Rejected by the Campus Belle, I Find My True Love

Xue Yang walked over and picked up the jar. It contained pickled vegetables, similar to the kind his family made, with added chili peppers. It held little appeal for Xue Yang, who didn’t eat spicy food. He examined the jar, wondering who could have sent it.

Cui Hao? That guy usually just tosses things at me boisterously. He wouldn’t secretly place something in my office.

Wu Xiaoya? Her family is from Chuan City, so she eats spicy food. But their pickles are different, made more like kimchi.

Sun Yufei? That King Kong Barbie is even less likely. It’s more plausible that people give her gifts, not the other way around.

After running through the possibilities, Xue Yang still couldn’t think of anyone, so he put the jar back where he found it. He wouldn’t accept an item of unknown origin, much less eat it.

I’ll have to ask around later and find out who sent it.

With that decided, he put the jar down and focused on his work. The day after tomorrow was Sunday, and he planned to take Lin Xi to the seaside. He had promised her this before and couldn’t go back on his word.

Outside, Wu Xiaoya returned from her meal to see a girl diligently cleaning the showroom. The showroom was large, and with the constant flow of customers, keeping it perfectly clean was no easy task. It was only a bit messy at the moment because the cleaning lady was on her lunch break. To Wu Xiaoya, it wasn’t a big deal; the cleaner would handle it when she got back.

Suddenly, she noticed a figure moving in a corner. Wu Xiaoya walked over and saw the back of a girl who was meticulously wiping the floor with a rag. These were spots that were easily overlooked. Generally, unless they became a major issue, the cleaners would only attend to them once every day or two. Now, under the girl’s efforts, the dirt in those corners quickly vanished, leaving the floor sparkling clean.

"Xiao You, didn’t you go eat?"

The girl’s name was Xiao You, and she had been hired just a couple of days ago. She was from Hu City, and it seemed her family was struggling financially, which was why she had started working right after junior high.

Wu Xiaoya had hired her personally. She had done so partly out of pity for the girl’s situation and partly because she seemed like a sincere young girl, even if she was always poorly dressed. Her face also often looked unwashed. Despite this, she didn’t give off a dirty impression.

It’s probably just her circumstances that make her look this way. Once she earns some money, improves her situation, and cleans up properly, she’ll probably be a very bright and tidy young woman.

This was precisely why Wu Xiaoya had assigned her to logistics to help with odd jobs, keeping her away from customer-facing roles. After all, her current appearance really wasn’t suitable for that.

Hearing Wu Xiaoya’s voice, Li You immediately got up from the floor and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"Manager Wu, I’ve already eaten."

"That’s good. But you don’t need to do the cleaning here; the cleaning staff will handle it."

Wu Xiaoya wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but as the girl wiped her forehead, she noticed the skin there seemed quite good—very fair, in fact.

Oh well, it’s none of my business.

Li You quickly explained, "Manager Wu, I wasn’t busy, and I saw some dirt in the corners, so I wiped it up. Please don’t blame the cleaning staff."

"I’m not. It’s just that it isn’t working hours yet. You should be resting."

"Manager Wu, I really cherish this job. I want to do my best to contribute to the store."

"With an attitude like that, the boss will definitely be very pleased, Xiao You," Wu Xiaoya said before returning to her workstation.

At the mention of the boss being pleased, a faint blush crept across Li You’s grimy face.

Would he really be pleased?

The thought of Xue Yang’s warm, sunny smile instantly filled Li You with even more motivation.

She worked quickly, and by the time everyone else returned, the store looked brand new. Seeing such a clean showroom lifted everyone’s spirits, chasing away some of their fatigue. However, they didn’t give it much thought, simply assuming the cleaning lady had done an extra thorough job.

At eight o’clock that evening, Xue Yang arrived home.

Lin Xi and his mother hadn’t eaten yet. They had waited for his return to start the meal.

"From now on, if I’m going to be late, you two should eat first. Don’t wait for me."

"This isn’t considered late back in the countryside," Zhong Hailan said, heading into the kitchen to bring out the dishes.

Lin Xi went to help as well.

Watching the two women he loved most bustling about, Xue Yang suddenly felt that the hardships of the day didn’t seem so significant after all.

After dinner, Xue Yang was watching TV as usual when Lin Xi sidled up to him, her beautiful eyes twinkling playfully.

"What’s up?"

This little rascal must be up to something again.

"Xue Yang, since we’re moving into the new house soon, I want to go buy a few things."

Xue Yang took a card from his wallet. "I have to be at the store tomorrow, so I’ll ask Mom to go with you. You can buy whatever you want."

"Wouldn’t that be too much trouble for your mom?"

"Not at all. She’ll probably be very happy to go."

"Really?"

Xue Yang raised an eyebrow. "Weren’t you two thrilled when you went video shopping last time? This is your chance to experience the real thing."

"That’s true. But this card isn’t mine."

Her card was supposed to be black. This one was from CCB.

"Your boyfriend is rich. I can afford to support you, so you don’t need to spend your own money."

"I want to use the money I earned from my writing."

That income was something she had earned through her own abilities, and she had barely touched it.

Xue Yang took out another card from his wallet, this one from ABC, and handed it to her. "Your earnings are on this one. Take both, and if you run short, just use mine."

"I’m not planning to buy out all of Hui City, so it’s not like I’ll run out of money. Do you take me for a spendthrift?"

Xue Yang gave it some serious thought before replying, "Well, buying all of Hui City might take a while, but I’ll do my best to help you achieve your goal of becoming a spendthrift within my lifetime."

Lin Xi burst out laughing at his deadpan expression.

"You’re exaggerating! One card is more than enough."

Lin Xi returned Xue Yang’s card, keeping only the one with her earnings. The royalties she had accumulated were already close to a million. On top of that, there was also the income from her comic rights and other things. In any case, given Lin Xi’s spending habits, this card was more than sufficient.

Xue Yang gently tapped Lin Xi on the forehead. She smiled, her eyes curving into crescents that seemed to outshine the stars in the sky.

"Sigh. It’s heartbreaking that nobody wants to spend the money I work so hard to earn."

Just then, Zhong Hailan came out of the kitchen after finishing the dishes. "If you have money you don’t know how to spend, give it to me. I’ll save it all for you, and when you’re in a bind, you can take it out to use."

That was probably the standard line for mothers all across the country.