Chapter 636
Little Moon and Little Sun
We can't put Xue Rui in a difficult position, but we also can't let Xue Rui...
Lin Ruoxi's fingertips danced lightly across the 3x3 grid, adding "conditions" one by one like writing code, afraid of making a bug, completely forgetting that she was trying to make Gu Muxue happy...
Lin Ruoxi was so engrossed in typing that she didn't even notice that Xue Rui had been standing behind her for a while.
Xue Rui frowned, unable to understand what Lin Ruoxi and Gu Muxue were talking about...
Based on the previous chat logs, it seems that Lin Ruoxi apologized to Gu Muxue.
Or perhaps he was just trying to appease Gu Muxue?
But what's with all those "discipline" characters in the input box?
This is practically forcing Gu Muxue to sign an "unequal treaty".
Just as Lin Ruoxi was about to press the send button, Xue Rui stood on tiptoe and suddenly snatched Lin Ruoxi's phone away.
"ah!"
Startled by Xue Rui, Lin Ruoxi reflexively raised her head, and the back of her head bumped straight into Xue Rui's chin.
"Hi~"
Xue Rui was hit hard and was now covering his face, making hissing sounds.
Xue Rui didn't know what had gotten into him, but his mouth was watering.
Lin Ruoxi turned around, her expression flustered, and cupped Xue Rui's face in her hands, asking with concern:
"Did you bite your tongue? Let me see!"
Before Xue Rui could speak, he felt a trickle of saliva drool from the corner of his mouth.
Lin Ruoxi checked Xue Rui's tongue to make sure there was no bleeding, then wiped the corner of his mouth with a pained expression.
"If you want to see my phone, just tell me directly."
Lin Ruoxi pulled Xue Rui to sit on the edge of the bed.
Just as Xue Rui was about to say something, Lin Ruoxi put a finger to his lips, and her helpless yet gentle voice reached his ear, as if she were coaxing a child:
"If your tongue hurts, don't talk. How about I get you a glass of ice water to hold in your mouth for a while?"
Lin Ruoxi gently stroked Xue Rui's hair, bent down and lightly touched Xue Rui's forehead, then left with light steps.
This kiss is an apology, because Xue Rui doesn't allow people to say sorry.
Xue Rui stared blankly at Lin Ruoxi's departing figure, his heart filled with mixed emotions...
Every time he shows the slightest weakness, Lin Ruoxi switches from a "cute girlfriend" to a "motherly girlfriend".
Xue Rui looked at Gu Muxue's profile picture in his hand and recalled the voice message from earlier, feeling that something was off.
Did Gu Muxue take the initiative to "send a kiss"?
It's like the sun has risen in the west.
When someone who is usually not good with words suddenly starts showing kindness, it's usually a sign they're about to ask for money.
However, this does not apply to Gu Muxue...
What else is there?
By the way, before a guy starts playing a game, he always interacts with his girlfriend a lot, mostly to actively drain her emotions and make her overlook certain things.
What is Gu Muxue planning to do, and is she going to keep it from me?
That's not right either...
Gu Muxue was completely open with him, telling him everything.
Unless... things are really complicated.
"Mu Xue, your opinion is my opinion, and I will listen to you. Your affairs are my affairs. Have you been unhappy about anything lately?"
On the other side of the screen.
Gu Muxue tilted her head, pressed the phone speaker to her ear, and listened to Xue Rui's voice message over and over again, her little feet rhythmically patting the bed...
Gu Muxue regretted sending the "kissing voice message" as soon as she did so, because her behavior was somewhat unusual.
She wanted to back out, but hesitated at the last moment, thinking that since Xue Rui had already listened, it would be strange to back out now.
But for some reason, even though she said goodnight, she always hoped that Xue Rui would ask her to stay a little longer and chat a little more...
In fact, this is just the personality of a strong-willed girl like Gu Muxue.
They are not unaware of the principle that "the squeaky wheel gets the grease."
As long as you cry because you're a girl, someone will always help you share the burden.
But in their minds, they always equate "I need care" with "I am vulnerable".
What they want is not "I'll help you," but "I care about you."
Girls like this often become increasingly lonely as they grow older.
Gu Muxue regarded Xue Rui as her future haven.
But she didn't want to "dock at the port," she just wanted to find an excuse to dock and rest for a while.
Xue Rui's answer was just right.
Show respect first, then show care.
"Xiao Rui, what have you put in my heart?"
Gu Muxue muttered to herself, clutching her rapidly beating chest as if something was about to jump out!
She quickly grabbed a pillow and pressed it tightly against herself, then rolled around on the bed a few more times...
After Gu Muxue calmed down, she rubbed her stiff face, coughed a few times to make her tone as natural as possible, and then pressed the record button.
……
"Xiao Rui, don't overthink it. I just wanted to comfort you because you can't see the moon."
Goodnight, the moon is asleep.
Hearing Gu Muxue's sweet voice coming from the speaker, Xue Rui nodded in satisfaction:
Goodnight, my little moon.
After turning off the screen, Xue Rui noticed that Lin Ruoxi was leaning against the door, holding a glass that was emitting cold air, which seemed to be for reducing the swelling on his tongue.
Lin Ruoxi stared blankly for a moment, a faint smile playing on her lips.
She had been worried about Gu Muxue, but now it seems that was unnecessary. Xue Rui's mind is still so perceptive; he can always guess what she and Gu Muxue are thinking.
"Little Sun, what are you standing there staring at?"
Xue Rui naturally gave Lin Ruoxi a new nickname.
Since he just called Gu Muxue "Little Moon," he naturally wanted to give one to Lin Ruoxi as well.
Xue Rui felt that the nickname "Little Sun" suited Lin Ruoxi very well; the morning sun is warm but not scorching, bright but gentle.
Lin Ruoxi snapped out of her daze, her eyes wide and her posture ramrod straight. She pointed to herself: "Little...Little Sun?"
"Yes, they're calling you," Xue Rui nodded.
"Little Sun brings you water."
Lin Ruoxi held the water glass with both hands and brought it to Xue Rui's lips: "This is ice water, don't swallow it."
Xue Rui kept his mouth tightly shut and gave Lin Ruoxi an "OK" sign.
Lin Ruoxi, on the other hand, imitated Xue Rui by taking a big mouthful of water and puffing her cheeks out.
She wanted to play with Xue Rui.
Seeing that Lin Ruoxi was lost in thought again, Xue Rui waved his hand, pointed to Lin Ruoxi's head, and then drew a circle on his own head.
It roughly means: What are you thinking about?
Lin Ruoxi puffed out her cheeks and started gesturing to Xue Rui.
She first drew a circle in the air, then pointed to herself, then drew another circle at the other end and pointed to the view outside the window.
Finally, she blinked and pointed her finger at Xue Rui's nose.
Xue Rui was completely bewildered. What was the little girl gesturing about?
He didn't understand it at all.
Never mind, I'll just learn from Lin Ruoxi.
Xue Rui reached out and poked Lin Ruoxi's nose.
Lin Ruoxi's eyes widened slightly, then she focused her gaze on Xue Rui's fingertips, and Xue Rui began to appear double in her peripheral vision.
From Xue Rui's perspective, Lin Ruoxi's cheeks were slightly puffed out, plump and with a pinkish glow, as if she had secretly stuffed two glutinous rice balls into her cheeks.
A pair of bright, sparkling eyes strained to get closer together, their two clear pupils touching and trembling slightly...
"Pfft~"
Xue Rui couldn't hold back and sprayed water all over Lin Ruoxi's face. Lin Ruoxi shrank her neck, closed her eyes tightly, and swallowed the water in her mouth with a "gulp".
Lin Ruoxi wiped her face with her sleeve, slowly opened her eyes, revealing a pair of clear and bright pupils, her brows slightly furrowed:
"You only held it in your mouth for two minutes, why did you spit it out?"
"Are you kidding me? How dare you?" Xue Rui pinched Lin Ruoxi's cheek.
"I...I didn't," Lin Ruoxi said, looking aggrieved.
"Fine, you don't have it."
Xue Rui was quite helpless about this.
No matter how mature Lin Ruoxi appears, there's always a little girl inside her who never grows up. As life gets better and safer day by day, that little girl gradually emerges from within.
Sometimes, they do some strange, cute things.
In short, we should not suppress a child's natural instincts.
After all, the little girl was only childish in front of him...
"What did you mean by gesturing just now? I didn't understand."
Xue Rui imitated Lin Ruoxi's previous movements, drawing two circles in the air.
Lin Ruoxi asked weakly:
"I'm the little sun, Mu Xue is the little moon, so what are you?"
Lin Ruoxi thought for a long time but couldn't find a suitable position.
"I am just an ordinary mortal on Earth, illuminated by the little sun and the little moon."
Xue Rui then pulled Lin Ruoxi into his arms.
"Hmm, I get it now. You can hug the little sun and the little moon, so you must be a supermassive black hole."
As Lin Ruoxi spoke, she hugged Xue Rui tightly, hanging half of her body on him.
Xue Rui was filled with questions.
He's not highly educated, but... a black hole?
It doesn't sound like a good word.
I really suffered from my lack of education.
Xue Rui gently stroked the back of Lin Ruoxi's head, letting her cling to him.
"XiXi, I'll skip a few days of classes and combine the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays for a short break. Where do you want to go?"
Xue Rui whispered in Lin Ruoxi's ear.
To be honest, the young girl had been to very, very few places. Before she turned eighteen, she had never left Hedong City, or even the district...
Lin Ruoxi blinked, her eyes full of curiosity, and asked, "Where do you want to go? I'll go with you."
"me?"
Xue Rui searched through his memories of both lives. He had been to too many places, but the ones that truly left him with memories were his childhood trips with his family and his budget travels with classmates during his university years...
There was also a trip to Shenzhen with Lin Ruoxi, and a trip to Qinghai to see the peach blossoms with Gu Muxue...
The meaning of a journey is always the people around you; the cities you visit alone are easily blurred by time.
"Let me hear your opinion first," Xue Rui said, trying to be clever.
Because from now on, no matter where Lin Ruoxi says she wants to go, Xue Rui plans to say:
What a coincidence! Me too! Let's go tomorrow!
"Hmm, I still have work to do. I haven't sorted the professors' contact information you gave me yet. Why don't you rest at home? You can play games if you're bored, and I'll cook for you if you're hungry..."
Lin Ruoxi spoke in a soft, sweet voice, and while speaking, she couldn't help but steal a glance at Xue Rui to observe his reaction.
Xue Rui opened his mouth, but swallowed back the words he had prepared beforehand.
He guessed many places, but he completely forgot that the little girl was a homebody and a workaholic...
Why plunge into the ocean of knowledge during the prime of youth without ever coming ashore to catch your breath?
"Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles."
Xue Rui chose to use knowledge to fight against knowledge.
This is a classic campus debate topic. Xue Rui had participated in it before for a few credits, so he was quite knowledgeable and believed he could defeat Lin Ruoxi.
Xue Rui patted Lin Ruoxi on the back of the head, indicating that Lin Ruoxi should choose a side.
Lin Ruoxi tilted her head back and looked at Xue Rui earnestly, saying:
"Traveling ten thousand miles is not as good as meeting countless people."
Seeing countless people is not as valuable as being guided by a master.
A famous teacher's guidance is not as effective as self-discovery.
Xue Rui's mind went blank for a moment, wondering why this girl wasn't playing by the rules.
"You've found so many renowned professors for me, including math and computer science professors, and I haven't even checked their areas of expertise yet..."
Lin Ruoxi's eyes sparkled with admiration for Xue Rui, who was so amazing that she could access the best educational resources without even leaving home.
"I don't know how to judge people, but I already have a master teacher. Now is the time for self-realization, and I can't go out and play around."
Lin Ruoxi spoke with great logic and reasoning.
She has many tasks on her plate. If she can't produce a training model in the short term, Xue Rui's computing center won't be able to run at full capacity, and every day it's running is a waste of money.
These academic resources were all painstakingly acquired by Xue Rui with money and time...
Xue Rui vaguely sensed that Lin Ruoxi's eyes were somewhat melancholy. He had seen her in this state before, when he first met her.
It seems the little girl is under a lot of pressure.
After thinking about it carefully, Xue Rui suddenly realized it was about himself.
He was afraid that Lin Ruoxi would lose, so he did his best to lay a solid foundation for her and support her career.
But he forgot one thing: the more funding he provided, the greater the pressure on Lin Ruoxi.
“Xixi, do you know that Lao Xue is hoping I go bankrupt every day so he can come home and inherit the family business? We don’t need to put so much pressure on ourselves. Our family owns a restaurant, so we’ll always have food to eat…”
Xue Rui joked, implying that the little girl's failure was not a big deal.
"Hmm." Lin Ruoxi slowly lowered her head, her expression forlorn.
Xue Rui and Gu Muxue were both children with financial support, but she didn't, and even had a mountain of debt.
In fact, Xue Rui had long regarded Lin Ruoxi as family and had never considered what would happen if Lin Ruoxi failed.
Family is there to get through tough times together.
However, Xue Rui overlooked one point.
Lin Ruoxi is a girl with a very strong sense of self-respect and never accepts charity from others.
Lin Ruoxi understands the rules of how the world works.
No matter where you are, "money-losing goods" are always looked down upon.
Xue Rui can fail, and Gu Muxue can learn slowly, but Lin Ruoxi cannot; there is no room for error in her life.
As time went on, Xue Rui's favoritism slowly turned into pressure, Gu Muxue's tolerance became an indebted debt of gratitude that could never be repaid, and Lin Ruoxi was overwhelmed by the pressure.
Lin Ruoxi must prove herself and win in her area of expertise.
Xue Rui asked Lin Ruoxi to develop AI Go, and Lin Ruoxi did so. However, the previous AI image recognition and AI image generation were also running in parallel, so there was no time to stop.
……
"Xi Xi, Xi Xi?"
"Xixi, what are you daydreaming about?"
"I'm already tired of tourist attractions. During the National Day holiday, it's so crowded that I'm paying to have them see me. I think it's better to stay at home and play games."
Xue Rui scratched Lin Ruoxi's chin, trying to make her smile more.
Lin Ruoxi held Xue Rui's hand, gently rubbed it against her cheek, and then murmured softly:
"Hmm, let me tell you a secret, I... I know a tourist attraction that you'll never get tired of seeing."
Lin Ruoxi deliberately spoke very softly.
In order to hear clearly, Xue Rui had to bury his head close to Lin Ruoxi's ear.
"Where?" Xue Rui asked curiously.
Lin Ruoxi smiled, turned around and pounced on Xue Rui on the bed, gently tapping his nose with a slender finger.
"Wherever you are, that's the most beautiful sight to behold. I'll never tire of it." (End of Chapter)