Rebirth: Start to Save the Treasure Girl

"Is this a roundabout way of saying I'm not human?"

Xue Rui kept a straight face, thinking he would tease the little girl a bit.

As expected, Lin Ruoxi's small hand froze in mid-air, and her gaze visibly became blank.

Lin Ruoxi glanced at Xue Rui and realized that he wasn't really angry, but was just joking with her.

Lin Ruoxi wanted to respond to Xue Rui's joke, but after thinking for a long time, she still didn't know how to respond.

Seeing that Xue Rui was about to speak again, Lin Ruoxi suddenly felt a lump in her throat.

I'm so useless. I can't even handle a joke, unlike Gu Muxue who can joke around with Xue Rui.

If Xue Rui spends too much time with me, he'll probably find me boring, right?

Thinking of this, Lin Ruoxi's tears fell "plop plop" onto the chessboard.

Xue Rui sighed inwardly, feeling a pang of self-reproach.

The little girl was already easily teased, but he still went so far as to "slander" Lin Ruoxi.

Xue Rui wanted to move a stool over to Lin Ruoxi to coax her. He held onto the chair as he tried to get up, but found that he was sitting on a stone bench that weighed at least 100 pounds.

So Xue Rui squatted down at Lin Ruoxi's feet and gently comforted her, "Xixi, don't cry, I was wrong."

"It's...it's my fault, I'm so bad at talking..." Lin Ruoxi's tears fell even faster.

“This is your territory. If the old folks see that I made you cry, they’ll criticize me harshly.” Xue Rui pointed to the old man in the shade.

"Um... I, I'll be good."

Upon hearing this, Lin Ruoxi quickly covered her mouth, glancing around guiltily, afraid that someone would discover she was crying.

Xue Rui smiled bitterly to himself. This silly girl, she knew that someone was backing her up, yet she still protected the person who bullied her.

Lin Ruoxi stood up and gave the stone stool to Xue Rui, then obediently squatted down next to the stone stool, looking at Xue Rui with teary eyes.

Xue Rui didn't stand on ceremony and sat down on the stone stool. Then he patted his thigh and gestured for Lin Ruoxi to sit down as well.

Xue Rui rarely lets Lin Ruoxi sit on his lap because the little girl is too clingy and will pounce on him if he sits on her for too long.

However, since it's a public place today, the little girl will restrain herself, which is why he's being unusually "generous" this time.

Lin Ruoxi stared blankly at Xue Rui's thighs, feeling that the gesture looked very familiar.

"This is something you didn't want to do." Xue Rui slowly pulled his leg back.

Without a second thought, Lin Ruoxi's body reacted faster than her brain, and she sat down first.

She wrapped her arms around Xue Rui's neck and muttered to herself, "Hmm, the first time we rode the bus, you let me sit on your lap too, but I didn't dare to back then."

"Silly girl, I was just teasing you," Xue Rui said, pinching Lin Ruoxi's cheek.

“Hmm, that’s not bullying,” Lin Ruoxi retorted.

“It’s bullying.” Xue Rui repeated.

"Then...then..."

Lin Ruoxi's voice was already soft, and then the cicadas in the tree suddenly started chirping loudly, completely drowning out her voice.

The two stopped talking at the same time. After the cicadas stopped chirping, Xue Rui, who was a little tinnitus from the noise, picked at his ears and gestured for Lin Ruoxi to whisper in his ear.

"Then I'll let you bully me for the rest of my life, okay?"

Lin Ruoxi's voice was soft and gentle, with a faint breath, making Xue Rui's ears itch and his heart itch as well.

"Okay." Xue Rui nodded blankly, wondering to himself, "Where is this little girl's mouth clumsy?"
Isn't that clever?
"Xixi, you really are..."

Just as Xue Rui was about to say a few words of praise, the cicadas in the tree started chirping again, and he frowned, his irritation palpable.

Lin Ruoxi noticed that Xue Rui was angry. She suddenly looked up at the tree, her eyes narrowed slightly, and her usual gentleness vanished instantly, replaced by unconcealed anger.

Lin Ruoxi needs to find the "culprit" who made Xue Rui unhappy.

Xue Rui held his breath nervously, thinking that the little girl had lost her temper again.

It's strange, but Lin Ruoxi is very gentle with people, yet she has absolutely no compassion for small animals.

It's become commonplace for Da Huang to get beaten up, and even Xiao Bu avoids Lin Ruoxi whenever he sees her...

Following Lin Ruoxi's gaze, Xue Rui soon spotted a dark cicada in the tree.

But those were cicadas, what could Lin Ruoxi do?
Are you suggesting we climb up and grab it?
Suddenly, Xue Rui noticed that Lin Ruoxi started looking around, as if searching for something...

Until Lin Ruoxi reached into the chess jar and slowly took out a few chess pieces...

Xue Rui's eyes widened in surprise. What amazing skill was this little girl going to perform?
A chess piece chasing a cicada?
Xue Rui's mind was filled with only two words—Holy crap.

The little girl was like a martial arts master with countless skills, always subtly and unexpectedly surprising him.

Xue Rui guessed that the little girl would then flick her wrist and knock down the annoying cicada.

But after a few seconds, Lin Ruoxi put the chess piece back, looking very disappointed.

Xue Rui looked bewildered, thinking to himself, "You've piqued my curiosity, and now you're not going to fight?"

No, you have to fight today, whether you like it or not.

Xue Rui picked up the Go set container: "Xi Xi, play with all your might, I'll buy another container for Grandpa Liu."

Lin Ruoxi shook her head: "The chess piece is too light to hit, unless there is..."

"What is it?" Xue Rui pressed.

"Hmm... a slingshot?" Lin Ruoxi replied weakly.

"slingshot?"

Xue Rui's eyes lit up. This little girl can even play with a slingshot?
"Ah."

Lin Ruoxi noticed that Xue Rui seemed to be looking very expectant. Did Xue Rui want a slingshot?

"Wait a minute, there's a hardware store nearby..."

As she spoke, Lin Ruoxi got off Xue Rui and jogged away from the nursing home.

Watching Lin Ruoxi's departing figure, Xue Rui suddenly felt a little lost. He opened his phone and started searching:
Can I buy a slingshot at a hardware store?

Baidu's answer is no.

This made Xue Rui even more certain that the little girl could buy a slingshot.

……

Half an hour passed.

Lin Ruoxi came running back, one hand behind her back, with an irrepressible smile on her face.

Xue Rui was filled with relief, thinking to himself that he was right after all; Baidu was never accurate.

"You bought it?" Xue Rui smiled and held out his hand, wondering what kind of slingshot the little girl had bought so mysteriously.

"Hmm, this is for you." Lin Ruoxi presented the item with both hands.

"This..." Xue Rui froze on the spot, forgetting for a moment to reach for it.

Lin Ruoxi bought a slingshot, or rather, "made" one. But unlike the slingshot he used to make from tree branches when he was a child, the one Lin Ruoxi gave him was made of pure metal, gleaming with a metallic luster in the sunlight...

Xue Rui picked it up and weighed it in his hand; it was heavy and had an unusually substantial weight.

"Use a Y-shaped tee to make the bow, a pagoda-shaped rubber band to secure it, and an internal thread plug..."

Lin Ruoxi pointed to the metal parts and explained them to Xue Rui one by one.

Xue Rui nodded repeatedly, thinking to himself that his daughter was just strange; she didn't like makeup but loved hardware, and her ideas were always whimsical.

The slingshot I made for him today could probably be passed down as a family heirloom.

Xue Rui patted Lin Ruoxi's head: "Xixi is great, I really like this gift."

"Hmm..." Lin Ruoxi tilted her head, slowly closed her eyes, and tiptoed closer to Xue Rui. Lin Ruoxi felt the head pat wasn't enough; she wanted more.

Xue Rui suddenly felt his face burning. He looked around and gave Lin Ruoxi a light peck on the cheek.

Too strange……

Is it reversed?
Oh well, as long as the little girl is happy.

"I'll go find you some clods of dirt." Lin Ruoxi bent down and began searching through the green belt.

Xue Rui pulled the rubber band up to test it, then gently put it down again.

"Xi Xi, let's forget about it. The cicadas should have all run away." Xue Rui gave himself an excuse, as he had no confidence that he could catch the cicadas at all.

"Hmm, then I'll shoot it myself." Lin Ruoxi casually took the slingshot and took out a pebble from her pocket.

"Let's let it go today," Xue Rui advised, afraid that the little girl might hurt herself.

"No, it's disturbing you, and it's still chirping." Lin Ruoxi pursed her lips, her eyes fixed on the cicada on the treetop.

"Wait a minute, I'll find you some clods of dirt."

Xue Rui lowered his head and began searching for "bullets" for Lin Ruoxi, afraid that she might hurt herself.

Suddenly, I heard a whooshing sound and the sound of pebbles hitting tree trunks.

But unexpectedly, the cicadas stopped chirping...

"Rui, look!" Lin Ruoxi exclaimed, her eyes full of anticipation.

Suppressing his shock, Xue Rui walked over and patted Lin Ruoxi's head: "You hit very accurately. Don't hit her again."

"Why, why?" Lin Ruoxi asked, her eyes full of confusion.

"We should protect small animals, shouldn't we?" Xue Rui said, pointing to the tree trunk.

"You've already smashed it, you should be over it by now."

Lin Ruoxi pouted, indicating that she was still angry and wanted to hit him again.

Xue Rui's eye twitched incessantly; the little girl was being disobedient.

Xue Rui couldn't help but think that if Lin Ruoxi were a boy, his childhood would definitely not be like this. He would at least be the "king of the kids" in Huacun.

"Xixi, we should go back now," Xue Rui reminded her.

Lin Ruoxi was stunned for a long time before nodding: "Okay, I'll go say goodbye to Grandma."

……

Lin Ruoxi returned to her grandmother's room with a blank expression.

"Grandma, I'm leaving." Lin Ruoxi said in a low voice.

Once they return to Chang'an, she will share Xue Rui's time with Gu Muxue.

It's fair to divide it equally, but she's been monopolizing Xue Rui for so long...

Lin Ruoxi shook her head. She felt that she was being too greedy. Why was the Lin Ruoxi of the past able to accept this, and why had she changed now?

The reason is actually very simple: it's difficult to go from extravagance to frugality.

Lin Ruoxi suddenly felt uncomfortable and inexplicably fearful about the change in her lifestyle.

She was afraid that Gu Muxue would ask her for the "interest" she had received over the days.

"Xixi, what's wrong?" the old lady asked with concern.

Although Lin Ruoxi didn't say it explicitly, her girlish demeanor was obvious; she must be troubled by matters of the heart.

"No, it's nothing." Lin Ruoxi shook her head.

"Then can you check Grandma's phone? Where can I find this recording?"

The old lady handed over her phone, which contained a long string of audio recordings with dates.

"A recording?" Lin Ruoxi tilted her head. She noticed that her grandmother's phone had many recording files, the most recent one being from more than an hour ago.

"Yes, I asked a nurse at the hospital to teach me," the old lady said cheerfully.

"Grandma, but you can't read at all." Lin Ruoxi was quite surprised.

It's rare to see elderly people who know how to use smartphones these days, and I never imagined that my illiterate grandmother would be one of them.

old lady:"……"

Lin Ruoxi opened the most recent file and then put her ear to it.

A short while later, Xue Rui's familiar voice came from the speaker:
[I'll give her one after she graduates. Three years from today, I'll bring her and the ultrasound report to see you.]

Lin Ruoxi's expression was one of utter astonishment, her hand gripping the phone so tightly it turned white, but soon, a blush spread across her face.

“This is the evidence. If he goes back on his word, you can use it to question him,” the old lady said seriously.

"Grandma... how did you do that?" Lin Ruoxi asked, her eyes filled with admiration.

Grandma made Xue Rui make a promise and even recorded "evidence" for her to listen to.

The old lady gave a smug smile, then patted the bed, gesturing for Lin Ruoxi to sit down and speak slowly.

Suddenly, Xue Rui's voice came from outside the door.

"Xi Xi?"

Lin Ruoxi glanced around, quickly operated her grandmother's phone, sent herself a copy of the file, then tossed the phone onto the bed and left without looking back: "Grandma, I'm leaving now, I'll come back to see you when I have time."

The old lady sighed deeply and slapped her thigh helplessly: "A daughter is too young to stay at home."

……

On the way back to Chang'an, Lin Ruoxi's eyes were always smiling.

She had a Bluetooth earphone hanging in her left ear and was listening to an audio file recorded by her grandmother.

Xue Rui sat in the passenger seat with a very strange expression.

Because when he sent the little girl back, she was clearly unhappy.

But things started to get strange after Lin Ruoxi chatted with the old lady for a few minutes.

Lin Ruoxi was always secretly laughing from time to time, and the topic would often veer off course, always talking about the children, and she even said that she would leave the slingshot for the children to play with.

Xue Rui didn't want to talk about this topic, so he simply closed his eyes to rest.

When they arrived at the service area, Lin Ruoxi covered Xue Rui with a small blanket and gently kissed him on the cheek: "Rui, thank you."

Lin Ruoxi listened to all the disorganized recordings and learned that her grandmother was forcing Xue Rui to make a decision, and Xue Rui's answer seemed to be giving his grandmother a goal to strive to live.

At this moment, Xue Rui was not actually asleep. He already had the answer in his heart. It was probably that the old lady had told Lin Ruoxi about the promise she had made to the child.

Xue Rui chose to continue pretending to be asleep, otherwise, given Lin Ruoxi's sensitivity, she would worry all day because of that "thank you" just now.

……

When the two returned to Chang'an, it was already afternoon.

Lin Ruoxi parked her car on the Jiaotong University campus and waited for Gu Muxue to finish class.

During the brief waiting time, Xue Rui thought about many things.

Fortunately, Lin Ruoxi is not a competitive girl;
If someone were to sow discord like Chen Tingting, all he would need to do is pass on what he told the old lady to Gu Muxue, and his two-timing lifestyle would instantly crumble.

From afar, Xue Rui spotted a beautiful figure in the crowd.

When Gu Muxue saw the familiar car, her eyes lit up and she smiled happily, even quickening her pace. But as she got closer, she put on a serious face and slowly walked towards the car.

"Mu Xue is really something," Xue Rui chuckled to himself.

"Rui, hurry over there, she misses you terribly." (End of Chapter)