Chapter 31
Unconsciously, she asked.
Hearing Li Qingxue's voice, Ye Liangchen's lips curled into a bitter, sarcastic smile. "I'm fine. It's just that in the dead of night, I sometimes feel the urge to reflect."
"I'm leaving now." As she said this, her gaze flickered with a hint of sadness. "I might not be able to accompany you home anymore... You need to learn to adapt quickly..."
With that, she turned to leave.
Li Qingxue watched Ye Liangchen's retreating figure. "Does it have to be this way between us? Aren't we still friends?"
Ye Liangchen paused, turning back with a radiant smile. "This is how friendship should be—just like this."
Li Qingxue fell silent, for she knew he was right...
---
**Chapter 37: You'd Better Not Bully Me, or Who Are You Talking About?**
"Chen Ge, Li Qingxue looks a bit sad. You should go comfort her."
At these words, Ye Liangchen tightened his grip on Gao Quan's arm.
"Don't look back, just go!"
How could he feel good knowing his white moonlight was sad because of him?
But for the sake of the impending realization and the pursuit of love, he had to force himself not to look back, not even a glance at Li Qingxue!
"Ouch! Chen Ge, be gentle! You're hurting me!" Gao Quan gasped.
"I know, but I'm afraid I won't be able to control myself. Just bear with it; once we get out of here, it'll be fine!"
As Ye Liangchen spoke, he felt a piercing gaze on his back!
It was intense, as if it could see right through him.
Finally, once they reached the ground floor, Ye Liangchen released Gao Quan.
Gao Quan rubbed the spot where Ye Liangchen had gripped him, his chubby face scrunching up in discomfort. "You know you still care about Li Qingxue. Why pretend to be indifferent? Isn’t that just torturing each other?"
Ye Liangchen opened his mouth to explain.
But before he could say anything, Gao Quan chimed in, "I don’t get it. Time will prove everything, right?"
Ye Liangchen playfully punched Gao Quan's shoulder. "You know, yet you still ask."
"Some things aren't as simple as they seem. Human nature is complex. For some people, only through loss will they realize their true feelings."
"Everything I do has its own plan. You just need to follow me, and your life will be perfect."
Gao Quan rubbed his shoulder where Ye Liangchen had hit him and jogged to catch up. "Then I’ll just stick with you from now on. You’ve got to look out for me!"
"As long as I have food, you won't go hungry!"
At this point, Ye Liangchen couldn't resist the pull of his white moonlight and stole a glance back.
Seeing the expression on Li Qingxue's face, he smiled softly. "Let’s go home!"
Watching Ye Liangchen and Gao Quan jog away, Li Qingxue rubbed her cheeks. "Qingxue, you can do this! You'll adapt quickly!"
"You can't let your habit of having Ye Liangchen around make you send him the wrong signals again. You’re friends; you can’t hurt each other!"
After saying this, Li Qingxue lifted her chin, regaining her usual pride and confidence.
"Long Ge, slow down! I can’t keep up!" Hu Yuying said, taking a few quick steps.
"Not eager to leave school? What’s wrong with your brain?"
"You're the one who had to go to the bathroom halfway!"
"Are you arguing with me? Do you want me to hit you?"
Hearing this voice, Li Qingxue stopped and looked back.
She saw the boy from the water bay, laughing and walking toward the school gate with a girl.
"Hey!" Li Qingxue called out to Long Aotian, waving her hand.
"Oh, it’s you." Long Aotian smiled and waved back.
Hu Yuying followed Long Aotian's gaze.
Her memory was sharp; she instantly recalled the girl who had interviewed them on their way to the cafeteria.
But Hu Yuying was puzzled—why did it seem like they were so familiar with each other?
Li Qingxue approached, smiling at Hu Yuying. "Hi there."
"Hi!" Hu Yuying responded.
Then she looked up at Long Aotian.
In comparison, their personality flaws became apparent.
Li Qingxue was confident and took the initiative to greet.
Hu Yuying was quiet and passive in her greeting.
It was quite obvious; if you had a friend like that, it would be easy to understand.
"Are you alone?" Long Aotian asked, recalling that the girl had mentioned having a long-time male friend by her side.
Li Qingxue shrugged helplessly. "Yeah, just me. I can’t keep sending the wrong signals, right?"
"And isn’t that how friends are? Otherwise, it wouldn’t feel like friendship."
Long Aotian gave her a thumbs up. "Insightful!"
Li Qingxue didn’t respond; without Long Aotian’s guidance, she might still be unaware of her own feelings.
"Well, thanks to you."
As they spoke, the three of them walked toward the campus exit.
"Seeing clearly is easy, but changing is hard. You don’t need to thank me; it’s just a pastime when I’m bored."
Hearing this, Li Qingxue grinned mischievously. "Aha! You finally admit you’re bored!"
Her eyes narrowed playfully, as if she had finally caught him in the act, showcasing her vibrant personality.
Long Aotian chuckled at her expression, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Okay, okay, you got me."
"I knew it!" Li Qingxue said triumphantly.
Watching the exchange between Long Aotian and the girl, Hu Yuying fell silent, unsure of what to say or how to join their conversation.
It wasn’t until they reached the school gate that Li Qingxue reluctantly waved goodbye to the two. "See you!"
She had hoped to chat a bit longer, but they were headed in different directions.
"See you!" Long Aotian replied, leading Hu Yuying to the other side of the road.
On the way home, Hu Yuying glanced at Long Aotian, hesitating. But recalling his words—"What is the purpose of having a mouth? It’s not just for eating and drinking; it’s more important for communication"—she felt compelled to speak up.
"Long Ge, are you close with that girl?"
"Not really, just seen her a few times. I don’t even know her name," Long Aotian replied casually.
Hu Yuying was surprised by this.
They had only met a few times, yet their conversation felt like that of long-time friends.
Seeing Hu Yuying's astonished expression, Long Aotian couldn’t help but laugh. "Everyone has a different personality. Some can seem familiar after just a few words."
He leaned slightly toward Hu Yuying. "And some need to spend a long time together to truly get to know each other."
Noticing the mischievous smile on Long Aotian's face, Hu Yuying clenched her fists. "I’m not like that! I got close to you pretty quickly!"
"Hahaha..." Hu Yuying’s flustered expression was just too cute. "I remember someone who almost cried on their first day after transferring here!"
Hu Yuying opened her mouth, wanting to defend herself, but she didn’t know how.
"Long Ge, you’re so mean, always picking on me..."
"You’re the easiest to bully. Who else would I be talking about? Once you stop being a soft persimmon and turn into a durian, I’ll stop teasing you..."
---
**Chapter 38: Hu Yuying with a Little Bit of Leverage**
"But right now, you have to listen to me, or else I’ll..."
"Or else you’ll hit me, right?" Hu Yuying had learned to answer quickly.
"Smart!" Long Aotian lightly tapped her on the head.
Rubbing the spot where he had tapped her, Hu Yuying quickened her pace to catch up with him.
She felt a sense of pride, though even she couldn’t quite pinpoint where that feeling came from.
It seemed that in the days she had known Long Ge, he had only tapped her head.
"What time should we get up tomorrow?"
"I usually wake up at seven."
"Got it. Can we go to school together tomorrow?"
"Of course."
This was Long Aotian’s promise to Hu Yuying.
Having been through this age himself, he understood the loneliness of being away from home for school.
And it was no big deal; after all, it was on the way.
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