After happily finishing her lean meat porridge, Hu Yuying playfully glanced at Long Aotian. "Long-ge, look, I ate it all!"
"Good girl."
Hu Yuying felt a little proud secretly—she was the most well-behaved, after all.
Then, as if remembering something, she said, "Long-ge, I joined the Hanfu club."
Sharing her daily life with Long Aotian was one of Hu Yuying’s favorite things.
Long Aotian also loved listening to her talk about her routines—it was how he knew whether the little girl was doing well at school.
"Actually, the Hanfu club invited me to join a few days ago, but I didn’t agree at the time."
"Then, when I was discussing the online store with Qingxue and Wan Ning, I went back and checked the prices of Hanfu last night."
At this point, Hu Yuying grew visibly excited. "Long-ge, you’d never guess—a single Hanfu costs almost 200 yuan!"
"So I thought, why not sell Hanfu alongside regular clothes? That’s why I joined the club."
Hearing this, Long Aotian realized Hu Yuying had her own ideas now—a good sign.
The rest of the time was spent with Hu Yuying talking and Long Aotian listening. Unbeknownst to him, the little follower who used to trail behind him had truly grown up.
By the end, Long Aotian held back a laugh and bought her a bottle of water to soothe her throat.
After taking a sip, Hu Yuying let out a contented sigh. In front of Long Aotian, she was her truest self—beautiful, awkward, tearful, shy. He had seen all her flaws and witnessed her growth.
No matter how much she matured, in Long Aotian’s eyes, she would always be that little follower who adored tagging along.
Just then, the foreman came to discuss some renovation details with Long Aotian.
Long Aotian left with him.
Hu Yuying sat on the green-planted steps and checked her phone.
There, she saw Li Qingxue’s reply.
"Ah, I was so engrossed in talking to Long-ge that I didn’t notice!"
She quickly tapped into the chat to respond, mentioning she’d come to see Long Aotian and asking if Qingxue would join.
Soon, Qingxue replied:
[I have something to take care of today, so I won’t come.]
"What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" When they’d parted yesterday, Qingxue had been fine, and Hu Yuying hadn’t heard of any plans.
Reading Hu Yuying’s message, Li Qingxue could feel the genuine concern in her words.
That was just how Hu Yuying was—sometimes disarmingly kind, without a hint of pretense. Having such a friend in life was truly a blessing.
Li Qingxue smiled and replied, "Really, I’m fine. I’ll visit another day. Besides, isn’t Long Aotian busy with renovations now? Wish him luck for me."
"Okay, I will! I’ll bring you a little cake when I get back—wait for me!"
Reading this, Li Qingxue took a deep breath and leaned her head against the railing.
After a long pause, she chuckled lightly and typed back: "Alright, I’ll wait for you."
Hu Yuying: [Flying kiss emoji.]
Li Qingxue replied with the same. [Flying kiss emoji.]
Before long, Long Aotian returned.
"Bored? Maybe you should head back to school." Seeing Hu Yuying staring at her phone, Long Aotian grinned.
"Not at all." Being with Long-ge, even in silence, was never boring.
"But Qingxue seems a little unwell," Hu Yuying murmured.
"Unwell?" Long Aotian paused, then seemed to understand. "Wait here."
He headed to a nearby supermarket and returned with an electric kettle and a packet of brown sugar.
"Take this to Qingxue. Later, brew some ginger brown sugar tea for her." Living far from home without support, every little bit helped.
That was Long Aotian’s reasoning—but his instinctive actions spoke louder. If he didn’t care, he wouldn’t have done this. It was precisely because he cared, unconsciously, that...
"Okay, Long-ge, I’ll go back now." Hu Yuying was reluctant to leave.
But Long-ge was fine, while Qingxue wasn’t feeling well.
Weighing the two, she decided she should return to take care of Qingxue.
Taking the items from Long Aotian, she hesitated, then turned and gently hugged him.
Caught off guard, Long Aotian stiffened for a moment before laughing. "What’s this? Can’t bear to leave Long-ge?"
"Long-ge, don’t talk." Hu Yuying looked up at him, then pressed her ear to his chest.
She was greedy—this time, she’d have to wait until her next break to see him again.
Listening quietly, she felt his heartbeat grow louder. As she listened, her body trembled slightly, and a smile crept onto her face. In this moment, whether she heard it or not didn’t matter.
Feeling Long Aotian’s hand gently rest on her back, Hu Yuying wished time would freeze right here.
The first time she’d hugged him, he’d stiffened like a board, even pushing her away, saying, "No, we can’t do this."
The second time, he’d still been a little rigid, but he hadn’t pushed her away. Instead, he’d patted her head and said, "Whatever it is, tell Long-ge. I’ll talk sense into them."
Now, the third time, he didn’t resist—he even wrapped an arm around her.
This gradual change filled Hu Yuying with indescribable emotions—joy, delight, contentment, attachment, reluctance. She was slowly stepping into Long Aotian’s heart.
And again and again, she’d heard it—the heartbeat that belonged only to her.
Just like the uncontrollable pounding in her own chest whenever she was near him.
Long Aotian looked down at the girl in his arms. More than once, he’d been tempted, but only now did he let go completely, allowing his body to respond freely.
She was slender. His palm felt the warmth of her skin, the slight tremble of her body.
She’d told him: She’d grown up. She was an adult now...
She’d said: It wasn’t gratitude, not thanks, not indebtedness—it was dependence. But not the kind from a little girl who couldn’t stand on her own. It was the dependence of a grown woman on a man...
Gently patting her back, he rested his chin atop her hair, breathing in her faint fragrance. What was he to do with this little follower of his? "Alright, take care on your way back."
Reluctantly, she loosened her arms and lowered her head shyly. Behind her cascading hair, no one could see the blush that painted her face with a coy, irresistible charm...
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...
