Chapter 117
Hu Yuying forced herself to smile, softly murmuring an "mm" before returning to her bed.
She struggled to calm her emotions, but tears still appeared without warning.
As the most obedient little follower of Long Aotian, no one understood him better than she did.
If Li Qingxue could notice, how could she possibly miss it?
The moment Long Aotian's body tensed, Hu Yuying sensed it.
But at that time, Long Ge was still holding back, wearing a calm expression as he smiled at her, afraid she would see through him. So, Hu Yuying had no choice but to play dumb.
She knew Long Ge didn’t want her to worry, so she pretended not to know.
When Li Qingxue secretly messaged Long Ge, she saw it.
Even if Li Qingxue hadn’t messaged him, she would have.
So she heard what Long Ge said.
When she saw the swelling on his back, God knows how much it hurt her heart, how much it pained her.
But Long Ge understood her too well; he feared her worry, feared her tears, so he always pretended that nothing was wrong.
He was always concerned about her. When he heard Li Qingxue say she was doing well at school, he smiled and said, "That's good."
One thing Long Ge said was very true: her heart was small, very small...
"Long Ge, before I met you, I thought life was just like that, but after meeting you, I forgave all the hardships that life threw at me."
Looking at the photo of herself and Long Ge making a pinky promise, smiling brightly.
Hu Yuying carefully placed the photo against her chest.
"Meeting you feels like... I really like you so much..."
"You want to see me become stronger and better, so I will become stronger and better. One day, I will break down the wall in your heart..."
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**Chapter 141: My Heart Tells Me I Have Someone I Like**
In the brief moments waiting at the traffic light.
Long Aotian turned right on his bicycle.
A figure seemed to sense something, lifting their gaze toward the direction Long Aotian had left.
"Strange, that person's back looks so much like Long Aotian," they muttered, shaking their head with a smirk. "It must be an illusion. Someone like Long Aotian, so lowly, how could he come to Kyoto?"
Ye Liangchen withdrew his gaze, thinking that Long Aotian was probably off somewhere in a rural town buying clothes for Hu Yuying.
His life wasn’t something Ye Liangchen looked down on; he could see the tragic future awaiting him with just one glance.
"What a pity for my treasure girl." At this thought, a hint of bitterness crept onto Ye Liangchen's lips. Even though the treasure girl hadn’t chosen him and he had already given up that title, he still couldn’t quite forget her. In his dreams, he almost got to be with her, but... sigh! It was a kind of obsession in his heart.
Once he secured Xiao Qingmei and Li Qingxue, he would come back to save her.
"I just hope that bastard Long Aotian can be a bit gentler, not so rough, and not make his treasure girl suffer..."
He exhaled slowly, heading toward A University.
Arriving at A University, Ye Liangchen took out his phone, framed himself with the university in the background, and struck a pose (＾－＾)V, snapping a selfie.
After taking the photo, he immediately edited it and clicked to post, feeling satisfied as he blended into the crowd on campus.
The reason he did this was twofold: first, to show off, and second, to indirectly tell that girl...
To let her know he had arrived.
Walking into A University’s campus, he relied on his memories from dreams to find the playground closest to the girls' dormitory No. 6, then continued to take selfies and post on social media.
"This is just a simple test. If you see this and come looking for me, it means you still can’t forget me."
"I’m being foolish, knowing you can’t let go of me, yet I still want to test you, haha..."
Shaking his head in self-mockery, he walked toward the playground.
With his hands in his pockets, he passed by some female classmates, a smile curling at the corners of his mouth, then confidently tossed his head back.
He could clearly feel the gazes of those girls on him as he walked by.
So he tilted his head at a forty-five-degree angle, opened his arms, and feigned a look of ecstasy, slowly making a gesture as if to embrace himself under their secretive scrutiny.
With the soul of a 28-year-old, Ye Liangchen knew exactly how to attract the attention of female classmates.
He also understood how to leverage his advantages to make these naive girls infatuated with him.
He wanted to show Li Qingxue that he was exceptional and that many people secretly liked him.
This would create psychological pressure on her, ultimately using Xiao Qingmei Lin Wanning’s help to make her realize and pursue him.
A slight smile crept onto his lips as he casually glanced back at those female classmates.
He raised an eyebrow and confidently flicked his hair.
Just as he was flipping his hair, he caught sight of a figure and froze in place.
In that moment, Ye Liangchen smiled, glancing at his phone; it had been less than ten minutes since he posted.
With a helpless chuckle, he walked toward that figure.
"Sometimes fate is truly marvelous, always pulling us in unexpected directions." He took a deep breath and said, "Long time no see, how have you been?"
Hearing his voice, Li Qingxue looked up.
Just one glance made Ye Liangchen's heart skip a beat.
Her slightly reddened eyes—was it excitement at seeing him? Silent longing? Or an uncontrollable surge of real emotion?
He didn’t know; perhaps it was one of those, or maybe all of them.
"Don’t cry, I’m here now," Ye Liangchen said softly. "If I had known it would come to this, why bother in the first place?"
Li Qingxue seemed a bit dazed, then furrowed her brow. "What are you talking about? And how did you get in here?"
"Hehe." Ye Liangchen found it amusing. Still pretending? She had just cried over him, and now she was trying to act tough. He had to admit, she was quite the tease.
"Alright, let bygones be bygones. I’m here in Kyoto now. Do the things you said before still count?"
"What things? And can you please speak properly?" If it weren’t for knowing Ye Liangchen for nine years, Li Qingxue wouldn’t want to say a word to him.
"Don’t you remember? Didn’t you say that once we got to university, you would start dating?"
"Now that we’re in university, isn’t it time for you to fulfill your promise?"
Ye Liangchen looked at Li Qingxue, who was crying from excitement at seeing him. To be honest, he felt a bit soft-hearted. He had originally wanted to provoke her into a chase, but now it seemed that as long as she could date him, he wouldn’t push her too hard.
Li Qingxue heard Ye Liangchen’s words and smiled. She looked at him seriously, "Ye Liangchen, do you know how ridiculous you sound right now?"
"I did say I didn’t want to date in high school because I wanted to focus on preparing for the college entrance exam. I also said we could talk about dating in university, but don’t you think what you’re saying now is really silly?"
"Did I ever tell you that I only saw you as a good friend? I’ve clearly rejected you so many times. Why do you still think I like you?"
"And why should I have to date you just because we’re in university? Can’t I like someone else? Why would I want to date someone who advised me to lower my scores for the entrance exam? Am I that desperate?"
Initially, when Ye Liangchen saw the smile on Li Qingxue’s lips, he also smiled.
But as she continued speaking, the smile on his face froze completely.
"What do you mean by that?"
Watching Ye Liangchen’s shocked expression, Li Qingxue sighed softly, standing up to look at him, her tone much gentler now. "Ye Liangchen, we’ve known each other for nine years. I don’t know why things suddenly changed like this."
"In my memory, you weren’t like this before. You used to be really great. Even when I didn’t understand what liking someone meant, you held a significant place in my heart."
"That was built up over nine years, little by little. I..." Li Qingxue took a deep breath. "I appreciate your feelings for me in the past, but let’s not dwell on this anymore."
"Ye Liangchen, I want to tell you that I already have someone I like."
At this point, Li Qingxue didn’t even realize how gentle her smile was: "He taught me what it means to like someone. He’s really wonderful, mysterious, and interesting. My heart tells me that I like him."
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