After finishing their meal, the girls started wandering around the shopping mall.
Having just finished their college entrance exams, they had all achieved scores that were quite satisfactory for themselves.
Their parents had given them a little reward, and with university registration approaching, they were eager to buy new clothes and present the best version of themselves.
Those who are cared for and loved by their families are always fortunate.
Each of them bought a set of beautiful new clothes. Unlike high school, university life offers more freedom in dressing.
By the time they finished shopping, it was already around five or six in the afternoon.
Looking at their shopping stamina, one could only say that Long Aotian had been quite efficient the last time he took Hu Yuying shopping for clothes.
The four of them walked along the road. Perhaps it was because they were about to head to different cities, or perhaps it was just the endless topics girls have when they’re together.
Without realizing it, they passed by the riverside and strolled along the bank.
They felt the gentle breeze and the warm, not-too-harsh glow of the late afternoon sun.
Li Qingxue walked over to the grassy area by the river, took a deep breath, and slowly sat down on the grass.
“Qingxue, what are you doing?” Wang Rui asked as she sat down beside her.
“Listening to the sound of the water,” Li Qingxue replied softly, her eyes closed.
Wang Rui also closed her eyes and tried to feel it. “I’d rather listen to music,” she said.
Hearing this, Li Qingxue chuckled softly. There was a time when she had said the same thing.
“What are you laughing at?” Wang Rui asked, confused.
At the age of eighteen, with all its restlessness, it’s really hard to calm down and focus.
“Nothing, I just thought of something funny,” Li Qingxue replied.
“What kind of person do you think someone is if they like lying on the grass, sunbathing, and listening to the sound of water?”
Wang Rui thought for a moment. “I think they’re probably an older person,” she said.
“Yeah, I agree,” Li Qingxue nodded in agreement.
After sitting for a while, it was getting late, and they decided to leave.
Li Qingxue stood up, stretched, and then gazed at the river.
Her eyes flickered slightly.
On the other side of the river, she couldn’t see clearly, but she could make out someone lying on the grass.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she didn’t even realize the smile that had spread across her face—a smile of uncontrollable joy.
“You guys go ahead, I have something to do,” she said.
The others, who had been about to leave together, looked at Li Qingxue with confusion, wondering why she had suddenly become so happy.
But Li Qingxue didn’t explain.
Instead, she walked along the riverside toward the setting sun.
Her steps quickened slightly.
She was a little out of breath as she made her way around to the other side—it was quite a distance.
Step by step, she walked forward.
The next moment, her smile widened even more.
It was indeed that guy.
So he didn’t come in the morning anymore, but switched to the afternoon?
Li Qingxue tiptoed over, planning to scare Long Aotian, who always liked to tease her as if she were a child.
Long Aotian heard the sound of footsteps on the grass.
He opened his eyes and looked up.
“Ah!” Li Qingxue, who had been about to scare him, quickly covered her skirt.
“Ahem...” Long Aotian immediately turned his head away, pretending he hadn’t seen anything.
The riverside was higher on one side and lower on the other, and since Long Aotian was lying down, he was at the higher position. Li Qingxue, wearing a skirt, was...
Seeing Long Aotian’s guilty reaction, Li Qingxue clenched her little fist.
She forgot her original plan to scare him and, with a huff, adjusted her skirt and sat down beside him.
An awkward atmosphere seemed to hang in the air.
After a while, Li Qingxue spoke up. “Why aren’t you saying anything? You’re usually so talkative.”
Long Aotian turned to her and smiled. “What a coincidence.”
Li Qingxue rolled her eyes at him, amused by his guilty expression, and couldn’t help but laugh.
“You haven’t been here for over a month. Have you been coming in the afternoons instead?”
Li Qingxue finally asked the question she had been most curious about.
Usually, Long Aotian came here to sunbathe during the day.
Had he changed to the afternoon to avoid her?
“I’ve been busy lately. Today I had some time off, so I came here to relax,” Long Aotian said, yawning.
Long Aotian’s movements were casual, and his whole demeanor exuded a lazy, relaxed vibe that felt oddly comforting.
Li Qingxue couldn’t help but stretch and let out a long breath as she watched him yawn.
“What a coincidence. I was walking back with my friends after shopping and happened to pass by here, and then I ran into you.”
“I heard you scored 518 on the college entrance exam?”
At this, Long Aotian couldn’t resist showing off a little. “Yeah, 518. Pretty impressive, huh?”
Seeing his proud and boastful expression, Li Qingxue couldn’t help but laugh.
“Yeah, very impressive,” she said, playing along. “Looks like we might be going to school in the same city.”
“Oh, now that you mention it, I remember you still owe me two meals.”
“Didn’t you say you weren’t that desperate for food?” Li Qingxue said, but she still took out the small cake she had bought earlier. “Here, have this.”
They had tried it while shopping in the afternoon, and it was delicious, so she had bought two extra to take home.
“You think a little cake is enough to settle the debt?”
“Just eat it. Even food can’t shut you up,” Li Qingxue retorted.
Li Qingxue had a lively personality, and she had her own way of interacting with friends.
As she watched Long Aotian eat, her eyes sparkled with amusement as she gazed into the distance.
This atmosphere was so nice. Even without saying anything, just sitting here felt relaxing and pleasant.
Wait...
This feeling seemed familiar...
Li Qingxue suddenly remembered where she had heard something similar before.
She immediately felt uncomfortable, unsure whether to sit or stand.
She fidgeted nervously.
She glanced at Long Aotian and quickly shook her head. It must be a mistake, definitely a mistake.
“Do you have ADHD or something? You’re moving around so much, it’s making me dizzy,” Long Aotian said.
Hearing this, Li Qingxue stopped fidgeting.
But now she didn’t know what to say.
In her mind, Long Aotian and Hu Yuying were already together. How could she... have such embarrassing thoughts...
“What are you mumbling about? You seem really off today,” Long Aotian said, watching as Li Qingxue’s face turned red, then she covered her face, and then muttered to herself.
If he hadn’t known her for so long, he might have thought she was having a seizure.
“I’m not acting weird,” Li Qingxue insisted stubbornly.
“It’s getting late. Let’s go home.”
“You eat and then just leave? Long Aotian, you’re shameless.”
Hearing this, Long Aotian stopped in his tracks. “What, do you want me to stay here overnight with you?”
At the mention of “staying overnight,” Li Qingxue’s face turned bright red. Fortunately, it was already dark, so it wasn’t too obvious. “Who... who wants to stay overnight with you?”
With that, she quickly walked ahead of him.
“Hey, your skirt has a black...”
Before he could finish, Li Qingxue turned around angrily. “Long Aotian, you really did see it, didn’t you? Ahhh, I’m going to kill you...”
Long Aotian held her off with a single finger. “I didn’t see your black underwear. I was going to say there’s a black stain on your skirt, probably from the mud after yesterday’s rain. You should clean it when you get home.”
Hearing this, Li Qingxue decided to let him off the hook. But then she blinked, realizing something.
When she turned around, Long Aotian was already walking away. She glared at his back and clenched her tiny fist, though it lacked any real threat.