"Brother Chen, where are you going? Class is about to start."
Seeing Ye Liangchen get up to leave the classroom, Gao Quan quickly asked. Today, Brother Chen seemed completely off.
Especially after waking up from his nap, it was as if he had become a different person.
In the past, Brother Chen would never have spoken to Li Qingxue like this.
Yet, the undeniable truth was that he not only said it but also tore up the love letter without a shred of mercy and threw it into the trash right in front of Li Qingxue.
Ye Liangchen felt a warmth in his heart. He had always considered Gao Quan his closest brother.
With a smile, he replied, "I'm fine. I’m just going to the bathroom before class starts."
After saying this, he walked straight past Li Qingxue’s seat without even a pause in his steps.
Watching Ye Liangchen leave, Li Qingxue furrowed her brows slightly, sensing that something about him had changed drastically today.
At that moment, her deskmate whispered, "Are you okay, Qingxue?"
"I don’t understand what Ye Liangchen is doing!"
Just a while ago, Ye Liangchen had asked them to help him with his confession, but now it had turned out like this.
Li Qingxue shook her head gently. "I’m fine," she said, then looked away.
Ye Liangchen left Class 1 and headed toward Class 7, where Long Aotian and Hu Yuying were.
As he reached the door of Class 7, Ye Liangchen’s pupils constricted, and his heart trembled violently!
From a distance, he saw Long Aotian standing in front of Hu Yuying. The classroom was noisy, so he couldn’t hear what was being said, but he noticed Hu Yuying suddenly lower her head.
In his dreams, whenever Hu Yuying lowered her head and her eyes, it usually meant she was about to cry.
He knew her too well.
Clenching his fists tightly, his eyes narrowed with resentment. "Long Aotian, you’ve already signed your death warrant. I’ll prepare a lot of moldy fried dough sticks for you. Just you wait!"
After uttering these harsh words, his gaze softened in an instant, looking at Hu Yuying with deep affection. "Don’t be afraid. Just wait a little longer. Soon, I’ll appear in your world like a ray of light."
"I will be your salvation, the son of the sun who leads you out of the darkness."
"All the pain Long Aotian has caused you, I will spend my life healing."
After saying this, Ye Liangchen gritted his teeth and looked away.
He was afraid that if he kept watching, he wouldn’t be able to hold back his tears.
All this suffering was for the sake of their eventual reunion. He had to endure it.
Only when Hu Yuying was at her most broken, her most desperate, would his appearance hold the most meaning.
Taking a deep breath, he suppressed the surging emotions in his heart and headed to the restroom.
......
"I want to, I really want to," Hu Yuying said, her eyes red but her voice surprisingly firm.
"I want to change. I don’t want to be bullied anymore."
Long Aotian sighed inwardly as he looked at the determined Hu Yuying. If she hadn’t been pushed to her limits, this shy and gentle girl would never have been so resolute.
"Good!"
Long Aotian said solemnly, "From today on, you’re my little follower."
"I’ll set some basic training for you. If you want to become stronger, you’ll have to give it your all!"
Teaching someone how to fish is better than giving them a fish. Only by changing herself could Hu Yuying truly avoid being bullied in the future.
"Thank you," Hu Yuying said, her lips pressed together tightly as she expressed her gratitude sincerely.
He seemed different from the person Li Qian had described.
Even though they had just met today, he had taken the initiative to talk to her, lent her a pen, helped her stand up to Wang Shuo, and now he even wanted her to be his little follower.
She was truly grateful to Long Aotian.
"No need for thanks. If you see me down on my luck in the future, helping me out would be the best thanks," Long Aotian said slowly.
If the plot had truly changed, then his original ending would no longer exist.
But what if it hadn’t?
Being nice to the female lead now might at least leave him a way out if things went wrong.
After all, in the original novel, Hu Yuying had eventually become a rising star in the business world, founding her own company and establishing an anti-bullying foundation.
She had made significant contributions to the world.
Someone as kind and gentle as her didn’t deserve such a life.
Hearing this, Hu Yuying lowered her eyes humbly.
It also strengthened her resolve to study hard, make money in the future, and help Long Aotian when he needed it.
"Now, I’m going to give you today’s task."
Hearing this, Hu Yuying immediately straightened up.
"Go find Wang Shuo and make him apologize to you, as well as compensate you for the stationery he ruined."
"Huh?" The courage Hu Yuying had mustered instantly dissipated.
She glanced furtively at Wang Shuo.
Wang Shuo was 1.72 meters tall and weighed over 180 pounds.
To Hu Yuying, his build was like a small mountain.
Before even approaching him, she already felt scared and timid.
"What, are you afraid?" Long Aotian raised an eyebrow. What he needed to do now was help Hu Yuying slowly overcome her fears.
Hu Yuying didn’t answer, but like before, she instinctively lowered her head.
Timidity and cowardice seemed to have become second nature to her. Lowering her head and avoiding eye contact gave her a sense of security.
But these were just excuses to escape reality.
The best way to overcome fear was to face it head-on.
Thinking this, Long Aotian stood up and grabbed Hu Yuying by the back of her collar.
"Brother Long..."
"Shut up!"
"You’ll get to speak later!"
As he said this, Long Aotian dragged Hu Yuying toward Wang Shuo’s seat.
This scene happened to be seen by Ye Liangchen, who had just come out of the restroom.
Watching the tall and robust Long Aotian drag Hu Yuying like a little chick, his heart ached terribly.
Gritting his teeth, he quickened his pace and left the door of Class 7.
He didn’t have the courage to see how Long Aotian would bully Hu Yuying.
Once he was out of Class 7’s vicinity, he leaned weakly against the wall.
Taking a deep breath, his expression was one of deep sorrow. "Just endure it a little longer. Only when you’ve fallen into the abyss will my appearance be your salvation."
"Then, I’ll rush into your world like a hero, bathed in golden light, to love and heal you."
Gao Quan, who had been worried about Ye Liangchen, came out and saw this scene.
So, Brother Chen wasn’t being carefree; he was desperately hiding his pain.
(Since middle school, he had liked Li Qingxue and pursued her.) Giving up someone he had liked for six years was like cutting out a piece of his heart.
Walking over, Gao Quan gently patted Ye Liangchen’s shoulder. "Brother Chen, are you okay?"
Ye Liangchen looked up, forcing a smile to mask his inner sorrow. "I’m fine. Let’s go back. Class is about to start!"
He glanced back at Class 7.
In his heart, he whispered, "This temporary suffering is just for a better reunion in the future. Yuying, hold on. Everything he’s done to you, I’ll make him pay back a thousandfold..."