Chapter 27
Hu Yuying was a remarkably pure person; her smile was never tainted by anything else, nor did it ever become complicated due to certain matters.
Everything she displayed—her innocence and beauty—was so genuine.
“Exactly! You should smile more. Come on, give me another one,” Long Aotian joked.
At his words, Hu Yuying burst into laughter, her bright, clear eyes curving into crescent shapes.
“See you later.”
Watching Long Aotian’s retreating figure, Hu Yuying clenched her small hands, mustering her courage. She called out to him, “Long Ge, can I contact you when I’m free?”
“Of course! Anytime,” Long Aotian replied without turning around, simply raising his hand in a wave.
“Take care on your way, Long Ge.” After saying this, Hu Yuying also waved her hand at his back, even though he couldn’t see her.
She continued to watch until Long Aotian disappeared at the end of the alley.
Hu Yuying tilted her head up to the sky, her smile radiant as she took a deep breath.
This weekend had brought her immense joy.
Her worries were replaced by happiness, and her heart was now filled with delight.
Once home, she locked her door and hurried back to her bedroom.
She pulled her phone from beneath her pillow.
Seeing the flashing penguin icon, Hu Yuying opened the chat.
Long Aotian: “Little teacher, today’s meal was delicious. Thanks for the treat.”
Reading those words, the smile in Hu Yuying’s eyes never faded.
Carefully, she picked up her phone: “If you like it, I’ll make more for you, Long Ge.”
Long Aotian: “OK.”
After receiving his reply, Hu Yuying lay back on her bed, staring at the ceiling. The unique shyness of a young girl was so charming that it was hard to look away...
Before heading home, Long Aotian had stopped by the market.
He helped an old man organize some things before being shooed away.
Instead of going straight home, he headed to an internet café.
He had opened an account that morning.
Now it was time to get down to business, even if his funds were limited.
But for Long Aotian at this moment, it was more than enough.
Having read this novel thoroughly, he knew it was filled with opportunities for wealth, so he wasn’t in a rush.
Besides, there was no need to hurry; he wasn’t the main character, after all, and didn’t have that many chances.
It wasn’t like he could just wish for money and have it appear, or that he could fall asleep and find a pillow waiting for him.
He was content with the way things were now, as if he were playing a game with cheats.
Saving up little by little was also a kind of joy for Long Aotian.
After finishing everything, he logged off and returned home.
After a shower, he lay on his bed. Although he had been in this world for a few days, moments of solitude often left him feeling a bit dazed.
It all felt like a dream, and he didn’t know when he would wake up from it.
Before he knew it, he had drifted off to sleep.
The next morning.
Li Qingxue turned over, her eyes still heavy with sleep.
She looked at the sunlight streaming in and stretched her arms, yawning.
Opening her phone, she instinctively wanted to check if Ye Liangchen was awake. It was Sunday afternoon, and they had to go to school soon.
She wanted to ask if he had encountered any difficulties while reviewing his studies and what time he planned to leave home for school.
It was a habit.
A habit formed over several years, not something that could be easily changed.
But when she opened the penguin chat box and saw the chat history, Li Qingxue snapped back to reality.
Her gaze fell, feeling a bit downcast.
He had withdrawn his affection for her; now they were truly just friends.
Taking a deep breath, she felt a heaviness in her heart.
Glancing at the time on her phone, she thought for a moment before getting out of bed, dressing, and washing up.
“Xue’er, why are you in such a hurry? Have some breakfast before you go,” her mother said, watching her rush around.
Just as Li Qingxue stepped out the door, she turned back, grabbed a slice of bread and a box of yogurt, and left again. “I’m going to work out.”
Watching her daughter jog away, Li’s mother couldn’t help but chuckle, “Who eats breakfast while working out? This child…”
Li Qingxue walked along the road until she reached the water bay.
She looked around and sighed softly.
Just as she was about to leave, she spotted a figure lying on a nearby sloped platform.
She walked over.
Seeing the two leaves covering the person’s eyes, she chuckled, “Hey, why did you change your sleeping spot today?”
Long Aotian, hearing her voice, lifted the leaves from his eyes and glanced at her. “Oh, it’s you again.”
“I wasn’t sleeping; I was just passing the time.”
Li Qingxue sat down not far from Long Aotian, resting her hands on her curled-up legs, staring blankly at the shimmering, flowing water of the bay.
“Habits can be quite terrifying. This morning, after I got up, I instinctively wanted to contact him.”
“Do you think of me as a sounding board?” Long Aotian said lazily, resting his hands behind his head.
“But keeping these thoughts bottled up feels so uncomfortable, and I don’t know who else to talk to. Since you’re also just passing the time, can’t you listen to me?”
“Being bored and passing the time are two different things; don’t confuse them,” Long Aotian corrected her.
After saying that, he glanced at the girl beside him. “Why did you stop talking?”
Hearing this, Li Qingxue felt her mood lift unexpectedly. “After I got home yesterday, I thought seriously about it. I think my feelings for him are more about familiarity than affection.”
“Because we’ve known each other for so many years, and being familiar with each other has made me dependent on him for companionship. Does that count as a kind of affection?”
...
Chapter 33 ends here; I choose dignity.
“Your question is a bit silly. As I just said, being bored and passing the time are two different concepts; they shouldn’t be mixed up.”
“Does passing the time mean I’m necessarily bored?”
“Not at all. Maybe I just enjoy this natural and peaceful environment.”
“Or maybe I simply like lying here, listening to the sound of the water and feeling the breeze.”
“Besides, don’t you think this environment is really relaxing?”
Li Qingxue seemed to understand, yet was still a bit confused. “So, dependence and companionship don’t equal affection?”
“They shouldn’t be conflated. There are many kinds of affection; it’s not a singular concept, so they can’t be mixed together.”
Li Qingxue looked at Long Aotian, who was lounging comfortably on the grass, and mimicked him, lying back on the lawn. With her arms relaxed, the blue sky above looked different from this angle.
“Can you explain it to me in more detail?”
Fearing he might refuse, Li Qingxue took out her breakfast and placed it beside Long Aotian. “Please, please, I really want to know.”
Long Aotian glanced at her. “Open it; let me try.”
Li Qingxue opened the yogurt and held it up to his mouth.
The whole sequence of actions felt natural.
Suddenly realizing what she was doing, Li Qingxue’s face flushed red; this was her first time feeding a boy yogurt...
Long Aotian took a sip, cleared his throat, and said, “Just this once! Next time, I’m raising the price!”
“Mm, thank you, thank you.” Li Qingxue cupped her cheeks with her hands, trying to hide her embarrassment from her classmate, but her lips couldn’t help but curl into a smile.
She loved listening to him speak because his words could subtly guide her to see things from a different perspective.
It was like having a heart-to-heart with her parents, achieving a similar effect. But now that she was older, she had her own private secrets and didn’t feel comfortable sharing everything with them.
“There are many kinds of affection.”
“The first type is physiological affection: this is an innate genetic instinct in humans, where one feels an inexplicable attraction to someone with appealing physical traits—commonly known as love at first sight.”
“The second type is psychological affection: this develops further on the basis of physiological affection.”
“For instance, appreciating someone’s character, personality, qualities, interests, or having common topics of conversation that draw you to each other. This stage is commonly referred to as the ambiguous phase!”
“The third type is spiritual affection: often referred to as soulmates, this means that when two people are together, they can achieve a spiritual resonance, support, and mutual encouragement. This level transcends mere affection and is more appropriately termed ‘love.’”
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