone password?'

'Lin Ruoxi's? Or Gu Muxue's?'

"His password is your birthday," Lin Ruoxi said softly.

Ren Qunfang's eyes reddened. 'My son's password... is my birthday?'

'What mother wouldn't be moved by that?'

'They say a son is a son 'til he gets a wife, but her son still put her first in his heart?'

Xue Rui, completely unaware of what was happening, had just drifted off to sleep when a phone call startled him awake. 'It's from my own mom?'

'Their house isn't exactly small, but she couldn't be bothered to walk a few steps?'

He sighed and hit the answer button. "Mom, what's up?"

Hearing Xue Rui's drowsy voice on the other end, Ren Qunfang, who had been about to chew him out, suddenly felt her heart soften.

"Xiaorui, you always listen to your mother, don't you?" Ren Qunfang asked softly.

The moment Xue Rui heard that gentle tone, he knew something was seriously wrong.

'Since when was his mom in such a good mood?'

"Mom, are you okay? I'm coming over right now," Xue Rui said, concerned, already getting out of bed to put on his shoes.

Ren Qunfang's voice turned cold. "What would you come over for? I'm just asking you one thing. Give me a yes or a no."