Chapter 40
Li Qingxue looked at Long Aotian, a smile blossoming from the depths of her eyes. "But when I talk to you, I don’t feel like you’re the kind of person who would resort to violence over a disagreement."
"What kind of person do you see me as?" Long Aotian sat up and asked, turning his gaze toward Li Qingxue.
"I don’t know about others, but I think you’re gentle in nature, with a hint of wildness and defiance," Li Qingxue replied earnestly.
She had sensed his patience when he had previously offered her guidance. His words were never harsh; he felt like an elder, yet not quite, making him a great confidant.
And during their first meeting, when she was being interviewed, he had bent down to accommodate her height difference, displaying a gentlemanly demeanor.
Because of this, Li Qingxue found it hard to reconcile the Long Aotian described by her deskmate with the one she had met.
"Thanks! I didn’t expect to have such a high rating in your eyes," Long Aotian said with a smile. "Actually, I wasn’t a great person before, but I’ve been working hard to change."
He then picked up the milk beside him. "Did you come all the way here just to apologize for your friend?"
Li Qingxue took a deep breath and sighed. "Yeah."
Gao Quan had told her that Ye Liangchen had caused trouble for Long Aotian because of her.
Li Qingxue felt responsible for the situation and worried it might bring unnecessary trouble to Long Aotian. She was also afraid he might retaliate against Ye Liangchen, so she thought it best to apologize.
After all, they were classmates and friends; there was no need for any unpleasantness.
Besides, it was just a misunderstanding!
But now, hearing it from the horse's mouth, she realized Ye Liangchen hadn’t actually troubled Long Aotian.
So, was Gao Quan deceiving her?
Or was Ye Liangchen the one who had led Gao Quan to deceive her?
Her emotions were a tangled mess, complex and confusing.
Long Aotian glanced at Li Qingxue and chuckled. "At your age, you seem to place way too much importance on the innocent crushes between boys and girls, don’t you think?"
Seeing someone as emotionally oblivious as Li Qingxue, Long Aotian could tell from her expression that she was caught in a dilemma again.
It made sense; if he had someone who had been by his side for nine years, he would probably feel conflicted too.
"Love is a beautiful thing for everyone," he continued. "But a healthy relationship should be about mutual growth, not getting deeper entangled in each other’s issues."
"If you can’t let go of each other, you might consider giving it another shot and looking at your relationship from a different angle. You might find a new perspective."
"Of course, all of this should wait until after the college entrance exams."
This was Long Aotian’s small piece of advice for her. He wanted to tell her not to get caught up in emotional turmoil. If she couldn’t let go, she should take it seriously, follow her heart, and have no regrets...
Li Qingxue’s eyes flickered; Long Aotian’s words truly resonated with her.
This was exactly how she had planned her life.
Moreover, she firmly believed that if two people were truly in love, they would eventually meet at the peak of their lives.
That’s why she hadn’t included romance in her high school plans from the start...
As the rain began to lighten, Long Aotian set the milk back down beside Li Qingxue. "The rain’s easing up. I should get going. I hope the next time we meet, you won’t be so tangled up in your thoughts."
Li Qingxue then noticed that Long Aotian hadn’t brought an umbrella.
She was about to offer to walk him back, but he simply waved his hand behind him and walked away, disappearing into the rain.
He seemed unbothered by the storm, carefree and true to himself.
As Long Aotian left, Li Qingxue looked at the milk beside her, then raised her gaze to the endless curtain of rain, stretching her body in a lazy yawn...
No matter the reason for the deception, just as Long Aotian had said, everything would wait until after the college entrance exams...
---
Chapter 48: Those with Poor Judgment Should Take the Long Way Around
Li Qingxue snapped a photo of the rain outside.
Then she began to edit a caption on her phone: "All sudden memories are just because they’ve been kept in the heart, but it seems that’s all there is to it. Forgive me, your knight has retreated."
She clicked upload!
Ye Liangchen watched as his phone lay back on the bed.
Refreshing the screen, he muttered to himself, "I wonder how much this will hurt you when you read it."
After scrolling for a while and finding no view records, he guessed that Li Qingxue was probably busy studying and hadn’t checked her phone.
So he set his phone down and lay back on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
He realized he hadn’t given Li Qingxue any kindness this past week.
Instead, he had maintained a cold demeanor in front of her.
Several times, he had seen her wanting to say something but hesitating.
It seemed she had something on her mind.
But he hadn’t given her the chance to speak.
"You must be feeling pretty miserable, huh? But I’m sorry, I can’t help it. You need to go through this; only by experiencing the trials of love will you truly understand how much you love me."
"Otherwise, you won’t appreciate it."
"We’ve known each other for so long that you can’t tell if your feelings for me are friendship or something more. But that’s okay; I’ll help you figure it out."
"When someone who used to be by your side suddenly distances themselves, it’s hard to adjust, right?"
But that was exactly what Ye Liangchen wanted. The more uncomfortable she felt, the more she would remember the good times they had together.
The more she recalled how he had been there for her, the more she would regret not accepting his confession earlier.
She would slowly start to feel the pain, gradually awakening to her feelings, ultimately leading her to pursue him.
Just like in a dream.
She would chase after him, confessing her feelings.
At that point, he would hold all the power.
Thinking of this, and recalling the bet he had made with Gao Quan, Ye Liangchen couldn’t help but chuckle.
He could hardly imagine the look of surprise on Gao Quan’s face when that time came.
Suddenly, Ye Liangchen seemed to have an idea.
"With this heavy rain, Hu Yuying probably won’t go to her part-time job, right?"
"Knowing her personality, as long as it’s not raining knives, she’ll definitely go to work!"
"I wonder if she brought an umbrella."
"If she sees me drenched, just to deliver her an umbrella, she should be really touched, right?"
With that thought, Ye Liangchen decided to check on her.
While he was concerned about Li Qingxue’s feelings, he couldn’t forget about his treasure girl. Although there was only a week left until he would meet her in reality, that didn’t stop him from caring for her in advance.
A perfect man should spread his kindness evenly!
He got up to get dressed, hesitated for a moment, then took off his clothes and opened the wardrobe, pulling out a white shirt.
The white shirt would cling to his body when wet, allowing him to casually show off his physique while also letting Hu Yuying see how much he was willing to sacrifice just to bring her an umbrella.
---
After returning home, Long Aotian took a shower. Looking at the relentless rain outside, he grabbed an umbrella and stepped out.
He headed to the market.
He had been coming here often lately, and the vendors around had come to recognize him.
When he bought vegetables, they often gave him discounts.
After picking up his groceries, he cut a piece of meat at the old man’s stall, then thought that just meat wouldn’t do.
In the end, he asked the old man to chop some ribs for him.
"Going to see that little teacher again?" the old man asked softly, glancing at the vegetables Long Aotian had bought.
"Yeah, I’ll be going to her house for tutoring every weekend," Long Aotian replied.
"Alright," the old man said with a smile, recalling how his son had gone from last place to fifth from the bottom. He felt a surge of joy and chopped a few more pounds of ribs.
As a parent, watching your child consistently rank last can be quite distressing.
Previously, because of Long Aotian’s grades, the old man had suggested he go to the tutoring department.
But that had led to a major argument between them.
Since then, the old man had been unsure how to approach Long Aotian, wanting to talk about his studies but fearing it would strain their relationship further.
Now, seeing Long Aotian slowly changing, the old man felt a sense of pride.
He had no reservations about the little teacher who could help his son improve.
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