Chapter 86
This is a change in mindset.
This is the confidence that belongs to Hu Yuying alone.
At this moment, both her inner and outer self have subtly transformed under the influence of Long Aotian.
Now, it’s hard to see the past insecurities and gloominess in Hu Yuying.
Even a gloomy girl can have her spring.
Spring may not be perfect, but it will surely bloom quietly.
Hu Yuying stole a glance at Long Aotian and noticed how impressive he was, finishing a chicken leg in just a few bites.
Biting her lip lightly, she looked at the chicken leg in her own lunch box and, lowering her gaze, used her chopsticks to pick it up for Long Aotian. “I... I can’t eat anymore. I haven’t touched the chicken leg.”
Without waiting to see Long Aotian’s reaction, she quickly turned away, a blush rising on her pure and beautiful face.
Long Aotian glanced at the chicken leg in the lunch box, then at Hu Yuying, who had barely eaten. He wondered if the heat was making her lose her appetite.
After finishing his meal in a few bites, he stood up and walked out.
Watching Long Aotian’s departing figure, Hu Yuying obediently sat at the stall, waiting for him.
It seemed that waiting for Long Aotian had become a habit for Hu Yuying.
She didn’t find it boring; in fact, she enjoyed it.
“Why are you here all alone, little girl? Where’s your boyfriend?” A woman, accompanied by her son who looked about fourteen or fifteen, asked with a smile.
This woman had sold a short-sleeved shirt here in the morning, and Hu Yuying remembered her because she had taken her money.
Hearing the woman’s words, Hu Yuying’s face turned red, and she spoke softly, “He... he went out for something.”
“Look at you, blushing!” The woman teased, noticing Hu Yuying’s shy expression.
“I’m not blushing!” Hu Yuying turned her face away, feeling embarrassed.
Her reaction made the woman exclaim how adorable the girl was.
The short-sleeved shirt was nineteen yuan, and after trying it on her son at home, she found it looked good and was cheap. So, she brought her son back to buy a couple more.
After all, boys love to play, and clothes wear out quickly.
The boy picked out two shirts, and after Hu Yuying found the right sizes, she packed them up.
Not long after the woman left, Long Aotian returned, carrying something.
“Here you go.”
Lobster porridge and Snowflake Dew.
Hu Yuying looked at the items placed in front of her, her heart fluttering slightly. Did Long Ge go out just to buy these for her?
Long Aotian poked her forehead with his finger. “What are you staring at?”
“Eat up quickly. Long Ge has to make money now. If you get too hungry, I won’t be able to take care of you.”
Hearing Long Ge’s words, Hu Yuying lowered her gaze slightly. “You’re lying.”
He said he wouldn’t be able to take care of her, yet he still bought her these things.
He was clearly so good to her, clearly caring about her, and she should feel happy and delighted. But for some reason, her eyes suddenly felt a bit teary.
Hu Yuying wasn’t unaware of the kindness of others. In fact, during the time right after her parents left, many people had come to help her and her grandparents.
Once, twice, three times, four times... they chose to withdraw their pity...
With two elderly and one child, this life seemed to have an end in sight...
So, Hu Yuying was reluctant to accept help from others because she was afraid—afraid that those who helped her would eventually see her as a burden and choose to leave.
But in the half year since transferring schools, she had accepted Long Ge’s help more than once.
Once, twice, three times... countless times...
Long Aotian watched Hu Yuying with her head down, puzzled. The little girl was becoming harder to read.
“What’s wrong? Alright, alright, I won’t tease you next time.” Long Aotian said with a smile, intending to lighten the mood, but then he saw a tear drop, like a fallen angel with broken wings, hitting the ground.
Just as Long Aotian said, he could accept many things, but he couldn’t bear to see a girl cry in front of him.
Suddenly, he felt a bit at a loss.
“What’s... what’s wrong?”
“Don’t cry.”
Hu Yuying tried to calm her emotions, and seeing Long Ge’s flustered expression made her feel both amused and touched.
“Long Ge, I’m fine. I’m just a little moved.”
Long Aotian sighed in relief. “No more being moved! If you cry, I’ll really hit you!”
Looking at Long Aotian, Hu Yuying tightly gripped her clothes with her fingers.
The words Ye Liangchen had said echoed in her mind: “Do you think he’s nice to you because he wants to? He just wants to toy with your body.”
She didn’t believe Ye Liangchen’s words, so she finally mustered the courage to ask, “Long Ge, why are you so good to me?”
“Are you out of your mind? Who’s being nice to you?”
“Come on, Long Ge, just tell me.” After spending so much time with him, she knew this was Long Ge’s way of brushing her off.
Long Aotian replied impatiently, “Because you’re worth it!”
Hu Yuying’s heart trembled involuntarily, her heartbeat suddenly out of rhythm. She slightly turned her head, not daring to look at him, but her fingertips unconsciously tightened around the hem of her shirt.
She had thought of many things Long Ge might say.
In fact, she could accept whatever he said.
But she never expected that it was all simply because she was worth it.
Those words silenced Hu Yuying, echoing in her mind over and over again.
It felt like her heart was wrapped in layers of candy coating, making her want to hear it again and again.
In that instant, the fog of youthful confusion was dispelled, and Hu Yuying seemed to see her own heart clearly...
---
Chapter 104: I Have Found My Own Light
A woman’s heart is as deep as the ocean.
Even a girl is no different; just moments ago, she shed a few tears, and now she can happily hold her Snowflake Dew and enjoy it.
“Your ability to self-regulate is quite terrifying,” Long Aotian said with a laugh.
“Does that mean you want to see me cry, Long Ge?” Hu Yuying asked seriously, looking at him softly.
“Little girl, you’re even daring to tease your big brother now. Have I not hit you enough lately?”
Seeing Long Aotian clench his fist, Hu Yuying obediently held her Snowflake Dew, fearfully saying, “No, I was wrong, Long Ge.”
As Long Aotian grabbed her by the neck, Hu Yuying shrank her neck and looked up at him eagerly. “Long Ge...”
---
“Damn it, damn it, damn it!” On the other side, Ye Liangchen, who had been quietly observing, felt his heart bleed at this scene but could do nothing but silently rage.
Though he couldn’t hear what Long Aotian and Hu Yuying were saying, he could see Long Aotian’s fist and how he was gripping Hu Yuying’s neck...
“Damn Long Aotian, you’ve had your fun bullying her, but she’s the treasure I’ve been dreaming of!”
At that moment, Ye Liangchen let out a bitter laugh. Although Hu Yuying treated him that way, seeing this scene made his heart ache—truly ache.
He once thought he could harden his heart. He once believed that Hu Yuying’s downfall was the consequence of her own choices.
But now it seemed he could never harden his heart: “I really am a kind person.”
He sighed softly. “Now you should know what kind of person Long Aotian is, right?”
“He will only drag you down, while I will rescue you from the darkness.”
Suddenly, Ye Liangchen’s eyes lit up.
He saw Hu Yuying getting up and leaving the stall.
Seeing this, Ye Liangchen hurriedly followed her.
Long Aotian was keeping a tight grip on Hu Yuying, not wanting anyone, including himself, to get close to her. This was a perfect opportunity for him.
With that thought, he narrowed his eyes at Long Aotian, exuding a cold, venomous aura like a snake. “Since you don’t know how to cherish her, don’t blame me for being the villain!”
After saying this, Ye Liangchen straightened his clothes and circled around toward the direction Hu Yuying was leaving.
It was the public restroom.
Once there, Ye Liangchen leaned against the wall outside, looking up at a forty-five-degree angle, revealing a lonely and melancholic expression.
Soon, a graceful figure walked out of the restroom.
Ye Liangchen’s lips curled into a polite smile as he softly called out, “Yuying.”
Hearing someone call her name, Hu Yuying turned her head to take a look. When she saw it was Ye Liangchen, she pretended not to see him and turned to leave.
Ye Liangchen chuckled softly. He thought that Hu Yuying turned away because she felt inferior in front of his mature and confident self.
If she had chosen him back then, she certainly wouldn’t have ended up selling goods with Long Aotian.
He quickly chased after her. “Hu Yuying, to be honest, I was ready to give up on my desire to help others, but seeing you like this, I’ve decided to redeem you again.”
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