"Wait a second, I almost forgot." Long Aotian returned to his bedroom and brought out a tin of cookies. "Li Qingxue asked me to give this to you."
"If Brother Long likes them, you should have them all," Hu Yuying said with a smile, since Li Qingxue had already told her about it over the phone.
But she felt it didn’t matter whether she ate them or not—if Brother Long enjoyed them, he should have them all.
"Take them. Last time you didn’t get to try any, and Li Qingxue scolded me for ages."
"She was even more naggy than you."
"But these really are delicious. Go on, try one."
Looking at the cookies placed in her hand, Hu Yuying nodded gently. "When we get to Capital City, I’ll make something delicious for Qingxue too."
Riding his bicycle, Long Aotian took Hu Yuying back to her rented apartment.
It had been a week since he last visited, but the place felt even cozier than his own home.
"So, Brother Long, would you like spicy stir-fried chicken or duck blood vermicelli soup today?" Hu Yuying asked as soon as they got home, already preparing to cook for him.
"Hold on, I just had breakfast not too long ago."
"Oh, right—you haven’t eaten yet, have you?"
Hu Yuying shook her head. "I’m not hungry."
Back when she lived alone, she rarely ate breakfast. It was only when Brother Long was around that she bothered making it.
"Come on, let’s go eat." No sooner had they arrived than he took her back out again.
Now that Hu Yuying had earned enough for tuition and living expenses, set aside some money for her grandparents, and still had a little left for herself, she didn’t feel too guilty about spending.
......
Lying on the bed, Hu Yuying turned her head to look at Long Aotian, her eyes brimming with unspoken delight. "Brother Long."
"Hm? What’s up?"
"I’m feeling a little nervous and excited." Hu Yuying took a deep breath, her delicate collarbones rising with the motion, tracing a perfect curve.
"Don’t be nervous, don’t be excited. Brother Long’s here. Close your eyes and relax," Long Aotian soothed softly.
Hu Yuying nodded obediently, but as she glanced outside, a hint of reluctance flickered in her gaze.
When she first arrived in this city, she had felt the same mix of excitement and fear.
Though she had suffered hardships here, she had also met Brother Long.
Now that she was leaving, she couldn’t help but feel a little wistful.
Lying on the narrow sleeper berth, she couldn’t sleep—partly because she was afraid of dozing off too deeply and having her things stolen.
She sighed lightly. The silk pants she wore were comfortable but too form-fitting; the hidden pockets she had sewn in bulged noticeably whenever she stored anything inside.
Brother Long had told her not to stash things there, but keeping them in her bag made her feel insecure.
"Brother Long, what are you doing?" Hu Yuying whispered.
"Checking stocks." Long Aotian had switched to a smartphone, making it much easier to use apps that weren’t compatible with his old button phone.
Hu Yuying blinked. "Brother Long, do you understand stocks?"
Long Aotian shook his head decisively. "No, but I know what to buy to make money right now."
"Really?"
"Want to invest a little?" Long Aotian chuckled at her curious expression.
Hu Yuying shook her head again. "I’d rather not."
For now, she still felt safest keeping her money close.
Long Aotian just smiled. Some things were best learned through experience, and he didn’t want to influence her too much.
She had her own path to walk. If he interfered, it might not necessarily be bad—but it wouldn’t be the life truly meant for her.
From nothing to something, Long Aotian was quite satisfied with his modest assets.
He wasn’t exceptionally talented, but he planned to take advantage of the upcoming housing market crash in Capital City and Qianshen in a couple of years to buy a few properties.
His current savings weren’t enough, but with a certain cryptocurrency about to skyrocket to $30 in its first major surge, he decided it was the perfect time to cash out.
After this spike, the value would plummet—but he could reinvest when it bottomed out, knowing it would surge again later.
Hu Yuying rolled onto her side, resting her cheek on her hand as she watched Long Aotian focus on his phone.
"Brother Long, you’re so kind."
"Brother Long, you’re also really handsome."
"Brother Long is the gentlest Brother Long."
After saying all this in one breath, she inhaled deeply, then slowly realized—she wasn’t blushing this time. Delighted, she giggled. "Brother Long, look! I didn’t turn red this time. Does that mean I’ve become thick-skinned now?"
Long Aotian’s hand paused mid-scroll. He didn’t look at her. "I’m starting to regret teaching you how to be shameless!"
Then he turned to face the wall.
Though she couldn’t see his expression, the tips of his ears were visibly red.
Hu Yuying noticed and grinned even wider. "Brother Long, are you blushing?"
"Don’t talk nonsense. You’d blush before I ever would."
She didn’t argue further—because she’d already seen the proof.
No amount of denial could change that.
Sleeping on a train wasn’t easy. At the very least, neither Long Aotian nor Hu Yuying felt the slightest bit drowsy yet.
The journey from Haibin to Capital City would take about eleven hours, arriving around 8:50 to 9:00 the next morning.
"Brother Long, I can’t sleep."
"What do you want to do, then?"
Hu Yuying’s cheeks flushed as she parted her lips slightly, gazing at him with innocent, pleading eyes. "I want to sleep with Brother Long... Only when I’m with you do I feel safe from being bullied~~"
Hearing this, Long Aotian stiffened slightly.
But seeing her pitiful expression, something in him relented. With a resigned sigh, he said, "You’re impossible. Just this once, okay? Come here."
"But no funny business, got it?" he added sternly.
"Mm-hmm, I promise. I’ll be good. Thank you, Brother Long!" Overjoyed, Hu Yuying threw back her blanket and slipped under his.
......
Hu Yuying blinked, puzzled as she watched Long Aotian, already asleep, still smiling.
"I wonder what kind of wonderful dream Brother Long is having. His smile is so lovely."
Listening to his soft snores, she suddenly remembered the first time they met—when he’d just vowed to study hard, only to fall asleep the next second.
Just like now. One moment he’d been wide awake, scrolling on his phone, and the next, after turning away, he was out like a light.
Quietly, she took out her phone and snapped a picture of him.
Then she retreated to her own berth, staring at the photo until she felt even more awake.
As dawn neared, she tucked her phone and bag under her pillow and finally dozed off for a short while...
[May you all have sweet dreams as well.]
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
saw a female celebrity tied up and stuffed in the trunk! Little did he know, countless cameras were aimed at him at this moment - this was a new type of reality show. The first randomly selected passerby was caught in less than an hour. But when Xu Moru was selected, things started to take an unexpected turn. "Damn, this isn't how the script goes. This Xu Moru is too bold, he's not following the rules at all." "Crap, is this guy taking it seriously?" "The female celebrity has been scared to tears!"
+【Epic Battles!】 "Your Highness, they say Linxi Temple is miraculous. Won’t you make a wish?" "A wish? It should be making wishes to me." "That may be so, but since you’re already here..." "..." "Fine. Then grant this princess a consort to play with." "He must be obedient, devoted, and utterly infatuated with my body—so much so that he’d kneel and kiss my feet." "Your Highness, that’s not a consort. That’s a dog." "Then add clever, witty, heroic, ambitious yet pragmatic..." "Hmm, that’s enough for now. I’ll add more later." After tossing out these words half in jest, Princess Anle departed the temple—only to catch a fleeting glimpse of the Bodhisattva statue smiling at her. Meanwhile, Yang An, fresh out of university, was having a very bad day. Good news: He’d transmigrated into another world with a cheat granting tenfold combat power. Bad news: He’d immediately fallen into the clutches of a certain villainess. Good news: Said villainess possessed peerless beauty and royal status. Bad news: She was absolutely monstrous!!! In the frozen wilderness, Yang An knelt beneath Qin Guo’er’s feet, drenched in sweat despite the cold. Desperately clutching her porcelain-perfect foot—the very one poised to crush his throat—he could only think: How do I survive this?! Need answers NOW!
