"Brother Liangchen, Li Qingxue seems a bit upset. You should go and comfort her."
Hearing this, Ye Liangchen tightly grabbed Gao Quan's arm.
"Don't look back, let's go!"
It was hard for him to bear seeing his "white moonlight" sad because of him.
But for the sake of her eventual realization and the fiery pursuit of reconciliation in the future, he had to force himself not to look back, not to glance at Li Qingxue even once!
"Ouch~ Brother Liangchen, ease up! You're hurting me!" Gao Quan hissed in pain.
"I know, but I'm afraid I can't control myself. Just bear with it for now. Once we're downstairs, it'll be fine!"
As Ye Liangchen spoke, he felt a gaze burning into his back.
The stare was so intense, it felt like it could see right through him.
Finally, after they reached the bottom of the stairs, Ye Liangchen let go of Gao Quan.
Gao Quan rubbed his sore arm, his chubby face scrunching up in discomfort.
"You know, you clearly still care about Li Qingxue. Why are you pretending to be so indifferent? Isn't this just mutual torture?"
Ye Liangchen opened his mouth to explain.
But before he could say anything, Gao Quan continued, "I don't get it, but time will prove everything, right?"
Ye Liangchen gave Gao Quan a light punch on the shoulder. "You already know, so why ask?"
"Some things aren't as simple as they seem on the surface. Human nature is complicated. For some people, only by losing something will they realize their true feelings."
"Your Brother Liangchen has everything planned out. You just need to follow me, and your life will be perfect."
Gao Quan rubbed his shoulder again and jogged to catch up. "Then I'll stick with you from now on. You better have my back, Brother Liangchen!"
"As long as your Brother Liangchen has food, you won't go hungry!"
As he said this, Ye Liangchen couldn't resist the pull of his "white moonlight" and glanced back secretly.
Seeing the expression on Li Qingxue's face, Ye Liangchen chuckled softly. "Let's go, time to head home!"
Watching Ye Liangchen and Gao Quan jog away, Li Qingxue rubbed her cheeks and whispered to herself, "Qingxue, you'll adapt quickly. You can do it!"
"You can't let yourself get used to Ye Liangchen's companionship and accidentally send him the wrong signals again. You're friends, and you shouldn't hurt each other!"
After saying this, Li Qingxue straightened her back, regaining her usual pride and confidence.
"Brother Long, slow down! I can't keep up," Hu Yuying said, jogging a few steps to catch up.
"If you're not eager to leave school, there's something wrong with your brain."
"But you were the one who had to stop by the bathroom!"
"Talking back, huh? Do you want me to hit you?"
Hearing this voice, Li Qingxue stopped and looked back.
She saw the male classmate from earlier at the water bay, laughing and joking with a girl as they walked toward the school gate.
"Hey!" Li Qingxue called out to Long Aotian and waved.
"Oh, it's you," Long Aotian said, smiling and waving back.
Hu Yuying followed Long Aotian's gaze.
Her memory was always sharp, and she immediately recognized the girl as the one who had interviewed them on the way to the cafeteria earlier.
But Hu Yuying was puzzled. Why did they seem so familiar with each other?
Li Qingxue walked over and smiled at Hu Yuying. "Hello."
"Hello," Hu Yuying replied, greeting her in return.
Then she looked up at Long Aotian.
The contrast between the two was evident.
Li Qingxue's confident and proactive greeting.
Hu Yuying's silent and passive response.
It was clear. If you had friends like this, you'd understand easily.
"Are you alone?" Long Aotian asked. From their earlier conversation, he knew she usually had a male friend by her side.
Li Qingxue shrugged helplessly. "Yeah, just me. I can't keep sending the wrong signals, can I?"
"Besides, that's what friends are like. Otherwise, it wouldn't feel like a friendship."
Long Aotian gave her a thumbs-up. "Wise words!"
Li Qingxue didn't deny it. If it weren't for Long Aotian's advice, she might still be oblivious.
"I should thank you for that."
As they spoke, the three of them walked toward the school gate.
"Seeing things clearly is easy, but changing is hard. You don't need to thank me. I was just killing time."
Hearing this, Li Qingxue smirked. "Ah, so you finally admit you were bored!"
Her eyes narrowed, and her expression was lively, as if she had caught him red-handed.
Long Aotian laughed at her expression and shrugged. "Alright, alright, you got me."
"I knew it!" Li Qingxue said triumphantly.
Watching Long Aotian and Li Qingxue banter, Hu Yuying stayed silent. She didn't know what to say and couldn't find a way to join their conversation.
By the time they reached the school gate, Li Qingxue had no choice but to wave goodbye. "See you."
She had hoped to chat a bit longer, but their homes were in different directions.
"See you," Long Aotian said, leading Hu Yuying to the other side of the road.
As they walked home, Hu Yuying glanced at Long Aotian, hesitating. But then she remembered his words: *"Why do we have a mouth? Not just to eat and drink, but more importantly, to communicate."*
*"Only by speaking up can you solve anything. If you keep it bottled up, who will know what you're thinking? Effective communication is key to avoiding misunderstandings."*
"Brother Long, are you close with that girl?"
"Not really. We've only met a few times. I don't even know her name," Long Aotian said casually.
Hu Yuying was surprised.
They had only met a few times, yet their conversation felt like they were old friends.
Seeing Hu Yuying's stunned expression, Long Aotian couldn't help but chuckle. "People have different personalities. Some can seem familiar after just a few words."
He leaned down slightly and looked at Hu Yuying. "And others need a lot of time to truly get close."
Noticing the mischievous grin on Long Aotian's face, Hu Yuying clenched her fists. "I-I'm not like that! I got close to you quickly too."
"Ha ha ha..." Long Aotian laughed at her flustered expression. "I remember someone who almost cried on their first day of transferring here when I looked at them."
Hu Yuying opened her mouth, wanting to defend herself, but she didn't know how.
"Brother Long, you're so mean. You always tease me..."
"You're the easiest to bully. When you turn from a soft persimmon into a durian, I'll stop teasing you..."