However, Long Aotian simply carried a stool over and sat down next to Hu Yuying, continuing to eat his meal.
Watching Long Aotian's actions, Hu Yuying suddenly recalled the earlier incident where Long Aotian had drunk some fruit beer, which had scared Ye Liangchen into accidentally injuring his own nose. She couldn't help but chuckle softly, "Long Aotian, you're so bad. You did that on purpose, didn't you?"
"Ah, you're smiling now? Whose lips were pouting so much earlier that they could've hung a bottle?"
"Come on, smile for me again."
Realizing that Long Aotian was teasing her, Hu Yuying immediately turned her back to him, hiding the upward curve of her lips. "You're such a bad guy, Long Aotian. Just wait until I grow up a bit more. I'll definitely be even prettier than them..." she muttered under her breath, almost inaudibly.
Hu Yuying had always been aware of her appearance.
In the past, she had been harassed by boys and targeted by girls, mostly because of how she looked.
No girl dislikes beauty, and Hu Yuying was no exception. But back then, she had wished she could be a little uglier, just so she wouldn't be called a "seductress" or bullied.
But now, she was grateful. Grateful that she was at least somewhat attractive.
Every girl has a bit of vanity, and Hu Yuying was no different. She thought to herself that once she grew up a bit more, once she could wear those spaghetti straps and shorts, she would definitely make Long Aotian look at her with admiration.
This was a shift in her mindset.
This was Hu Yuying's newfound confidence.
Now, both internally and externally, Hu Yuying had subtly changed under Long Aotian's influence.
The Hu Yuying of today was a far cry from the girl who once carried an air of gloom and self-doubt.
Even a melancholic girl could have her spring.
Spring might not be perfect, but it would always quietly bloom.
Hu Yuying stole a glance at Long Aotian and noticed how effortlessly he devoured a chicken drumstick in just a few bites.
Biting her lip lightly, she looked down at the chicken drumstick in her own lunchbox. Then, with a shy motion, she picked it up with her chopsticks and placed it in Long Aotian's box. "I... I can't finish this. I didn't touch it," she said softly, not waiting to see his reaction before turning away, her delicate and beautiful face flushed with a faint blush.
Long Aotian looked at the chicken drumstick in his lunchbox, then at Hu Yuying, who had barely eaten anything. He wondered if the heat had ruined her appetite.
After finishing the drumstick in a few bites, he stood up and walked away.
Watching Long Aotian's retreating figure, Hu Yuying sat obediently at the stall, waiting for him.
Waiting for Long Aotian had become a habit for her.
She didn't find it dull; in fact, she enjoyed it.
"Little girl, why are you alone? Where's your boyfriend?" a middle-aged woman asked with a smile, accompanied by her teenage son, who looked to be around fourteen or fifteen.
The woman had bought a T-shirt here earlier in the morning, and Hu Yuying remembered handling her payment.
But at the woman's words, Hu Yuying's face turned red, and she replied in a barely audible voice, "He... he had something to take care of and went out for a bit."
"Why are you blushing, little girl?" the woman teased, amused by Hu Yuying's shy expression.
"I... I'm not blushing," Hu Yuying replied, turning her face away in embarrassment.
Her reaction made the woman laugh, exclaiming how adorable the young girl was.
The woman had bought a T-shirt for 19 yuan earlier and had taken it home for her son to try on. It looked good on him, and it was cheap, so she had returned with her son to buy a couple more for him to wear interchangeably.
After all, boys tend to be rough on their clothes.
The boy picked out two shirts, and Hu Yuying helped him find the right sizes before packing them up.
After the woman paid and left, Long Aotian returned shortly, carrying something in his hands.
"Here," he said, placing a bowl of lobster porridge and a bottle of snowflake dew in front of Hu Yuying.
Hu Yuying looked at the items, her heart fluttering slightly. Had Long Aotian gone out just to buy these for her?
Long Aotian poked her forehead lightly. "What are you spacing out for? Hurry up and eat. I need to make money now, and if you starve, I won't have time to take care of you."
Hearing his words, Hu Yuying lowered her gaze. "You're lying," she murmured.
He claimed he wouldn't have time for her, yet he had gone out of his way to buy her these things.
He was always so kind to her, always caring for her in his own way. She should have been happy, but for some reason, her eyes suddenly felt a little moist.
Hu Yuying wasn't unfamiliar with kindness. In the days following her parents' passing, many people had come to help her and her grandparents.
Once, twice, three times, four times... but eventually, they had all withdrawn their pity.
For the elderly and the young, life seemed to stretch out bleakly, with no end in sight.
So Hu Yuying had stopped accepting help from others. She was afraid—afraid that those who helped her would eventually see her as a burden and leave.
But in the half-year since she had transferred schools, she had accepted Long Aotian's help countless times.
Once, twice, three times... over and over again.
Long Aotian noticed Hu Yuying's silence and found it strange. The little girl's thoughts were becoming harder and harder to decipher.
"What's wrong? Alright, alright, I won't tease you next time," Long Aotian said with a smile, intending to lighten the mood. But then he saw a single tear fall from her eye, like a fallen angel's wing, landing softly on the ground.
As Long Aotian had once said, he could handle many things, but seeing a girl cry in front of him was something he couldn't bear.
He immediately felt flustered.
"W-what's wrong? Why are you crying?"
Hu Yuying tried to calm herself, seeing Long Aotian's panicked expression. She felt both amused and touched.
"Long Aotian, I'm fine. I'm just... a little moved."
Long Aotian let out a sigh of relief. "Don't be moved. If you cry again, I'll really scold you!"
Hu Yuying clenched her fingers tightly around the hem of her clothes as she looked at Long Aotian.
In her mind, Ye Liangchen's words echoed: *"Do you really think he's being nice to you? He just wants to take advantage of you."*
She didn't believe Ye Liangchen, but she finally gathered the courage to ask, "Long Aotian, why are you so good to me?"
"What kind of nonsense are you spouting? Who's being good to you?"
"Tell me, Long Aotian. Please," she pressed, knowing full well that he was dodging the question.
Long Aotian sighed. "Because you're worth it."
Hu Yuying's heart skipped a beat, her rhythm thrown off. She turned her head slightly, not daring to look at him, her fingers unconsciously tightening their grip on her clothes.
She had imagined many possible answers from Long Aotian.
No matter what he said, she would have accepted it.
But she had never expected him to say it was simply because she was worth it.
Those words left Hu Yuying speechless. They echoed in her mind, over and over again.
It was as if her heart had been wrapped in layers of sweetness, and she couldn't help but want to hear those words again.
In that moment, the fog of her youthful confusion lifted, and Hu Yuying suddenly saw her own heart with crystal clarity...