Chapter 129
Three big men were bare-chested: one was shaking his hips and dancing a strange dance, another was twirling a short sleeve in the air, and the third was sitting at the table, smoking a cigarette and scribbling something down.
“It's strange that no one from downstairs has come up to find you guys,” one of them remarked.
The three men chuckled. “Lao Ao, you’re back!”
“What’s up? You all seem particularly excited today.”
Xu Shuai stopped his hip-shaking and said excitedly, “I had lunch at the same table as Wang Lijuan today, and we even talked!”
Li Longlong tossed his shirt aside. “Me too! I spoke with Han Xiaojing today. Honestly, it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be.”
Long Aotian nodded and walked over to Huang Fei. “What about you?”
“Phew~~” Huang Fei exhaled a cloud of smoke, crushed the cigarette butt, and picked up his notebook. “Lao Ao, take a look at my insights.”
“Spending time with Shen Mengjie today made me realize a lot of theoretical shortcomings. I’m trying to revise them. One day, when I catch up to Shen Mengjie, I’ll publish a book. I want to become the master of romance!”
Long Aotian nodded seriously. “Sounds good.”
He walked over to the balcony and opened the window, letting the smoke escape into the air.
Looking at the sun in the sky, Long Aotian stretched lazily. “The moon is really round today.”
“Yeah,” Hu Yuying said, gazing at the moon on the horizon. “It’s so beautiful tonight.”
“Yuying, do you know you look a lot like Long Aotian right now?” Li Qingxue teased with a smile.
Hearing Li Qingxue’s words, Hu Yuying paused for a moment, then turned to her with a smile. “Really?”
“Uh-huh.” Li Qingxue nodded. “Back when we were by the bay, Long Aotian was looking at the sunset in the same way. You both have such similar expressions and tones.”
Hearing that she resembled Long Aotian made Hu Yuying feel a warm glow inside. She rested her chin on one hand, gazing at the bright moon. “I wonder what Long Ge is doing right now?”
Even though they were in the same city, the distance between them felt greater than before. They couldn’t see each other anytime, anywhere like they used to.
So Hu Yuying found herself missing him, often yearning to appear before him, even if it meant sitting in silence for a while.
Longing doesn’t fade with time; instead, it accumulates...
“Hmph, that guy doesn’t need to worry. No matter where he is, he seems to thrive. He’s way better than the two of us.”
But then she remembered how she had asked him to wait for her at the school gate, and in just a short time, girls were already approaching him for his contact information. That thought made her feel a bit annoyed!
With that thought, Li Qingxue bit her lip and tentatively asked Hu Yuying, “Yuying, um, since you’ve known Long Aotian for a long time, do you...”
She paused, unsure of how to phrase her question, hesitating to voice it.
Her earlobes turned slightly red, a mix of nervousness and excitement. She finally whispered, “Do you know what kind of girl he likes?”
After saying this, Li Qingxue’s face flushed with a layer of shyness, a kind of beauty that was hard to describe.
Hearing Li Qingxue’s question and seeing her current demeanor, Hu Yuying was taken aback.
Some things were hard to say, but once they were out, she felt a sense of relief.
Li Qingxue looked at Hu Yuying earnestly, her eyes sparkling. “I know you’re close with Long Aotian, and he cares about you the most. Just tell me, I think I might like Long Aotian a little...”
After saying this, Li Qingxue fidgeted shyly, as if her biggest secret had just been revealed, leaving her feeling both bashful and momentarily awkward.
Hu Yuying looked at Li Qingxue, her smile stiffening slightly. She found it hard to accept Li Qingxue’s straightforwardness, and a feeling she couldn’t quite articulate welled up inside her, leaving her feeling lost and breathless.
Qingxue likes Long Ge?
She had never considered this possibility, as Qingxue had always seemed to treat Long Ge as just a friend. Now that Qingxue had said it outright, her mind went blank.
“What’s wrong, Yuying?” Li Qingxue, still feeling shy, noticed Hu Yuying’s silence and looked at her with concern.
Hu Yuying instinctively shook her head, her dim eyes fixed on Li Qingxue. “You... you like Long Ge?”
Though a bit embarrassed, Li Qingxue nodded, biting her lip. “Yeah.” The shyness of a young girl looked so lovely on her flawless face.
“I thought you and Long Aotian were together, that you were a couple, but then I heard you say you weren’t. So I wanted to give it a try.”
Li Qingxue had her own pride. If Long Aotian and Hu Yuying were a couple, she would bury her feelings deep inside and maintain a distance as friends.
They could bicker and have fun together, but she wouldn’t want to bring any trouble or pressure to him.
Long Aotian was a great guy, and it seemed only natural to like someone like him.
At first, Li Qingxue thought she could wait a bit longer, get to know him better, but seeing other girls approach him for his contact information and invite him out made her feel like she didn’t want to wait anymore.
Li Qingxue understood the feelings of those girls who were drawn to Long Aotian after he helped them.
She had experienced that warmth by the riverside when Long Aotian had helped her, so she truly understood that feeling.
It was a magical sensation, like stealing a beam of light that warmed her heart.
Recalling the moment when Long Aotian had pulled her into his embrace, she felt the seeds of her feelings quietly growing...
Looking at Li Qingxue, who was full of anticipation and eager to share everything, Hu Yuying instinctively shook her head. She didn’t want to, nor did she feel willing, as a wave of anxiety and unease surged within her.
“You don’t know either?” Seeing Hu Yuying shake her head, Li Qingxue thought she was also unaware of what kind of girl Long Aotian liked.
---
Chapter 156: Actually, I’m Not Okay at All
“It’s been really tiring lately, but starting tomorrow, things will be much easier. I’ll get back to the dorm and rest early.”
In the glass corridor, Li Qingxue looked at Hu Yuying, who seemed a bit down, and said with concern.
“Yeah, I know.” Hu Yuying replied absentmindedly, her mind still lingering on Qingxue’s confession about liking Long Ge...
“See you tomorrow.”
After saying that, Li Qingxue headed towards the dorm.
Hu Yuying didn’t leave; instead, she turned to look at Li Qingxue’s retreating figure, her eyes flickering. After a moment of hesitation, she called out, “Qingxue.”
Li Qingxue paused, turned around, and smiled at Hu Yuying. “What’s up, Yuying?”
Seeing Hu Yuying’s furrowed brow, Li Qingxue walked back to her side, gently smoothing her furrowed brow with her small hand, and softly asked, “What’s wrong?”
Though they hadn’t known each other for long, Hu Yuying was truly a good person, and their hearts connected, so her emotions were also affected by Hu Yuying.
In Li Qingxue’s caring gaze, Hu Yuying gently grasped her hand that was smoothing her brow. If it were anyone else, Hu Yuying would be very happy and supportive of Qingxue.
She would willingly be a wingwoman for Qingxue, simply because Qingxue was her best friend.
But why did the person Qingxue like have to be Long Ge?
She liked Long Ge too, and very much at that, so Hu Yuying didn’t know what to do.
She truly didn’t know how to handle it. Letting go of Long Ge was something she couldn’t do.
So...
She gently held Qingxue’s hand, her eyes shimmering as she looked at her seriously. “Qingxue, what if... I mean, what if there are other people who like Long Ge too?”
Li Qingxue thought for a moment, then smiled shyly. “I don’t know.”
Her tone was a bit uncertain.
Long Aotian was a gentle person, and anyone who spent time with him would feel something. A guy like him should be quite popular with girls, right?
Wasn’t she also unknowingly drawn to him?
“But even if there are, we can just compete fairly,” Li Qingxue said, lightly tossing her hair. “After all, I’m not bad either.”
“What if... what if I really like Long Ge a lot?” Hu Yuying spoke softly, as if confessing a truth or perhaps just talking to herself.
Table of Contents
