Chapter 637
Mischievous Xixi
"Xixi, you can look all you want, but why are you unbuttoning my pajamas?"
Xue Rui did not indulge in Lin Ruoxi's sweet words, but instead cautiously grabbed Lin Ruoxi's hand.
"I...I'm afraid you'll get hot."
Lin Ruoxi became increasingly hesitant as she spoke, and her eyes darted away unfocused.
Xue Rui scratched his head, looking slightly confused. He felt that the words sounded strangely familiar.
It seems like this is how he usually fools Gu Muxue?
Sure enough, what goes around comes around.
While Xue Rui was in a daze, Lin Ruoxi reached out and pressed the switch on the bedside table.
With a "thud," the room became pitch black.
"Xi Xi, turn on the light. I think I bumped into the switch," Xue Rui said instinctively.
"Yes, I was the one who turned it off."
Xue Rui: "..."
……
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, there are still a few days until National Day.
Xue Rui chose to skip class and combine the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day.
Lin Ruoxi also skipped work, spending the few working days before National Day frequently making phone calls and sending emails from home.
Lin Ruoxi mostly contacted mathematics professors and computer science professors.
These senior professors are all top-tier experts in their respective fields and areas of expertise.
It could even be said that their names are on the first page of any university textbook in this field.
The reason they had some interaction with Xue Rui was because Xue Rui possessed enormous computing power, which he shared with the entire academic community.
Therefore, their impression of Xue Rui was positive and constructive, and their attitude was naturally very good, always saying things like "let's cooperate more".
The subtext of this "cooperation" naturally refers to cooperating with the computing center to obtain priority access to computing power allocation.
Xue Rui knew these big shots were very powerful, but he had no idea how to make good use of their connections.
It's like giving a child a dragon-slaying sword. The weapon itself isn't the problem; the problem is that the child can't wield it.
To put it bluntly, they have connections but don't know how to use them.
But who is Xue Rui? Even if Da Huang just walks past him, he'll pluck two of its hairs off.
He himself doesn't know how to use it, but Lin Ruoxi does.
Especially since Ruoxi Technology became a subsidiary of Orange Computing, Lin Ruoxi only needs to use Orange Computing's name when she goes out, and the other party will basically not refuse.
In the midst of a busy workday, it was October 1st.
After breakfast, Lin Ruoxi cleared the table and placed her laptop on it, then habitually turned on the screen.
Xue Rui frowned. Based on his experience over the past few days, Lin Ruoxi usually sat there and wouldn't move until lunchtime.
However, this is not what Xue Rui wanted to see.
Xue Rui opened the window, took a deep breath of fresh air, stretched lazily, and loudly muttered to himself:
"The weather is so nice today."
Lin Ruoxi looked up and smiled sweetly at Xue Rui: "Yes, it's very good."
Xue Rui was speechless, thinking to himself, "Wasn't what I said straightforward enough?"
So, Xue Rui walked to the dining table, closed Lin Ruoxi's notebook with one hand, and said in a serious tone:
"Xixi, today is National Day. Even if you don't rest, the professors need to rest too."
Xue Rui's subtext was: It's been several days, can we go out and have some fun?
However, the naive Lin Ruoxi didn't catch Xue Rui's subtext, and she turned on her computer again:
"I know, I've benefited a lot these past few days and have a clear direction now. I'm taking advantage of the holiday to integrate and verify it."
"Xixi, you smell too strongly of work," Xue Rui remarked.
Lin Ruoxi was full of doubt, but she wouldn't question Xue Rui.
Lin Ruoxi buried her nose in her clothes, sniffed gently, and made a "sniffing" sound.
"I... I can't smell it." Lin Ruoxi's eyes were full of innocence, and her red lips were slightly pouted.
Xue Rui explained, "The 'class smell' is an invisible and intangible smell; you can only get rid of it by doing what you love."
Lin Ruoxi nodded thoughtfully, then hugged Xue Rui's waist and rubbed her face against Xue Rui's stomach.
Xue Rui asked in surprise, "Xi Xi, what are you doing?"
"Okay, I'll listen to you and do what I like," Lin Ruoxi said earnestly.
Xue Rui swallowed hard, his heart skipping a beat.
This girl is really something...
They always express their affection unexpectedly, leaving the person feeling all tingly and uneasy.
"Are you satisfied with this?" Xue Rui joked.
Lin Ruoxi froze, slowly raising her head to look at Xue Rui with a confused expression. She also sensed that something was amiss.
However, a sudden realization flashed in Lin Ruoxi's eyes.
Xue Rui's eyes lit up as well, thinking that Lin Ruoxi finally understood what he was saying.
However, Lin Ruoxi's next move completely shattered Xue Rui's illusions.
Lin Ruoxi smiled sweetly at Xue Rui, took his hand, and placed it on her head: "Touch me."
Xue Rui was at a loss for words, and could only do as Lin Ruoxi asked.
While stroking Lin Ruoxi's head, Xue Rui gently guided her:
"Xixi, don't you have anything you like even more?"
Lin Ruoxi gently shook her head: "This is what I like most, you're by my side, and you're even patting my head."
"So clingy."
Xue Rui felt a warmth in his heart, but he still didn't give up: "If you left me behind, what would you like to do the most?"
"Discard?"
Lin Ruoxi thought for a moment, then her body shivered instantly as a wave of loneliness, as if she had fallen into an ice cave, swept over her.
A future without Xue Rui is meaningless.
Lin Ruoxi hugged Xue Rui tightly, shaking her head like a rattle drum, her voice trembling as she said:
"If you don't let go, you'll stick to it."
"Okay, okay." Xue Rui gently stroked Lin Ruoxi's hair, feeling both sweet and heartbroken.
The little girl has suffered too much; it's time for her to taste some sweetness. Let her stick to you if she likes.
If one day the little girl stops being clingy, Xue Rui won't know what to do.
Time passed second by second, and Lin Ruoxi held Xue Rui's waist with a faint smile on her lips.
After a while, Xue Rui stopped stroking her, and Lin Ruoxi slowly opened her eyes, her gaze filled with disappointment and a hint of doubt.
Xue Rui understood Lin Ruoxi's gaze; it clearly said: Why did you stop? I haven't been touched enough yet.
Xue Rui smiled slightly and said:
"Xixi, today is National Day, the birthday of our motherland. Don't you think we should do something?"
"I should do something?" Lin Ruoxi murmured to herself.
"If you don't know, go out and see how others do it. It should be very lively outside today, with red flags everywhere."
Xue Rui blinked, thinking that he couldn't refuse with this reason, could he?
Look at the beautiful rivers and mountains, look at the red flags waving.
This is what we should be doing during the National Day holiday, instead of staying at home and coding in front of boring data.
"Well, I see."
Lin Ruoxi raised her voice slightly and gradually loosened her grip on Xue Rui's arm.
"This young man is teachable." Xue Rui nodded in satisfaction and prepared to go back to his room to change his clothes.
However, in the instant he turned around, he saw out of the corner of his eye that Lin Ruoxi had turned on the computer screen again.
"Xixi, didn't you already know? Why are you still sitting here?" Xue Rui asked, puzzled.
"For the prosperity of our motherland, I will study harder, work harder, follow the direction of the nation, and revitalize the country through science and technology..."
Lin Ruoxi's tone was very firm. Xue Rui gradually stood up straight, as if it were an instinctive reaction of his body.
Seeing Xue Rui's stunned expression, Lin Ruoxi asked timidly, "Did I...did I say something wrong?"
Xue Rui took a deep breath: "You're absolutely right."
That's so true it's impossible to refute.
Xue Rui made a basic mistake. Lin Ruoxi came from a rural background, and the word "pragmatism" was ingrained in her very being.
Xue Rui gave Lin Ruoxi a deep look, then staggered to the sofa and slumped down on it.
He opened his phone and saw a message from Gu Muxue.
The little girl always reports to me what she does.
Gu Muxue and her family went on a trip today and sent me a bunch of photos.
Gu Muxue: [Xiao Rui, the signal is bad in the scenic area, you might not be able to reply to messages in time. You and Ruoxi have fun.]
Xue Rui turned off the screen, glanced back at the busy Lin Ruoxi, and sighed helplessly.
"Busy, everyone's busy, it's good to be busy."
Without the two girls' company, Xue Rui felt like a lonely old man.
Xue Rui habitually opened the screen of his gaming laptop, thinking of playing a couple of games to relieve his boredom.
The screen displays the League of Legends game results page, with Xue Rui's ID followed by an impressive stat line.
In an instant, Xue Rui felt utterly bored again.
They were both sitting in front of a computer, but what he and Lin Ruoxi were doing was completely different.
His daughter was so upright that Xue Rui lost all interest in playing games.
Xue Rui slumped on the sofa, flipping through channels with the remote control, twisting and turning as if he had thorns growing on his body, lying in a crooked and awkward position.
For a moment, Xue Rui suddenly understood his younger sister.
When people are extremely bored, they often do things that are hard to understand.
"I won't scold Yao Yao next time I go home," Xue Rui muttered to himself.
……
Several hours later, Lin Ruoxi finally moved. She got up, twisted her neck, stretched her waist, and opened the refrigerator door:
"Rui, are you hungry? What do you want for lunch today?"
It was almost lunchtime, and Lin Ruoxi was preparing to cook. She asked Xue Rui if he wanted to order any dishes.
However, after waiting for a long time, Lin Ruoxi did not receive a reply from Xue Rui.
Lin Ruoxi closed the refrigerator and walked towards Xue Rui.
Looking past the sofa, Xue Rui was lying quietly, his breathing very steady.
Lin Ruoxi covered her mouth, tiptoed to pick up a small blanket, and gently covered Xue Rui with it. She then slowly knelt in front of Xue Rui and quietly looked at him.
Lin Ruoxi lowered her head and gently kissed Xue Rui's forehead, a hint of guilt flashing in her eyes.
"I'm sorry."
While Xue Rui was asleep, Lin Ruoxi secretly apologized.
Unbeknownst to Lin Ruoxi, Xue Rui narrowed his eyes slightly.
Actually, Xue Rui had already woken up when Lin Ruoxi called him to eat, but he was too lazy to move, so he didn't respond immediately.
Because usually, Lin Ruoxi would gently wake him up at times like this.
Xue Rui was waiting for the little girl to call him, and then he took the opportunity to hug her again.
However, he never expected Lin Ruoxi to apologize.
Xue Rui thought that the little girl would reveal some secrets to him while he was "asleep," so he continued to pretend to be asleep in order to eavesdrop on Lin Ruoxi's thoughts.
"I understand, you want to go out and have fun, but I don't have time."
"I've thought about having you go play with Mu Xue."
"But...but I can't bear to part with you, and I can't let you go..."
Listening to Lin Ruoxi's barely audible mutterings, Xue Rui tried hard to suppress his laughter.
This silly girl is so adorably silly.
However, after waiting for a while, Xue Rui suddenly heard a faint sobbing sound.
Xue Rui sighed inwardly and reached out to hug the little girl's head.
"Huh? You...you're awake?"
Lin Ruoxi hurriedly wiped away her tears, her tone extremely flustered.
Because she wasn't sure if Xue Rui had overheard her whisper.
If Xue Rui heard this, would she think she was a bad woman?
I spoke very, very quietly just now, Xue Rui probably didn't hear me, right?
"Xixi, I heard everything."
Xue Rui's calm voice shattered the last glimmer of hope in Lin Ruoxi's heart.
Did Xue Rui hear it all?
"I, I, I..." Lin Ruoxi was in a panic.
"You...you...what are you trying to say?"
Xue Rui imitated Lin Ruoxi's halting tone, as if he were learning to speak like a stutterer.
Hearing Xue Rui's joke, Lin Ruoxi felt much more at ease.
Xue Rui wasn't angry.
"I...I'm a selfish, bad woman," Lin Ruoxi said, her voice filled with self-reproach.
Xue Rui stroked the back of Lin Ruoxi's head, thinking to himself that this silly girl was really too naive.
It's clear that he was playing both sides and putting too much pressure on Lin Ruoxi, which led to the current situation.
But Lin Ruoxi didn't think that way, and always carried everything on her own.
Xue Rui knew he couldn't change Lin Ruoxi, and he couldn't apologize because Lin Ruoxi wouldn't accept his admission of wrongdoing.
This is really difficult...
So, Xue Rui sat up, cupped Lin Ruoxi's face, forced her to look at him, and said in a serious tone:
"Xixi, I actually know, but I just like the naughty Xixi."
"Haven't you heard? Men don't love women who aren't a little bad."
Lin Ruoxi blinked blankly. Even if she was a bad woman, would Xue Rui still like her?
"What are you spacing out for? Show me what you've got, do another one of these!"
Xue Rui didn't give Lin Ruoxi time to think, and gave her new instructions.
Lin Ruoxi's eyes widened in surprise. This was the first time she had heard such a request, and she was momentarily at a loss.
What exactly constitutes "bad"?
What kind of badness does Xue Rui like?
"For example, you can order me to do something?" Xue Rui hinted to Lin Ruoxi, suggesting that she do some housework.
The days I spent with Lin Ruoxi were wonderful, but also depressing.
The little girl doesn't let herself do any work; over time, laziness will devour her.
Just like high school and college students, although the former's time is fully scheduled and they have no choice at all, most of them are still very fulfilled.
As for the latter, because of the freedom of time and more choices, many people become spiritually decadent...
For people with weak willpower, too much freedom is actually equivalent to losing their freedom, and they will only indulge in instant gratification.
"Well…"
Lin Ruoxi hesitated for a long time, then forcefully shoved the TV remote into Xue Rui's hand and commanded:
"You...you stay here and watch TV while I cook."
Xue Rui looked at the remote control, his expression serious, and said:
"You want to make me do nothing, turn me into a颓废 (颓废 is a difficult word to translate directly, but it implies a state of listlessness, apathy, or apathy) person, so that I can become dependent on you, and then you can control me for the rest of my life, right?"
"Xixi, you are so bad. I feel scared just thinking about it."
Lin Ruoxi's eyes lit up, and she said with a smile:
"Yes! That's exactly what I think." (End of Chapter)