Rejected by the Campus Belle, I Find My True Love-Chapter 142 - 141: You Have a Parcel to Collect in Person
On January 12th, the school officially started its winter break, and Xue Yang received his first royalty payment from *My Precious Boy*. He opened the message from the bank. The total was 23,045.88 yuan.
Since the novel’s updates had been sporadic, he hadn’t qualified for the full-attendance bonus despite writing for so long. Still, receiving over twenty thousand yuan in the first month far exceeded his expectations. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢
I have to admit, Lin Xi really has a talent for writing novels.
He deposited the money, planning to share it with Lin Xi when she returned.
She’ll be ecstatic when she finds out.
Xue Yang could already picture the joyous look on her face when she saw the payment. She’d probably cling to me like an octopus and coo, "Xue Yang, let’s go out for a big feast!"
Xue Yang tapped on Lin Xi’s contact. The universities were on break, and it seemed the high schools were too. However, the winter break schedule varied for high school seniors, so he wasn’t sure if hers had started yet. After a moment’s hesitation, he pressed the call button, hoping to hear Xiao Naimao’s voice this time.
"Sorry, the subscriber you have dialed is powered off."
He was disappointed. The other end of the line met him with the same cold, automated message. No matter how many times he called, the result was the same. It was as if she had vanished. He couldn’t contact her, and he couldn’t find her.
Xue Yang’s heart churned, his initial calm giving way to unease, and then to a gnawing anxiety. The shift in his mood was palpable even as he just sat there.
Yu Kexin and Cui Hao exchanged a look, and Yu Kexin asked first, "Xue Yang, what’s wrong?"
"It’s nothing."
But is it really nothing?
Cui Hao spoke up. "Have you been working too much overtime lately? Why don’t you head home early and get some sleep? The game design and character models are finalized. Kexin and I can handle the rest. We’ll ask you if we run into anything we don’t understand."
Yu Kexin chimed in, "He’s right, Xue Yang. You’ve been exhausted recently. You should go rest. We can discuss things tomorrow."
Xue Yang put his phone away. "I’m fine."
Seeing his insistence, Cui Hao and Yu Kexin didn’t press the matter further, though they still couldn’t help but keep an eye on him.
His state is genuinely worrying.
Si Wen had just finished a comfortable bath and was about to get into bed for some beauty sleep when the butler informed her that Lin Xi had come to visit. She was stunned for a long moment, unable to process the news. It wasn’t until Lin Xi actually appeared before her that the reality sank in: Lin Xi was truly at her house.
"Lin Xi? What are you doing here?"
Lin Xi was bundled up like a ball—a pink and white ball—with only her beautiful eyes visible. Stepping inside, she pulled off her hat, revealing her stunning face. "I’m here to have you honor your promise."
"Come on, it’s only the first day of break! Do you have to be in such a hurry?"
"But we only have three days off in total. I don’t want to waste a single night."
"But it’s almost midnight! My lady, can’t I take you to see Xue Yang tomorrow?"
"No. You promised me that if I got first place, you’d find a way to take me to see Xue Yang. I’ve already told my family that I’m staying with you for these three days. You have to find a way for me to see him tonight."
"How about this? You wake me up at six tomorrow morning, and we’ll go find Xue Yang together. Okay?"
"No way! I didn’t come here to sleep with you," Lin Xi declared, as shockingly blunt as ever.
"...I give up. You win." Si Wen sighed and went to change her clothes.
「Ten minutes later...」
In a compact, pink Mercedes, Si Wen was in the driver’s seat with Lin Xi in the passenger’s. Glancing at Si Wen’s hands gripping the steering wheel, Lin Xi asked, "Do you even know how to drive?"
"Don’t underestimate me. I passed my driving test on the first try," Si Wen said confidently.
"When did you get your license?"
"Last month. I got it right after I turned eighteen, before I came to find you. It’s not too late to get out of the car."
Lin Xi looked away and silently tightened her grip on the seatbelt. "Just drive."
The little pink Mercedes started up slowly. As the gates of the Si Family Villa opened, the car wobbled its way out onto the road. Fortunately, after a shaky stretch, its movements gradually stabilized, though its speed remained slow. Other drivers on the road couldn’t help but stare curiously at the vehicle, and upon seeing a young girl behind the wheel, they all silently maintained a safe distance.
Downstairs, outside the company building, Cui Hao and Yu Kexin looked at Xue Yang with concern.
"Xue Yang, why don’t you stay in the dorm tonight?" Cui Hao said. "We’re really worried about you going back alone like this."
"I want to go home. You two head back. Don’t worry about me."
"I’ll take you back."
"There’s no need. I’m fine. Don’t worry."
Just as he finished speaking, an empty taxi approached. Xue Yang waved it down, and the car slowly pulled up in front of him. He opened the door and got in. "Go on, head back to school," he told Cui Hao and Yu Kexin before closing the door and leaving.
Cui Hao and Yu Kexin watched the taxi disappear down the street.
"No, I’m still too worried about him," Cui Hao said, his eyes already scanning the road for another cab. "I’m going to follow him to make sure he gets back okay. You head back to the dorm."
He quickly hailed one, opened the door, and got in.
"I’ll come with you," Yu Kexin said, sliding into the car after him.
Cui Hao gave the taxi driver an address. The driver nodded and headed toward Xue Yang’s rental apartment.
They weren’t relieved until they saw Xue Yang go upstairs into his building. Only then did they have the driver take them back to the university.
By the time Xue Yang got home, it was already past one in the morning, but he felt no desire to sleep. He pushed open the door to the chill and darkness of the apartment. This time, he didn’t turn on the lights or the heat, simply collapsing onto the sofa, enveloped by solitude and darkness.
The apartment was spotless. Nearly half a month had passed, yet it remained perfectly tidy.
Xue Yang leaned back against the sofa and stared up at the ceiling. He’d never understood why Lin Xi was afraid of the dark. Now, he thought he finally did. It’s the loneliness that makes the darkness so much more terrifying. When the person you love isn’t by your side, it feels as though the entire world has become a frightening place.
RING... RING... RING...
His phone suddenly rang. He picked it up and saw it was an unknown number. He wasn’t going to answer at first, but after a moment’s thought, he accepted the call.
"Hello! May I please speak with Mr. Xue Yang?" a pleasant female voice asked from the other end. It sounded a little playful, and perhaps a little theatrical.
"Hello, this is he," Xue Yang replied, puzzled. "May I ask who’s calling?"
"I have a delivery for you here, but it requires you to come down and sign for it in person."
