Did I Scare You

"Thank you," Hu Yuying whispered softly as she returned to her seat, glancing at Long Aotian.

Her voice was as faint as a feather gently falling to the ground. If it weren’t for the aisle separating her from Long Aotian, he might not have heard her at all.

Long Aotian turned to look at her.

Facing his gaze, Hu Yuying nervously clenched her small hands, her eyes darting away, unable to meet his.

With a face that seemed easy to bully and a personality so gentle, speaking in such a soft tone—who wouldn’t take advantage of her?

"Have you ever thought about changing?" Long Aotian suddenly spoke up.

In situations like this, Long Aotian could rely on his reputation as someone no one dared to mess with to stand up for Hu Yuying.

But outside this classroom, in the real world, or even in college, if Hu Yuying remained the same, wouldn’t she just be bullied in a different place?

Hu Yuying lowered her eyes slightly. Of course, she had thought about changing. She had tried to change, to fight back, but in the end, it only led to even worse bullying.

She had also tried reporting it to her teachers, but all she got in return was, "It takes two to tango. Why do they bully you and not others? Sometimes you need to look at yourself for the reason."

Over time, Hu Yuying began to doubt herself.

Were they bullying her because she really wasn’t good enough? Was it truly her fault?

No one had ever stood up for her before, as if she was born to be bullied.

So when faced with the first person who spoke up for her, Hu Yuying didn’t know how to respond.

Seeing Hu Yuying lower her head again, Long Aotian frowned and said sternly, "Lift your head up!"

Hearing his words, Hu Yuying obediently raised her head, though her eyes still avoided his gaze.

Perhaps because Long Aotian’s gaze was too intense, Hu Yuying felt her cheeks begin to burn.

Instinctively, she wanted to lower her head again.

"Don’t move," Long Aotian said again.

When speaking to someone, people naturally look at them. Hu Yuying was no exception. She looked up at Long Aotian, her lips parting slightly. Their eyes met briefly, and she clenched her hands lightly. "Wh-what do you want?"

Seeing Hu Yuying’s flushed face but not lowering her head, Long Aotian nodded in satisfaction. "Good. You should be more confident. At eighteen, you should be like a flower, blooming boldly and freely."

"Look at you, speaking so softly, always lowering your head..."

At this point, Long Aotian’s expression turned displeased. "Look, you’re about to lower your head again. You’re not an ostrich—no, even ostriches don’t lower their heads as much as you do."

Hu Yuying lacked confidence and was too used to being bullied, always submitting to whatever came her way.

Whenever something happened, she immediately lost her confidence.

People like her, even when faced with injustice, wouldn’t dare to speak up and would silently endure the bullying.

"I... I understand," Hu Yuying said softly.

"Understanding isn’t enough. You need to act bravely."

Hearing this, Hu Yuying lowered her eyes and gave a faint "Mm."

Although she didn’t lower her head again, the weak "Mm" said it all.

Long Aotian sighed inwardly.

After being bullied for so long, he couldn’t expect Hu Yuying to change overnight.

It would take time.

The plot had already been altered by him.

Based on the current situation, no one in this classroom would dare to bully Hu Yuying anymore.

But if Hu Yuying’s submissive nature didn’t change, once she left this classroom, those who wanted to bully her would still do so.

Since he had already changed the course of events, he might as well take the opportunity to guide Hu Yuying, helping her regain her confidence and face injustice and setbacks bravely.

At the very least, she should be able to stand up against bullying in the future.

It wasn’t her fault—it was the fault of those who enjoyed tormenting the weak!

Thinking this, Long Aotian asked, "Have you ever wondered why Wang Shuo dares to bully you and not others?"

Hu Yuying glanced at Long Aotian cautiously, her lips lightly pursed. "Did I do something to upset him?"

"Nonsense!"

Hu Yuying trembled slightly. Long Aotian’s gaze was terrifying.

Long Aotian was speechless. What had this girl been through in the past? Why did she always blame herself first whenever something happened?

Was it her fault for looking soft and easy to bully?

Of course not!

"Who’s in the wrong when Wang Shuo bullies you?"

Hu Yuying peeked at Long Aotian. Though she didn’t dare to meet his eyes directly, she couldn’t help but steal a glance. Then, she tentatively whispered, "Is it Wang Shuo’s fault?"

Long Aotian almost laughed in frustration.

Seeing his exasperated expression, Hu Yuying’s eyes dimmed. So it was still her fault after all?

In a low voice, tinged with a hint of grievance, she corrected herself, "It’s my fault."

"Yes, it is your fault!"

"You should have grabbed his hair, looked at him with disdain, and told him in a venomous tone, 'You’ve messed with the wrong person. I’m not someone you can push around!'"

"Huh?" Hu Yuying was stunned, staring blankly at Long Aotian.

Although Long Aotian’s words were crude, they didn’t make her feel uncomfortable or repulsed.

"What do you mean, 'huh'? People always pick on the weak. You’re just too easy to push around. No matter who’s right or wrong, everyone wants to take a jab at you!"

"Try being fierce with me," Long Aotian said.

Hu Yuying nodded, took a deep breath, clenched her teeth, and with eyes that looked like they were holding back a world of grievances, she muttered with little conviction, "I’m not wrong!"

After saying this, she cautiously looked up at Long Aotian and asked in an almost inaudible, slightly embarrassed voice, "Did I scare you?"

"Scare me? No, but you did excite me!"

If he didn’t know she was trying to act tough, he might have thought she was deliberately teasing him, trying to win him over!

Long Aotian sighed softly. "You’re starting from scratch. From now on, stick with me. I refuse to believe I can’t change you from being a pushover!"

Hearing this, Hu Yuying lowered her eyes and remained silent.

Long Aotian looked at her, puzzled. "What, don’t you want to change this submissive nature of yours?"

"No, that’s not it," Hu Yuying suddenly looked up, her eyes glistening with tears.

This time, Hu Yuying’s gaze didn’t waver as she looked at Long Aotian.

But this look made Long Aotian uneasy. Why was she crying after just a few words?

He quickly glanced around, hoping no one would think he was bullying her!

Hu Yuying took a deep breath, her voice filled with suppressed emotion. "I really want to change."

No one wanted to change more than she did.

She didn’t want to be a pushover anymore.

Everyone always assumed that "it takes two to tango," and even when she was the one being bullied, they told her to look for the reason within herself.

But only Long Aotian had asked her if she wanted to change.

Yes, she wanted to—more than anything...