Rejected by the Campus Belle, I Find My True Love

The combination of a handsome man and a beautiful woman was destined to become the focal point of the beach.

Many people took out their cameras, aimed them at the pair, and captured the picture-perfect scene.

"That girl is so beautiful. I’ve never seen anyone so pretty before."

"The boy is incredibly handsome, too. Are they a couple? It figures. Handsome guys always have stunningly beautiful girlfriends. Ordinary people like us can only watch from the sidelines."

"Even just watching is a treat for me. Ahhh, I’m going to follow them and savor their cute moments."

"Count me in!"

Xue Yang and Lin Xi were completely unaware that an army of onlookers was trailing behind them. After her initial unease, Lin Xi gradually grew less afraid of the sand and sea, and she even started to have fun.

When she came across small tide pools, she would deliberately jump over them, kicking up splashes of water that soaked Xue Yang’s dry clothes.

"HAHAHA!"

Seeing her prank succeed, Lin Xi giggled uncontrollably.

Xue Yang helplessly took her hand and continued walking forward.

"One is making mischief while the other is laughing. I really made the right choice coming here today. Ahhh, this is so much fun to watch."

"I’ve been single for so long, I’m starting to think that handsome guy is quite a looker myself."

"Get outta here. He has a girlfriend, and she’s gorgeous. You don’t stand a chance."

"Exactly! Go play in the sand and don’t get in our way. We’re doing important research here."

After about a ten-minute walk, the four of them finally reached a deeper part of the beach. It was even more crowded here than the area they had just left, and many people had already made some impressive catches.

Lin Xi’s bright eyes scanned the area. She began to imitate the others, searching for prey along the shore. However, wearing the cumbersome water shoes made it difficult to find anything. Seeing that Xue Yang and his parents had taken off their shoes and were moving about quickly, Lin Xi wanted to do the same.

"Xue Yang, these water shoes are hard to walk in. I want to take them off."

"You can’t," Xue Yang replied.

Lin Xi pouted. "But you, Uncle, and Auntie all took yours off."

"We’ve been foraging at the seashore for years, so we’re used to it. You’ve never done this before. If you step on something sharp, you could easily get hurt."

"Oh, okay then."

Lin Xi didn’t dwell on not being able to take off her shoes for long. She quickly threw herself back into the joyful hunt for sea creatures. Gradually, she grew more comfortable in the water shoes, and foraging became much easier.

Soon, she spotted a cute little figure in a rock crevice.

"Wow, is that a crab?"

Lin Xi immediately put her things down and was about to grab it with her bare hands when Xue Yang quickly stopped her. "Be careful! You can’t catch a crab like that. You’ll hurt your hand."

"Then what do I do? Xue Yang, catch it quickly! Don’t let it get away!"

"Don’t worry. I’m here. It’s not going anywhere."

Xue Yang expertly wielded the tongs, clamping down precisely and forcefully on the large, fleeing crab. It could only flail its big claws in vain, unable to escape.

"It’s a flower crab, and a decent size, too. Your luck is pretty good," Xue Yang complimented her, dropping the crab into the bucket.

"So, should we steam this one or make it spicy?"

"Flower crabs are best steamed, but one isn’t quite enough."

"Then I’ll find more... Look! There’s another one over there. They must be a pair."

Before Lin Xi could finish speaking, she saw another crab hiding in the very same spot she had found the first one. It was a wonderful surprise.

In contrast to the excited fuss from Lin Xi and Xue Yang, Xue Yuanqing and Zhong Hailan were especially relaxed. Armed with shovels, they would dig wherever they saw a small hole in the sand, promptly unearthing a large clam.

"Honey, look at me. A perfect catch with every scoop."

"It’s just one clam. Look at you getting so smug."

"It’s not just clams! Honey, look, there’s a huge razor clam, too. Ah, why didn’t we ever discover this place before? If we had, we wouldn’t have gone hungry back in the day."

"You have the nerve to bring that up? When I first married you, your family had nothing, not even rice for the pot. The day after our wedding, I was out here with you, foraging for food. If your home hadn’t been so close to the sea, I probably would have starved to death."

"Everyone was poor back then, not just my family. But we’ve finally made it through those hard times."

Xue Yuanqing’s gaze shifted toward Xue Yang and Lin Xi, who weren’t far off. It looked like they had just caught another crab, and Lin Xi was dancing with joy.

"Honey, what have you found?"

"I’ve just been gathering some sea snails."

"Let me see... You always did like gathering sea snails, hehe..."

Zhong Hailan shot him a glare and went back to picking up snails.

Meanwhile, after catching several crabs, Lin Xi excitedly shouted that she wanted to take a picture of Xue Yang.

"Xue Yang, don’t move! I want to take a picture of you," Lin Xi said, pulling out her camera and snapping a shot.

The angle of the photo was chosen perfectly. Xue Yang was backlit by the sun, and the water he splashed while battling the crab glittered dazzlingly. Against such a brilliant backdrop, Xue Yang looked like a vibrant youth with the smile of a victor.

"We should take a picture together," Lin Xi said, camera in hand.

Just then, a young woman came jogging over. "Do you want to take a picture together? I can take it for you. I’m pretty good with a camera."

The young woman looked to be in her early twenties. A young man of about the same age followed behind her, watching her actions with a look of fond helplessness, though he didn’t try to stop her. They appeared to be a couple as well.

"Oh, sure! Thank you so much!"

Lin Xi handed her the camera and walked over to stand beside Xue Yang.

Holding a crab in one hand, Xue Yang playfully thrust it in front of Lin Xi as she approached, startling her so much that she stumbled backward. The young woman seized the opportunity and quickly pressed the shutter, capturing their beautiful interaction.

"Hey! Xue Yang, stop fooling around! I asked her to take a proper photo of us."

Only then did Xue Yang settle down, standing beside Lin Xi. He still held a crab in one hand, looking both radiant and comical. Lin Xi, meanwhile, stood a bit stiffly next to him, constantly on guard in case he decided to suddenly shove the crab in her face again.

The final photo turned out quite funny, but it was also genuine and beautiful.

After they took a few more normal photos, Lin Xi thanked the young woman profusely.

"Thank you."

"Don’t mention it. I was happy to take the photos for you."

Being so close to such a beautiful girl brought a faint blush to the young woman’s cheeks. She was still dazed even after Lin Xi and her group had walked away.

Up close, she’s even more beautiful. Why does someone this gorgeous exist in the world?

SMACK! A sharp pain came from the back of her head. Her boyfriend was jealous.

"Your boyfriend is standing right here, and you’re swooning."

"She’s a girl, so what are you worried about?"

"It doesn’t matter that she’s a girl. You’re not supposed to stare. Come on, let’s go this way."

The young man took the young woman by the collar, leading her away in the opposite direction from Lin Xi and her group.