Long Aotian, Let's Meet at the Playground

Long Aotian took out his phone and glanced at it, thinking it was a message from his three buddies.

But when he saw the friend request notification with the name [Han Xiaojing] in the comments below, he couldn’t help but look up at her.

Feeling his gaze, Han Xiaojing said softly, "We’ve known each other for so long, but I still don’t have you on QQ. If I come across any good food worth trying, I’d like to recommend it to you too."

Han Xiaojing had always been quiet and reserved, so her words might have seemed ordinary coming from anyone else. But hearing them from her, everyone turned to look.

Shen Mengjie, Zhang Mengmeng, and Wang Lijuan weren’t too surprised—as Han Xiaojing’s roommates, they knew she had a bit of a crush on Long Aotian.

Huang Fei and Xu Shuai, however, focused their attention on Li Longlong instead.

Seeing this, the last flicker of hope in Li Longlong’s heart finally faded.

He gave Long Aotian a wry smile, then took a deep breath.

Back when they’d had drinks in the dorm, Li Longlong had already sensed that Han Xiaojing only saw him as a friend.

He’d mentally prepared himself for this—after all, it had always been one-sided.

It wasn’t like just because he liked her, she had to like him back.

No wonder she’d always asked, "Who else is coming?" whenever he invited her out...

Now it was clear—Han Xiaojing had liked Long Aotian from the start.

"What are you looking at me for?" Li Longlong nudged Long Aotian with his shoulder and grinned. "Whether I get to eat good food from now on depends on your intel!"

"Rain or shine, I’ll be waiting for you in the clay pot soup shop!" Long Aotian replied.

The phrase "waiting in the clay pot soup shop" struck everyone as oddly hilarious, and they burst out laughing.

The shift in mood filled the private room with cheerful energy.

Han Xiaojing smiled faintly when she saw Long Aotian accept her friend request on his phone.

Shen Mengjie rested her chin on her hand, amused by how effortlessly Long Aotian had lightened the mood.

As for Huang Fei’s attempts to impress her, she neither rejected nor encouraged him, leaving him plenty of room to fantasize.

By the end of the meal, Huang Fei felt like he’d made progress—though in reality, nothing had changed.

"I’ll walk you guys back," he offered.

"Get lost, I’m taking my Lijuan home," Xu Shuai cut in.

"What do you mean, your Lijuan?" Wang Lijuan pinched his ear.

At this rate, it was clear Xu Shuai was doomed to four years of being henpecked—not that he seemed to mind.

As they left, Shen Mengjie shot Long Aotian a meaningful glance, which he pretended not to notice.

"Regrets are common, but at least you tried, right?" Long Aotian said.

"Thanks. I was fine until you said that—now it feels like I’ve been stabbed," Li Longlong joked.

He glanced at Han Xiaojing’s retreating figure. "You know, I could see how this would end from the very beginning. Believe it or not."

"But like you said—how could I not try?"

Everyone liked pretty girls. Shen Mengjie and Han Xiaojing were the most sought-after in their class.

"I took my shot. If it worked out, great. If not, no skin off my back."

"Damn, that’s some wisdom right there!" Long Aotian clapped him on the shoulder.

Li Longlong sighed. "I’ve just temporarily lost the ability to love..."

Just then, a group of people walked past.

Li Longlong’s eyes locked onto one of them—a senior girl in denim shorts. "Wait... I think I’ve regained the ability to love."

With that, he jogged after her.

"Hey, senior! Can I get your number...?"

Watching Li Longlong’s sudden rebound, Long Aotian couldn’t help but laugh. The best way to get over a failed crush was clearly to start a new one.

Back in the dorm, Huang Fei and Xu Shuai returned soon after, roughhousing as usual.

"Shh!" Long Aotian signaled for them to keep quiet.

The two glanced at Li Longlong, who was sitting on his bed, and lowered their voices.

"What’s going on?"

Long Aotian waved them over and whispered, "He's deep in conversation with a senior sister."

Huang Fei and Xu Shuai finally realized they’d been fooled—Long Aotian and Li Longlong had played them.

"You little—nice one!"

Li Longlong didn’t even try to hide it. "Just met her today. Found out she’s single too!"

"Now that’s the legendary Love King Li Longlong we know," Xu Shuai teased.

"Oh, by the way, Long Aotian, what was it you wanted to tell me earlier?" Seeing that Li Longlong was fine—in fact, in better shape than expected—he turned to Long Aotian and asked.

Hearing this, Long Aotian straightened up and said seriously, "About this matter, I just want to share what I saw."

He then recounted what he had witnessed the previous day: seeing Shen Mengjie at the KTV and later spotting her again on the food street.

After Long Aotian finished speaking, the dorm fell so silent you could hear a pin drop.

"Long Aotian, are you sure you didn’t mistake her for someone else?" Huang Fei sounded incredulous, but when he saw the gravity in Long Aotian’s eyes, he sat down on his bed and lit a cigarette.

Xu Shuai chimed in, surprised, "So when you brought up the KTV and the clay pot soup in the private room, you were actually hinting at Shen Mengjie?"

"Maybe those two guys were just admirers? Shen Mengjie is pretty, after all," Huang Fei muttered to himself.

Long Aotian had no intention of delving further into the topic.

As roommates and brothers, he felt obligated to share what he knew without hiding anything.

But the final decision still rested entirely with Huang Fei.

Just then, his phone vibrated in his pocket.

Long Aotian pulled it out and glanced at the screen.

Han Xiaojing: [Long Aotian, let’s meet at the sports field.]

After a moment’s thought, he agreed.

Han Xiaojing’s behavior today had given him a hint of something.

Though they were classmates, they had barely spoken to each other.

Their only two private encounters had been brief and uneventful.

But whether his instincts were right or not, he wanted to clarify things upfront—for his own sake, for his little follower’s, and for Han Xiaojing’s as well.

"I’m heading out for a bit," he said before leaving the dorm and making his way toward the sports field.

On the last day of the holiday, the field was nearly empty.

"Long Aotian."

Hearing the voice, Long Aotian turned toward its source. "Shen Mengjie?"

[To generate electricity, the vulture kneels in gratitude—love you all.]