Chapter 589 - 374: Academic Exchange Group

"This week..." Jiang Yuan’s expression froze. She could see everything crystal clear from the lectern!

Xue Rui touched his face. "Keep going. Don’t stop."

Jiang Yuan paused. A phrase her middle school teachers often said flashed through her mind: ’I can see all your little antics down there perfectly clearly from up here on the stage.’

Lin Ruoxi thought Xue Rui was talking to her, so she unhesitatingly leaned in and gave him another kiss...

The A4 paper in Jiang Yuan’s hand crumpled as she gripped it tighter. She couldn’t quite describe what she was feeling right now. Xue Rui had forced her to stand at the lectern and lead the class meeting, and now she had to watch him show off his girlfriend in the audience?

"Let’s have some discipline!" Jiang Yuan reached out and tapped the blackboard.

Lin Ruoxi jumped at the sound, her face flushing red. She quickly buried her head below her desk.

"But no one’s talking," Zhang Xuelun said, looking up with a baffled expression.

"Pay attention to discipline. She’s talking about those of you playing on your phones. Put them away now," Xue Rui chimed in.

Jiang Yuan shot Xue Rui a harsh glare. "The person I’m talking about knows who they are."

Xue Rui poked Lin Ruoxi’s head and whispered Jiang Yuan’s words to her.

"Oh, she’s talking about me," Lin Ruoxi mumbled softly.

Zhang Xuelun, sitting next to Xue Rui, thought Jiang Yuan was glaring at him. He silently moved his phone under the desk to keep playing, muttering, "This tigress is so strict. Even the counselor doesn’t care this much."

Under the desk, Lin Ruoxi held a pen and paper, thinking for a long time. She didn’t know what to write, since Xue Rui hadn’t specified how much money he was "lending."

"Just write whatever, and keep it short." ’A short note will be easier to stuff into my phone case,’ Xue Rui thought. He didn’t care about its legal effect.

It wouldn’t matter even if Lin Ruoxi lost all the money.

"Okay," she agreed.

A moment later, Lin Ruoxi handed Xue Rui a slip of paper.

Xue Rui opened it curiously. Lin Ruoxi’s handwriting was as elegant as ever, yet it also had a touch of masculine strength.

[If I lose the money, I will be given to Xue Rui as his Little Wife in compensation. —Lin Ruoxi.]

When Xue Rui saw the contents of the note, his eyes instantly widened.

Calling someone "wife" was already quite intimate; many young couples used the term for each other.

But Lin Ruoxi had added the word "Little" in front, which gave it a completely different flavor.

The young woman came from a rural background and understood the customs of the old society even better than he did. Lin Ruoxi must have carefully considered that word, "Little."

With both women by his side now, Xue Rui sometimes wondered how he would handle the two of them in the future.

But before he could figure it out, Lin Ruoxi’s IOU had presented him with what felt like a high-stakes wager.

If Lin Ruoxi lost the money, she would obediently become his Little Wife.

If she succeeded, would she then compete with Gu Muxue?

Xue Rui’s scalp tingled. ’Is a future dilemma truly unavoidable?’

Xue Rui stared blankly at the strong handwriting on the note. It wasn’t that Lin Ruoxi lacked self-respect; on the contrary, she had too much of it. In the past, she would rather starve than ask for help. This compromise was what was truly out of character. For his sake, Lin Ruoxi was willing to give up all her pride.

"Is that okay?" Lin Ruoxi asked timidly, a hint of pleading in her eyes.

Xue Rui didn’t answer, but he silently tucked the note into his phone case, which was a kind of tacit agreement.

Xue Rui could "foresee" the future, but he couldn’t foresee his own.

"Mm!" Lin Ruoxi’s nose tingled. She knew he had agreed and squeezed his hand tightly.

’Xue Rui likes money, but he likes me more.’

’If I had a dowry, would I become even more important to him?’

"Xixi, when you get interviewed in the future, remember to mention my name," Xue Rui said, changing the subject.

"Oh, but I don’t want to be interviewed," Lin Ruoxi said with a pout.

"No, you do. I want to be the man behind the successful woman." Xue Rui couldn’t help but laugh as he said it.

If Lin Ruoxi’s artificial intelligence project succeeded, countless accolades would be showered upon its founder in the future.

He imagined a scene: a reporter holding a microphone asks Lin Ruoxi, "President Lin, may I ask why you chose to work in AI? Having come this far, who is the person you’d most like to thank?"

Lin Ruoxi would answer without hesitation: "Xue Rui."

’Just thinking about it feels amazing.’

But the more Xue Rui thought about it, the stranger it felt. Was he really destined to be a kept man?

"Okay, then I want to," Lin Ruoxi said, her eyes crinkling into a smile. As long as Xue Rui was happy, that was all that mattered.

After the evening study session ended, Lin Ruoxi and Xue Rui returned to Gu Muxue’s house as usual. As they walked in, Da Huang started rubbing all over Lin Ruoxi’s legs.

Yu Minlan had sent him a message half an hour ago, reporting on Gu Muxue’s activities.

"Why is Da Huang out?" Lin Ruoxi quickly went to check on Xiaobu, only to find him staying obediently in his cage.

Lin Ruoxi patted her chest in relief.

"Oh? Does Da Huang have a prior record?" Xue Rui asked curiously.

"Yeah. Back in the village, he used to chase other people’s cats and dogs. I’m afraid he’ll bully Xiaobu." Lin Ruoxi gently pressed her foot on Da Huang’s head, as if displeased with his behavior.

"Have you two eaten yet?" Gu Muxue’s voice suddenly called out from her room.

"Nope," Xue Rui replied bluntly.

He had thought about grabbing a quick bite near campus after class, but then he remembered they were staying at Gu Muxue’s house. If he and Lin Ruoxi ate beforehand, it would be like they were eating behind her back. Coincidentally, Yu Minlan had messaged him that Gu Muxue had already bought dinner...

"Oh. Then I guess you can stay hungry," Gu Muxue said languidly.

Lin Ruoxi smiled faintly. "I’ll go make you something to eat."

"I bought some stuff. It’s in the fridge, just eat that." As Gu Muxue finished speaking, she noticed Xue Rui was already standing in front of the refrigerator, as if he had anticipated it.

"Xiaoyu told me everything. You bought sushi today," Xue Rui said, popping a piece into his mouth, making no effort to hide the fact that Yu Minlan had given him a heads-up.

"Ruoxi, I bought you a hot milk tea," Gu Muxue said, taking out an insulated bag.

"Oh, thank you..." Lin Ruoxi was taken aback for a second, accepting the warm milk tea with a flattered surprise.

Xue Rui gave Lin Ruoxi a gentle push from behind and shot her a meaningful look.

"Oh, you can have it," Lin Ruoxi said, quickly offering the milk tea to Xue Rui.

Xue Rui shook his head and whispered in her ear, "Have Muxue create a group chat for us. It’ll make it easier to communicate. What if we buy dinner one day and Muxue buys it too? Wouldn’t that be a waste?"

Lin Ruoxi whispered back, "Oh, that makes sense."

Seeing Xue Rui and Lin Ruoxi whispering to each other, Gu Muxue tiptoed barefoot and snuck up behind them.

"Hm? Why do I feel a chill down my spine? Hiss..."

A bone-deep chill spread from Xue Rui’s back, making him instinctively stiffen. He turned to see the little minx standing behind him, holding a glass of pale lemonade.

"Here, your drink," Gu Muxue said, her alluring eyes holding a trace of resentment.

Lin Ruoxi said nothing, simply returning to her seat and focusing on her food.

Xue Rui gave an awkward laugh. ’She must have heard everything,’ he thought. ’Well, I’ll just add her to the group chat directly later.’

Just as Xue Rui was eating, both his and Lin Ruoxi’s phones chimed at the same time.

Xue Rui casually picked his up and saw that he and Lin Ruoxi were already in a group chat—one that Gu Muxue had created.

The group name, however, was still the default list of usernames.

"Wouldn’t it be better to just say things openly? I... I would have agreed," Gu Muxue said, her voice getting quieter and quieter.

"Really? In that case, can we change the group name?" Xue Rui asked with a smile.

The current group name was a bit jarring. His WeChat name was his real name, and so was Lin Ruoxi’s...

...while Gu Muxue’s was [Girl Who Loves Playing in the Snow].

’Actually, what Xue Rui really wanted to ask was: Can we all take a bath together?’

But he didn’t dare ask that out loud. He had, however, already asked Lin Ruoxi to ask for him.

Gu Muxue’s expression faltered for a moment before she nodded. "Sure. What do you want to change it to, Ruoxi?"

The corner of Xue Rui’s mouth twitched. She hadn’t even asked for his opinion!

Lin Ruoxi, a grain of rice stuck to the corner of her mouth, looked slightly dazed.

’As far as she was concerned, this had nothing to do with her. Xue Rui was the one in charge.’

"Um, I’ll go with whatever Xue Rui says," Lin Ruoxi replied without hesitation.

"Then you say it," Gu Muxue snapped at him.

Xue Rui unhesitatingly changed it to [A Close and Loving Family].

Gu Muxue blushed as she looked at the group name. ’What is Xue Rui thinking?’

’This name... she was actually quite satisfied with it.’

But her own family’s group chat had the same name. What if she sent a message to the wrong group in the future?

"Change it!" Gu Muxue said coldly.

"Fine."

Xue Rui shook his head and changed the group name to [Academic Exchange Group].