"I'm here."
Hearing the voice, Hu Yuying looked out through the kitchen window into the yard.
When she saw Long Aotian's figure appear in the yard, a gentle smile unconsciously spread across her cheeks and eyes.
In the past, the first thing she would do when she got home was to lock the front door.
Now, she would instinctively leave the door open for Long Aotian, and only for Long Aotian.
"Brother Long, go wash your hands. Dinner will be ready soon."
"Okay." Walking into the kitchen, Long Aotian noticed Hu Yuying's soft smile as she looked at him. His eyes shifted away, and he made his way to the refrigerator.
He opened the fridge and neatly arranged the vegetables, ribs, and meat he had brought with him.
After finishing, Long Aotian stole a glance at Hu Yuying, only to find that her gaze had been fixed on him ever since he entered.
This realization made Long Aotian feel even more uneasy.
In his mind, he couldn't help but recall the last words Li Qingxue had said before she left: "Keeping a distance from other guys, being especially nice to you, and only having eyes for you—these are the most obvious and distinct signs..."
[After saying this, seeing Long Aotian raise his hand again, she quickly got up, hugged her head, and moved away. Then, tilting her delicate nose, she snorted lightly, "If you hit my head again, I might just bite you!" (This part doesn't count.)]
"I... I'll go inside now." Long Aotian said this and left the kitchen for the living room.
He poured himself a glass of water and sat on the sofa, falling into silence.
From time to time, he would look toward the kitchen, his expression strangely serious.
As the saying goes, "Those involved are blind, while bystanders see clearly." Long Aotian, caught up in the situation, felt everything was normal.
But in Li Qingxue's eyes, he seemed to see a completely different picture.
And so, what he had previously thought was normal began to feel increasingly abnormal.
Long Aotian truly cared about Hu Yuying. The first time he saw her, his only thought was, "Poor thing..."
Having grown up in an orphanage, Long Aotian had also been seen as a "pitiful creature" in the eyes of others. Because of this, he could always keenly sense Hu Yuying's emotional shifts.
He could see it, and it made him feel sorry for her.
So much so that Long Aotian often wanted to know about Hu Yuying's past, to understand the tragic life that had been summed up in just a few words.
But at the same time, he was afraid to know her past.
She was a strong girl, a gentle girl.
At least in Long Aotian's eyes, Hu Yuying deserved to be treated with kindness by everyone.
And so, Long Aotian became Hu Yuying's big brother. He wanted to protect her, change her, teach her, and urge her to save herself, time and time again, from the hardships of the world.
He wanted her to understand that her own happiness was the most important thing, and everything else was secondary.
He wanted to tell her to love herself, to firmly and unwaveringly love herself more.
This world is never short of people who are tired or unfortunate, but even for just a moment, everyone should feel a little warmth on their journey through life.
But it seemed he hadn't managed this distance well.
A young girl's naivety wasn't exactly a rational thing.
He was different from her, at least in terms of mental age...
She would soar high in the future, so high that everyone would have to look up to her...
Thump~~
Thump~~
Thump~~
Long Aotian curiously raised his hand and placed it on his chest. His heart was beating so fast...
"Brother Long, dinner's ready. Try it."
The girl lifted the bamboo curtain, her face radiant and beautiful, so much so that it was hard to look away.
"Mm." Long Aotian scratched his head and took the bowl of rice.
Soon, Hu Yuying brought out another dish and sat down to eat as well.
"Eat more." Long Aotian habitually picked up a strand of meat with his chopsticks.
Hu Yuying happily tilted her bowl toward Long Aotian.
Seeing the bowl in front of him, Long Aotian paused for a moment, then retracted his chopsticks and placed the meat into his own bowl. "Serve yourself."
"Oh." Hu Yuying pulled her bowl back, picked up a strand of meat herself, and while placing it in her bowl, she secretly glanced at Long Aotian.
"What are you looking at? Finish your meal and focus on studying."
"Mm-hmm." Hu Yuying didn't expect to be caught sneaking a look. Her cheeks flushed as she nodded repeatedly and focused on eating.
Seeing her delicate, easily flustered face turn red, Long Aotian couldn't help but find it amusing. The next moment, he slapped himself on the face. "Cough, there seems to be a mosquito."
Hu Yuying looked around. "Is there?"
"If I say there is, there is."
Hu Yuying was used to Long Aotian's unreasonable behavior. She chuckled softly and continued eating. After dinner, she still had to teach Brother Long.
With the college entrance exams approaching, Hu Yuying was determined to make the most of the final sprint, ensuring Long Aotian did as many practice questions as possible.
Ideally, his score would break 500 points.
Long Aotian's grades had been steadily improving. If they made full use of the remaining time, it wasn't an impossible goal.
Thinking of this, Hu Yuying felt even more motivated.
That's how people are—once they have a goal, they pour all their energy into moving toward it.
Since Hu Yuying was putting in so much effort to teach him, Long Aotian naturally didn't complain.
The afternoon passed quietly.
By the end, Long Aotian stretched, and his bones cracked from staying in one position for too long.
He stretched luxuriously, finally finishing the homework his little teacher had assigned for the day.
Seeing Long Aotian stretch, Hu Yuying stepped forward and placed her hands on his shoulders.
"Brother Long, let me give you a massage."
As Hu Yuying's hands touched him, Long Aotian's body stiffened.
Before, he hadn't thought much of it. Wasn't it normal for a little follower to give her boss a massage?
But now, he felt oddly shy. He coughed twice and stood up. "No need, I'm fine."
"Oh." Hu Yuying withdrew her hands, a hint of disappointment in her eyes.
She could sense that Brother Long seemed a bit different today, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what exactly had changed.
A girl's intuition could be incredibly sharp at times.
Long Aotian took a couple of steps around the living room, then turned to look at Hu Yuying. "Want to go for a walk?"
"Sure." Hu Yuying had always been obedient to Long Aotian.
Her obedience to him seemed to be ingrained in her very bones.
Walking down the alley under the glow of the setting sun,
their shadows stretched long, long, and eventually merged into one...