"Ouch... damn it..."
Ye Liangchen emerged from the drainage ditch, muttering, "This rock is so rough, it actually hurt me!"
Taking a deep breath, he tried to ignore the discomfort in his body. He glanced at Hu Yuying's tightly shut door and decided to head back home to clean himself up. He figured he must have scraped his skin.
The pain between his buttocks was burning, making him extremely uncomfortable.
"This is unbearable. Next time, I’ll make sure to carry tissues with me. There’s not even a tree around here, not a single leaf in sight. I’m really fed up. If it weren’t for the treasure girl, I wouldn’t even come to this place."
Mumbling to himself, he left the area. His home was quite far, and he hadn’t eaten lunch yet. Now, he was both hungry and in pain.
"I’ll just wait until Monday when we’re back at school. I’m sure Hu Yuying will be moved to tears when she finds out everything I’ve done for her."
"That kind-hearted treasure girl is like that. Even the slightest bit of kindness from others can make her emotional for a long time."
As he spoke, Ye Liangchen left the alley.
......
After lunch, Hu Yuying went to wash the dishes, while Long Aotian got up and took a walk outside.
He opened the door and stood on the street, looking around.
At this time of day, the streets were mostly empty. In this rural alley, most of the residents were elderly, so the area looked deserted.
After finishing the dishes, Hu Yuying also stepped outside.
"He probably left after realizing he couldn’t get the door open," Hu Yuying said, looking at the empty street.
"Those kids are really getting out of hand. Do you have a phone?" Long Aotian asked.
"Mm-hmm, I do," Hu Yuying nodded and then hurried back to her room.
Long Aotian glanced up at the blazing sun and, after a moment of thought, followed her inside.
He walked into the living room.
The door to the bedroom on the right was already open.
Soon, Hu Yuying came out, carefully holding a touchscreen smartphone. (It was second-hand, bought with great difficulty so she could stay in touch with the elderly villagers.)
Seeing the phone in Hu Yuying’s hand, Long Aotian quietly slipped his own button phone back into his pocket.
"Ahem, add my QQ number and save my phone number too," he said.
"From now on, if anything happens, just call me. We’re close by anyway."
The residential compound and this village were only separated by a market.
It took about twelve or thirteen minutes to walk over.
If you rode a bike, it would be even faster.
And if he happened to be helping out at the market, it would be quicker still.
Hu Yuying didn’t say anything, but she added Long Aotian’s QQ and phone number.
Looking at the first friend on her list, Hu Yuying felt a little flutter of excitement in her heart.
Seeing the smile on Hu Yuying’s face, Long Aotian thought to himself that happiness could be quite simple.
Ding-ling-ling~
Hu Yuying’s phone rang.
She turned off the ringer and placed the phone back under her pillow.
"Big brother, do you need anything?"
"Not really. I’ll be heading off then," Long Aotian said. After all, he was an adult at heart.
When the host said something like that, it usually meant they had things to do, and it was time for the guest to take the hint and leave.
Seeing Long Aotian about to leave, Hu Yuying realized she might have said the wrong thing and quickly explained, "Big brother, that’s not what I meant. I meant, if you don’t have anything to do this afternoon, I could help you with your studies."
As she spoke, she pointed to the exercise book on the coffee table.
She set daily study tasks for herself.
It was study time now.
Since big brother was here, they could study together, and she could even tutor him.
"Alright," Long Aotian nodded. He didn’t have anything to do back home anyway.
It was better to stay here with Hu Yuying and see if those guys would come back in the afternoon.
Seeing Long Aotian agree, Hu Yuying quickly cleared the table and handed him one of her exercise books.
She had already marked several problems in it. These were basic knowledge questions, which she had originally planned to give him on Sunday afternoon when they returned to school.
But now was a good time.
These were the same problems Hu Yuying had explained to Long Aotian on Friday.
Long Aotian wasn’t slow. Recalling the methods Hu Yuying had taught him, he started solving the problems.
Seeing how quickly big brother got into the rhythm, Hu Yuying also focused on her own studies.
Before, she had always studied alone, but now, with someone by her side, the feeling was completely different.
Taking a deep breath, she stole a glance at Long Aotian, then looked back down and continued writing.
In their third year of high school, they were reviewing all the topics from the first and second years.
Hu Yuying had a clear plan and full confidence in her studies, so she was willing to spend more time explaining things to Long Aotian and giving him practice problems.
"This problem has a simpler method. Let me show you. It’ll save you time," Hu Yuying said, pointing to the last problem.
This one was slightly more challenging than the previous ones.
Hu Yuying explained the problem in great detail. Long Aotian watched her, a slight smile forming on his lips. This was the only time she seemed truly confident.
This confidence would gradually seep into her daily life and her personality.
From this point on, Hu Yuying would walk a path entirely different from the one in the original novel.
Long Aotian had hesitated at first, unsure whether what he was doing was right or wrong.
But now, seeing the smile on Hu Yuying’s face, he felt that it didn’t matter. Hu Yuying’s life should be her own, free and unrestricted.
It shouldn’t be confined to a few lines of text or arbitrarily defined limits.
Hu Yuying paused mid-explanation and glanced at Long Aotian.
"Big brother, what are you smiling at?" she asked, her lips pursed as she awkwardly looked away.
"I’m smiling at you."
Hearing this, Hu Yuying’s face turned red without her realizing it.
"Hu Yuying, remember this happy feeling. Stay happy for the rest of your life. Your life is your own, and I hope you’ll always approach the world with hope and love."
At these words, Hu Yuying felt as though something inside her had shattered.
Silently, it broke.
It was as if a lock that had been holding her back had been undone, or perhaps it was something else entirely. Regardless, Hu Yuying slowly began to accept the world around her and started to develop her own hopes and dreams.
"Thank you, big brother. I will. I’ll love myself wholeheartedly and cherish everything in this world that deserves to be loved."
"I’ll learn to change myself step by step. I... am actually a good person. My existence still has meaning in this world."
These were the things Long Aotian had been teaching her over the past few days. She hadn’t forgotten, and she didn’t dare to. This was everything she aspired to now...
Change wasn’t just about words; it required action.
And Hu Yuying was determined to prove her transformation through her actions...
......