Time, Oh Time, Please Slow Down

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...