Rejected by the Campus Belle, I Find My True Love

Cui Hao chugged two consecutive bottles of beer before he managed to suppress the urge to stab someone.

Why the hell don’t I have any nice girls who like me? Where am I lacking? Is it just because I don’t own a giant auto market? My family is in business too! Even if the game company goes under, I can still go home and inherit the family business. So why not me?

Thinking of this, Cui Hao sank deeper into sorrow and downed the remaining two bottles of beer. By the end, it was hard to tell who was consoling whom.

"Why don’t they like me? Xue Yang, tell me, what’s wrong with me?"

It was only when he was drunk that Cui Hao let his guard down.

What would his reaction be if I recorded him like this and showed it to him tomorrow? Xue Yang thought. It would certainly be spectacular.

But he didn’t do it. Some embarrassing moments were best kept private.

Glancing at the time, Xue Yang stood up and helped Cui Hao to his feet. "It’s late. Let’s go back."

Cui Hao flailed his arms like a crab. "Don’t go! Let’s keep drinking!"

"You’re this drunk. How can you drink any more?"

"Who says I’m drunk? I’m not drunk at all!"

A drunk person never admits they’re drunk.

"Alright, alright. You’re not drunk, I am. We need to go home."

"Go home for what? We’re not leaving until we’re plastered... Ma’am! Another dozen beers! No, wait... get the foreign stuff! I’m drinking imported liquor tonight..."

Xue Yang pressed his throbbing temples. Every time he went drinking with this guy, Cui Hao ended up completely wasted. It’s like he never had a drink in his past life. It wasn’t just that he got drunk; his behavior when drunk was terrible. He would stubbornly refuse to go back to campus every single time. It was for this very reason that Xue Yang rarely went out drinking with him anymore.

The owner, of course, paid him no mind. "If you can’t hold your liquor, don’t force it, or you’ll drink yourself to death. Xue Yang, take him home and be careful," she instructed.

Suddenly, she seemed to remember something and quickly added, "Wait, I remember now! Your girlfriend, is she..." She leaned closer to Xue Yang and lowered her voice. "Isn’t your girlfriend the heiress of the Lin Corporation? She ran away from home for a while last year, and the Lin Corporation issued a missing person notice. I took a picture and saved it, thinking that with so many people coming and going here, I might run into her. Oh! I remember now! I think I saw you with a girl last year. You were going to get barbecue but ended up not eating. Was that Miss Lin?"

One had to admit, the owner was remarkably observant to remember something from a year ago. There were some things from last year that even Xue Yang himself didn’t quite recall.

Xue Yang didn’t deny it, simply replying, "Yes, that’s her."

The owner was stunned by his straightforward confirmation. "I thought you would deny it."

Most people, if asked such a question, would probably deny it. Otherwise, it might seem like they had ulterior motives.

"Why would I deny it? Besides, back then, I didn’t even know she was the heiress of the Lin Corporation."

"You lucky bastard," the owner exclaimed. "I used to dream every day that Miss Lin would walk into my restaurant. If she had, I wouldn’t have to work so hard now."

A hundred million in reward money. That’s better than winning the lottery. You have to pay a hefty tax on lottery winnings, but with a reward, you get to keep every cent... But it was useless to talk about it now. That dream wasn’t for someone like her. She was destined for a life of toil.

Struggling to support Cui Hao, Xue Yang said, "Ma’am, I’m going to take him back now."

But the talkative owner wasn’t about to let Xue Yang off that easily. She leaned in closer and asked, "Was your huge auto market a reward from the Lin Corporation?"

Xue Yang just smiled and said, "If you say so. Ma’am, we’re leaving now."

With that, Xue Yang dragged Cui Hao toward the Lipu Building, leaving the restaurant owner standing there, utterly baffled.

What’s that supposed to mean, ’If you say so’? It either is or it isn’t! she thought, but then reconsidered. But maybe... maybe it really wasn’t from them.

Although she had only met Xue Yang a few times, the kid exuded a unique kind of ambition. A person like that wouldn’t casually accept things from others. He would strive for what he wanted on his own.

If that’s the case, then that kid... he must face a lot of criticism, right? I wonder how long they can last under those circumstances?

The owner shook her head. She didn’t understand it, but she still hoped they would find a way to make it.

「...」

Xue Yang, with Cui Hao in tow, finally made it back to the Lipu Building. When he saw the familiar figure at the entrance, Xue Yang froze.

"Xiao Xi?"

Lin Xi was squatting by the glass door of the Lipu Building. She looked just as distressed as the first time he had seen her, except it wasn’t raining and she wasn’t wearing a LILO-brand dress.

"Xue Yang~"

The moment she saw him, the lost look on Lin Xi’s pretty face turned to one of grievance, and her eyes instantly reddened.

Xue Yang’s heart clenched with an unbearable pain. "Xiao Xi, what are you doing here? When did you get here?"

Thankfully, it wasn’t winter, and the evening temperature was still bearable. Otherwise, he couldn’t imagine how much she would have suffered.

"Were you planning not to come back tonight?" Lin Xi asked pitifully, looking like a little kitten abandoned by its owner.

Xue Yang was slightly taken aback, then replied, "Why wouldn’t I come back? I told you I’d be late and that you didn’t have to wait up for me."

"I thought... I thought you didn’t want to come back," Lin Xi said, her voice full of grievance.

"Let’s go inside first. Actually, forget it. Let’s just go back to the Tongfang Residential District."

With Cui Hao slung over his shoulder, Xue Yang couldn’t hold Lin Xi’s hand. For a moment there, I wanted to just ditch this guy, he thought. But the last shred of paternal instinct he felt for his friend stopped him.

Cui Hao seemed to have tired himself out from all the fuss, and now he leaned quietly against Xue Yang. This finally freed up a hand for Xue Yang to hold Lin Xi’s.

"Did you two go drinking?" she asked.

"Yeah, nearby. This guy had at least a dozen."

Hearing that, Lin Xi’s anxious heart finally settled. I’m being so unreasonable. Xue Yang was just unresponsive for one afternoon, and I imagined so many dramatic scenarios.

Ten minutes later, the three of them arrived back at the Tongfang Residential District.

"I’ll get this guy settled first."

"Why did he drink so much?"

Xue Yang thought for a moment before saying, "Maybe... he was happy?"

If a sober Cui Hao heard that, he would definitely be angry enough to start a fight. Happy? Search your conscience and tell me, do I look happy? You’re the one who pissed me off!

「...」