Girls are the best at lying.

"Then can I open an online store too?" Li Qingxue asked excitedly.

"Of course, and you might even do better," Long Aotian replied, knowing that Li Qingxue loved sharing—a key aspect of running and promoting an online store.

They themselves could be the models and the face of the brand. Plus, being in school meant they had a built-in network of peers around them.

This was their advantage, a very good one at that.

"Could you teach me too?" Li Qingxue asked softly, a little shy.

"Sure," Long Aotian said with a smile. "But you have to call me 'big brother' first."

Hearing this, Li Qingxue immediately scrunched up her nose.

Seeing her reaction, not just Long Aotian but also Hu Yuying and Lin Wanning found her utterly adorable.

"Ahem, Yuying, call me 'big brother,'" Long Aotian teased.

Hu Yuying glanced at Long Aotian, then at Li Qingxue, realizing he was just trying to tease her. But she didn’t mind playing along—she’d always humor him.

"Wanning, you—"

"Big brother," Lin Wanning cut in without hesitation. She had no qualms about calling Long Aotian that; in fact, she liked it.

After the two had complied, all three turned to Li Qingxue with amused smiles.

Seeing Hu Yuying and Lin Wanning give in, Li Qingxue reached out to them in mock outrage. "Wow, so much for friendship—sunk just like that!"

They playfully bickered until their food arrived. Only then did Li Qingxue relent, her cheeks flushed as she turned to Long Aotian. With a mix of shyness and reluctant delight, she murmured, "Big brother… happy now?"

Long Aotian shook his head. "Not sincere enough."

Li Qingxue rolled her eyes. "Big brother, big brother, big brother…"

"Let’s eat first. We’ll talk more after," Long Aotian said, clearly in good spirits.

After the meal, Long Aotian taught them how to set up an online store using their phones.

The process was simple: register with a phone number, then follow the verification steps.

"Next is the deposit, but you don’t have to pay it right away. You can wait until the store gains traction."

"There are many types of online stores. First, decide what you want to sell, then pick a name—preferably one that clearly tells customers what your store offers."

The three girls listened with fascination.

While Li Qingxue and Lin Wanning might have seen it as just fun, Hu Yuying already had a clear goal in mind.

Because she knew what she wanted, she exuded confidence.

Long Aotian didn’t rush them. Success wasn’t built overnight.

Seeing the determination in Hu Yuying’s eyes, he took a deep breath and said, "Let’s go check out the mall."

"Mm!" Hu Yuying nodded eagerly, her hesitation replaced by enthusiasm.

Long Aotian smiled. In the original novel, the author had glossed over how Hu Yuying achieved her success, leaving readers to imagine the hardships she must have endured.

He just hoped this small change wouldn’t negatively affect Hu Yuying or Li Qingxue.

The online store’s operations were in their hands now. How they ran it was up to them to figure out.

After a whole day out, Long Aotian felt sore and exhausted—worse than a day of military training.

But the three girls were still full of energy. He plopped down on a bench to rest while they continued.

As he waited, he pulled out his phone and opened a group chat run by a real estate agent.

The group was filled with daily listings for rentals and second-hand property sales.

Before long, Hu Yuying joined him on the bench.

"Why aren’t you playing anymore?" Long Aotian asked without looking up—he recognized her presence instantly.

"They’re trying on clothes," Hu Yuying replied, swinging her legs lightly as she sat.

She was in high spirits today, doing things she normally wouldn’t.

"What’s Long Aotian looking at?" she asked.

"Checking out properties. Pretty impressive, huh?"

"Very."

Long Aotian chuckled and ruffled her hair. No matter what he said, Hu Yuying always cheered him on.

By the time they left, it was already dark.

After dropping the girls back at school, Hu Yuying tugged at Long Aotian’s sleeve.

"Long Aotian, wait here. I’ll go back to the dorm and grab something for you."

"Sure." Since he’d never been to A University before, he followed her inside.

Hu Yuying hurried off toward the dorm.

When she pushed open the door, her roommate asked, "Yuying, what’s the rush? You’re out of breath!"

"Nothing," Hu Yuying replied, grabbing her foot basin before heading back out.

Walking through A University, Long Aotian couldn’t help but notice the stark differences between schools.

The campus atmosphere, with its lotus pond, weeping willows, and ancient architecture, truly lived up to its reputation as the finest institution of learning.

Before long, Hu Yuying walked over and said, "Long Aotian, here you go."

"What's this?" Long Aotian took it and pulled out the contents—several photographs. There were pictures taken by the bay, photos of Hu Yuying during military training, and even a few of himself.

As Long Aotian's gaze lingered on the photo of her in training gear, Hu Yuying fidgeted slightly, a hint of shyness in her demeanor. "I had these developed at school. I wanted to give you a copy."

"They're great. I really like them," Long Aotian said, tucking them into his pocket.

Hearing that he liked them, Hu Yuying quietly relaxed the hand that had been clutching the hem of her clothes.

"Your campus is beautiful," Long Aotian remarked as they strolled around the lotus pond.

"Yeah," Hu Yuying agreed, her eyes fixed on his back. Suddenly, her steps faltered.

Her forehead bumped into Long Aotian's back with a dull thud. He’s so firm… Ouch…

Long Aotian reached out to steady her. "You okay? Why are you always so clumsy?"

"Did it hurt? Let me see."

Thankfully, her long hair hid her burning ears as Hu Yuying awkwardly replied, "I'm fine. Maybe I’ve been walking too much today."

Hearing this, Long Aotian guided her to sit on the steps and patted his knee. "Your foot."

"Isn’t this a bit inappropriate, Long Aotian?"

"Hurry up."

"Okay..."

Biting her lip lightly, Hu Yuying lowered her gaze, her expression unreadable, and placed her leg on his knee.

Her body stiffened slightly as she felt her shoe being removed. When her sock came off too, she tensed even more—until her small foot was enveloped in the warmth of his large hand, and she instantly melted.

"Rest in your dorm tomorrow. Ask your roommate to bring you food."

"Mm-hmm."

Stealing a glance at Long Aotian, who was now fully absorbed in massaging her foot, she thought to herself: I’m sorry, Long Aotian. It’s not that Yuying is a bad liar… Girls are just the best at deception…

Even though she’d promised fair competition, the only thing she knew was that Long Aotian liked feet. This was all she could do—she just hoped he’d remember Yuying in his heart…

"Long Aotian, a little gentler…"

"Sorry, didn’t mean to press so hard…"

[Are there any girls out there? They say pretty girls are the best liars—is that true?]

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