Chapter 21
“When you like someone, there comes a moment when you can see their heart racing, and your gaze inevitably drifts toward them. Just being together, even if you’re doing nothing at all, feels far from boring…”
“No, I’ve never felt any of those things you mentioned,” Li Qingxue said after a serious moment of contemplation.
“Then you need to take a good look at what you call friendship.”
“If you can’t respond effectively to someone’s feelings, you have to accept their changes with grace.”
“After all, if you don’t like them, they still have the right to like someone else. They’ll eventually withdraw their affection for you to give it to someone they truly like, who also likes them back.”
“Of course, if you can’t accept their change, then you should try to like them.”
...
**Chapter 25: Habits Are a Terrible Thing**
At this point, Long Aotian looked at Li Qingxue seriously. “Never try to keep someone hanging, because your mind might not be able to keep up.”
He could see that Li Qingxue’s way of thinking was sharp when it came to studying or business. But in matters of love? She was lost.
Because people like her often don’t realize the truth until it’s too late; they never truly experience what love is.
“I’m not trying to keep him hanging! When he confessed to me for the first time, I turned him down because I never planned on dating during high school.”
Long Aotian’s interest piqued. He pushed aside the leaves that had been blocking his view. “He’s confessed more than once?”
“Ninety-eight times over three years of high school.”
“Wow!” Long Aotian was shocked. This guy wasn’t just a lovesick fool; he was a super lovesick fool. At least he finally woke up in time to stop the bleeding.
But Li Qingxue was impressive too; to have someone confess to her ninety-eight times and still turn him down each time? And yet she couldn’t tell the difference between liking someone and friendship? That wasn’t just slow; it was downright foolish.
“So his current attitude towards me should be that of friends. I’ve gotten so used to his affection that when he suddenly changed, it made me uncomfortable.”
Long Aotian sat up. The sun was getting stronger, and it was no longer suitable to lie down.
“Exactly, that’s pretty much it.”
Li Qingxue sighed. “I still feel empty inside.”
“Those who are favored are always happy. You’ve grown accustomed to having that person by your side, and this sudden shift is indeed hard to adapt to. You can only follow your heart.”
“Thanks. Talking to you has eased my mind a bit,” Li Qingxue said, standing up as Long Aotian did.
“You young folks always see things in extremes. You get upset over the smallest things, and before you know it, you’re contemplating life and death.”
Those who haven’t faced the harsh realities of life often think this way.
Deep down, everyone carries an unspoken regret throughout their lives.
But what can you do?
You have to keep moving forward; you can’t dwell on past regrets.
Especially in the adult world, where there are so many things beyond your control. For the sake of living, it doesn’t matter whether you like it or not.
When you’re hurt or tired, dry your tears and keep pushing through.
At times like this, regrets feel trivial.
Who has the time to be sad or frustrated over someone’s change in attitude, adding unnecessary pain to themselves?
Li Qingxue couldn’t deny that what he said made sense. After hearing him, she felt a lot clearer.
But he was only about her age; why did he always speak like an adult?
Especially that last line, “You young folks…”
“You’re young too.”
“True!” Long Aotian didn’t argue, waving his hand. “See you.”
“See you.” Li Qingxue waved back at him.
Taking a deep breath, she started walking home.
After hearing that boy’s words, Li Qingxue realized where the problem lay.
It was her own attitude that had been off all along.
If she had maintained a proper friendship with Ye Liangchen after rejecting his confession the first time, there wouldn’t have been ninety-seven more confessions to follow.
She had taken Ye Liangchen’s kindness for granted.
Mistaking his affection for friendship had sent him all the wrong signals.
That’s why there had been those subsequent ninety-seven confessions.
Now that Ye Liangchen had come to terms with things and placed her in the realm of normal friends, she really shouldn’t disturb him. They needed to maintain a safe distance, a normal social boundary.
If she hadn’t met that boy, she would have only gotten angrier and gone straight to find Ye Liangchen.
And then she would have unconsciously sent him the wrong signals again.
On the flip side, if Ye Liangchen still rejected her advances, she would likely develop a rebellious mindset, just as that boy had said.
Not understanding the root of the problem, she would end up blaming Ye Liangchen.
Blaming him for liking her while she didn’t reciprocate, leading him to abandon their friendship and stop being good to her...
And so she would spiral deeper into sadness and grievance...
Would she really think that just because he liked her, she had to like him back to maintain their friendship?
Under all that rebellious thinking, it was entirely possible that she might develop other feelings just to continue enjoying Ye Liangchen’s kindness...
She didn’t know if that counted as love, but she was sure it was a mix of habit and possessiveness at play.
At this thought, Li Qingxue shivered.
Because that boy had said that when you like someone, you feel certain things, and up until now, she hadn’t experienced any of that with Ye Liangchen.
Habits truly are a terrifying thing.
Fortunately, she had now been enlightened.
From this moment on, she would adjust her attitude to fit that of a normal friend.
She couldn’t take Ye Liangchen’s affection and kindness for granted anymore.
No one should be expected to give selflessly or be good to her without reason.
With that in mind, Li Qingxue took out her phone, found Ye Liangchen’s QQ number, and sent a message.
She was indeed quite receptive to advice.
Meanwhile, at home, Ye Liangchen was feeling an itch in his heart; he wanted to check his phone.
But it hadn’t made a sound, no notifications at all.
He was afraid to look, worried that if he did, he wouldn’t be able to resist sending Li Qingxue a message.
After all, in his dreams, Li Qingxue had become his bride.
And she was still his white moonlight.
Did he like her?
How could he not be happy at the thought of ending up with his white moonlight?
Two days without talking to Li Qingxue had been pure torture!
Because he firmly believed that patience is a virtue. For the sake of a future where he could win her heart, he had to endure, even if it meant suffering.
Just then, his phone suddenly buzzed.
Looking at the vibrating phone, Ye Liangchen took a deep breath and picked it up.
The moment he saw the message, he jumped up from his bed. “Yes! Awesome!”
The message was from Li Qingxue: “I’m sorry, Ye Liangchen. It was all my fault before. I’ll change, and we’re still friends, right? [Apology smiley]”
“She’s realized her mistake! Looks like she remembers how good I was to her. Hahaha…”
He quickly typed out a response.
After thinking it over, he deleted everything and simply replied with two words: “That’s right.”
Because right now, he needed to maintain a cool demeanor and quietly wait for Li Qingxue to pursue him...
**Chapter 26: But No One Will Wait for You Forever**
After waiting for a long time, Ye Liangchen still hadn’t received a reply from Li Qingxue.
He couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
According to his dream, after saying something like that, Li Qingxue should have sent him a flurry of messages.
But the chat box didn’t show any typing indicators.
“Could it be that she’s crying from excitement right now?”
It wasn’t impossible.
In his dream, when Li Qingxue realized that she had unknowingly fallen for him over the years, she had turned into a weeping willow, tears flowing freely.
She would cry when she couldn’t see him, cry when she did see him, and even cry when she saw him with another girl. In just a few days, her emotions were a whirlwind of heartbreak.
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