Chapter 24
Then she found herself at a loss, staring at Long Aotian.
The old man, hearing the timid way the girl called him "uncle," couldn't help but feel a pang of affection. He tried to appear more amiable, smiling as he said, "Long Aotian hasn’t caused you any trouble, has he?"
Hu Yuying quickly shook her head. It was her who had been causing trouble for her older brother, not the other way around.
"Trouble? Of course, it’s trouble! During such a tense time in your senior year, he has to spare time to help your brother with his studies. How could that not be a hassle?" Long Aotian said, already slicing a piece of marbled meat.
He neatly packed it and placed it directly into Hu Yuying's bag.
Seeing this, Hu Yuying hurriedly waved her hands. "I can’t accept this."
She had finished her part-time job early today and didn’t have much money left.
She couldn’t afford this meat.
"I’m giving it to you. You look as thin as a bamboo pole. Take it home and nourish your body."
That was true. According to the original novel's description, Hu Yuying had the perfect golden ratio—curvy and well-defined.
But now, she had slimmed down to a straight line, and it was hard to see any of those lovely curves.
Hu Yuying anxiously looked up at Long Aotian. "Brother, I, I..." Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she continued, "I don’t have any money..."
Long Aotian chuckled, thinking she was being overly dramatic. "I’m giving it to you, little teacher."
"But I can’t accept it! You’re in business too, and I’ve already bought my groceries. I, I don’t even like eating meat..."
Long Aotian pulled her hand out of the bag. "I warn you, I can’t stand your rambling any longer. Just take it, or I might have to hit you!"
"But I really don’t like meat!"
Long Aotian lightly tapped her head with his knuckles. "Are you still going to argue?"
Hu Yuying rubbed her head, her almond-shaped eyes glistening with unshed tears, looking at Long Aotian with a heart-wrenching gaze.
It felt as if she might burst into tears at any moment.
Seeing her like this, Long Aotian quickly rubbed the spot where he had just tapped her.
Feeling the warmth of his hand, Hu Yuying froze for a moment, as if an unknown force had taken control of her.
Instead of reacting, she just stared up at Long Aotian, lost in thought.
"Does it hurt?"
Not really, but for some reason, Hu Yuying nodded gently.
"Then next time, you need to listen, got it?"
"I got it."
"Do you live nearby?" Long Aotian was still surprised to see Hu Yuying here.
"That village over there," she said, pointing east.
The old man watched the two standing in the light, smiling quietly without saying a word.
He had seen the changes in his son.
And since their family was in this business, meat was nothing special to them.
If this little teacher could truly help his son improve his grades and get into college, then even if it was just this piece of meat, it would be no problem for them to provide meals every day.
...
**Chapter 29: I Am, You Are, Our Existence Is Meaningful**
Hu Yuying looked at the meat in her bag, unable to suppress a smile.
She glanced back at the market. Although she couldn’t see Long Aotian’s stall anymore, she still wanted to take a look.
On her way home, her heart was filled with joy.
It turned out she could receive so much kindness.
Just as she stepped into her alley, she heard a series of knocks on her door.
Looking up, the joy in her eyes was instantly replaced by panic.
She quickly hid at a neighbor's door, peeking out to see.
This time, she wasn’t mistaken; someone was knocking on her door, and she recognized that person.
It was Ye Liangchen, the one who had insisted she drink his milk tea at the mall!
In an instant, fear and worry flooded her heart.
She had no idea how Ye Liangchen knew where she lived.
And she had no clue why he was knocking on her door.
"Yuying, it’s me! I’m Liangchen, Ye Liangchen! I went to the bathroom, and when I came out, you were gone. I was really worried about you! Are you home?"
Ye Liangchen was filled with concern.
He had only stepped away for a moment, and when he returned, Hu Yuying was nowhere to be found. He asked the restaurant owner, who said Hu Yuying had left her part-time job early for some reason.
From what Ye Liangchen knew about Hu Yuying in his dreams, she wouldn’t leave her post unless something urgent came up.
He had no idea what kind of emergency Hu Yuying might be facing.
That’s why he was so worried that he had come to visit without her permission.
But he had been knocking for quite a while now. If Hu Yuying were home, she would have opened the door by now.
Not at work, not at home.
Where could she be?
In his dreams, Hu Yuying was often bullied and had no friends.
Her life was monotonous.
She either went to school or stayed at home, and aside from her Saturday job, she wouldn’t go anywhere else!
Thinking of this made Ye Liangchen even more anxious.
During this time in his dreams, aside from being bullied by Long Aotian, nothing urgent seemed to happen at her home!
"Could it be that she’s being bullied by Long Aotian?" Ye Liangchen suddenly thought!
A thought began to form in his mind.
Could it be that Long Aotian discovered Hu Yuying was working at Nanfeng Square, then forced her to quit and took her away to bully her?
The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed; otherwise, it didn’t make sense.
Damn it!
Right under his nose, Long Aotian was being so reckless, not taking him seriously at all!
Hu Yuying watched as Ye Liangchen muttered to himself, knocked on her door, and then seemed to ruffle his hair in frustration while peering through the crack in the door.
She was terrified, completely unsure of what to do.
Taking two steps back, in her panic, she thought of Long Aotian.
Clenching her fists, she turned and ran towards the market.
As she ran, she glanced back to see if Ye Liangchen had noticed her.
Finally arriving at the market, she didn’t know if it was luck, but just as she got there, she saw Long Aotian coming out.
It was mealtime, and the market was nearly empty, so Long Aotian was preparing to head home under the old man’s urging.
Seeing Long Aotian, Hu Yuying slowed her pace, her racing heart gradually calming down.
Long Aotian was puzzled. "Aren’t you supposed to be home already?"
Noticing her slightly out of breath and her damp hair from running, he asked, "What’s wrong?"
Hu Yuying looked at Long Aotian, her eyes filled with the warmth of his concern. "There’s someone knocking on my door."
"Take me there to check!" Long Aotian frowned, thinking it might be one of Hu Yuying’s former classmates from the second high school!
In the original novel, that group was supposed to gather on Friday to trouble Hu Yuying.
He had cleverly avoided that by asking Hu Yuying to stay and tutor him.
He never expected that group would find her home.
That was just too much.
He had thought they were just a bunch of kids, and avoiding them would suffice.
But it seemed that wouldn’t work at all. Luckily, he knew a bit about fighting.
Since he couldn’t avoid it, he would have to confront them.
There had to be a way to settle this.
Hu Yuying was momentarily stunned; she hadn’t expected her brother to agree so readily.
Watching his retreating figure, she suddenly felt a pang of regret.
She had been so scared just now.
She had never told anyone where she lived.
How could that person find her so easily?
The most likely scenario was that he had been following her.
But she had only transferred to the first high school two days ago.
That meant she had been targeted and followed in just these two days.
Now that she was calm, she recalled that on her first day at the new school, she had no idea who Ye Liangchen was, yet he insisted on getting to know her and acted as if they were familiar.
Could it be that he had been following her since that day?
Would her rash decision to seek out Long Aotian indirectly bring him trouble?
In an instant, Hu Yuying’s heart was filled with confusion and regret.
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