After editing this message and sending it directly to his social media space, Ye Liangchen put away his phone and stared blankly in the direction Hu Yuying had left, a cold smile curling at the corner of his lips.
"This is what makes it interesting. As someone who has been reborn, I hold too many advantages. This adds a ripple to my otherwise dull life, giving me a fresh sense of excitement!"
Ye Liangchen had his own confidence. At the very least, he believed that Long Aotian, that obsessive and twisted freak, had nothing on him except for being slightly taller, more physically robust, and having a minor edge in looks.
What else could Long Aotian possibly surpass him in?
Nothing. He couldn't surpass him in anything.
Can good looks put food on the table?
Just think, a few years from now, when Long Aotian is still loitering around bars, working as a thug or someone's lackey, I'll already be driving luxury cars and wearing designer watches. When I show up in front of Long Aotian then, won't the difference between us be crystal clear?
This was Ye Liangchen's unique confidence.
But it still hurt. It really did.
His treasure, the girl he had longed for across two lifetimes, had been violated by that beast Long Aotian...
How could his heart not ache?
"It's fine. I'll make you see Long Aotian's true evil nature. I'll make you understand that he's just a beast who lusts after your body. But I'm different—I genuinely like you from the bottom of my heart."
"I'll make you realize that only I, Ye Liangchen, can be your salvation. Everything about you should belong to me..."
Ye Liangchen was certain that Long Aotian would drag Hu Yuying down into the depths of base desires, ultimately ruining her future.
No one understood Hu Yuying's bright future better than he did.
"Damn it, today was supposed to be the start of our destined meeting. Why did it have to turn out like this? Why?"
Although Ye Liangchen tried to console himself, the thought of waiting so long only to have his hopes of meeting, knowing, and understanding his treasure girl dashed still brought a sharp pain to his heart.
It hurt too much.
All his expectations had crumbled in this moment, and it was hard not to feel bitter.
Taking a deep breath, the light in his eyes gradually grew firmer. "Yuying, I'll make you see that your choice was wrong. I'll make you understand just how disastrous it is to get close to Long Aotian."
"I'll make you watch with your own eyes as Long Aotian falls into hell, never to rise again!"
"When you finally see Long Aotian for who he truly is, will you regret treating me this way?"
With that, Ye Liangchen turned and left without looking back.
He, too, had his own pride.
Ye Liangchen could see the entirety of Long Aotian's life at a glance.
"In your previous life, you died by my schemes. In this life, you still won't escape my grasp. Just wait. I'll use the advantage of my rebirth to humiliate you to death!"
......
After finishing his shower, Long Aotian heard the notification sound from his phone.
Drying his hair, he picked up his keypad phone.
Looking at the messages that had come in, Long Aotian paused for a moment, then took the phone into his room.
Hu Yuying usually sent him one message and waited for his reply before sending another.
But today, she had sent several in a row.
Hu Yuying: [Long-ge, are you home yet?]
Hu Yuying: [Long-ge, have you eaten? I'm about to cook. Should I make some for you too?]
Hu Yuying: [Long-ge, are you busy?]
Five minutes later.
Hu Yuying: [Long-ge, are you still not back?]
Another five minutes later.
Hu Yuying: [Long-ge, what are you doing?]
There were many messages, and Long Aotian couldn't shake the feeling that Hu Yuying's words carried a sense of urgency, or perhaps desperation.
When you know someone well enough, you can truly sense their emotions through text, even without any explicit emotional language.
"What's wrong?" Long Aotian replied.
The moment he sent the message, he received a reply from Hu Yuying.
It seemed like the girl had been holding her phone, waiting intently for his response.
Seeing Long Aotian's message, Hu Yuying's inner strength crumbled instantly.
She wanted to complain, to tell her Long-ge that Ye Liangchen had been bothering her again.
But she held back.
The college entrance exams were approaching, and she didn't want to cause Long Aotian any more trouble.
If she told him, Long Aotian, who cared so much for her, would undoubtedly go after Ye Liangchen.
She didn't care about Ye Liangchen, nor did she want to, but she didn't want to be the reason Long Aotian got involved in more trouble.
So she replied: [It's nothing. I just wanted to ask if you're coming over for dinner tonight.]
After sending the message, Hu Yuying sat silently on the steps in front of the main hall, curling herself into a ball and staring blankly at her phone.
As time passed, Long Aotian still hadn't replied.
Slowly, Hu Yuying's head drooped lower and lower until it rested on her knees.
Back in middle school, Hu Yuying had attended a school in the town.
When she moved to the city for high school, she had quickly grown accustomed to being alone.
She had learned to find her own joy in solitude.
But Long Aotian's appearance made her realize that she didn't actually like being alone.
She wanted someone by her side.
Especially now, in this empty courtyard where she was the only one.
There was no one to listen to her, no one to eat with her, not even the slightest bit of response from anyone.
Without realizing it, Hu Yuying had already come to rely on Long Aotian, the person who had suddenly entered her world, as an emotional anchor.
Humans are like that. When loneliness becomes a habit, you stop hoping for someone to be by your side.
But once you've experienced the warmth of dependency, it's hard to go back to being alone...
Knock, knock, knock!
The sound of someone knocking on the iron gate startled Hu Yuying. She turned her head toward the door.
"Who... who is it?"
"It's me, your big brother, Long Aotian."
Hearing his voice, Hu Yuying quickly got up and ran to the gate. She didn't even realize how pure the smile on her face was.
Opening the gate, she looked at Long Aotian standing before her. Her smile widened, but a wave of indescribable sadness also welled up in her heart.
This sadness was like seeing a deeply trusted family member—it was uncontrollable.
Emotions are like that. In the most ordinary moments, when you see someone who matters deeply to you, they burst forth without restraint.
She tried to mask it with a smile, but the trembling corners of her lips betrayed her true feelings...