Rejected by the Campus Belle, I Find My True Love

Xue Yang and Cui Hao settled down at a barbecue stall near their school. It had been a long time since the two brothers had gone out for drinks like this. Though Xue Yang didn’t usually drink, he would always accompany Cui Hao whenever he wanted to go out.

"Xue Yang, it’s been so long since I’ve seen you here," the proprietress said, coming over to greet him enthusiastically.

The proprietress of the barbecue joint was in her early forties, and because she worked nights, her complexion was fairer than average. As the saying goes, a fair complexion can hide a multitude of flaws. On top of that, she had an excellent figure and still retained her charm. This was precisely why her barbecue stall was the most popular one near the school.

Of course, it was also because her barbecue was genuinely delicious and came in generous portions. The proprietress was also quite generous, often treating customers to free beer. As a result, everyone loved coming to her place for a casual drink.

"Wow, Proprietress, I haven’t been here in ages! How come you’re not greeting me?" Cui Hao whined, seeing her greet only Xue Yang.

The proprietress shot him a look. "You were here just two days ago. How is that ’ages’?"

"Alright, alright, so that’s how we’re playing it, huh? Fine, I’ll stay away longer next time," Cui Hao retorted.

"I’m just kidding, just kidding! These two bottles of beer are on me," the proprietress said with a laugh, grabbing two bottles of Snow beer from the fridge and placing them in front of Xue Yang and Cui Hao.

Seeing this, Cui Hao immediately put on a sycophantic grin. "You’re the best, Proprietress! Thank you! I wish you booming business! You’re getting younger and younger, you look like you could be a student at my school..."

A stream of over-the-top flattery poured from Cui Hao’s mouth, and the proprietress beamed with delight. She then pulled out two more bottles of beer for them.

"You’re both bosses now, and you’re still trying to swindle a few free beers out of me," she teased, though she still opened all the bottles for them.

"You’re joking, Proprietress. We’re just a couple of poor students. Not like you—so young and already a successful business owner, raking in a fortune."

"Oh, stop your sweet-talking. I watch TV, you know. When your New Energy Auto Market opened, the whole world saw it. A massive auto market like that must have cost a fortune to build. Young people these days, always full of big talk and empty words. But then again, Xue Yang, I never would have guessed. You’re actually a low-key, second-generation rich kid. To think you used to work part-time here, saying you were saving up to buy a gift for someone you liked. That girl standing next to you the other day, she’s the one, right? You’ve got good taste. Looks like you finally won her over..."

Hearing this, Xue Yang replied flatly, "It’s not her."

The proprietress paused, taken aback. "Not her? But you worked so hard back then... Well, this new one is even better. From the looks of it, she doesn’t seem to be from an ordinary family. You’ve really done well for yourself, kid. I was even thinking of introducing you to my daughter..."

Seeing the proprietress’s imagination running wild, Cui Hao quickly intervened. "Proprietress, you have new customers! You should probably go attend to them."

"Oh, oh, you’re right! I’ll come back to chat when I’m free," she said, hurrying off to greet the newcomers.

Luckily, it was the peak time for late-night snacks, so she didn’t get another chance to come over.

A short while later, a young waitress brought their order to the table. Cui Hao took a gulp of beer and got straight to the point.

"Alright, spit it out. What’s really on your mind?"

At that moment, they weren’t boss and subordinate but true brothers who could speak their hearts.

Xue Yang picked up a skewer of grilled chives and took a bite. It was the familiar, comforting taste of barbecue.

"I don’t know."

Sometimes, that was the unspoken understanding between brothers. You didn’t need to specify the topic to know what the other was talking about.

"You don’t know? That’s not like you, Xue Yang. Don’t scare me."

"I know, right? But I just don’t know."

Cui Hao paused for a second before continuing, "That call just now was from her, wasn’t it? And if I’m not mistaken, she’s also sent you messages that you haven’t replied to."

While Cui Hao might be unreliable in his own love life, he was, much like Si Wen, a surprisingly decent strategist for others.

Xue Yang nodded. "Yeah."

"Then why didn’t you answer?"

"I don’t know." As he spoke, Xue Yang took a sip of beer. The taste was a world away from the flavor of the barbecue, and it made him frown. After all this time, he still couldn’t stand the taste of beer.

"I don’t know, I don’t know." Cui Hao was on the verge of losing his temper. "Can you stop acting like you’re about to have your heart broken? If you really don’t want to get engaged to Lin Xi, just say no."

Xue Yang’s hand, holding the beer bottle, froze for an instant. "How could I possibly not want to get engaged to her?"

"If you want to, then what are you agonizing over? Just do it!"

Xue Yang stared at Cui Hao for a long moment before saying quietly, "I don’t care about marrying into her family. I’m just worried she’ll be affected by the gossip, that people will think I’m with her for some ulterior motive."

"That’s a valid concern, I guess. But is your relationship so fragile that it can’t withstand a test like this? Come on, Xue Yang, if you act like this, I’m going to lose respect for you."

"Cui Hao, you don’t even have a girlfriend. How could you possibly understand what I’m feeling?"

What the hell? Is that something a human should even say?

"We made it through so much hardship together back in the day. I couldn’t care less what other people think," Xue Yang continued.

"If I say one more word to you, I’m a dog," Cui Hao muttered.

"We’re getting engaged soon, but I don’t have to worry about a single thing. It makes me feel like this engagement isn’t even mine. Do you get what I mean?"

Nope, don’t get it. Not at all.

"Xiao Xi’s father said he’ll arrange everything, and all I have to do is show up. I don’t even have to pay a bride price. Tell me, what’s the point of me earning all this money?"

Who is this jackass? I don’t know him. Can’t a bolt of lightning just strike him down already? And here I was, thinking this guy was wrestling with some serious dilemma. Turns out, it was all just shameless humble-bragging. To get a wife without having to lift a finger... and a wife who’s not only obedient but also gorgeous. You wouldn’t find another one like her if you searched high and low, not even with a microscope.

"The reason I didn’t answer her call," Xue Yang explained, "is that I haven’t figured out how to talk to her about this yet. But I didn’t expect her to call your phone."

Hearing this, Cui Hao quickly defended himself. "I only told her you were at work and that you were super, super busy—so busy you could practically fly. I didn’t say anything else, I swear."

"Of course I know that. If you had run your mouth, Si Wen would have already hunted me down. I wouldn’t be sitting here chatting with you so calmly."

At this point, I almost wish Si Wen would come and slice this pest into a thousand pieces.