Rejected by the Campus Belle, I Find My True Love-Chapter 120 - 119 This is a meeting gift from Xue Yang to you
"The college entrance exam is only half a year away. Are you sure you can do it?"
Lin Xi didn’t answer him directly, instead saying with firm resolve, "Just tell me whether or not you’ll agree to my condition."
Lin Zhenhai watched Lin Xi. What parent doesn’t hope for their child to succeed academically? He was certainly no exception.
"Alright. As long as you get into Yanbei University, I’ll agree to one thing."
"Then let’s pinky swear."
Lin Xi walked up to Lin Zhenhai and playfully extended her little finger.
Looking at his now-grown-up daughter, Lin Zhenhai felt a wave of sentimentality. When she was little, she loved making promises this way, and she would never give up until he agreed. When did she stop doing that? He himself had forgotten.
He extended his own little finger, just like when he used to humor her as a child, and said with a smile, "Alright, pinky swear."
"Pinky swear, no take-backs for a hundred years. If you lie, I’ll never come home again."
"Pinky swear..."
Lin Zhenhai started to repeat the rhyme with her, but he faltered when he heard the last sentence, his body trembling slightly.
"Xiao Xi..."
"Thank you, Dad! I’m off to school now."
Lin Xi ran cheerfully toward the door.
Watching his daughter become so lively again, Lin Zhenhai was filled with a mix of emotions. Running away from home for three months seemed to have changed her a lot. She’d become more sensible, and it also seemed... she didn’t need him as much anymore. Though he’d known since the day she was born that this moment would eventually come, he still felt a poignant sense of loss now that it was here.
He sat on the sofa for a long while before finally speaking.
"Look up all the information on Xue Yang."
"Yes, Chairman."
The assistant acknowledged respectfully and left the room.
Lin Zhenhai took out a cigar, lit it, and took a few puffs. Xue Yang, I hope you don’t disappoint me.
* * *
Lin Xi arrived at school to find Si Wen already waiting for her at the gate.
Seeing her approach, Si Wen crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "I thought you might not show up today."
"I promised him I’d come back and take my studies seriously, so of course I’m here."
Dressed in her school uniform, Lin Xi looked like a completely different person from when she was with Xue Yang. Though they wore the same uniform, the moment they stood together, Si Wen was immediately outshone. Lin Xi was simply too beautiful, and with her stunning, curvy figure, she fulfilled every man’s fantasy of a girl in uniform.
Si Wen had long since grown used to this.
She asked, "Aren’t you sad?"
"Sad about what?"
"About breaking up with him."
"Of course I’m sad."
Si Wen tilted her head, studying her. "Then why... do you seem so unfazed?"
She had expected Lin Xi to throw a fit for at least a few days after returning home. Yet here she was, on time for class the very next day. She didn’t look sad at all.
Lin Xi said firmly, "Because I have to study hard. That’s the only way I can see him again as soon as possible."
Time was tight. Wasting it on pointless drama would only push her further away from Xue Yang. Lin Xi wasn’t a fool; she knew what was best for them.
After a moment of silence, Si Wen asked, "Are you really trying for Yanbei University?"
"Do I look like I’m joking?"
"You don’t look like it. You *are* the joke."
The girl who’s dead last in the class wants to get into Yanbei? Anyone in their right mind would think this is a joke, right?
"Did you know? Xue Yang used to be last in his class, too. Actually, he was dead last in the entire grade."
"So?"
"He ended up getting into Yanbei University with the highest score in the entire city."
"So you’re planning to copy him?"
"I’m not copying him. My grades were never bad to begin with."
Si Wen stared. Is this confident girl really the Lin Xi I know?
Lin Xi pulled a stack of college entrance exam practice tests from her backpack. "This is a first-meeting gift from him to you. Ahem, he said not to get too emotional. He also said if you cry, I should remember to hand you a tissue."
Si Wen’s eyes widened in disbelief. "What kind of normal person gives someone college entrance exam practice tests as a first-meeting gift?"
"So, you don’t need me to hand you a tissue, then?"
"Is that the point?"
"What else would be?"
"Give them back to him. I don’t want them."
"If you don’t take them, don’t come crying to me when I beat your score on the final exams. And don’t expect me to hand you any tissues, either."
Si Wen had always been ranked first in the school, while Lin Xi was ranked dead last. It was quite baffling how the top-ranked student and the bottom-ranked student could be best friends. Then again, considering their family backgrounds, maybe only Si Wen was qualified to be Lin Xi’s best friend.
News of Lin Xi’s vow to get into Yanbei University spread through the school like wildfire.
"Did you hear? Lin Xi said she’s going to get into Yanbei."
"You’ve got to be kidding. Isn’t she supposed to study abroad after graduation, then come back in three years to join the Lin Corporation? Is she serious about Yanbei?"
"I don’t know, but that’s what she said."
"But she’s missed almost a whole semester. How can she possibly catch up?"
Listening to the gossip around her, Lin Xi pursed her lips and turned to her friend.
"You don’t believe me either, do you?"
Unlike the others who only dared to whisper, Si Wen was brutally honest. "Isn’t it perfectly normal for me not to believe you? After all, if you come in first, I’ll be second. And frankly, I don’t want you to take first place."
"Then just wait and see."
"Fine. I’ll wait and see!"
Si Wen stood her ground, a slight smile playing on her lips as she watched Lin Xi march off full of fighting spirit. Looks like the power of love really is something else. If Lin Xi really managed to get into Yanbei University because of this, she would be genuinely happy for her.
Si Wen glanced down at the practice tests in her hand, grinding her teeth. Xue Yang, you just wait!
In the end, she stuffed the practice tests into her backpack—which usually didn’t contain any books—and hurried to catch up with Lin Xi, walking with her toward the classroom. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖
「The next morning.」
Xue Yang woke up on time. He picked up his phone, opened Lin Xi’s contact info, and let his thumb trace over her name for a long time. It’s only now that we’re apart that I realize I don’t even know where she lives. Seniors aren’t allowed to have phones at school, which means I won’t be able to contact her for a long time.
Xue Yang caressed the watch on his wrist. The hands pointed to 6:05 AM.
Even in his sleep, he wore the watch Lin Xi had given him. It felt like the only way he could truly grasp that she had been a real part of his life.
When he wasn’t living in the dorm, Xue Yang had always felt short on time. Now that he was back, the time he had on his hands was almost frighteningly plentiful. He decided to continue his online research.
