For a Moment, the Sun Did Shine Upon Me

After waking up, Long Aotian instinctively reached out to embrace the space beside him.

It was empty—no drowsy, coquettish murmur calling him "Brother Long."

Only then did he remember that Hu Yuying hadn’t stayed overnight with him.

He yawned. In just two short days, he’d already grown accustomed to having her by his side.

Rubbing his cheeks, he picked up his phone and made a call.

The number of workers was increased from sixty to over a hundred.

The desire for a home wasn’t just a recent thought—it had always been there.

After hanging up, he finally got up to get ready.

Just as he finished washing his face, he heard the sound of a key turning in the front door.

It wasn’t yet time for the workers to arrive. As he wondered who it could be, the figures of three familiar faces appeared before him.

Hu Yuying held a shopping bag containing the underwear she’d bought for Brother Long yesterday.

Finally, she could replace his old ones.

Li Qingxue carried steamed buns, while Lin Wanning held a cup of soy milk. Seeing Long Aotian still freshening up, she teased, "We borrowed Hu Yuying for the night, and now we’re returning her to you..."

Even though they’d spent the evening discussing all sorts of tricks to handle Brother Long, Hu Yuying couldn’t help but blush at the remark.

Her cheeks burned because of the things they’d talked about—and the videos they’d watched...

She swallowed lightly, her gaze involuntarily drifting toward Brother Long’s body. The thought of putting that in her mouth was just too embarrassing...

The real reason was that it was all just... too mortifying.

Long Aotian noticed Hu Yuying’s shy expression and fidgeting posture, then glanced at Li Qingxue and Lin Wanning as if to say, What did you do to her? Look how flustered she is.

Under his gaze, Li Qingxue and Lin Wanning chuckled awkwardly and nudged Hu Yuying, silently chiding her for being so unreserved.

Though, to be fair, Li Qingxue hadn’t been much better at first...

"Brother, have some breakfast first. We brought this especially for you," Lin Wanning said, handing him the soy milk to divert his attention.

Seizing the moment, Li Qingxue pinched Hu Yuying’s slender waist. "Why are you blushing? People will think we did something to you."

"It’s because you two made me watch those videos! Now I don’t even know how to face Brother Long," Hu Yuying whispered, embarrassed.

Having been held by Brother Long, kissed by him—physically, her feelings for him were already far from innocent.

And after last night’s crash course in knowledge, her emotions and thoughts toward the guy she already adored had become even less pure.

Not that she could be blamed. If this had happened to a guy who’d never tasted "meat," his imagination would’ve soared straight into the clouds.

Li Qingxue laughed and hugged Hu Yuying, who instinctively nuzzled into her soft embrace.

This was the comfort of a best friend.

"Just act normal around Long Aotian. It’s not like he doesn’t understand anything," Li Qingxue said.

"If he’s holding back from touching you, it means he values you more. I think it’s not that he doesn’t want to—he just believes Hu Yuying deserves better."

"A guy like Long Aotian is good, responsible. Maybe you don’t care, but he does."

Gently cupping Hu Yuying’s face, she added, "You’re my best friend. As a woman looking at Long Aotian, I think he just wants you—not some fleeting physical pleasure. Don’t pressure yourself. I doubt he’d want to see you like this either."

Hu Yuying studied Li Qingxue’s face, then smiled and stroked her friend’s lovely cheek, sensing her genuine concern.

"Thank you."

"Don’t thank me. You’re wonderful, and so is he... truly wonderful."

Li Qingxue took a deep breath, her gaze drifting away. The sunlight made her smile even more radiant. "I love what you once said—He’s not my sun, but for a moment, his light did shine on me."

They didn’t linger long.

Li Qingxue and Lin Wanning soon left.

After two days of early mornings and late nights, all they wanted was to go home and catch up on sleep before heading out again in the afternoon.

The holiday was ending, and if they didn’t enjoy themselves now, they’d miss their chance.

Watching them leave, Long Aotian glanced at Hu Yuying’s small hand and slowly took it in his.

"Where did you go yesterday?"

Feeling the warmth of his touch, Hu Yuying pressed her lips together, smiling as she turned to him. Her bright eyes held a happiness only Brother Long could see.

"I’m not telling."

After all, how could she possibly bring up yesterday's incident to Long Aotian?

Hearing this, Long Aotian didn’t dwell on it too much. Hu Yuying was happy, and in life, there was no need for endless curiosity—cherishing the joy of the present moment was what truly mattered.

"Long-ge, I bought you some things," Hu Yuying suddenly remembered, tugging Long Aotian’s hand as she led him back to the room.

She pulled out a pair of underwear from the shopping bag and held it up in front of him. "Last time when I was tidying up, I noticed your underwear had holes in them, so I got you new ones."

Long Aotian chuckled in mock annoyance. "What holes? There aren’t any."

Unwilling to let him deny it, Hu Yuying promptly fished out a pair of his underwear from beneath the bedding.

The moment he saw what she was holding, the smile vanished from Long Aotian’s face. He quickly snatched it from her, hiding it behind his back. "Th-this… this is worn!"

So that’s where all his missing underwear had gone. He’d bought so many, yet somehow they’d all disappeared after wearing them—turns out they’d just been buried and forgotten.

The embarrassing part was that Hu Yuying had actually dug them out.

"And there’s more here," Hu Yuying said, opening the suitcase next. But then her expression turned puzzled. "That’s strange… I swear I saw it just the other day. Where did it go?"

Hearing this, Long Aotian instinctively scratched his backside.

…Was she talking about the pair he was wearing right now?

Clearing his throat, he offered, "Don’t bother looking. I probably threw it away already." That would explain why the underwear she’d seen yesterday had mysteriously vanished today.

Hu Yuying nodded, accepting his explanation without suspicion—after all, that pair had seemed long overdue for the trash.

Then she stepped closer to Long Aotian, reaching out her hand toward him…

…