Chapter 32
This girl should talk more; only then can her personality become more lively.
Soon, they arrived at the tenant building in the courtyard.
Long Ao Tian didn’t stop his pace, continuing to walk forward with Hu Yu Ying.
“Long Ge, we’re at your place,” Hu Yu Ying quietly reminded him.
“Stop talking nonsense. I just like to walk more; it helps me sleep better at night,” he replied.
“But…”
“Enough with the ‘buts.’ It’s annoying. Watch it, or I’ll give you a punch.”
Hu Yu Ying lowered her gaze slightly, stealing a glance at Long Ao Tian, biting her lip, and chose not to say anything more.
It wasn’t until they reached the village entrance that Long Ao Tian began to turn back.
Watching his retreating figure, Hu Yu Ying took a deep breath and said, “Thank you, Long Ge.”
Long Ao Tian didn’t respond, merely waved his hand behind him, signaling her to hurry along.
“Thanks, Long Ge,” Hu Yu Ying said softly again, but this time her voice was so small that only she could hear it.
Back in her rented home, she opened the door and turned on the light.
It was very quiet.
The night was silent, and her home was equally still.
Sitting on the sofa, she had grown accustomed to solitude.
Because it had been like this for the past three years.
But her heart, her own heart, seemed to have changed.
This sense of loneliness and silence felt like it was tearing her apart.
“So, I still can’t quite adapt to being alone,” Hu Yu Ying murmured to herself.
In the past, she enjoyed solitude and was used to the quiet.
But now, compared to loneliness, she longed to hear Long Ge’s voice.
“It’s really nice to have someone to talk to…”
“I’m so lucky.”
After saying this, a smile spread across Hu Yu Ying’s face as she walked into the kitchen to prepare dinner for herself.
If one were to view Hu Yu Ying from another’s perspective, they would notice how much she had changed.
Once a cute and innocent beauty, she now carried an air of gloom that made others uncomfortable.
But now, with a smile on her face, this was the best change, the most perfect transformation.
Looking at the remaining meat in the fridge, Hu Yu Ying dashed back to her room and pulled out her phone from under her pillow.
She opened the chat with Long Ao Tian: “Long Ge, do you want porridge tomorrow?”
“Sure,” came Long Ao Tian’s quick reply.
Seeing his response, Hu Yu Ying tucked her phone into her pocket and returned to the kitchen to take the remaining meat out to thaw.
Then she cut off a piece.
After doing all this, she sent another message to Long Ao Tian: “Okay.”
Upon receiving Hu Yu Ying’s message, Long Ao Tian turned over and switched off the light.
On the other side, she placed the thawed meat in the fridge’s fresh-keeping compartment.
After washing up and changing into another outfit, Hu Yu Ying lay down on her bed.
The next morning.
She turned off her alarm.
Rubbing her tousled hair, she got up and quickly pinned it up with a shark clip.
The morning was still a bit chilly; Hu Yu Ying shrank her neck, wrinkling her nose, and felt much more awake.
She went to the kitchen, filled a pot with water, and then chopped the meat.
The entire process was orderly, without a hint of panic.
Soon, the sky brightened with the first light of dawn.
Sitting on the steps at her door, she rested her chin on one hand, gazing at the pale sky.
Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door.
Hu Yu Ying froze for a moment, clearly not expecting anyone to knock on her door so early.
Fear gripped her!
She recalled the last time someone knocked on her door—Ye Liang Chen.
Nervously, she picked up a broom and approached the door.
Trying to peek through the crack to see who it was.
“Hu Yu Ying.” The person outside called her name upon seeing her silhouette through the gap.
Hearing that voice, Hu Yu Ying lowered the broom and opened the door.
As the door swung open, Long Ao Tian had intended to tease her about not checking her phone, but he was momentarily taken aback.
Before him stood Hu Yu Ying, wearing a loose floral short-sleeve top and oversized floral shorts that reached her knees.
Her bare arms and legs were slender, pale, and somewhat dazzling.
“Long Ge, you, you’re here?”
Her innocent, clear eyes sparkled with surprise, her long eyelashes fluttering slightly, and her hair pulled back revealed her fair neck, exuding a faint, delicate fragrance.
It was a scent reminiscent of shampoo, mingled with a woman’s unique body fragrance.
Seeing Long Ao Tian’s stunned expression, Hu Yu Ying tentatively reached out her hand and realized her bare, pale arms were exposed!
Suddenly snapping back to reality, she looked down and felt a rush of pink color climb up her fair neck!
Quickly grabbing the loose neckline of her top, she turned her back to him, saying, “I, I forgot to change clothes! I’ll go change now…”
Without waiting for Long Ao Tian to respond, she hurried back to her bedroom.
Her flushed face and soft, anxious voice perfectly illustrated what it meant to be charmingly coy and delicate.
Watching Hu Yu Ying’s retreating figure, Long Ao Tian took a deep breath. Even though she still seemed a bit naive, she already possessed a captivating allure.
Long Ao Tian rubbed his nose, deciding to retract his earlier thoughts.
Hu Yu Ying wasn’t just a stick; she had her own merits…
Back in her room, Hu Yu Ying looked at herself in the mirror.
Releasing her grip on the loose neckline, her collarbone was suddenly exposed, and she regretfully rubbed her cheeks.
She recalled Long Ao Tian’s stunned gaze as he looked her up and down.
Hu Yu Ying stood on her tiptoes, trying to see if she could catch a glimpse of anything from Long Ao Tian’s perspective.
Clearly, she saw nothing and assumed Long Ao Tian hadn’t seen anything either.
Taking a deep breath, she changed into her school uniform and stepped out of her bedroom.
Long Ao Tian stood in the courtyard, not entering the house.
Lifting the bamboo curtain, Hu Yu Ying shyly tucked her loose hair behind her ear, saying, “I, I didn’t know Long Ge would come…”
“Aren’t we having porridge?” Long Ao Tian cleared his throat and asked.
“Oh right, Long Ge, just a moment, it’ll be ready soon.” She walked into the kitchen, lifted the pot lid, and glanced at the bubbling, fragrant lean meat porridge.
Hu Yu Ying turned off the gas stove.
Through the window, she looked at Long Ao Tian’s figure, her hand pressing against her heart…
**Chapter 39: You’re Lying; I Saw Your Ears Turn Red**
“Long Ge, here’s the porridge.” Hu Yu Ying handed him a bowl.
“Thanks.” Long Ao Tian took the bowl and chopsticks, his gaze instinctively drifting toward Hu Yu Ying’s chest.
Feeling his gaze, Hu Yu Ying became so nervous that her legs started to tremble.
Unsure of what to say, she turned her back to him.
Her actions were already quite obvious.
Long Ao Tian cleared his throat awkwardly; he hadn’t expected Hu Yu Ying to have such assets.
To be fair, he was a twenty-eight-year-old man; what kind of feelings could he have for an eighteen-year-old girl?
Not to mention, Long Ao Tian had a solid moral compass; he was merely curious.
Back in the kitchen, Hu Yu Ying pressed her palm against her cheek, feeling the warmth radiating from it. Even without a mirror, she knew her face was likely flushed.
Glancing at her chest, she recalled the conversation she had with Long Ao Tian that Saturday.
She had asked him if all men preferred women with good figures.
Long Ao Tian had said he liked them, but judging by his stunned expression just now, it was clear he preferred those with better figures.
“So it turns out that not only women are duplicitous; men are too.”
Although she never considered her figure to be particularly good, she bit her lip, feeling her cheeks flush even more at the thought of Long Ao Tian’s expression…
With that in mind, Hu Yu Ying covered her face with her hands, her feet fidgeting on the ground.
The awkwardness of a young girl was unmistakable.
“This is so embarrassing.”
Suddenly, the bamboo curtain in the kitchen was lifted, and Long Ao Tian asked curiously, “What are you doing? Why aren’t you coming out to eat?”
At the moment Long Ao Tian lifted the curtain, Hu Yu Ying quickly turned around, not wanting him to see her embarrassed face.
“I, I was just thinking about whether I should stir-fry a dish. Drinking porridge alone might be a bit too monotonous.”
“Oh, come on, no need to be polite. You don’t have to stir-fry anything.”
Hu Yu Ying stole a glance at Long Ao Tian and quickly turned back, “Okay, okay.”
“Hurry up and come out to eat.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Once Long Ao Tian left the kitchen, Hu Yu Ying felt like a deflated balloon.
Her shoulders relaxed completely.
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