Rejected by the Campus Belle, I Find My True Love-Chapter 191 - 189 When Will My Brother Come Home

When Zhong Hailan saw the visitor, she didn’t stop what she was doing, clearly familiar with him. "Oh, it’s Xing Zai. Are you here to borrow your brother’s book? It’s in the study. Go find it yourself; my hands are full right now."

"Okay. Auntie, when is Brother Xue Yang coming back?"

"Your brother? He said he’ll be back tomorrow," Zhong Hailan replied.

Xue Xing’s eyes suddenly lit up. "Then can I go with you to pick up my brother tomorrow?"

"We might be leaving quite early. Will you be able to get up?"

"I can get up! I’ll definitely make it! You have to wait for me. It’s been so long since I’ve seen my brother, and I miss him so much."

"Alright, fine. We’ll wait for you to come before we leave."

"Thank you, Auntie. I’m going to look for the book now."

Xue Xing bounced into the house and confidently made his way upstairs to the study.

This study was where Xue Yang had lived before he left for university. He had barely used his actual bedroom. It was filled with books, all the ones he had read from junior high to his senior year of high school.

As for the time before junior high, Xue Yang had no interest in studying, so very few books from that period remained. The ones here were newer purchases.

Xue Xing didn’t search at random but went straight for his target, looking for high school materials. Soon, he found what he needed. He was preparing for his senior year next year and was taking advantage of the holiday to get a head start on the curriculum.

Just as he was about to leave, he accidentally knocked over a framed photo on the desk. He immediately set his book down and straightened the frame.

Although Xue Yang had been away from home for half a year, the photo was still spotless. It was obvious someone cleaned and maintained it daily.

Xue Xing gently caressed the person in the photo.

It showed a high school student in a Yizhong uniform. His face was still very youthful, and his hair was somewhat messy, giving him an unkempt appearance. Even so, one could tell the boy was quite handsome; his look was simply the result of years of neglecting his grooming.

The person in the photo was Xue Yang.

At that time, he had studied furiously every day to get into Yanbei University. This photo had been taken at his teacher’s strong insistence, to serve as a memento. If his homeroom teacher hadn’t chased him all the way to his house, he would have slept right through the graduation photo shoot. After it was over, he had hurried straight back home to sleep.

Once the exams were over, Xue Yang seemed to relax completely, sleeping for three days and three nights straight. After getting enough rest, he threw himself into pursuing Chen Ying. Fortunately, he hadn’t completely wasted his summer and had even managed to get his driver’s license. Otherwise, even if he had the money to buy a car now, he wouldn’t be able to drive it.

***

By the time Xue Yang and Lin Xi left Imperial City, it was already past four in the afternoon. Time really does fly when you’re about to part.

"Xue Yang, shall we go to a buffet tonight?" Lin Xi asked.

"Sure."

Xue Yang took Lin Xi to a rather famous buffet restaurant in Yancheng. The two were so attractive that they caused quite a stir whenever they appeared in a crowded place. Therefore, Xue Yang reserved a private room, as they didn’t want to be the center of attention. Both of them valued their privacy.

Despite the table full of delicious food, Lin Xi had little appetite.

She idly sliced the marbled steak in front of her. "Do you need me to see you off tomorrow?"

"No need. My flight is pretty early tomorrow. If you came, I wouldn’t feel at ease about you going back home alone."

Mentioning the flight, Xue Yang suddenly remembered something. I haven’t told my parents I bought a plane ticket.

With this thought, he took out his phone and sent a text message to his mother.

***

"Dear, come look! Is this a message from Xiao Yang? What does it say?"

Zhong Hailan had very little schooling, so she could only recognize a few characters. Xue Yuanqing, however, had completed elementary school, so he could make out most of them. Every time Zhong Hailan received a message, she would ask him what it said.

"Let me see." Xue Yuanqing took the phone, put on his reading glasses, and strained to read each character. "Oh, Xiao Yang says he’s booked a plane ticket for tomorrow. He’ll probably arrive around noon and told us not to go to the train station."

"That’s fine. Flying is a good idea—it’s faster. The train takes over twenty hours, which is too exhausting. You can’t eat or sleep well on such a long trip." Zhong Hailan didn’t immediately blame Xue Yang for spending money recklessly; instead, she was concerned about the hardship of the train journey.

"Mmm."

Although Xue Yuanqing’s reply was just a simple sound of agreement, sometimes a father’s love is silent. In this moment, silence was more eloquent than words.

"Ah Lan—!"

"Ah Lan—!"

The voice arrived before the person.

"It’s Elder Sister. I’ll go see."

After speaking, Zhong Hailan put down her things and walked outside.

The visitor was a woman nearing sixty. She wasn’t fat, nor was she unpleasant-looking, but her loud voice completely shattered any remaining semblance of kindliness she might have had.

"Ah Lan, hasn’t your Xiao Yang returned for the New Year yet?"

"Elder Sister, he said he’ll be back tomorrow, arriving at noon."

"He’s taking the train, right? There are fewer people traveling now, so it shouldn’t be as crowded. I’m so envious of you, having such a well-educated son. Not like my Xiao Zhi... honestly! It’s already the twenty-eighth, and he goes and buys a sleeper ticket—a soft sleeper, the expensive kind—for a trip that’s only two or three hours. It’s not like he’s coming from as far away as your Xiao Yang in Yancheng. It takes him over twenty hours by train, so it would be understandable for *him* to buy a soft sleeper."

Zhong Hailan had wanted to say that Xue Yang was flying back, but after a moment’s thought, she held her tongue.

Forget it, let her have this little victory. She’s all talk, anyway. Not like my Xue Yang. He’s the one who’s genuinely impressive.

"Oh, are you going to the train station to pick up your son tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"You’re driving there, right?"

"Yes."

"Perfect! My Xiao Zhi’s train also gets in tomorrow, so he can just catch a ride with you. I’ll tell him right now."

"Elder Sister..."

Xue Yuanxia didn’t give Zhong Hailan a chance to respond and went off to call her son, Xiao Zhi.

"What’s wrong?"

Xue Yuanqing was cleaning the windows when he saw Zhong Hailan return, looking rather unhappy.

Zhong Hailan told him about her encounter with Xue Yuanxia.

"Oh, it’s no big deal. We can just swing by the train station to pick up Xiao Zhi first."

"But Xiao Zhi’s train arrives a little after ten, and our Xiao Yang won’t get in until after twelve. The airport and the train station are far apart. This means Xiao Yang will have to wait for us!" Zhong Hailan was upset. She just wanted to see her son as soon as possible; after all, it had been half a year.

"Let’s just set off earlier then."

Xue Yuanqing missed his son too, but a relative had asked, and it would be rude not to agree. What’s more, during the New Year festivities, it was best to prioritize harmony.

Zhong Hailan stopped fretting over it. "I’d better go buy some more groceries. I’ll start preparing some things today so it’ll be more convenient when Xiao Yang gets back tomorrow."

"Alright, you go ahead. I can finish the washing up here."