Free Web NovelChapter 189: Chapter 187: Lin Ruoxi’s Correct Answer
That evening, Xue Xiaying and Xue Rui sat side-by-side on the sofa, soaking their feet.
Xue Rui held a notebook of study notes for each subject, compiled by Gu Muxue, and was diligently reviewing them.
As the old saying goes, it’s never too late to sharpen your spear before a battle—even if it doesn’t get sharp, at least it’ll be shiny.
Besides, Gu Muxue hadn’t come to see him for the past two days, and they barely chatted online. Every morning, she would just send him a message: "You can do it. Don’t be nervous."
And just now, she had sent another: "Get some good rest."
’Gu Muxue managed to drag a slacker like me to the top of our grade,’ Xue Rui thought. ’If that girl became a teacher, she’d definitely be one of the best.’
Bored, Xue Xiaying idly picked up a white-covered notebook from the sofa with "Math" written on it. She found that the notes inside were incredibly detailed, complete with classic problems for all sorts of question types...
The layout was clear and intuitive, far more detailed than the materials the school handed out.
"Can you make a copy of this for me after your exams?" Xue Xiaying asked.
The notes were entirely handwritten, and this was the original copy.
She had seen photocopies of similar notes circulating in her class before and had assumed they were handed out by a teacher.
But now, holding the original, she immediately recognized Gu Muxue’s handwriting.
Teachers tended to remember the handwriting of the top-ranking students. Even when grading was supposed to be anonymous... for the school’s internal monthly exams, it might as well have been an open book. The teachers recognized many students’ scripts.
She, however, just wanted to keep a copy of the notes for her future students.
This kind of handwritten guide was usually compiled by veteran teachers and circulated only within a few schools. Unless someone invested the significant effort to digitize them, they rarely spread very far.
Without the original, each subsequent photocopy would just get blurrier until it became an illegible black smudge.
However, this was someone else’s hard work, so she asked Xue Rui first, planning to ask Gu Muxue about it later.
"Sure. You can have the original," Xue Rui readily agreed.
That Gu Muxue wasn’t a stingy person. He had asked her about it before, and many students who wanted a copy had already taken it to be photocopied.
"And you have the authority to decide that?" Xue Xiaying probed.
’Has their relationship really reached that stage? He can make decisions on her behalf?’
"I do," Xue Rui affirmed.
"..."
Xue Xiaying threw herself back against the sofa and reached out to gently pat the back of Xue Rui’s head.
’This nephew of mine is great in every way, except he’s too much of a player.’
’But what can I do about it?’
Just as she was thinking this, Lin Ruoxi came over carrying a towel and a kettle.
"Do you need more hot water?" Lin Ruoxi asked.
"Thank you, but I’m fine," Xue Xiaying said, a little flustered. She took the towel and began drying her feet.
’Being waited on like this really isn’t good,’ she thought. ’Especially since this isn’t some professional service; we’re just his teacher and her friend.’
’Or maybe... we’ll be family in the future?’
’Either way, I can’t accept being waited on like this. It makes me feel guilty.’
She glanced over at Xue Rui, who had propped his feet on the edge of his basin. "A little more," he said.
Lin Ruoxi smiled and nodded. She walked over with the kettle, added more hot water, and even dipped her hand in to test the temperature.
"It’s ready," the girl said in her sweet, soft voice.
Without even glancing at the basin or testing the temperature with his toe, Xue Rui decisively plunged his feet back into the water.
That unconditional trust made Xue Xiaying feel a pang of envy.
Of course, she also felt this scoundrel was getting treated far too well. She shot a secret glare at Xue Rui and silently made a sound of contempt.
Lin Ruoxi frowned. She hadn’t understood what Xue Xiaying had just done, but she felt it wasn’t right.
"Did I not teach you to have some manners when you were a child?" Xue Xiaying asked. free𝑤ebnovel.com
’He’s being so rude,’ she thought. ’This sweet girl is waiting on you hand and foot, and you can’t even say a simple thank you?’
Xue Rui rubbed his eyes. He felt dizzy and muddle-headed, a likely sign that his brain had overloaded on new information for the day...
Then again, maybe he just couldn’t focus without that girl, Gu Muxue, tutoring him.
And now, Xue Xiaying was asking him why he hadn’t thanked Lin Ruoxi.
Xue Rui could easily tell that his aunt had been walking on eggshells ever since arriving at Lin Ruoxi’s home. She would profusely thank someone for just handing her a pair of chopsticks, as if she felt deeply indebted.
’If I had the same mindset as her, feeling guilty every time Ruoxi helps me out, I would’ve drowned in guilt by now.’
’Why don’t I say thank you?’
’She does so much for me every day. If I started, I’d never stop thanking her.’
Still, he couldn’t be bothered to explain any of this to Xue Xiaying. It was too much effort. It would be easier to just say thank you to Lin Ruoxi.
"Thank you," Xue Rui said sincerely.
Xue Xiaying nodded in satisfaction, like a parent watching their child admit a mistake and make amends.
But then, the girl grew unhappy. The corners of her rosy lips turned down slightly.
Watching Lin Ruoxi’s reaction, Xue Xiaying thought, ’Saying thank you only after being prompted is completely different from saying it on your own initiative. I’d be unhappy too if I were her.’
Xue Xiaying gave an awkward smile, about to explain to Lin Ruoxi that this was just Xue Rui’s difficult personality.
But before she could speak, Lin Ruoxi’s expression visibly changed.
The girl’s nose started to prickle, and tears began to well up in her eyes...
A moment later, tears streamed from her eyes, and she was crying her heart out.
"Are... are we... not best friends anymore?"
Xue Rui had told her that best friends don’t say "thank you" to each other.
And Xue Rui was a man of his word; he hadn’t said "thank you" to her in a year, and she hadn’t said it to him, either.
But just now, Xue Rui had said "thank you" to her...
With graduation season approaching, all sorts of stories were circulating online, many of them filled with the sadness of farewell and parting ways.
She was terrified that Xue Rui wouldn’t be by her side in the future.
To her, Xue Rui’s "thank you" sounded like him saying, ’We won’t be together anymore, so we’re not best friends now.’
Xue Rui was completely baffled. ’What’s going on?’ he wondered.
’Just one "thank you," and she actually started crying?’
The truth was, since Xue Rui wasn’t sure how he would do on his college entrance exams, he hadn’t made any clear plans for what would happen afterward.
Every time Lin Ruoxi asked him which university he planned to attend, Xue Rui would just say, "We’ll see how the exams go."
He never gave her a straight answer.
As the exams drew nearer day by day, the girl’s nerves had become increasingly frayed.
This single "thank you" had undoubtedly struck a sharp, discordant note on her already taut nerves.
Xue Xiaying covered her mouth in disbelief. ’Why?’
’Why is Lin Ruoxi reacting like this? All he said was "thank you," it’s not like he was breaking up with her.’
Xue Rui sank into thought. After a moment of reflection, he instantly understood the root of the problem.
The girl’s memory was terrifyingly good, like a human tape recorder. She remembered every single word he ever said to her with perfect clarity.
He *had* told her that "best friends don’t say thank you to each other."
’Damn my stupid mouth. Why did I have to thank her?’
He cursed inwardly, shooting a resentful glare at Xue Xiaying.
He was already shifting the blame in his head. ’If you hadn’t kept hinting at it, would I have said thank you?’
Xue Xiaying’s expression was blank. She couldn’t understand.
’I was just trying to give a helpful reminder. How did things turn out like this?’
Xue Rui was glaring at her, clearly unhappy with what she’d done, and Lin Ruoxi was crying her eyes out. It was as if she was the one who’d made her cry.
A cold sweat broke out on her back. ’What on earth did I do wrong?’
’Why did this have to happen at such a critical time?’
Xue Xiaying felt like her head was going to explode. She couldn’t make sense of their relationship, but she knew this was all her fault. Just a few minutes ago, Lin Ruoxi had been all smiles while adding water for Xue Rui.
Xue Xiaying went over, placed a hand on Lin Ruoxi’s back, and rubbed it gently. "What’s wrong?" she asked softly. "Tell me."
Lin Ruoxi choked out, "Best friends... don’t say ’thank you’ to each other."
Xue Xiaying froze. ’What is this about?’
’I know how resilient this girl is. Poverty and exhaustion have never broken her, but now she’s crying like this over a single sentence from Xue Rui?’
Xue Rui beckoned Lin Ruoxi over. He cupped the girl’s cheeks and said seriously, "Of course we’re best friends. You just misheard me. I didn’t say thank you."
He felt like he was coaxing a child.
Xue Xiaying stared at Xue Rui in disbelief. ’Can you just take back something you said?’
She was starting to understand. ’This young couple must have a rule about not saying "thank you." Xue Rui just broke that rule, and that’s what made Lin Ruoxi so upset.’
’But Xue Rui is clearly the one in the wrong here!’
’How can he be so shameless as to say "you misheard me"? Is he treating her like an idiot?’
’Will Lin Ruoxi actually believe that?’
She felt that Xue Rui really didn’t understand girls at all, and was about to tell him to apologize to Lin Ruoxi.
"Xiaorui, hurry up and apologize to Lin Ruoxi," Xue Xiaying urged in a whisper.
However, Lin Ruoxi had sharp ears. She sniffled and said, "Best friends don’t apologize to each other, either."
The corner of Xue Xiaying’s eye twitched. ’These two sure have a lot of rules,’ she thought.
Lin Ruoxi looked at Xue Rui seriously and said, "Oh, then I must have misheard you just now."
After saying this, the girl was instantly happy again. She pulled a tissue from the coffee table, dabbed at her small nose, folded the tissue, and dabbed again...
Xue Xiaying covered her face with one hand. She was truly at a loss for words.
’It was so obviously Xue Rui’s fault, yet he managed to pin the blame squarely on Lin Ruoxi’s head, right in front of me, without even trying to be discreet.’
’And the most important part was, Lin Ruoxi believed him without a single doubt...’
Her entire worldview was being turned upside down by these two. The shock she felt was beyond words.
Xue Rui smiled. ’Of course I’m not going to admit I was wrong,’ he thought. ’If I apologized, Lin Ruoxi would be just as unhappy. It’s better to just shift the blame directly onto her.’
’She’ll believe it anyway. Even if she has her doubts, as long as I’m firm about it, she’ll convince herself that she’s the one who made the mistake.’
’For Lin Ruoxi, I am the correct answer.’
「That night, at bedtime.」
Lying in the bottom bunk beneath Xue Rui, Xue Xiaying felt she had finally figured things out. Xue Rui and Lin Ruoxi had their own unique dynamic.
Furthermore, Lin Ruoxi never doubted a word Xue Rui said; she would believe and obey him unconditionally.
But this applied only to Xue Rui.
That explained why, back at school, Lin Ruoxi would do whatever Xue Rui told her to do.
After a long silence, Xue Xiaying said, "Xiaorui, don’t let Lin Ruoxi down in the future."
However, all she heard in response was the sound of faint snoring from the bunk above.
She clenched her jaw, her teeth making a soft grinding sound.
