Chapter 178
Hu Yuying was, in fact, an extremely shy woman. If this had been in the past, she would never have dared to place a boy's hand over her heart in front of so many people at the subway station.
Let alone accept being pulled into someone's embrace in such a bustling environment.
The reason for her change might be that she had almost lost Long Ge after he had pushed her away before.
Now, all she wanted was to hold onto Long Ge tightly. It didn’t matter if he was shy; Yuying wouldn’t be.
Long Ge had never been in a relationship, but that was fine. Yuying would savor every moment they spent together, one step at a time.
Because he was Long Ge...
Because she was his most obedient little follower...
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**Chapter 215: Long Ge, You Won't Be Alone Anymore**
Feeling the rhythm of Hu Yuying's heartbeat, Long Aotian realized he felt even more inexperienced than she did.
After being a single man for twenty-eight years in his own world, and then spending another eighteen years single in this one, he found himself at a loss when it came to matters of the heart. He simply didn’t know what to do.
But one thing was clear to Long Aotian: being with Hu Yuying was easy and made him happy.
This feeling had been there since the moment he met her.
He smiled, loosening his arm around Hu Yuying and firmly grasping her hand instead.
If his little follower could be so brave, how could he, as the older brother, be timid?
Feeling Long Ge’s firm grip on her hand, Hu Yuying looked up at him, her beautiful eyes sparkling with a smile.
Sometimes, a sudden rush of emotions can strike in an instant—sometimes it’s a word, sometimes a gesture. In any case, Hu Yuying’s heart raced not just in this moment.
But there were two moments that stood out: the first was last night, sharing a meal together.
The second was now, with Long Ge holding her tightly.
Hu Yuying was pure-hearted; she felt joy and sadness, and right now, there was no doubt she was happy.
“Let’s go grab some breakfast first,” Long Aotian said, his voice softening as he looked at the smile on Hu Yuying’s face.
“Okay,” Hu Yuying nodded. She would listen to whatever Long Ge said.
From the moment she dared to take the first step and go out of town with him to buy clothes, Hu Yuying had always had unconditional trust in Long Aotian.
Love, this little thing, could make mature people act a bit immature.
It could make the timid brave.
Yet, this small thing brought constant joy.
With her chin resting on her hand, Hu Yuying gazed at Long Ge, her eyes sparkling as she watched him eat a xiaolongbao (soup dumpling), the smile on his lips so charming.
Long Aotian felt a bit shy under her gaze. He had been watched before, but back then, Hu Yuying had always stolen glances at him.
Now, with her openly staring at him, it made him feel a little embarrassed.
Has anyone ever experienced this? When eating, being looked at with such affectionate eyes makes you feel uneasy—eating feels awkward, and not eating feels even worse.
But there was no helping it; Hu Yuying loved watching Long Ge eat.
When she saw him put down his chopsticks, she pulled out a tissue. Long Aotian instinctively reached out to take it.
But Hu Yuying didn’t stop; she leaned forward, gently dabbing the tissue at the corner of Long Aotian’s mouth, slowly wiping it clean.
Long Aotian’s body stiffened. After being alone for so long, he wasn’t used to being cared for like this. “I—I can do it myself.”
Hu Yuying’s eyes sparkled with moisture, and even though she felt shy, her hands didn’t stop. “I can take care of you, Long Ge.”
“Long Ge…” At this point, a blush crept up her fair neck. “Long Ge, you won’t be alone anymore. You need to learn to adapt and get used to it.”
“In our hometown, we’d say you’ve been too used to being alone all these years.”
“You don’t dislike being cared for; you’re just afraid of it, right?”
Long Aotian met Hu Yuying’s gaze, seeing his own reflection in her eyes. His stiff body slowly relaxed.
Who wouldn’t like being cared for by someone they love?
Long Aotian wasn’t afraid; it was just a feeling he couldn’t quite articulate, especially when Hu Yuying said, “Long Ge, you won’t be alone anymore…”
If he had to describe this emotion, it might be a sense of indebtedness.
He owed Hu Yuying a proper confession.
The girl’s feelings for him were so straightforward.
Perhaps she thought it wasn’t necessary, but shouldn’t it be done?
Hu Yuying sat back down, her small hands nervously gripping the tissue, not as composed as she appeared.
“I—I actually want to say, Long Ge, I can do anything for you.”
In Hu Yuying’s eyes, Long Ge was truly amazing, as if he could solve any problem.
While she couldn’t help him in that regard, she could learn, gradually becoming someone who could support him. She wanted to do something for Long Ge.
Love is mutual; Long Ge helped and cared for her, and fearing she might confuse gratitude with affection, he gave her the right to choose.
This man, who always claimed to be rough around the edges, could do so much for someone like her.
He had given enough.
So Hu Yuying genuinely wanted to do something; she wanted Long Ge to know that she could take care of him too.
Their eyes met, and Long Aotian couldn’t help but reach out to touch the girl’s cheek. Her understanding demeanor made his heart ache.
Seeing Long Aotian’s hand reach out, Hu Yuying willingly leaned forward.
“Ding ding ding…”
Suddenly, the sound of a video call interrupted them, causing both to freeze. Long Aotian’s emotional expression made Hu Yuying blush.
Her fluttering eyelashes in response made Long Aotian let out a soft sigh.
He withdrew his hand and took out his phone, curious about who it could be. Was it really that easy to fall in love?
After glancing at the contact name, he couldn’t help but chuckle, “It’s my old man.”
Hearing Long Ge’s words, Hu Yuying’s eyes lit up, and she instinctively straightened her posture, nervously adjusting her appearance...
Watching her go from bright-eyed to anxious made Long Aotian laugh. “You already look great.”
But that didn’t ease Hu Yuying’s nerves; if anything, it made her more anxious.
It was reminiscent of a bride meeting her in-laws.
He clicked to answer the call.
“Son.”
The word “son” echoed as his father’s large face appeared on the screen.
His father had just learned how to use QQ (a messaging app), and Long Aotian had even set up the account for him not long ago.
Long Aotian covered his forehead and glanced around, worried that his father’s loud voice would draw attention.
“I’m out right now, Dad.”
“Out having fun with friends, huh?” His father instinctively lowered his voice, but on speakerphone, it felt comically obvious.
But the next sentence turned the humor into warmth: “Take care of yourself out there, son. I’ll send you some money soon. You’ll need it for food and drinks, and make sure to get along with your classmates…”
“I’m fine; I have enough money. You don’t need to run around.”
“I don’t need to run around anymore; I’ve learned how to transfer money on my phone now.” Long Aotian could just picture his father wandering around, asking people how to do it...
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**Chapter 216: Late Night Drinks, Morning Congee**
“Son, do you still keep in touch with that girl?”
Suddenly hearing his uncle mention her name made Hu Yuying, who had already been a bit restless, tense up completely, nervously glancing at Long Aotian.
Long Aotian chuckled at her nervousness, gently tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear before saying, “Yeah, we keep in touch regularly.”
Feeling Long Ge’s gentle touch eased Hu Yuying’s anxiety a little.
“Just keep in touch. It’s not easy for a young girl to be alone in a different place. If you can help a little, do so, but don’t be foolish.”
His father had heard Long Aotian mention Hu Yuying before.
It wasn’t easy for a girl, and the fact that his son was doing well enough to go to college was a huge favor to her.
“Let’s see who this is.” Long Aotian quickly turned the video toward Hu Yuying. He was genuinely afraid his father would say something shocking.
“Uncle,” Hu Yuying said, her small hands fidgeting as she awkwardly greeted the video call.
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