Chapter 19
Hu Yuying reached out her palm to the sky, instinctively brushing against the two brightest stars above.
She descended the stairs.
Her time for relaxation and venting had come to an end.
Now was the time for studying; only by continuously improving herself could she avoid being bullied.
Only by becoming better could she teach Long Ge how to solve problems more effectively.
...
On the other side.
When Long Aotian returned home, the table remained tidy.
However, there was no sign of the old man in the room.
After changing out of his school uniform and washing up, he left the house.
He headed towards the bustling vegetable market not far from the courtyard.
This was a large market.
No matter the time, it always seemed particularly lively.
Stalls of vegetable vendors lined up next to each other, separated by white chalk lines.
Deeper inside was the meat section.
There were several meat stalls in sight.
As Long Aotian walked, he kept an eye out for the old man.
In the original novel, this place was only briefly mentioned, lacking any vivid description.
So Long Aotian had no idea where his old man's stall was located.
Soon, he spotted the old man in the second row.
Wearing an apron, the old man was chopping meat on a cutting board. Despite the hour, the crowd made the place feel a bit stuffy.
The old man's clothes were soaked with sweat, yet he continued to chop vigorously.
After quickly dicing the meat, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and prepared to package it for a customer.
Before he could grab a bag, an open one was thrust in front of him.
The old man thought it was a customer and smiled, thanking them, but his smile froze for a moment when he looked up.
He seemed surprised, momentarily forgetting to pack the meat.
“If you keep staring, the auntie will get impatient,” Long Aotian reminded him.
Hearing his son's voice, the old man snapped back to reality, mechanically putting the meat into the bag.
“Here you go, Auntie,” Long Aotian said, handing the packed bag to the customer.
With his handsome looks, Long Aotian appeared even more spirited without his school uniform. His pleasant voice and swift movements made the auntie smile and ask, “Is this your son?”
The old man glanced at Long Aotian before nodding with a smile, “Yes, yes it is.”
Watching the old man's smile shift from stiff to natural, Long Aotian let out a quiet sigh in his heart.
In the original novel, Long Aotian had blamed all the faults for his parents' divorce on the old man.
As a result, their relationship had become strained, leading to a significant rift.
The rough man was at a loss for words, unsure how to have a heart-to-heart with his son.
Long Aotian harbored resentment, gradually developing a paranoid personality.
Yet, deep down, both cared for each other.
“What brings you here? Did you spend all the money I just gave you?” the old man asked, wiping his hands on his apron as he reached for the cash box.
Usually, his son was quite indifferent towards him, so the old man couldn't think of any other reason for his visit.
But the fact that his son came to find him made him genuinely happy.
“Do I have to spend money to come see you?” Long Aotian replied.
The old man paused, surprised by the question. Long Aotian stepped forward and closed the cash box. “Dad, the past is behind us.”
Hearing the word “Dad,” the old man stared at Long Aotian, momentarily lost in thought.
“Dad, we have customers,” Long Aotian reminded him.
The old man looked at Long Aotian, a smile breaking through his rough features. “Alright!”
In his previous life at the orphanage, Long Aotian had never experienced familial love, and now he wanted to feel it in this world.
Even though he knew this rough man wasn’t his biological father, so what?
Every sincere person deserves to be cherished...
---
**Chapter 23: When Something Comes Too Easily, It’s Not Valued**
Morning!
The sound of the door closing reached Long Aotian's ears.
Groggy, he sat up and walked outside, only to find the old man was already gone.
Life in the adult world is never easy.
Thinking back to his previous life as a corporate slave, he couldn’t help but let out a small sigh.
He turned back to his room, changed his clothes, then quickly stripped them off again.
“What’s wrong with taking a day off after working hard all my life?”
Then he flopped onto the bed, wrapping himself in the blanket and falling back asleep.
Ten minutes later, Long Aotian set down his bowl at the breakfast shop, letting out a satisfied sigh. “Nothing beats morning porridge for a healthy stomach.”
He then packed another breakfast to take to the vegetable market where the old man was.
...
Li Qingxue was momentarily stunned when she saw the message from Gao Quan.
It said that Ye Liangchen had been beaten up.
The instant she read the message, she instinctively searched for Ye Liangchen’s QQ account.
But she found that his profile picture had changed, and his signature was different too.
Even all the messages in her space had been cleared.
Frowning slightly, she felt a wave of confusion wash over her.
After all, they had known each other for nine years, not just nine days.
Ye Liangchen was right; she had been a part of his entire adolescence, just as he had accompanied her through hers.
Despite her frustration, Li Qingxue chose to message Ye Liangchen immediately, asking what had happened and why he had been beaten.
As soon as she sent the message, she also texted Gao Quan.
But at this hour, Gao Quan was clearly still asleep, and her message seemed to vanish into thin air.
After thinking for a moment, Li Qingxue decided to get up, dress, wash up, and leave the house.
Soon, her phone buzzed with a reply.
It was from Ye Liangchen.
“Sorry, it was probably Gao Quan running his mouth again. I’m fine, let’s leave it at that.”
Reading Ye Liangchen’s message only deepened Li Qingxue’s frustration.
She was worried sick, yet his reply felt so nonchalant, so indifferent.
What was going on with him?
In his room, Ye Liangchen looked at the message from Li Qingxue, a slight smile creeping onto his face.
He couldn’t hide the instinctive concern.
Even though Li Qingxue had only sent words, he could still sense her worry and urgency through them.
His calm response must have felt distant to her.
With her writing skills, she would definitely pick up on that.
The more anxious she was about him, the more it proved that she cared.
This was how dreams began.
The more anxious Li Qingxue became, the more he needed to maintain his indifference.
Think about it: if someone who usually cares about you suddenly becomes cold, wouldn’t you feel anxious? Wouldn’t you wonder why they suddenly distanced themselves?
In those memories, she would deeply feel the care, love, and laughter he had once given her.
This stark contrast would make her realize that she might be losing a boy who once had her in his heart.
At that moment, regret would wash over her like a tide.
Remembering the dream where Li Qingxue had set aside her pride to pursue him, cried for him, and made efforts to reconcile, Ye Liangchen felt a deep sense of satisfaction: “Why is it that when something is gained, it’s not cherished, but only regretted after it’s lost?”
“Do you think you’re rejecting someone’s love? It’s a boy who has you in his heart.”
With that thought, Ye Liangchen sighed softly and glanced at the new message on his phone.
“Come out, I think we need to have a good talk.”
Li Qingxue sensed that Ye Liangchen’s sudden change was likely due to her previous rejection.
She could have a proper conversation with him about her life plans.
There was no need for this to affect their friendship.
Besides, it was all so strange, wasn’t it?
Everything had been fine before; why had it suddenly changed?
With her heart full of questions, Li Qingxue decided to find Ye Liangchen and clear things up.
After nine years, even a dog would develop feelings.
Let alone humans.
Though she had no intention of dating Ye Liangchen, not addressing this issue left her feeling uneasy and inexplicably irritable.
Ye Liangchen couldn’t help but laugh when he saw Li Qingxue’s message.
“Didn’t expect you to be even more anxious than in my dreams. It’s only been two days since I ignored you, and you’re already coming to my house?”
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