Lin Ruoxi usually didn't know how to refuse others, but when it came to money, she was incredibly sensitive and stubborn.
Xue Rui said with a cold face, "You fainted because I made you eat too much yesterday, and now you're giving me money? Are you trying to make me feel guilty for the rest of my life? What a vicious woman."
Lin Ruoxi stood frozen in place, tears welling up in her eyes. She raised her hands and shook her head repeatedly. "No... no... that's not what I meant, I just..."
Seeing Lin Ruoxi's helpless expression, Xue Rui tossed the money onto her sickbed. His tone softened a little. "Then put it away."
"Oh..." Lin Ruoxi woodenly picked up the money and obediently lay back down on the bed. Her large eyes stared blankly at the ceiling, completely devoid of light.
It was a gaze that didn't belong to someone her age. Her eyes held no innocence or naivety, only endless melancholy.
Everything in the infirmary was snow-white, which made Lin Ruoxi's face seem even paler in comparison.
Xue Rui hadn't slept well last night. Now, lying down, his body felt exceptionally tired. The faint smell of disinfectant filled the air, and just like that, he fell asleep on the infirmary bed.
An unknown amount of time passed before he was yanked up by his ear.
"Who is it?! OWW—that hurts!"
Xue Rui yelled groggily. When he came to his senses, he saw that his aunt, Xue Xiaying, had arrived. She was staring at him furiously, her eyes filled with "killing intent."
"Don't wake Lin Ruoxi. Come outside," Xue Xiaying said, her eyes narrowing to a slit.
And just like that, Xue Rui was dragged out of the infirmary by his ear, his shoes barely on, forcing him to walk on his tiptoes.
"I was wrong. I shouldn't have forced Lin Ruoxi to eat so much," Xue Rui confessed proactively. 'If I just show a good attitude,' he thought, 'I can definitely avoid a beating.'
"What? You're the one who made Lin Ruoxi faint?" Xue Xiaying's face instantly turned cold.
Xue Rui swallowed nervously. 'Lin Ruoxi didn't sell me out,' he thought, 'but I just sold myself out.'
He felt as if a gust of autumn wind, carrying a bone-chilling cold, had suddenly blown through Hedong in late August.
The moment Xue Xiaying had arrived at school, she'd been chewed out by the grade dean because of the "slogan" Xue Rui had shouted that morning.
She hadn't even settled that score with Xue Rui yet. She had thought that since he was enthusiastically helping a classmate, a simple reprimand would suffice. Besides, Xue Rui was like a piece of stubborn taffy; no matter how you pulled at him, he never changed.
But to find out that Xue Rui was also the "main culprit" behind Lin Ruoxi's situation... that was the last straw. She couldn't hold back anymore.
Xue Xiaying started kicking him, her hands not idle either, as she continuously pinched his waist.
A teacher can't use corporal punishment on a student, but an aunt can certainly beat her nephew.
"AH! Auntie, you need to be gentler! More rational! Or you'll never get married!"
Xue Rui shouted as he fled, losing his shoes in the process. His antics made the old security guard laugh so hard that the lines on his forehead deepened.
"It's none of your business! Lin Ruoxi's life is already so miserable, and you're still bullying her!"
Only when Xue Xiaying had let off some steam did Xue Rui retrieve his shoes from nearby, knocking the dirt off them before slipping them back on.
"You can't blame it all on me. How was I supposed to know about 'a weak body being unable to handle rich foods'? I just saw how thin she was and wanted her to eat more," Xue Rui said, feeling wronged.
Xue Xiaying was still catching her breath. She shot Xue Rui a harsh glare. He was over 1.8 meters tall and solidly built; even if she got serious, she couldn't make a dent in this piece of stubborn taffy.
Hearing Xue Rui's explanation, Xue Xiaying's anger subsided a bit. She looked him up and down. "You're surprisingly capable. None of the teachers in our office knew what to do about Lin Ruoxi."
"What do you mean?"
"We teachers all pitched in and added a lot of money to Lin Ruoxi's meal card, but she never spent any of it. She's still so thin she looks like a wreck." A pang of pity flashed across Xue Xiaying's face.
'That makes sense,' Xue Rui thought. 'Lin Ruoxi is such a quiet, well-behaved, and beautiful girl. Who wouldn't feel for her?'
Kids like her often cling to a sense of pride that's been humbled to dust. They don't dare accept the kindness of others, perhaps out of shame, or perhaps out of fear they can never repay it.
"Anyway, if you have a way to make her eat until she throws up, then you have a way to make sure she eats her fill."
Xue Xiaying reached out to pat Xue Rui's shoulder gently, but he flinched and jumped back reflexively. She gritted her teeth and said, "I'm not going to eat you!"
"Who knows about that..." Xue Rui muttered.
"What?!?!"
"Stop! Auntie, let me borrow your phone. I'm going to sort out some sickbed meals for Lin Ruoxi for a few days," Xue Rui said, trying to curry favor.
Seeing Xue Rui get serious, Xue Xiaying finally handed him a phone from her bag.
"Hello? Mom, I'm sick. Very sick. So I need steamed sea bass, shrimp steamed with egg, blanched okra, winter melon and pork rib soup, and coconut chicken... Have someone deliver it to the school, and remember to make it a portion for three."
Xue Rui rattled off a long list of dishes in one breath, all of them light and simple foods.
After a long pause, Ren Qunfang's sarcastic voice came from the other end of the line:
"That was quite a long breath you took. How does that sound like you're sick? And a portion for three? Are you trying to trade our family's food with your classmates for cash so you can sneak off to an internet cafe?"
Xue Rui said, "I've discovered that trust between people is really hard to build. After all our years together, Mom, you actually suspect me."
'Mom's too sharp,' he thought. 'She's even on guard against me trying to make some pocket money. Then again, I think I have done that before, so it's no wonder Ren Qunfang is so wary.'
"Oh, please. You think I don't know what you're like?"
"It's really different this time! Didn't you see I'm calling you from my aunt's phone? Here, talk to my aunt."
Xue Rui handed the phone to Xue Xiaying. He knew that with his reputation, he didn't stand a chance.
"Hello, Sister-in-law. Xiaorui is actually doing a good deed this time. It's not what you think."
"Xiaying, he knows how to do good deeds?"
"It's true. Xiaorui even brought a girl who fainted to the infirmary this morning."
"As long as you're watching him, Xiaying, I can rest easy. Tell Xiaorui to pick it up at noon."
...
"How about we go to the mall when you get a day off?"
"Yes, yes, definitely. I'll be sure to go with you this time, Sister-in-law." Xue Xiaying chatted pleasantly with Ren Qunfang for a while before hanging up.
"Sigh... so this is my status in the family," Xue Rui sighed helplessly.
Xue Xiaying slapped Xue Rui on the back. "If your grades were better, do you think your mom wouldn't trust you?"
"Auntie, it's not cool to hit people where it hurts. Let me ask you something. You're only seven or eight years younger than my mom. Look at her—she's only 36, her son is already in high school, and her daughter is about to take her high school entrance exams..."
Xue Rui rambled on, completely oblivious to Xue Xiaying's expression, which had grown so dark it looked like it could drip water. Her knuckles turned white as her fingers crept unconsciously toward his waist.
"AHH!!"
Xue Rui's wretched scream almost attracted the school administrators. Only then did Xue Xiaying stop. She left in a huff, but not before specifically reminding Xue Rui to take good care of Lin Ruoxi.
"Hiss... Whoever marries this woman must have had eight lifetimes of bad luck."
Xue Rui clutched his waist, muttering curses as he walked back into the infirmary. He suddenly remembered that Lin Ruoxi might be sleeping and immediately fell silent, tiptoeing to a nearby chair to sit down.
Xue Xiaying had gotten him excused from class for the whole morning. Her reasoning was simple: 'He just sleeps wherever he is anyway, so he might as well do something useful and take care of a classmate.'
Lin Ruoxi was already hooked up to an IV with two bags of nutrient solution. Xue Rui walked over and slowed down the drip. 'This Dr. Liang is really careless,' he thought. 'Why set the drip so fast for a girl this frail?'
Watching the sleeping Lin Ruoxi, Xue Rui was lost in thought.