Be Unwavering in Loving Yourself

Seeing Hu Yuying still keeping her head down, Long Aotian frowned.

"Why are you lowering your head? Lift it up."

Hu Yuying glanced up at Long Aotian, pursing her lips. Perhaps it was just her imagination, but she felt like the people around her were still staring at her.

She had finally mustered the courage to treat her big brother to breakfast, but in the end, he was the one who paid.

She couldn't help but feel annoyed at herself. She was so clumsy, always messing things up.

If it weren’t for Long Aotian suddenly showing up, she wouldn’t have known what to do.

Her family wasn’t well-off, but that wasn’t anyone else’s business. Why did they have to bring it up in front of so many people?

"You didn’t do anything wrong, so why are you lowering your head?"

"Lift it up, or I’ll beat you up!"

Hu Yuying awkwardly raised her head and cautiously glanced around.

Coming from a poor family wasn’t a big deal in itself.

But having someone point out in public that she couldn’t afford breakfast really hurt her pride.

Perhaps Hu Yuying had already experienced strange looks and exclusion because of her family’s financial situation, so she was instinctively afraid of facing that kind of judgment again.

"Gossip is always around, but if you don’t listen, it won’t affect you."

"People’s words won’t make you lose a piece of flesh. If you’re really bothered by it, then work on becoming stronger. That’s the only way to shut them up."

Long Aotian felt like he was turning into a life coach.

He could actually empathize with Hu Yuying’s feelings at that moment.

In his previous life, he had been mocked plenty of times too.

As a child, people mocked him for being a kid without parents who loved him.

When he grew older, people taunted him for being poor, saying he had to scavenge trash to sell for food.

But he had still managed to go from having nothing to owning a car and a house, living a decent life.

"This world is never short of people with malicious intentions, but fortunately, you have me, your big brother, to back you up. So you need to learn to love yourself, to firmly and unwaveringly love yourself."

This was Long Aotian’s advice to Hu Yuying as someone who had been through it all. It wasn’t about anything else.

"There are plenty of people from poor families. If you go back three generations, whose ancestors weren’t farmers?"

"My family wasn’t well-off either. My dad was a butcher, but do you see anyone daring to mock me?"

"They don’t dare because I’d actually beat them up. They can’t fight me, so they keep their mouths shut."

Hu Yuying looked at Long Aotian and said softly, "So if I become stronger too, they won’t dare to say anything or bully me."

"Exactly. There’s too much unwarranted malice in the world, but that doesn’t stop us from finding pure kindness. Sometimes, learning to look at things from a different perspective can bring a whole new meaning."

"I’ve seen your progress, and I believe that one day, you’ll become confident and strong."

"Thank you, Long Ge. I feel much better now," Hu Yuying said sincerely, her gratitude genuine.

Long Aotian’s words had a profound impact on Hu Yuying at that moment.

Someone who had long been oppressed desperately needed someone like Long Aotian to guide them emotionally.

Seeing the light return to Hu Yuying’s eyes, Long Aotian breathed a small sigh of relief.

"Those people who seem like they have nothing good in their heads—stay away from them in the future, got it?"

"Got it," Hu Yuying chuckled, her eyes sparkling with a unique charm.

"Let’s go. We’re done eating."

"Okay."

Walking beside Long Aotian, her beautiful eyes flickered slightly. She bit her lip, took a deep breath, and secretly glanced at him. Her lips curled into a shy smile, and a faint blush spread across her pale cheeks.

She quickly averted her gaze, her hands lightly clasped over her chest, feeling a strange unease she couldn’t quite put into words.

Back in the classroom, Hu Yuying began fulfilling her duties as Long Aotian’s little assistant, urging him to study.

After yesterday’s guidance, it was clear that Long Aotian wasn’t dumb—he just hadn’t been using the right methods.

The key was that Long Aotian was willing to learn, and she was willing to teach.

Li Qian saw that Hu Yuying was still studying with Long Aotian and couldn’t help but sigh. She had already said everything she needed to say.

If Hu Yuying couldn’t see the situation clearly, it wasn’t her fault.

Still, Long Aotian was quite handsome. If only his grades were better, he’d be perfect.

He had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, and he was taller than most boys.

What made him stand out was that his handsomeness was different from others.

There were plenty of good-looking guys at school, but Long Aotian had that bad-boy charm.

Like right now, his smile was both mischievous and attractive.

But Li Qian wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination—she felt like Long Aotian’s aura had changed.

Before, he always seemed cold, as if nothing interested him except fighting.

But now, that icy edge was gone, replaced by a sense of warmth and gentleness.

Thinking this, Li Qian quickly shook her head. "What am I thinking? That’s Long Aotian—the guy who once punched someone so hard they bled."

...

Back in the classroom, Ye Liangchen immediately noticed Li Qingxue, who was covering her mouth as she yawned, looking exhausted.

He paused, then pretended to be expressionless, though inwardly he was overjoyed.

Li Qingxue had a very consistent sleep schedule. In all the years he’d known her, she only looked this tired when something was bothering her and she couldn’t sleep.

Had she really lost sleep just because he hadn’t talked to her for a day?

If this kept up, it wouldn’t be long before she couldn’t resist and came to talk to him herself.

The thought made Ye Liangchen secretly pleased.

It was true—people only realized their true feelings after losing something.

He straightened his back, lifted his head, and walked past Li Qingxue without even glancing at her.

"Ye Liangchen!" Her voice carried a hint of weariness.

It was indeed Li Qingxue.

Ye Liangchen stopped in his tracks.

A slight smile tugged at the corner of his lips. It seemed he had overestimated Li Qingxue. It had only been a day, and she was already unable to resist reaching out to him.

"What is it?" Ye Liangchen asked without turning around.

He needed to be firm in his attitude to make himself more appealing to Li Qingxue.

After all, people always wanted what they couldn’t have.

That was exactly how Li Qingxue felt right now.

He and Li Qingxue had known each other for so long that she couldn’t see through his true feelings. She always thought their relationship was just friendship.

But that wasn’t the case. Li Qingxue had unknowingly fallen for him during their time together.

She just hadn’t realized it yet.

It seemed that his decision to reject her yesterday had made her aware of something in her heart.

If he just added a little more fuel to the fire, the "chasing the husband to the crematorium" trope would soon play out...