Following the memories in his mind, Long Aotian walked towards his home.
The novel spends a significant amount of time describing the story between the male and female protagonists.
As for Long Aotian's family situation, it is almost glossed over.
Since Long Aotian had traveled into this world, he didn’t have the original host’s memories.
He could only recall the corresponding plot from his mind.
In the story, it seemed to be mentioned that Long Aotian's personality became obsessive due to his parents' divorce.
However, according to the original text,
Long Aotian's father went out of his way to pull strings and spend money to get the aimless Long Aotian into a vocational college, just so he could continue his education.
From this, it was clear that Long Aotian's father actually cared deeply about him.
And in the ending of the novel, the reason Long Aotian failed
was partly because the plot demanded the antagonist's defeat,
and partly because his father, while trying to persuade him to turn over a new leaf and stop his wrongdoing, got into a car accident, which completely shattered Long Aotian.
Lost in thought, Long Aotian had already returned to the courtyard.
Though it was called a courtyard, it was actually just an old rental building.
Opening the door, the smell of alcohol and cigarettes immediately hit him.
Entering the room,
the sound of snoring filled the air.
A middle-aged man lay asleep on the sofa, with a half-eaten plate of pig ears, a plate of peanuts, and two empty bottles of liquor on the table.
This was Long Aotian's father in the book, Long Batian, a butcher who also ran a meat stall in a nearby market.
Seeing this, Long Aotian sighed softly.
Indeed, in such an environment, it was no wonder the original Long Aotian had such a twisted personality.
"Dad, wake up, wake up..." He called out twice, but the old man didn’t stir.
Long Aotian had no choice but to help his father up. Fortunately, Long Aotian was strong, though it still took some effort to carry him into his room.
Returning to the living room, he opened the window, and the breeze helped dissipate the unpleasant smell.
Then Long Aotian rolled up his sleeves and started cleaning.
After tidying up the living room,
he took a shower in the bathroom before heading back to his bedroom.
Turning on the light, he noticed a hundred-yuan bill lying on the bed.
Glancing back at his father's room, Long Aotian smiled slightly and then closed the door.
Lying on the bed, he held the hundred-yuan bill, examining it repeatedly.
Since he didn’t know how to return for now, he decided to make the most of this world and experience life anew.
While helping Hu Yuying change, he would also make some changes himself.
The original novel not only included the sweet romance between the male and female protagonists but also intertwined many entrepreneurial storylines.
These were things Long Aotian could take advantage of.
As he thought about this, Long Aotian drifted off to sleep.
The next morning,
his phone alarm rang.
Long Aotian turned it off, got up, washed up, and after glancing at his still-snoring father, he left the house.
At the entrance of the school cafeteria in the morning,
Li Qian looked at Hu Yuying standing there and asked, "Hu Yuying, what are you doing here?"
Hearing her voice, Hu Yuying looked up at Li Qian, recalling what Long Aotian had said to her yesterday.
She straightened her back and smiled, saying, "Li Qian, I’m waiting for someone."
Hu Yuying used to always hunch her back and lower her head, giving off a somewhat gloomy and melancholic vibe.
But now, standing tall and smiling directly at the other person, she seemed much more approachable.
At eighteen, this was an age that should be full of brightness.
"Waiting for someone?" Hu Yuying had just transferred to this school yesterday.
In class, aside from Li Qian and two other girls who had spoken to her, no one else had approached her.
Could it be...
Remembering how Hu Yuying had tutored Long Aotian during last night’s study session, Li Qian looked at her in surprise and said, "You’re not waiting for Long Aotian, are you?"
"Oh, Hu Yuying, have you forgotten what I told you?"
"Long Aotian is unpredictable. When he’s in a good mood, he’s fine, but when he’s not, even a passing dog might get slapped."
"You should keep some distance from him."
Having been classmates with Long Aotian for over two years, Li Qian naturally knew him better than Hu Yuying, who had just transferred in.
The memories of Long Aotian’s past fights and brawls still felt fresh.
"No, he’s not as bad as you say."
"He’s actually quite nice."
Thinking about how Long Aotian had stood up for her yesterday, protected her as his little follower, bought her food, and helped her change...
Hu Yuying truly didn’t think Long Aotian was as terrible as people made him out to be.
Even though he often joked about hitting her, he never actually did.
Seeing Hu Yuying defend Long Aotian, Li Qian rolled her eyes. "Don’t be fooled by his looks. Sure, he’s tall and handsome, but think about why everyone in class is scared of him!"
"Why even Wang Shuo is afraid of him? We’re in our final year of high school. Don’t let him ruin your studies and throw away your future."
"Mm, I understand." Hu Yuying knew Li Qian meant well, but she trusted her own judgment.
When no one else stood up for her, it was Long Aotian who had stepped in.
Even if everyone else feared him and said he was bad, she couldn’t bring herself to say a single bad word about him.
Maybe Long Aotian had left a bad impression on others, but she knew how he treated her.
Li Qian sighed helplessly. "Well, I’m heading to the cafeteria now."
"Okay." After saying this, Hu Yuying paused briefly, then added, "See you in class."
Hearing this, Li Qian, who had already walked away, turned back and smiled at Hu Yuying. "See you in class."
Seeing Li Qian’s smile, Hu Yuying felt her mood lighten inexplicably.
A relaxed smile naturally appeared on her face.
"Talking to people isn’t as hard as you thought, right?"
Hearing this voice, Hu Yuying turned around in delight. When she saw it was indeed Long Aotian, her smile became even more radiant. "Long Aotian."
As soon as she said this, she realized—had Long Aotian been here all along? Did he overhear her conversation with Li Qian?
She glanced at Long Aotian secretly, trying to see if he was angry.
"What are you overthinking? Do I look like the petty type to you?" Seeing Hu Yuying’s furtive expression, Long Aotian knew exactly what was going through her simple little mind.
Besides, Li Qian wasn’t entirely wrong.
If he hadn’t traveled into this world, following the original novel’s plot, Hu Yuying would probably have been too scared to even look at him, cowering in fear...