Beauty combined with excellence is an absolute winning start, but if one doesn’t know how to utilize it, it becomes a dead end.
A shy personality and poor social skills make one an easy target.
The reason people dare to bully Hu Yuying is simply because she doesn’t fight back—they see her as an easy target.
Take the example of the pretty girl who interviewed them today.
She’s also very beautiful and has excellent academic performance.
But why doesn’t anyone dare to bully or harass her?
Eighty percent of the reason is her good family background. The care and love she received from a young age nurtured her into a cheerful, optimistic, and confident personality.
People like her can quickly make friends and form their own little social circles.
But Hu Yuying is different. In the original novel, her family circumstances were poor, and her upbringing shaped her into a shy and obedient person.
The saying goes, “The crying child gets the candy; the obedient child gets no love.”
Even though she is exceptionally talented, her plain appearance, shyness, lack of eloquence, reluctance to compete, and introverted nature all contribute to her being out of sync with her classmates.
Being marginalized, isolated, and bullied is only a matter of time.
“So, to truly change all this, you must first become strong and confident.”
Hu Yuying looked at Long Aotian. Even though he was the same age as her, his words somehow struck a chord deep within her.
It was as if an elder was gently guiding her out of a dead end with kind words.
Step by step, he was pulling her out of that dead end.
“I want to change, so I’ll slowly learn to be strong and confident.”
“Don’t speak too soon. To change, you first need to thicken your skin. I think you’re too thin-skinned—you blush at the slightest remark!”
Hu Yuying instinctively touched her cheeks.
They weren’t warm—was she really blushing?
“I can practice slowly.”
Seeing Hu Yuying’s determination, Long Aotian nodded in satisfaction. “First, say ‘Long Aotian is so handsome.’”
“Huh?” Hu Yuying’s courage instantly halved.
This… this is way too embarrassing!
Although Long Aotian is indeed very handsome, wouldn’t saying it out loud make her seem too forward?
Thinking this, her ears suddenly felt hot.
She quickly covered her ears and stole a glance at Long Aotian, hoping he hadn’t noticed.
“Take your hands away,” Long Aotian said.
Hu Yuying’s eyes, glistening with innocence, looked at him, and she shook her head.
“Take them away now, or I’ll hit you!”
Hearing this, Hu Yuying bit her lip, her cheeks flushed, and she slowly lowered her hands.
Long Aotian swallowed hard. Was this girl truly naive, or was she deliberately trying to charm him?
That innocent expression of hers was practically an invitation for people to take advantage of her.
As Hu Yuying lowered her hands, Long Aotian turned his head away. “See? You’re blushing!”
“Watch and learn. Let me show you how thick my skin is!”
With that, he suddenly leaned closer to Hu Yuying, looking into her eyes. “Hu Yuying, you’re so beautiful.”
“You’re also very talented.”
“Your life deserves the best.”
The moment Long Aotian leaned in, Hu Yuying instinctively wanted to lean back to create distance.
But to change herself, she forced herself to stay still!
However, as Long Aotian told her she was beautiful, talented, and deserving of the best in life…
Her heart began to race uncontrollably.
Her hands clenched tightly, and as she met Long Aotian’s gaze, her breathing became labored.
She forced herself to keep looking into his eyes, her breath shallow.
Suddenly, her heartbeat returned to normal, her hands relaxed, and her breathing eased.
It was only because…
She noticed that Long Aotian’s ears were also turning red.
Looking at Long Aotian, who was still pretending to be serious, Hu Yuying lowered her gaze, then stole another glance at him. Finally, she decided to pretend she hadn’t noticed.
“See that?” Long Aotian said arrogantly. “This is what thick skin looks like!”
Hu Yuying instinctively glanced at Long Aotian’s ears and quickly nodded. “I see.”
“Hey, what are you looking at? Watch it, or I’ll hit you!” Long Aotian said, unreasonably.
Hu Yuying nodded like a chick pecking at rice and whispered, “Understood.”
Seeing her like this, Long Aotian couldn’t help but laugh.
This girl was quite good—at least she was very obedient.
She just needed someone to guide her. With his help, Hu Yuying would soon regain her confidence.
And his name wouldn’t become a meme for being a villain anymore!
Thinking this, Long Aotian took a deep breath and looked out the window.
The sky had darkened, and the stars and moon were emitting faint, glowing light.
He wondered if he could ever go back.
But that thought only lasted a second.
Long Aotian was never one to dwell on sentimentality.
Even if he returned to his world, he’d still be the same person, living the same life.
In this world, for him, it was a fresh start.
After all, life goes on.
As the self-study bell rang, Hu Yuying tidied up her desk.
Then she came over and cleaned up Long Aotian’s desk as well.
“See you tomorrow.”
“See you tomorrow, Long Aotian.”
Watching Long Aotian’s retreating figure, Hu Yuying headed toward the school gate.
Just as she reached the stairwell, a voice called out.
“What a coincidence. Remember me?”
Ye Liangchen stepped out from the stairwell, grinning brightly at Hu Yuying.
Looking at him, Hu Yuying was momentarily stunned. He seemed familiar, but she couldn’t quite place him.
Noticing her confusion, Ye Liangchen smiled bitterly. “It’s me, Liangchen. Ye Liangchen. We met in the cafeteria today.”
After the reminder, Hu Yuying quickly recalled and apologized, “I’m sorry.”
Ye Liangchen, seeing that she remembered him, smiled and said, “No need to apologize. You never have to say sorry to me.”
Hu Yuying, who had been smiling, gradually lost her smile upon hearing this.
His words made it seem like they were very close.
But they had only met once before, and this was just their second encounter.
They weren’t that familiar, were they?
“I… I need to go home. I’ll be leaving now.”
Ye Liangchen wanted to stop her, to tell her that he was her salvation.
But his raised hand ultimately didn’t reach out.
He knew their fate wasn’t here yet.
She wasn’t his treasure girl, and he wasn’t her savior.
Speaking those words rashly would only scare Hu Yuying.
Watching her leave, Ye Liangchen took a deep breath. “It’s fine. We still have plenty of time.”
“I just wanted to see if Long Aotian, that jerk, had upset you. I’m glad you’re okay.”
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