Undefined Liking Defines Itself

At home, Li Qingxue and Lin Wanning had already set up the stove and tidied up some leftover firewood from last time.

When the sound of the door opening echoed,

the two looked up.

They saw Long Aotian and Hu Yuying returning.

Delighted, they stood up and proudly displayed the fruits of their labor.

To Hu Yuying—or even Long Aotian—these might not seem like much.

But for Li Qingxue and Lin Wanning, these were their hard-earned achievements.

Everyone grows differently, and their paths in life vary.

Some things that were just daily routines for Hu Yuying

were fresh, novel experiences for Li Qingxue and Lin Wanning.

Long Aotian stepped forward, turned on the lights, and then sat by the stove to light the fire. "Tonight, we're having hotpot."

Before Li Qingxue and Lin Wanning could say anything,

the two girls watched as Hu Yuying walked up and helped Long Aotian take off his coat.

Long Aotian cooperated without hesitation.

Li Qingxue and Lin Wanning blinked in surprise.

After helping Long Aotian out of his coat, Hu Yuying noticed the way the other two were looking at her.

Their eyes sparkled with amusement as they playfully blinked at her.

Hu Yuying seemed to realize something, her gaze flickering away. Under the glow of the firelight, her cheeks flushed a deep pink.

She hurried into the room to place Long Aotian’s coat on the bed,

then pressed her hands against her warm face, biting her lip softly before taking a deep breath and stepping back outside.

When Hu Yuying reappeared,

Li Qingxue and Lin Wanning could sense that something had changed between her and Long Aotian.

Yet, they couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was—it was just an instinctive feeling.

Hu Yuying grew increasingly flustered under their scrutiny.

Luckily, the fire was now blazing steadily.

"Long Aotian, I’ll take care of the rest," Hu Yuying said softly, tugging lightly at his sleeve with a gentle voice.

At this, Li Qingxue and Lin Wanning were certain—Hu Yuying had always been sweet, but she had never spoken to Long Aotian in such a tender, affectionate tone before, at least not in front of them.

"Alright, be careful," Long Aotian said as he stood up and moved aside.

Seeing him step away, Li Qingxue and Lin Wanning immediately crowded around Hu Yuying, whispering teasingly in her ears.

Watching the three girls huddled together, Long Aotian couldn’t help but smile.

Especially when he noticed Hu Yuying’s ears turning redder by the second, his gaze softened with unmistakable fondness, his lips curving into a tender smile.

Occasionally, when Hu Yuying grew too embarrassed, she would glance back—only to meet Long Aotian’s warm, adoring eyes. Her own eyes would crinkle with happiness before she shyly looked away, as if fireworks had just lit up the sky.

Lin Wanning nudged Li Qingxue with her shoulder,

giving her a meaningful look.

Though they hadn’t known each other for long, Li Qingxue understood.

She turned to Long Aotian. "Long Aotian, hotpot isn’t complete without some ice-cold drinks. We want something chilled!"

"Sure, how about soda?" Long Aotian asked.

"Sounds good," Li Qingxue replied after a brief pause.

Truthfully, the drink didn’t matter—they just wanted to send Long Aotian away for a moment.

The three girls watched as Long Aotian disappeared around the corner.

The moment he was out of sight, the other two immediately pounced on Hu Yuying.

"Confess now, or face the consequences!" Li Qingxue wiggled her fingers playfully, grinning as she inched closer to Hu Yuying’s chest. "Tell us what happened between you two earlier, or I’ll have to squeeze it out of you!"

Having witnessed Hu Yuying’s ample curves during their bath earlier, Li Qingxue was itching to touch them again.

Hu Yuying’s face burned as she squirmed, her soft body wriggling helplessly under their playful assault. "S-Stop it..."

She had already experienced their teasing hands earlier that afternoon—the memory alone was enough to make her blush.

"We can tell something’s different between you and Long Aotian," Lin Wanning murmured behind her, her usually cool voice now laced with mischief. "If you don’t want us to keep groping you, you’d better start talking."

Whether intentional or not, her breath tickled Hu Yuying’s ear,

making her shiver.

"Gotcha!" Li Qingxue seized the opportunity to grab Hu Yuying’s chest. At first, Hu Yuying resisted, but soon her body went limp against Lin Wanning.

Biting her lip, her eyes glistening with embarrassment, she finally surrendered to their relentless hands.

"I—I—I kissed Long Aotian!"

The moment the words left her mouth, she covered her face in mortification.

Hearing this, Li Qingxue and Lin Wanning exchanged a knowing smile and stopped their teasing.

"You mean… a real kiss?"

Feeling their hands finally retreat, Hu Yuying peeked through her fingers and nodded.

Even now, the corners of her lips curled into a shy, blissful smile—one that spoke of giddy happiness and sweet embarrassment.

"Who made the first move?" The two girls leaned in eagerly, their inner gossipers awakened.

Hu Yuying lowered her hands slightly, then glanced apologetically at Li Qingxue.

Though she said nothing, Li Qingxue understood.

She took Hu Yuying’s hand and gently pressed it against her own chest.

"Yuying, can you feel it?"

"My heart is happy for you—truly happy."

"Long Aotian once helped me when I was lost and didn’t know what to do. He told me that love comes in many forms, and its meaning changes for everyone..."

"Even though I’ve openly admitted to liking him before,"

"that doesn’t stop me from being happy for you."

Li Qingxue’s smile was radiant, as if holding all the beauty in the world.

"Does it sound contradictory?"

"At first, I struggled with it too. But after what you told me that night, I stopped overthinking."

If Hu Yuying could open her heart to her, then she, too, could wholeheartedly wish for her happiness.

"I’m happy for you because I want that jerk Long Aotian to be happy too."

It was hard to say whether she had met him in the summer,

or if it was because of him that she had ever truly known summer at all.

But just as Hu Yuying had said—at least she had once held it in her hands.

Only when it became clear how much Hu Yuying meant to Long Aotian did the undefined feelings of affection truly find their definition.