Free Web NovelChapter 187: Chapter 185: Sweet Romance
In the hospital room.
After setting out the meal for her grandmother, Lin Ruoxi sat down in a chair by the window.
Xue Xiaying held the grandmother’s hand, making idle small talk.
She had been to the hospital several times and had chatted with Lin Ruoxi’s grandmother before, so they weren’t exactly strangers.
Besides, the old woman really liked her.
"Ma’am, do you know about the situation between Lin Ruoxi and Xiaorui?" Xue Xiaying asked in a low voice, deliberately pulling the privacy curtain shut, afraid the other two might overhear.
The old woman’s wrinkled face crinkled into a smile. "I’m not senile yet. How could I not see it?"
Xue Xiaying was a little surprised. She really didn’t know what to make of the situation.
The old woman was Lin Ruoxi’s only living relative. If even she approved, what more could Xue Xiaying say?
"The two children are a good match, personality-wise. It’s just..." The old woman trailed off, her smile slowly fading.
Xue Rui’s mother had also come to visit her recently, and the woman before her now was his paternal aunt.
If they were back in the village, marrying young would be fine, but the children were about to go to college. It was too early to be talking about this.
She felt that the elders in Xue Rui’s family were all very kind; her granddaughter probably wouldn’t be mistreated.
But she was also well aware of their circumstances. What was Xue Rui’s family’s station in life? And what was theirs?
Their families are from different worlds. Who could guarantee what might happen down the road?
She had no power or influence. Their family couldn’t offer her granddaughter any real support, couldn’t back her up when she needed it.
She knew her granddaughter wasn’t short on money right now, but that money all came from Xue Rui. If they got into a fight someday, she wouldn’t have a leg to stand on.
If the young couple had a fight, where would her poor, silly granddaughter go? She doesn’t even have a maternal home to run back to.
Just thinking about it made her heart ache as if pierced by needles.
Xue Xiaying seemed to understand. She said, "Ma’am, please don’t worry. Xiaorui... If he ever does anything to bully Lin Ruoxi, I’ll be there to back her up."
"Yes, yes, good." The old woman gripped Xue Xiaying’s hand tightly, her eyes glistening with tears.
...
Meanwhile, Lin Ruoxi was still designing a circuit board. Whenever she encountered a component she didn’t recognize, she would post on a forum to look for an answer.
Xue Rui glanced over. "Use the paid Q&A. If no one answers, just raise the price. Offer a thousand for one question. Someone’s bound to answer."
"So much for the ’spirit of the internet.’ People are selfish," Xue Rui said with a smile.
The internet might seem like it eliminates information asymmetry, but that’s not the case at all. When it comes to the specific production details of any industry, even the non-confidential parts, you’ll rarely find anyone talking about them online.
They had to humble themselves before the old masters to gain that experience. Why would they share it with others for free?
People don’t want to create more competitors for themselves.
Of course, if you pay for an answer, someone will respond. After all, it’s money just sitting there online. If you don’t grab it, someone else will.
Lin Ruoxi looked thoughtful. ’I don’t understand what he’s saying,’ she thought. ’Lots of things online are free, right?’
"You’re the exception," Xue Rui said, pinching Lin Ruoxi’s cheek.
Lin Ruoxi would pay for answers when she ran into problems, but she would share everything she made herself for free.
The girl was a regular on various niche forums and websites, always sharing her projects. She had even made a small name for herself on GitHub.
Of course, Xue Rui never tried to stop her. To him, those seemingly complex projects were child’s play for Lin Ruoxi.
A smile touched the corners of Lin Ruoxi’s eyes, her earlier unhappiness about Qingbei completely gone.
Xue Rui liked pinching her cheek, so she leaned in closer to let him.
Suddenly, Xue Rui squeezed a little harder and asked in a low voice, "Why’d you put the condoms under the bed again?"
’Ever since this morning, Xue Xiaying has been giving us funny looks. She probably thinks I did something.’
’But I haven’t even done anything yet!’
’Why did this girl put them under the bed again? Don’t tell me the light has finally dawned? Is she hinting that it’s time to... eat?’
’Truth be told, he’d wanted to ’eat’ for a long time, but her grandmother was always watching them like a hawk...’
’If that’s really the case, then I won’t hold back anymore.’
Lin Ruoxi squeezed her eyes shut. "Sister Yu Minlan said that for them to be safe, you have to put condoms somewhere you can grab them easily. That’s why they’re called safety condoms..."
Xue Rui’s eye twitched. ’So someone put her up to this?’
’He felt that over the past two years, Gu Muxue had filled his head with knowledge, while Lin Ruoxi had forced him to develop a strong physique... and the self-control of a monk.’
Whenever this girl did something that pushed him to his limit, he would force himself through a few sets of exercises to cool down.
He could feel the girl’s deep attachment to him. As time passed, it didn’t fade; instead, it grew even more intense.
But this girl... she just didn’t get it.
Lin Ruoxi would even ask him why people on TV kissed.
When he didn’t answer, the girl would go online and look it up herself. He had no idea if she could even comprehend an emotion like love.
’In reality, all he had to do was ask, and this girl would give him anything.’ freёwebnoѵel.com
’It was just that whenever he was truly ready to make his move, looking into those clear, innocent eyes always made him feel... like he was taking advantage of a simpleton.’
’Ultimately, he didn’t want to use her like a tool.’
That was the same reason he gave Lin Ruoxi large sums of cash. If he were really just using her, he could have kept all the profits from selling the game and trading crypto. He could have given her just a few hundred bucks, and the girl would have been just as happy.
But his conscience wouldn’t allow it.
Xue Rui sighed helplessly. ’If I really can’t wait for her to figure things out,’ he thought, ’I’ll just have to take the plunge and deal with it later.’
’When she finally does understand, will she resent me?’
’Maybe...’
’Would she really resent me?’
’This girl who’s so completely obedient... get angry at him?’
’He couldn’t even imagine it.’
Just then, Yu Minlan walked into the room and gave Xue Rui a wink. "Boss Xue."
They had known each other for a long time now, so Yu Minlan was no longer so formal around Xue Rui.
"Sister Yu," Lin Ruoxi mumbled. Xue Rui was still pinching one side of her face, making it hard for her to speak clearly, but he kept pinching, and she didn’t want to pull away.
The girl’s blank look and slurred speech, just like a little kid’s, made Yu Minlan let out a snort of laughter.
"What do you want?" Xue Rui asked irritably.
’What’s the point of just teaching her where to put condoms? You need to teach her something else! Teach her how to be in a relationship!’
"I have to go back to my university in a few days. Is there anything you need my help with before I go?" Yu Minlan asked seriously.
"Yes," Xue Rui nodded. He let go of the girl’s cheek and pulled Yu Minlan over to a corner. "Teach her how to be in a relationship."
Yu Minlan looked awkward. This was a tall order. She felt it was even more difficult than securing her own permanent position...
"I... I only dated someone for a few weeks in middle school. In college, I just focused on my studies. I don’t have much experience," Yu Minlan said honestly.
She suddenly felt a pang of regret. She had learned so much in college, even earned a bunch of miscellaneous certifications.
And what came of it? She met Xue Rui and was hired on the spot, and now she spent her days working as a glorified taxi driver. All those years of schooling, everything she’d learned, all the certifications she’d earned...
...had no practical use whatsoever!
She used to think her life was fulfilling, but looking back now, she suddenly felt as if she had wasted her time and her youth. She’d never even had a single, unforgettable romance.
She’d been the good girl her whole life, and now she was full of regrets...
"It’s better that you haven’t. People who haven’t dated have the richest theoretical experience," Xue Rui said, patting Yu Minlan on the shoulder and entrusting her with this great responsibility.
’People who haven’t dated can dream up the sweetest romances. They’re much better than those jaded old pros!’
’Get a jaded pro to coach her?’
’Female pros always tell their friends to test guys, demanding this and that under the guise of "testing his sincerity."’
’That’s not love, that’s just wringing him for all he’s worth.’
’And the male pros? They just teach their buddies how to trick a girl into bed.’
’That’s not love either. That’s just being a goddamn player.’
"Didn’t I just say I dated someone for a few weeks?" Yu Minlan frowned, annoyed by his comment. "What do you mean, ’haven’t dated’?"
’Don’t two weeks count?’
But she didn’t argue with Xue Rui. Instead, she turned to look at Lin Ruoxi. Lin Ruoxi waved at her while rummaging through her backpack for snacks, as if preparing to host a good friend.
She looked troubled. ’How am I supposed to teach her?’
"I’ll give you a bonus. One hundred thousand if you can teach her," Xue Rui whispered.
Yu Minlan bit her lip. She couldn’t resist the temptation of a hundred thousand in cash. "Fine! I’ll try."
With that, an idea popped into her head. "Ruoxi, let’s watch a TV show."
She didn’t have a desk job. Most of her time was spent either driving around or staying home watching dramas.
She mostly watched sweet romantic dramas.
Yu Minlan took Lin Ruoxi’s laptop and started playing the show she was currently watching.
Of course, she didn’t start it from the beginning for Lin Ruoxi. She just picked up right where she had left off.
It just so happened to be at a part where the male and female leads steal their household registration booklet to get married. She found this scene incredibly moving—the blend of rebellion and reckless passion really resonated with her.
As they watched, she began to analyze the main characters’ motivations for Lin Ruoxi.
"Ruoxi, see, they’re truly in love, but because of family issues, their parents completely disapprove..." As Yu Minlan spoke, she suddenly felt Xue Rui’s sharp glare.
Yu Minlan’s heart sank. ’How could I be so stupid?’ she thought. ’Lin Ruoxi doesn’t have parents, and I had to go and bring them up.’
She quickly corrected herself. "Her family disapproves, so the heroine steals the household registration booklet for the hero. Just imagine, you’re the heroine now, and you have to go steal the booklet from your family."
Lin Ruoxi whispered, "Grandma disapproves?"
"I’m saying, *what if*!"
Lin Ruoxi thought for a moment, then added, "Stealing is wrong."
Yu Minlan’s eyebrow twitched. "Stealing your own family’s registration booklet isn’t the same as regular stealing."
"Mm, I know, but why do you have to steal it?"
"To get married. Otherwise, you can’t get a marriage license," Yu Minlan explained patiently. She noticed Lin Ruoxi wasn’t paying attention at all and was rummaging through her backpack for something.
She frowned, suddenly understanding the frustration a teacher must feel when they’re lecturing and a student is completely zoning out.
She waited a moment, then saw Lin Ruoxi pull a red booklet out of her bag.
The girl held up the household registration booklet, tilted her head, and said, "But... I don’t have to steal it, do I?"
