Why Are You Sticking Out Your Tongue

After finishing their barbecue, they arrived at the base of the shopping mall.

Watching Long Aotian about to hail a taxi, Lin Wanning gently tugged at his sleeve. "Brother, I'm so full. How about we ride bikes back instead?"

"Ride bikes? Are you sure you can handle it?" Long Aotian didn’t mind either way.

"Yeah, yeah, I can. We girls have to watch our figures, you know."

Long Aotian gave her a once-over. "You? Need to watch your figure?"

Lin Wanning used to hate it when people looked at her like that, but for some reason, under Long Aotian’s gaze, she instinctively held her breath.

She straightened her posture, making her waist appear even slimmer and her curves more pronounced.

"Come on, Brother. You wouldn’t want to see me lose my figure, would you?"

After spending these past few days with Long Aotian, Lin Wanning knew he was easygoing. Despite his carefree, indifferent demeanor, his heart was surprisingly soft.

"Alright, fine."

"I saw some bikes over there when we came earlier."

Lin Wanning took Long Aotian’s hand and led him toward the right side of the plaza.

What no one saw was the blush that instantly spread across her neck and cheeks the moment she turned away, burning with the shyness of a young girl.

The evening breeze brushed past them, playfully lifting her hair.

The sound of bicycle bells behind them seemed to awaken memories of an even more innocent time.

When she glanced back, the boy could have easily overtaken her, yet he kept a steady pace behind her, as if silently guarding her.

Pride really does come before a fall.

Under the streetlight, Long Aotian leaned in close. "Don’t move. Don’t rub your eyes."

"But—but it’s so uncomfortable." Lin Wanning tilted her fair, delicate face up, her voice tinged with a barely noticeable whimper.

Her watery eyes squinted slightly, and in her nervousness, her hands instinctively clutched at Long Aotian’s waist—as if holding onto something would steady her.

"Be good. Stay still."

His gentle voice whispered by her ear, and the warmth of his touch seeped through his fingertips, sending an inexplicable flutter through her chest.

As he drew closer, she could feel his warm breath against her cheek and ear.

The next second, Lin Wanning shivered as a large, warm hand gently lifted her chin.

As she tilted her head back, he bent down, the distance between them shrinking bit by bit. Her gaze flickered, and everything around her seemed to fade away—until there was nothing left but him.

"Don’t be afraid."

Lin Wanning instinctively wanted to nod, only to realize her chin was still held in place.

Their eyes locked, and she couldn’t look away. In his pupils, she could see her own reflection—her face flushed, her eyes glazed and dazed...

Their breaths mingled, and a sensation she’d never felt before left her body weak and her mind blank. She forgot how to think, surrendering to his lead, as if falling deeper and deeper.

A puff of air brushed over her eyes, making her want to blink.

Then, a tissue pressed against the corner of her eye, wiping gently.

The hand under her chin withdrew, and her body swayed, suddenly unsteady. Instinctively, she grabbed his waist to steady herself.

Long Aotian folded the tissue with the tiny insect inside and looked into her eyes. "Look left."

"Mhm." Lin Wanning heard his instruction, but her gaze refused to obey. All she could see was him.

"I told you to look left. Why are you sticking your tongue out?"

Clatter—

The sound of something falling startled them both.

Lin Wanning snapped back to reality, her fair skin now blooming like a crimson rose. She was so embarrassed she wished the ground would swallow her whole.

What was I just doing?

What was I thinking?

I could feel my face burning. I wanted to say something, but my mind was completely empty.

But I knew—at least in this moment—my heart was falling, bit by bit, for the man before me...

"Are you okay now?" At Long Aotian’s question, Lin Wanning lowered her head, wishing she could vanish.

Three seconds later, she finally regained her senses and covered her face with her hands. "I’m fine, I’m fine. Let’s just go back."

"There are a lot of bugs out. Ride slowly, okay?"

"O-okay." Lin Wanning’s body was stiff, her words stumbling.

She had never been this close to a boy before. Her head was foggy, her breath uneven, and it took her a delayed moment to finally respond.

After the two left—

In the darkness, Ye Liangchen sat on the ground, biting his lip hard before finally choking out a sob.

"Brother and sister, my ass! You even stuck your tongues out, you damn animal!"

"You ruined Hu Yuying, and now you’re after Li Qingxue? And now you’re forcing yourself on Lin Wanning, making her kiss you, even forcing her to use her tongue? You deserve to die—you really do!"

"I won’t let you get away with this..."

After his furious muttering, he picked up his fallen bike and hurried after them. He was determined to expose Long Aotian’s hypocritical mask and reveal his disgusting true nature to the world.

Everything he had lost, he would take back—piece by piece.

"Wash your face when you get back to the dorm, use some eye drops, and get some sleep. The irritation will be gone by tomorrow."

"Mhm." Lin Wanning tugged at the hem of her clothes, suddenly unsure how to face Long Aotian. She could only nod, her face still flushed.

"Look how shy you are. So thin-skinned—I’m just your brother."

Teased like that, though she was still a little embarrassed, the tension eased slightly.

From a distance, Ye Liangchen watched Long Aotian leave, his lips curling into a sneer before he sprinted after him.

Seeing Lin Wanning still staring at Long Aotian’s retreating figure, he snapped, "Lin Wanning, you’ve fallen into his trap!"

Ye Liangcen stepped directly in front of her, blocking her view. "He’s gone. What are you still looking at?"

"Wake up already!"

At the sight of him again, Lin Wanning instinctively backed away, the girlish shyness on her face instantly replaced with wariness. "I don’t know what you’re talking about. If you keep harassing me, I’ll call the police!"

Ye Liangchen clutched his chest, his heart aching. He wanted to save her, yet she threatened to report him. The pain was unbearable.

"Do you even know what kind of person Long Aotian is?"

"He’s a demon in human skin! Back in high school, he forced himself on someone who was supposed to like me. And then he tried to force himself on my best friend of nine years!"

"This scumbag is two-timing and now he's harassing you. I can't just stand by and watch you be forced and deceived..."

Lin Wanning frowned. "What nonsense are you talking about?"

Ye Liangchen was truly going insane—why did no one believe him? "I'm not spouting nonsense. Long Aotian and I are from the same city, the same school. His reputation at First High is utterly ruined, don’t you know that?"

"Just the fact that he forced himself on a girl who used to like me in senior year—isn’t that enough to prove what kind of person he is?"

"Lin Wanning, wake up! He just wants to use you all for his own pleasure, while I exist to save you."

Lin Wanning studied Ye Liangchen seriously, then, under his expectant gaze, coldly replied, "What kind of person he is isn’t determined by your words, but by his actions during our interactions. The person you describe isn’t the one I know."

Without giving Ye Liangchen another chance to speak, she turned and walked toward the school building. "And I don’t need your saving."

Watching Lin Wanning’s retreating figure, Ye Liangchen was lost—but then, suddenly, he laughed.

From the "treasure girl" to the "white moonlight," and now the "childhood sweetheart"...

The way they all rejected his salvation played over and over in his mind, intertwining relentlessly.

At that moment, something inside him shifted drastically.

Lin Wanning didn’t believe him.

Li Qingxue said she had fallen for Long Aotian.

Even Hu Yuying had already been forced and taken by Long Aotian.

Ye Liangchen’s face twisted with rage.

He looked up at the sky—sparse stars, a bright moon—and glared at the celestial orb, his resentment almost materializing.

"If the heavens are unjust and treat all life as expendable, then don’t blame me for turning dark!"

"This time, I’ll fight against heaven, against earth, against Long Aotian!"

"I thought enduring would bring peace, but all it earned me was their misunderstanding and Long Aotian’s escalating cruelty. Fine. If that’s how it is, I’ll embrace the darkness and prove with action that I alone am your salvation."

"I never wanted it to come to this. I’m a reincarnator—I hold all the advantages. I planned to use charm, fate, to guide destiny’s path and make you fall for me again in this life!"

"But it seems the butterfly effect of my rebirth has altered things. The moment Long Aotian sensed a threat from me and forced himself on Hu Yuying, everything spiraled out of control."

"Very well. As the reincarnator, I will set things right. With my divine radiance, I will illuminate and purify you, revealing Long Aotian’s true evil nature, until you willingly return to me, one by one!"

......

["That’s right, I showed off again today. Thanks for the gifts—so damn cool!"]