Ye Liangchen once said something particularly true.
That is, without comparison, there would be no harm.
With Ye Liangchen as a comparison, Hu Yuying found Long Aotian incredibly pleasing to the eye.
From a distance, even she herself didn’t realize how sweet her smile was or how affectionate her gaze was when she looked at him.
She jogged over to him: “Brother Long.”
“Hmm.” Long Aotian gave Hu Yuying a strange look, feeling that this girl had just gone out to use the restroom but came back unusually excited.
She approached him, slightly out of breath, and looked at him earnestly.
Taking a deep breath to calm her emotions, she said, “Brother Long, you’re so handsome.”
“Brother Long, you’re so gentle.”
“Brother Long, you’re the best in the world.”
After saying all this in one breath, Hu Yuying let out a sigh of relief and then happily went to tidy up some things.
Long Aotian stiffened, his heart skipping a beat, and an inexplicable flutter made his heartbeat quicken slightly.
His face visibly reddened, and his feet fidgeted on the ground as if he were somewhat at a loss: “I told you to be bold, but not to throw all restraint out the window. I wasn’t prepared for this. This… this is so embarrassing…”
Hu Yuying, with her back turned to Long Aotian as she organized the goods, also felt her heart racing like a startled deer.
Her small hand touched her cheek, feeling the heat radiating from her face. She closed her eyes in mock regret—she had actually said such embarrassing words in one go.
Indeed, her face had gradually grown thicker.
Though she still blushed, she would keep trying!
After a while, seeing that no customers had come for some time, Long Aotian and Hu Yuying packed up and went home.
Today’s earnings: 3,450 yuan.
Each of them got 1,725 yuan.
After Long Aotian’s guidance and realizing she truly needed the money, Hu Yuying no longer felt as conflicted as before. Instead, she regarded it as a debt of gratitude.
She would definitely repay it in the future, no doubt about it!
Still, looking at all the money, Hu Yuying couldn’t help but feel overjoyed as she hugged it and lay down on her bed.
Following Brother Long really paid off—it wouldn’t be long before she saved enough for her tuition at University A.
Carefully stashing the money in her little treasure box, she went into the kitchen to cook for Long Aotian.
Honestly, the little money lover was so cheerful that even cooking seemed to fill her with energy.
“What are you making, little money lover? I can smell the spicy aroma from outside.”
“Spicy stir-fried chicken,” Hu Yuying said proudly. “Later, I’ll also make noodles for you.”
“Cough, cough…”
Hu Yuying gave Long Aotian a puzzled look. Could it be that the spiciness had made him choke? She remembered that Brother Long liked spicy food too.
“Brother Long, you should go outside. It’s smoky in here. I’ll be done soon.”
“Hmm.”
They had closed up shop late today, and the spicy stir-fried chicken took a while to prepare.
Before they knew it, it was already dark.
Long Aotian set up a table outside, enjoying the natural breeze, which was much more comfortable than staying indoors.
Soon, Hu Yuying brought out the freshly cooked spicy stir-fried chicken and placed it on the table.
Sitting in the courtyard, under a small lamp, with just a table and the two of them, there was an indescribable warmth, unrelated to anything else.
“How have you been feeling these past few days?” Long Aotian asked, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Even though he liked spicy food, this dish had really tested his limits.
You know that feeling when something is so spicy it burns your tongue, but you still can’t help wanting to take another bite?
“Hiss… ha…” Hu Yuying opened her mouth, taking in a couple of breaths of cool air. Her fair, delicate face was flushed from the spiciness, making her look even softer and more endearing.
“I get to meet different people every day. I used to be too shy to talk to strangers, but now I can,” Hu Yuying said with a smile.
“You don’t feel… embarrassed, do you?” Long Aotian leaned back on the stool, but his eyes never left Hu Yuying.
To be honest, Long Aotian’s 18-year-old body housed a 28-year-old soul.
He had experienced everything and didn’t find anything particularly shameful about it. Making money, no matter how you did it, was nothing to be ashamed of.
Setting that aside, not many people could maintain such a mindset.
Of course, this also had to do with age and experience.
This wasn’t an absolute statement, though.
But the reality was, if you asked a high school or college student to set up a street stall, they would instinctively feel embarrassed. At the core of it was pride.
Everyone has a sense of pride.
Eighteen is a turning point. Some people enter society, where life tempers their pride and smooths their edges, making them more mature.
Others enter university, where their pride reaches its peak because they’ve survived a fierce competition and left many behind.
Their pride is backed by a sense of achievement, leading to a somewhat haughty attitude.
They believe that their higher education and knowledge make them superior, and they think that setting up a street stall is beneath them. They worked hard to get into university, not to sell things on the street.
This mindset isn’t wrong.
Just as some people rely on street vending for a living, there will always be those who look down on this line of work.
If you were to take a random high school or college student and have them sit on the street with a stall, watching people pass by, they would blush, stammer, and feel awkward.
Especially if the next person to approach their stall was a classmate—they would feel even more embarrassed…
Of course, as mentioned earlier, this isn’t an absolute rule.
For those from special family circumstances, making money isn’t something to be ashamed of.
Long Aotian had noticed the changes in Hu Yuying recently.
These changes weren’t just external but more so internal.
Today, they had encountered Ye Liangchen, and tomorrow it might be a classmate (there will always be people who look down on others—that’s just human nature).
Beneath Hu Yuying’s strong exterior lay a sensitive heart.
Long Aotian didn’t want the progress Hu Yuying had made to crack under pressure.
Kind-hearted people often get hurt and then fall into self-doubt.
They tend to silently process their emotions, and if they can’t, they bottle them up inside.
Hu Yuying always hesitated to think ill of others.
But while there are many good people in the world, there are also those who are naturally malicious. They hurt others without remorse and even find pleasure in it.
Long Aotian felt it necessary to make Hu Yuying aware of this, to prepare her in advance.
Take Ye Liangchen, for example. What he did today was essentially an attempt to humiliate them.
If it weren’t for Long Aotian, who could guarantee that someone else wouldn’t have been fooled or discouraged by Ye Liangchen’s antics?
“Why should I feel embarrassed?” Hu Yuying’s beautiful eyes sparkled like stars in the night sky, but with an added liveliness.
[Thank you for the gifts, but please don’t skip meals just to send them. Thank you.]
[Also trying to pick up the pace…]