Rejected by the Campus Belle, I Find My True Love

Xue Yang stroked Lin Xi’s soft head.

Actually, she didn’t need to ask him so many questions. After all, the novel was her own venture now. But she still did. And he was sure that if he objected, she would definitely take his opinion to heart.

"What are you two talking about?" Zhong Hailan asked, carrying a bowl of cold cucumber salad into the living room.

"Mom, look. This is the comic Xiao Xi drew," Xue Yang said, handing Lin Xi’s manuscript to Zhong Hailan.

Lin Xi immediately became nervous. Comics are for young people, after all. The older generation usually isn’t fond of them, right? It was just like when she was learning to draw; her father had actually wanted her to learn traditional landscape painting because he believed it would cultivate a person’s artistic sensibilities. Lin Xi, however, didn’t really enjoy it. She could learn it, but in her heart, she much preferred comics. This had even led to disagreements with her father.

"Is that so?" Zhong Hailan took the paper and glanced at it. "I don’t understand comics, but I think this is very well-drawn. Xiao Xi, you’re really amazing."

Lin Xi breathed a sigh of relief, her face blushing slightly. "Thank you for the praise, Auntie."

"I’ll go show it to the old man. He’ll definitely say it’s good, too."

Speak of the devil. Xue Yuanqing came out, patting the dust off himself. "What are you looking at?"

"We’re looking at the comic Xiao Xi drew. Isn’t it nice?"

"Let me get my reading glasses to have a proper look."

Lin Xi chuckled. She really liked the atmosphere at Xue Yang’s home. No matter what she did, his parents were always so supportive. They never discouraged her. Their emotional support was truly uplifting.

"Oh, so this is what you young people are into? It’s quite nice! The characters are especially well-drawn, so vivid. They kind of look like..."

Xue Yuanqing held the manuscript, looking it over from all angles before his gaze finally landed on his son.

"He looks just like you, you little rascal. No wonder I found it so appealing. HA HA HA HA!"

After making the connection, Xue Yuanqing couldn’t help but roar with laughter.

Zhong Hailan noticed it then, too.

"Hey, he’s right. No wonder it looked so familiar. But I think Xiao Xi’s drawing is even more appealing than the real person. Sometimes when I see the real thing, I just want to beat him up."

Xue Yang: "..."

Lin Xi explained, "Uncle, Auntie, this comic is based on me and Xue Yang. That’s why the characters seem so familiar."

"I see."

"Xiao Xi, if you enjoy drawing, you should keep at it. You have my full support. Oh, and if it gets published, could you give me a set? I’d love to have it for my collection."

Zhong Hailan didn’t really understand comics, but her son was in it! She wanted to collect anything and everything related to him.

"Yes, it should definitely be collected. Is this the first comic you’ve drawn, Xiao Xi?" Xue Yuanqing asked.

"Yes, it is, Uncle."

"Keep it up. I believe you can do it."

"Okay."

As they were chatting, Lin Xi’s phone rang. She took it out and saw a message from her editor, then hurriedly said to the others, "My editor sent me a message. It’s probably about the comic."

"Then you go ahead and get busy. Come and eat some cucumber after you’re finished."

"Alright, Auntie."

Lin Xi went upstairs with her phone to chat with the editor. Xue Yang remained seated on the sofa, watching TV.

Xue Yang and his parents were the only ones left in the living room.

"Xiao Yang, I want to pick a time to sort out the move to the new house. It’s already well into August, and you two will have to go back to school soon," Zhong Hailan said.

"Sure, you and Dad can just discuss it and decide. I should be able to stay for another half a month before heading back to Yancheng."

As he spoke, Xue Yang changed the channel. It landed on *Empresses in the Palace*. There didn’t seem to be much else worth watching lately. After a moment’s thought, he left it on that channel.

This was exactly what Zhong Hailan wanted; she had been following this drama every day recently.

"Then that’s settled. Old man, ask Uncle Zhong to help us pick an auspicious date tomorrow," Zhong Hailan said to Xue Yuanqing, her eyes still fixed on the TV.

"It’s still early. I’ll go ask him now."

"It might be early for you, but Uncle Zhong is in his seventies or eighties. He must be asleep by now."

"Well, I’m not doing anything anyway. I’ll go for a walk over there. If he’s asleep, I’ll just come back."

With that, Xue Yuanqing rummaged through a drawer for a flashlight and headed out the door with his hands behind his back.

Zhong Hailan shook her head helplessly. "Your father... if he has something on his mind, he won’t rest until it’s done."

"Mom, just let him be."

Zhong Hailan retorted unhappily, "I’m just worried about his safety, you know?"

Xue Yang smiled. "Dad’s still young. Give it another ten years or so, then we’ll really need to worry."

Zhong Hailan rolled her eyes at him before her thoughts turned to another important matter. "Oh, right, Xiao Yang."

"Hmm?"

"Have you met Xiao Xi’s parents? Does her family know she came home with you? Do they approve? What are her parents like? Are they easy to talk to?"

Zhong Hailan bombarded Xue Yang with a series of questions she had been wanting to ask for a long time. However, Xue Yang had either been busy with Lin Xi or preoccupied with work, so she never found the right opportunity. Now that she finally had her chance, she wasn’t about to let it go.

Of course, she still had to keep an eye on the drama. It was getting to a dramatic peak—Huanhuan had just been sent to a nunnery by the Emperor! And people were giving her such a hard time. Her life was so bitter. Thankfully, the Prince of Guo was there to help her. That Prince of Guo really was a good man.

Xue Yang was both amused and exasperated. "Mom, you’re asking so many questions at once. Which one should I answer first?"

"Have you met Xiao Xi’s parents?"

"I’ve met her father," Xue Yang replied.

"What was he like?"

"At the time, I didn’t know he was Xiao Xi’s father, so I really don’t know what to say about him."

"You’re with his daughter, but you don’t even know who he is?"

Zhong Hailan stopped watching the drama and left a five-fingered handprint on Xue Yang’s back.

Xue Yang clutched his back. That was Mrs. Zhong for you. Even though he was a grown man, the power of her slap was as formidable as ever.

"Mom, you hit me without even asking for the full story?" Xue Yang complained.

"If my daughter got tricked away by a man like you, I’d hit him even harder."

"Mom, I’m your son."

"You dare talk back..."

Xue Yang couldn’t be bothered to argue with Mrs. Zhong. "It’s because Xiao Xi hadn’t told me who her father was at the time. That’s why I didn’t know. If I had known, I would have definitely explained our relationship to him properly."

"What about her mother?" Zhong Hailan asked again.

"I’ve never met her mother, nor have I heard her say anything about her. She never brought the topic up, so I never asked."

Zhong Hailan pondered for a moment before saying, "In that case, Xiao Xi probably wasn’t raised by her mother."

"That’s right, she wasn’t. An auntie named Auntie Shen has been taking care of her ever since she was a child."