The next morning.
Li Qingxue woke up early as usual.
Her biological clock, formed over the years, naturally woke her at this hour.
After washing up and changing clothes, she headed out.
She arrived at the riverside of Shuiwan and walked from the west to the east.
The familiar figure did not appear, and she sighed quietly to herself.
It had been three days. Three days without seeing him.
Taking a deep breath, she sat on the grass, propping her chin with one hand, and gazed at the flowing river.
She took out her phone and looked at the chat interface, her mind filled with the image of Long Aotian riding his bike and taking Hu Yuying away.
After some thought, she put her phone away.
"The college entrance exam is over. It's time to relax a little. Maybe he'll come in a couple of days."
Lying on the grass, she took out her phone and snapped a photo of the sky.
Blue skies, white clouds, and clear weather—it was another beautiful day.
She finished editing the photo and was about to post it on her social media.
Then, the sound of footsteps slowly approached her.
Li Qingxue heard the footsteps coming closer, and without realizing it, her face lit up with joy.
She suddenly turned around, intending to startle the person. After all, he always liked to tease her as if she were a child.
The person was indeed startled by her sudden move.
Even though she had succeeded, Li Qingxue's delicate brows furrowed slightly.
"Why are you here?"
Ye Liangchen was initially startled by Li Qingxue, and the wildflowers he had casually picked on the way fell to the ground.
However, seeing the joy in Li Qingxue's eyes made it all worth it.
But when Li Qingxue saw it was him, her joy gradually turned to indifference, which inexplicably saddened Ye Liangchen.
He sighed softly, "If I didn't come, how long were you planning to wait?"
His voice was filled with resignation as he bent down to pick up the wildflowers that had fallen. "I saw these on my way here. I'm giving them to you."
Li Qingxue didn't take them. Instead, she turned her head away, refusing to look at Ye Liangchen.
If his random accusations had hurt her, then his demand for her to lower her scores and repeat a year with him had completely erased any goodwill she had for him.
Seeing Li Qingxue's pouting expression, Ye Liangchen couldn't help but find it amusing. Was she still holding a grudge?
"Alright, I feel bad too, but I still came to see you, didn't I?"
"Ye Liangchen, can you stop saying things I don't understand?" Li Qingxue suddenly felt like today was really unlucky.
Ye Liangchen remained unfazed, his hands in his pockets as he gazed into the distance. "Admit it, Qingxue."
"Admit what?"
"Admit that you actually have feelings for me. Qingxue, do you know what your biggest flaw is? You can't face your own heart."
At this point, Ye Liangchen tilted his head at a 45-degree angle, revealing a self-mocking smile. "Is it really that hard to admit that you like me?"
"You're too strong-willed. If I hadn't come today, how long were you planning to wait here?"
Li Qingxue stood up, glaring at Ye Liangchen with anger. "Are you crazy? Who said I was waiting for you?"
"Hah, still refusing to admit it?" Ye Liangchen shook his head helplessly.
"Your house is in the opposite direction. There's a riverside over there too, so why did you come all the way here? Isn't it because my house is nearby?"
"And just now, your reaction when you heard my footsteps."
"People's instincts are the most honest. The way you turned to look at me said it all," Ye Liangchen murmured.
Every little detail pointed to one thing: Li Qingxue wanted to see him, which was why her reactions were so genuine.
Li Qingxue felt as if her secret had been exposed, and a blush spread across her delicate face. "You—stop talking nonsense! Even if I was waiting for someone, it wasn't you!"
"Hah." Ye Liangchen wanted to laugh, but seeing Li Qingxue's serious expression, he paused. A strange thought crossed his mind—was she really waiting for someone else? Was the person she was anticipating not him?
How could that be? He had known Li Qingxue for nine years.
Nine years, not nine days. If she wasn't waiting for him, who else could it be?
"Qingxue, stop joking with me. If you're not waiting for me, who are you waiting for?"
"Fine, I admit defeat, alright? I stopped being mad at you a long time ago. Is that good enough for you?"
Hearing this, Li Qingxue couldn't help but laugh.
So, it was her fault for not lowering her scores and not repeating a year with him?
Seeing Li Qingxue smile at him again, Ye Liangchen chuckled softly. "Is this what you wanted? Oh, women!"
Li Qingxue took a step back, creating distance between them. "First of all, I am indeed waiting for someone, but it's not you."
"Secondly, I don't think I did anything wrong."
"Lastly, Ye Liangchen, you're really annoying and full of yourself."
Now he was getting angry.
Ye Liangchen was starting to feel a bit upset.
He had tolerated it when Li Qingxue didn't understand his mother.
He had even given her an out when she refused to lower her scores and repeat the year with him.
But now she was calling him annoying and full of himself? He was genuinely starting to get angry!
"Are you waiting for Long Aotian, then?"
This sentence slipped out in a moment of anger.
But... Li Qingxue remained silent... She didn't refute it...
"Are you really waiting for Long Aotian?" Ye Liangchen couldn't accept it. "Do you know what kind of person Long Aotian is? Do you know how disgusting he is? Do you know he forced someone to go to a hotel with him when he was just a teenager?"
"How can someone so shameless and trashy deserve your attention?"
"Stop talking nonsense." Li Qingxue didn't believe Long Aotian was as bad as Ye Liangchen described. The last time she speculated whether he and Hu Yuying were dating, he had blushed. How could someone like that force Hu Yuying?
And the genuine smile on Hu Yuying's face as she sat on the bike—could that have been forced by Long Aotian?
"Nonsense? I saw Long Aotian forcing Hu Yuying with my own eyes, right at her house!"
"Long Aotian has already taken advantage of Hu Yuying. They're together now. Do you know what you're doing? You're being the other woman!"
Ye Liangchen spoke impulsively, and as soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them.
Seeing the hurt on Li Qingxue's face, he quickly tried to explain, "I—I didn't mean it like that. I just don't want you to be deceived by Long Aotian. Men's words are full of lies. I'm a man, so I know best how men..."
Before he could finish, Li Qingxue walked past him. "I hate you!"
Watching Li Qingxue's retreating figure, Ye Liangchen muttered to himself, "It's fine. You just can't see your own heart clearly yet. At least now you know what kind of person Long Aotian is."
"When you finally come to your senses, you'll realize that I'm the one who truly cares for you. The title of 'white moonlight'—I'll still keep it reserved for you..."