Rejected by the Campus Belle, I Find My True Love

Madam Chen hammered on Chen Ying’s door. "Chen Ying, open this door! Do you hear me? If you don’t, I’ll have someone break it down."

Inside, Chen Ying could only hear the incessant pounding. She covered her ears in frustration. Every time she came home, it ended in a fight. She never understood why things had to be this way.

Why couldn’t her parents be like other parents, doting on their children and considering their feelings? Her parents only ever thought about what they could get in return from her, without giving any thought to her circumstances. Is having children really just about getting a return on an investment? If so, why did they even have me?

"Mom, when I want to get married, you don’t let me. When I stay single, you don’t let me do that either. What exactly do you want from me?"

"Well, look at you! Daring to raise your voice at me now."

Furious, Madam Chen pounded on the door even harder. A few more hits and the door would surely give way.

Chen Ying had no choice but to open it again. "Mom, I’m begging you," she pleaded, "please, just let me have some peace and quiet."

"You’re my daughter, and this is my house! You think you can just ignore me? You want peace and quiet? I raised you all this time, and now I can’t even say a couple of things to you?"

"Mom, it’s such a rare occasion for me to come home. Can’t I just be here quietly?"

"I’m only saying a few words to you. Do you really have to be this way with me?"

"Is it just a ’few words’? You told me not to date, so I didn’t. Even when Xue Yang was so good to me, I didn’t dare accept him because I was afraid of making you angry. Well, it worked. He’ll never pursue me again. Are you satisfied now? What else could you possibly want from me?"

For the first time ever, Chen Ying broke down crying hysterically in front of her mother, which gave Madam Chen a start.

But she quickly latched onto the key piece of information in Chen Ying’s outburst.

"Are you saying that boy who was always chasing you was Xue Yang?"

She had an impression of him. Before Chen Ying started junior high, she would often see him walking her home. Sometimes, she’d see him waiting at the village entrance for Chen Ying to go to school. On the occasions she saw him, she would chase him off, calling him a toad lusting after a swan and telling him to look at himself. He was just a boy who hadn’t even finished puberty, yet he had the gall to pursue her daughter. She had even threatened to scold him every single time she saw him.

But that boy... he was certainly persistent. No matter how much she berated him, he would always greet her with a smile or politely say goodbye, which made her feel like the unreasonable one. Later, when Chen Ying went off to university, she never saw him again. It was only recently, when she heard a new energy automobile market had opened in Hui City, that she’d heard the name Xue Yang again. Because he was the one who opened it.

I can’t believe it was that same brat who was so stubbornly chasing my daughter. How could he have changed so much in just a few years?! Even if she found it hard to believe, the facts were right there in front of her.

"Who else could it be?"

Madam Chen pursed her lips. "If it’s him, why didn’t you say so sooner? Mom wouldn’t have opposed you two being together. Are you still together? I think he went to the same university as you, right? He chased you so hard back then, you two must have been secretly dating, right?"

"Mom, what are you talking about? He already has a girlfriend, and she’s a hundred, a thousand, a million times prettier than your daughter. Are you satisfied now?"

"My daughter isn’t bad either. Besides, you’re the one he liked in the first place. If you just put in a little effort, I’m sure he’ll come back to you. Men are all the same."

"Mom, how could I ever be the type of person to interfere in someone else’s relationship?"

"How is that interfering? It’s called winning him back! You silly girl, all that education was for nothing."

"Mom, please leave. I want to sleep. I’m going back to work in a couple of days." Chen Ying didn’t want to argue with her mother anymore. It was completely pointless.

Still worried, Chen Ying added, "Mom, I’m serious, don’t you dare go looking for him. I have nothing to do with him anymore."

Madam Chen watched the door close in her face again, but this time, she didn’t resume her assault.

Her mind was now completely preoccupied with one thing: how to help her daughter win back the perfect son-in-law, Xue Yang.

She went next door to see if Chen Fang was home but found out she had already returned to the Yang Family’s residence. So, she gave up for the time being.

...

[Meanwhile, on Xue Yang’s side.]

After his phone call, Xue Yang went upstairs.

Lin Xi and Si Wen were both absorbed in their own activities. One was busy writing, the other was gaming. To avoid disturbing Lin Xi, Si Wen had even muted her game.

When they saw Xue Yang come up, they both looked up at the same time.

Lin Xi spoke with a hint of guilt, "Xue Yang, we didn’t mean to eavesdrop."

"It’s fine. It wasn’t anything that needed to be kept secret. I just thought you’d be bored listening, so I sent you upstairs to relax."

Hearing this, Lin Xi grabbed Xue Yang’s arm and gave it a little shake. "I knew you wouldn’t be mad."

"You two have fun for a bit. I need to take care of some work."

"Okay."

Lin Xi went back to her writing, and Si Wen returned to her game.

She was in the middle of a promotion match; nothing else could capture her attention.

As expected, Xue Xing was lectured by his parents when he got home. But having already accepted a gift from Si Wen, he brought over some homemade local specialties for her as a gesture of reciprocity.

"Thank you," Si Wen replied sweetly as she took the items.

Xue Xing scratched his head. "Well, I’ll head back now."

"Stay and play a round with me."

"I can’t. I have my college entrance exams next year. My schedule is really tight."

Si Wen didn’t press him. "In that case, bring your homework over here. Maybe I can help you."

"Are you sure you can?"

"Don’t underestimate me. I just got into Yanbei. So, what do you think?"

Hearing that Si Wen had also gotten into Yanbei, Xue Xing’s eyes lit up. "I’ll go get my homework right now!"

Xue Xing scurried off and returned moments later.

Finally, Si Wen had something to do besides playing games out of boredom. She sat next to Xue Xing, watching him do his homework.

She had always been the one doing homework. Now, it was finally her turn to watch someone else do it. The feeling was indescribably satisfying.

Xue Xing’s grades were decent. He could solve most problems on his own. He only needed to ask Si Wen for help with senior-year topics that he hadn’t formally learned yet.

"Are you already studying senior-year material?"

"Yeah, I’m studying ahead. That way, when we actually cover it in class, I’ll be able to master it with half the effort."

"That makes sense," Si Wen nodded in agreement. "Hurry up and write."

"You’re just like my mom. You start a conversation with me, and then you immediately tell me to hurry up and write. If you weren’t talking to me, I would’ve finished a problem by now."

SMACK. Si Wen playfully slapped the back of Xue Xing’s head. "I told you to write, so write. When you’re done, you can show me what’s fun to do around here."

Xue Xing muttered under his breath, "This is the countryside. What’s so fun about it?"

WHAP. Si Wen smacked his shoulder. "When I tell you to take me, you take me. Enough with the backtalk."

...