Rejected by the Campus Belle, I Find My True Love-Chapter 31: Good Boys Are Generally Not in Circulation

Chapter 31: Chapter 31: Good Boys Are Generally Not in Circulation

Not long after Xue Yang had left for class, Lin Xi woke up.

She subconsciously felt the quilt beside her. It was still warm.

She scooted over to Xue Yang’s side of the bed and took a deep breath, inhaling his scent as if he had never left.

"Am I being a little creepy? Ha ha."

After snuggling in bed by herself for a while, Lin Xi finally threw back the covers and got up.

Today’s tasks were still daunting.

Xue Yang must have been writing the outline until very late last night, as he hadn’t even turned off his computer. A new notebook lay beside it, which Lin Xi knew was the new story outline he had written for her. When she opened it, she was greeted by Xue Yang’s elegant and spirited handwriting.

Putting the content aside, Lin Xi felt she could stare at his handwriting forever without getting tired, just as she could with the man himself. The more time she spent with Xue Yang, the more exceptional she realized he was. He was like a fine wine that grew richer and more mellow with time. Lin Xi felt she was already drunk before she had even taken a sip.

After washing up and having a simple breakfast, Lin Xi sat at the table and started to read the outline Xue Yang had written the night before.

Before reading this outline, Lin Xi had still felt a little disappointed about the previous story. After reading the new one, however, she felt it had far more impact and emotional appeal. The other story was captivating at first, but it lacked staying power. No wonder Xue Yang hadn’t been able to continue writing it.

She opened the author’s dashboard on the computer and began to flesh out the story. A strong sense of empathy for the characters fueled her writing, and she flew across the keyboard, finishing 4,000 words in just over an hour.

She found the editor’s email address and sent the 4,000-word manuscript for submission. Now, all she could do was wait for a reply.

"I really hope it gets accepted," she murmured.

Just then, a DING-DONG chimed from QQ on Xue Yang’s computer. Someone had sent him a message.

Lin Xi’s first instinct was to wait for Xue Yang to handle it when he returned, but the notification sound kept repeating. After a moment of hesitation, she clicked on the QQ chat window.

The message was from someone named ’Trendy Apparel.’

"Xue Yang, are you there?" the message read. "We have a few pictures we need your help with. The price is the same as before."

"The photos you edited for us recently were very effective. Our boss would like to know if you have any insights on choosing models. We can negotiate a separate price for that."

When there was no reply, the person sent another message, "Hello? Are you there?"

Lin Xi quickly typed a reply, "He’s in class right now. I’ll tell him about this as soon as he gets back. Please be patient."

"May I ask who you are...?" came the response.

Lin Xi started to type, "I’m his girlfriend..." but paused. After a moment’s thought, she deleted the word "girlfriend" and changed her reply to, "I’m a friend of his. A very close friend."

"Oh, hello!" the person from Trendy Apparel replied. "I had no idea Xue Yang was so talented and still a student."

"Yes! He’s very talented and exceptional," Lin Xi typed back proudly.

"You’re a girl, right?" the rep continued. "And judging by your tone, you must really like him."

It was clear the customer service rep was also a girl, and a nice one at that.

"We’re just friends," Lin Xi replied.

"If you like him, you should go for it! Good guys like that don’t stay on the market for long. If you don’t make a move soon, someone else will snatch him up, and then you’ll regret it."

"But what if he doesn’t like me back? If I confess, wouldn’t it just be awkward? What if we can’t even be friends anymore after that?"

"You’ll never know if you don’t try, right?"

"You have a point. I’ll think about it. Thank you."

Lin Xi looked at the photos Xue Yang had been editing. She’d heard of this store before; it was an affordable luxury brand specializing in trendy menswear. Their main customers were young men just like Xue Yang. After looking through a few outfits, Lin Xi thought they would all look great on him.

"Hello," she typed. "Where can I buy clothes from your store? The weather is getting colder, and it might even snow soon. I’d like to buy him a couple of warm outfits."

"If you’re buying them for Xue Yang, we can actually send you two outfits for free!" the rep replied. "All we ask is that you provide some feedback by posting a positive review with photos. It’s our way of thanking Xue Yang. His photo editing has made our store incredibly popular lately, and we’re hoping to establish a long-term partnership with him."

"No problem," Lin Xi wrote. "I’ll tell him. Thank you!"

The rep replied with, "You’re welcome!" and sent Lin Xi the link to their online store, telling her she could just place the order there. They would handle the rest, and the clothes would likely arrive in about three days.

Sitting at the desk, the customer service rep’s words echoed in Lin Xi’s mind. You must be Xue Yang’s girlfriend, right? If only that were true. A confession? He probably still just sees me as some runaway brat! How could he possibly say yes?

Shaking herself from her thoughts, Lin Xi looked down at her work again. But as she stared at the sea of practice problems, all she could see was Xue Yang’s handsome face—smiling, taking notes, or patiently helping her solve a difficult question.

"Am I obsessed?" Lin Xi muttered, shaking her head. She tried to force Xue Yang’s image from her mind and concentrate on her work.

The weather was getting colder, so Xue Yang didn’t come home for lunch. He returned in the afternoon after his classes were over.

The moment he got back, Lin Xi told him about the messages from Trendy Apparel. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"I’ll get online and talk to them in a bit," he said. "Is there anything else?"

"They also offered to send you two free outfits."

Xue Yang looked at her, and Lin Xi gave him a cheeky grin. "Well, I saw the weather was getting colder and was thinking about buying you some clothes anyway. When they offered to send some for free, I just accepted! We have to save money where we can, right? Besides, all we have to do is post a review with a few photos. With your looks and skills, they’re the ones getting the better end of the deal."

Tugging on Xue Yang’s sleeve and batting her eyelashes, Lin Xi made such a compelling case that he was momentarily left speechless.

"Don’t make a habit of it."

"Got it! As you command!"

"It’s getting cold. Let’s have hot pot for dinner tonight."

"Hot pot! I love hot pot! Yay!"

"You go study. I’ll get the hot pot started."

"I’m stuck on the last few problems anyway. You can teach me later. I’ll wash the vegetables now so we can eat sooner."

Xue Yang thought for a moment and nodded, so the two of them divided the labor. By now, Lin Xi’s vegetable-washing skills had improved so much that she no longer needed his guidance and could handle it all on her own.

Half an hour later, a simple hot pot was ready.

Lin Xi stared at the steaming, bubbling pot, her mouth watering as she swallowed hard. "It smells so good! I’ve never had hot pot like this before. Xue Yang, can we eat now?"

"Let it boil for a little while longer, and then we can eat. When the weather gets cold, nothing beats a good hot pot."