Chapter 152
**Chapter 183: A Grown Woman's Dependence on a Man**
Xue Shaohua hurriedly followed suit upon seeing the scene.
In truth, when he saw Hu Yuying walking into the courtyard with that boy, his heart was filled with sorrow.
If he had to describe that feeling, it was like watching his most cherished toy being played with by someone else—an unbearable discomfort.
He knew he was exceptional too, so he couldn’t understand why Hu Yuying seemed to overlook him entirely.
The more unattainable she was, the more restless his heart became.
All of his feelings ultimately coalesced into a sense of unwillingness.
Such a treasure of a girl would have been easier to forget had he never met her, but now that he had, she was impossible to erase from his mind.
He found himself wanting her at every moment; her beautiful smile was etched in his memory. If one day that smile were to bloom just for him, Xue Shaohua felt his life would be worth it.
And then there was Li Qingxue. If given the chance, he would also like to have a deeper conversation with her. He knew he shouldn’t be so greedy, but human greed is ingrained in our very bones.
Being as outstanding as he was, and relatively popular in class, shouldn’t he be afforded a bit more tolerance?
It was just a pity that he didn’t know the name of that cool and stunning girl, leaving him with a tinge of regret.
As they approached the courtyard, Ye Liangchen and Xue Shaohua faintly heard voices.
Ye Liangchen suddenly raised his arm, signaling for Xue Shaohua to wait and not to advance any further.
“Long Ge, I really have been trying hard.”
“Yeah, I can see that,” he replied. After all, he had watched her slowly change since they were in Haigang City; how could he not notice?
“No, you don’t really see it. You always look at me with such indulgence, as if in your eyes, I’m just a child who can’t grow up and needs protection.”
“It’s my fault, then. From now on, in my eyes, you’ll just be a slightly bigger child. Is that okay?”
“Long Ge~~” Hu Yuying stomped her foot, looking quite unwilling, a bit defiant against Long Ge.
Seeing her little act, Long Aotian chuckled, affectionately pinching her chubby cheek. Unable to resist, he playfully poked her nose: “Go on in. They’re all waiting for you. We’ll go eat together later.”
The two eavesdroppers couldn’t help but smile, imagining Hu Yuying’s adorable, pouting face.
Their smiles radiated happiness, as if in that moment, the person before Hu Yuying wasn’t Long Aotian, but themselves.
“Long Ge.” Hu Yuying called out to Long Aotian’s retreating figure, and as he turned, she gently embraced him.
Just like that day when Long Ge had carried her, his arms tightly wrapped around her, her head resting against his chest: “Long Ge, I’m already an adult. I know exactly what I’m feeling.”
“It’s not gratitude, not thanks, not appreciation; it’s dependence. But not the kind of dependence a child has on an adult; it’s the kind of dependence a grown woman has on a man...”
With those words, Hu Yuying felt she had said everything she wanted to say to Long Aotian.
Long Aotian looked down at Hu Yuying in his arms, wanting to reach out and stroke her long hair...
Silence. It was so quiet.
Hu Yuying bit her lip and closed her eyes, knowing she might still be rejected by Long Ge, but still...
Thump!
Her eyelashes fluttered as she slowly opened her eyes, unable to resist leaning closer to Long Aotian’s heart.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Hu Yuying smiled, and when she did, the charm at the corners of her eyes seemed to solidify, as if her tenderness could seep into the marrow of his bones.
She felt her cheeks uncontrollably heating up.
Even the tips of her ears felt hot and flushed.
She heard it; sometimes, no words were needed, yet she understood.
She thought she might have already grasped Long Ge’s heart...
“Brute! Let that girl go!” A sudden voice shattered the moment between them.
The door was kicked open.
Long Aotian instinctively pulled Hu Yuying behind him, looking toward the door.
Inside the room, Li Qingxue and Lin Wanning had also heard the sound of the door being kicked and quickly stepped out.
As they emerged, they saw a figure standing outside.
He stood sideways to them, slightly tilting his head at a forty-five-degree angle, his expression dim and somewhat sorrowful.
Seeing this person, Li Qingxue furrowed her brows, Lin Wanning did the same, and even the gentlest Hu Yuying frowned in distaste.
Long Aotian looked at Ye Liangchen outside without frowning, though a fleeting look of confusion crossed his eyes.
Hiding nearby, Xue Shaohua noticed Ye Liangchen’s imposing demeanor and gave him an approving nod.
Feeling all eyes on him, Ye Liangchen couldn’t help but smile slightly.
He tossed his hair back with flair, his gaze sharp as he looked at Long Aotian and the three girls he had been longing for.
Upon seeing Hu Yuying and the others, his smile widened, but it quickly turned into a frown as he glared at Long Aotian: “I told you to let them go!”
“Are you out of your mind, Ye Liangchen?” Li Qingxue spoke up, her disappointment in him growing as she had known him the longest.
She wasn’t foolish; the capital was so vast, how could Ye Liangchen have found this place, this alley, this courtyard? It was obvious.
Her disappointment morphed into a deeper sense of disgust.
Facing Li Qingxue’s words, Ye Liangchen let out a bitter laugh and slowly shook his head: “Others laugh at me for being too crazy; I laugh at them for not seeing through it.”
“The knight has arrived; don’t be afraid, Qingxue.” He then turned his gaze to Hu Yuying and Lin Wanning: “You two don’t need to be scared either, because—I'm here!”
He finished with a nod toward the three girls.
Finally, he fixed his gaze on Long Aotian. This was the first time he faced him directly; it didn’t matter anymore; he had already embraced his darker side.
With his hands in his pockets, he flicked his hair and walked toward Long Aotian, looking him straight in the eye. Ye Liangchen instinctively swallowed hard: “Long Aotian, I know you feel a sense of crisis from me.”
“I didn’t want to compete before, but now I can’t stand by any longer. I...”
Smack!
Ye Liangchen’s head snapped to the side, stunned, his lips trembling slightly, clearly caught off guard.
Li Qingxue and Lin Wanning were also taken aback by Long Aotian’s action, as it was the first time they had seen him like this.
Only Hu Yuying looked up at Long Aotian. Others might not understand, but she knew why Long Ge had hit Ye Liangchen.
Knowing this only made her heart ache more for her Long Ge...
**Chapter 184: A Heart of Justice**
After a moment!
Ye Liangchen, whose face had been turned to the side, finally came to his senses, disbelief filling his eyes: “Y-you hit me?”
Long Aotian stepped forward, his gaze calm as he stared at Ye Liangchen.
That look, that gaze, was all too familiar to Ye Liangchen. Some people would shout and curse when angry, but others, like Long Aotian, displayed a calm demeanor that concealed a raging storm beneath.
In that moment, Ye Liangchen was reminded of the fear he had felt in his past life, taking a step back, his face filled with terror as he looked at him: “W-what do you want?”
“Have I ever told you that kicking down someone else's door is a bad behavior?” Long Aotian asked in a low voice.
He remembered the time he had knocked on Hu Yuying’s door, scaring his little follower to the point of turning pale.
Though that incident hadn’t directly harmed Hu Yuying, it had left a shadow in her heart for a while.
He couldn’t forget that day when Hu Yuying was so anxious she was almost in tears, not knowing what to do, coming to him for help, yet afraid of causing him trouble.
And Long Aotian couldn’t bear to think about what would have happened if he hadn’t met Hu Yuying, if she hadn’t sought his help—how scared and helpless she must have felt alone.
It’s incredibly difficult to pull someone out of darkness, yet it’s so easy to destroy a person.
He had worked hard to bring his little follower to life.
And yet this guy dared to stalk Yuying and Qingxue, which made Long Aotian uncontrollably furious.
In fact, without realizing it, they had already occupied a significant place in his heart.
Seeing Long Aotian like this, Ye Liangchen found himself at a loss for words, unsure how to express the grandiose speech he had prepared in his mind.
He never expected that even after embracing his darker side, Long Aotian would still dare to hit him.
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