Upon hearing Li Qingxue's words, Long Aotian raised an eyebrow.
Communication between people can reveal a lot about the other person's character just from their demeanor and speech.
At the very least, Long Aotian could sense that this female classmate had a straightforward nature; she didn't harbor any hidden agendas and was willing to confide in a stranger about her troubles.
In Long Aotian's own words from his era, she was "carefree and simple-hearted.": "You haven't even told me your name yet."
Li Qingxue straightened her posture, facing Long Aotian directly with her eyes curving into a bright smile, full of vitality and joy: "Hello, let me reintroduce myself. My name is Li Qingxue."
Upon hearing this, the smile on Long Aotian's face froze for a moment, then completely vanished.
Li Qingxue?
If he remembered correctly, wasn't she the "female second lead" and the white moonlight of the story?
She was Li Qingxue, so the person who had pursued her and confessed to her 99 times must be...
Thinking about this, Long Aotian couldn't help but take a sharp breath.
Li Qingxue blinked in confusion: "What's wrong?"
Seeing Long Aotian's momentarily stunned expression, she couldn't help but chuckle.
"No, nothing!" Long Aotian said slowly, then coughed lightly: "May I ask, that friend of yours of nine years..."
Before he could finish, Li Qingxue chuckled softly: "His name is Ye Liangchen."
"Heh, heh, what a coincidence indeed!" Long Aotian's last shred of hope inside was shattered.
"What?" Li Qingxue hadn't heard clearly and asked again.
"Nothing, it's fine."
Li Qingxue wanted to say more, but a voice interrupted her first: "Long Bro, you should do your homework now."
Hu Yuying spoke softly, then gave Li Qingxue a slight smile.
Long Aotian looked at Hu Yuying, who had proactively greeted Li Qingxue, and was a bit taken aback.
After all, Hu Yuying didn't usually like to initiate conversations with others, except when he had given her the task of being bold and outgoing.
"This is the tutor responsible for helping me with my studies," Long Aotian said with a smile, introducing Hu Yuying.
Li Qingxue looked at Hu Yuying with a warm smile: "Hello, last time I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Li Qingxue."
"Hello, I'm Hu Yuying," Hu Yuying replied gently, showing no signs of nervousness or restraint, meeting Li Qingxue's gaze confidently.
Li Qingxue glanced at Hu Yuying a couple more times: "Well, you two better get back to studying. I should head back too." She turned and walked away.
Watching Li Qingxue's retreating figure, Hu Yuying was still processing when she felt a tap on her head: "What are you standing there for? Let's go."
"Mhm," she murmured softly, the resolve she had mustered dissipating as she meekly followed behind Long Aotian like a little chick.
Back at their seats, Hu Yuying's spirit didn't seem as high as before.
Her mind was filled with Li Qingxue's warm smile as she looked at Long Aotian, saying, "If you need tutoring, I can help too..."
She glanced at Long Aotian quietly, seeing him focused on his studies, and whispered: "Did my study methods work for you, Long Bro?"
"Of course," Long Aotian replied without looking up.
In Long Aotian's eyes, Hu Yuying was an excellent tutor.
Whenever he struggled with a problem, she always explained it in the simplest way, making it easy for him to understand.
The last math test was proof enough—he had improved by four whole places.
Hearing Long Aotian's response, Hu Yuying felt relieved: "Will you let me keep teaching you then?"
"What kind of nonsense are you talking about? Aren't you already teaching me?" Long Aotian looked up at Hu Yuying.
"No," Hu Yuying said with a slight panic, her eyes pleading as she looked at Long Aotian, then suddenly lowered them, her voice subdued with a hint of disappointment: "I mean, just let me teach you, can you?"
By the end of her sentence, her voice had grown so faint that Long Aotian almost didn't hear her, despite being nearby and having good hearing.
Seeing Hu Yuying like this, Long Aotian realized she must have felt a sense of crisis after Li Qingxue's words, afraid that he might not let her be his little follower anymore.
He chuckled, finding her adorable, and looked at Hu Yuying: "I'll consider it."
Hearing this response, Hu Yuying bit her lip, looking even more uneasy.
Her adorable demeanor was just too sweet, Long Aotian couldn't help but want to pinch her soft, tender cheeks until they turned red, watching her wide, watery eyes fill with confusion and helplessness.
Shaking his head to banish these wicked thoughts, he returned to focusing on the corrected problems Hu Yuying had gone over with him.
Math was manageable, but some physics problems still required a bit of brainpower.
Most of the evening self-study sessions during senior year were spent independently studying.
The good study atmosphere made it easy to immerse oneself without realizing how much time had passed.
After some unknown length of time, Long Aotian suddenly felt someone gently tugging on his shirt.
Glancing at Hu Yuying, he saw her place a lollipop on his desk.
Finding her unusual action confusing, Long Aotian looked at her quizzically.
Then Hu Yuying took a deep breath, her voice timid and soft: "Have you... made your decision, Long Bro?"
"I'm your little follower, and I'm very obedient."
Long Aotian suppressed a laugh, picked up the lollipop from the desk, and lightly tapped it on her head: "Who taught you this? Bribing me, huh? You think a candy can test your Long Bro?"
Seeing Hu Yuying's pleading gaze, Long Aotian knew she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight if he didn't answer her.
At eighteen, she still had the temper of a child.
He really couldn't resist her.
"Little tutor, thanks for your hard work in the future," Long Aotian extended his hand toward Hu Yuying.
Seeing Long Aotian's outstretched hand, Hu Yuying broke into a dazzling smile, then firmly nodded, gripping Long Aotian's large hand: "Mhm."
"You eat this one yourself," Long Aotian placed the lollipop back on Hu Yuying's desk.
Hu Yuying's eyes sparkled with mirth, then she took out another lollipop from her pocket: "I have one more, this one is for you."
"You have a beautiful smile, you should do it more often."
The phrase "You have a beautiful smile" had been said by Long Aotian for the second time. The first time, Hu Yuying had wondered why others' happiness seemed so effortless.
Now, Hu Yuying simply felt that, indeed, happiness could be this simple.
"Long Bro, what would you like for breakfast tomorrow? There's too much food at home, I can't finish it all by myself. The weather's getting warmer, and the food won't keep. Also, the meat and spare ribs in the fridge won't taste as good if they're kept too long."
"Would it be too troublesome?"
Hu Yuying shook her head, very certain: "It wouldn't be troublesome at all. I need to eat breakfast too, it's just an extra bowl of rice, really not a big deal."
"Then I'll eat whatever."
Hu Yuying nodded silently. After making several meals, she found that Long Aotian had a good appetite.
Whether it was congee, buns, stir-fries, or noodles, rice, stews—he enjoyed them all.
So when it came to cooking, Hu Yuying had a lot of freedom to choose what to make.
Her role as his little follower was the most fitting...