Briefly Met, Yet Entwined for a Lifetime

Looking at Huang Fei's expression, Li Longlong and Xu Shuai didn’t know what to say.

They still remembered the night before, when Huang Fei had shared his inner joy.

He had hoped that this gathering would bring him at least one step closer to Shen Mengjie.

Last night, he had been so happy.

Xu Shuai patted Li Longlong and said, "Cigarettes, where are the cigarettes?"

Li Longlong froze for a moment before suddenly snapping to attention, pulling out the pack Long Aotian had given him the day before from under his pillow.

"Fei, don’t be like this. Look at me—I haven’t even started and already feel defeated, but I’m still fine, aren’t I?"

Huang Fei let out a soft laugh as he took the cigarette from Li Longlong. He understood—Old Li was reopening his own wounds just to make him smile.

"Exactly! You’re the top dog in our dorm, the love guru who came up with the Ten Core Theories of Romance. Like Old Ao said, aim higher—seniors are even better."

No wonder Long Aotian had warned them from the start: don’t date classmates. But they had realized it too late...

"I’ll have to talk to Juan later, make sure she doesn’t get influenced by this."

The dorm door swung open.

Seeing Long Aotian return, Xu Shuai and Li Longlong instantly seemed to find their anchor, frantically signaling with their eyes for him to talk some sense into Huang Fei.

Huang Fei also looked up at Long Aotian and forced a bitter smile. "Old Ao, what should I do now?"

He lit another cigarette, his heart weighed down by an indescribable sadness and frustration.

From the first moment he saw Shen Mengjie, he had been deeply drawn to her.

Though they hadn’t spent much time together, the messages on his phone felt so real and beautiful.

"Even though I already know everything, I still can’t seem to let her go."

Long Aotian patted his shoulder. He understood Huang Fei’s feelings—this was the sweetness of first love, something no amount of time could erase.

That was why it hurt.

Was it because of Shen Mengjie?

No, not really.

It was because he couldn’t forget the flutter of his heart when he first fell for someone.

"I can’t give you advice because you’re you. You have your own thoughts and confusion—just follow your heart."

In matters like this, outsiders truly couldn’t interfere.

Shen Mengjie’s actions would only end up hurting those who genuinely cared for her.

But who had the right to say she was wrong?

Even if Long Aotian cursed her in front of Huang Fei, what good would it do?

"Old Ao, can you tell me what it really feels like to like someone?" Huang Fei asked solemnly.

At this point, he couldn’t tell if it was unwillingness or obsession—whether he resented being treated as a backup or if he was just too fixated on Shen Mengjie herself.

It was a perfectly normal psychological phenomenon...

"The feeling of liking someone?"

Long Aotian’s mind drifted back to his little follower. "When you like someone alone, it’s... humbling."

"Humbling?"

"Yeah." Long Aotian smiled faintly. "Kind of humbling, anyway..."

"Back then, she called me ‘Brother Long.’ She was my little follower, but even the smallest changes in her made me feel... small. I never admitted it before, but I’m telling you the truth now."

Hearing this, not just Huang Fei, but even Xu Shuai and Li Longlong were stunned.

They couldn’t imagine someone like Long Aotian—tall, handsome, confident—ever feeling insecure.

Seeing their expressions, Long Aotian chuckled dryly. "I said it’s the feeling of liking someone alone!"

"And now?"

"Now?"

The corners of Long Aotian’s lips curled into a tender smile. "Now it’s mutual."

"It’s a strange feeling. Being with her makes me inexplicably relaxed and happy. Even just quietly watching her brings me joy. Every little thing she does affects my mood..."

"Before we’ve even parted, I’m already thinking about when we’ll meet again—like I’ve suddenly developed separation anxiety..."

As he spoke, Long Aotian couldn’t help but laugh. "Sometimes I feel like a nagging father, and other times, like a kid who needs her to take care of me..."

"We haven’t known each other long, but it feels like we’ve already intertwined most of our lives..."

After hearing Long Aotian’s words, Huang Fei fell silent.

Finally, he spoke slowly. "If I said I still want to try, would you laugh at me?"

The moment those words left his mouth, nothing else mattered.

"No," Long Aotian said calmly.

Liking someone turns the impossible into possible, and the possible into impossible.

Because you care, you can’t truly let go...

Whatever choice Huang Fei made, he must have thought it through.

You could say he was blind, that he was setting himself up for pain—but don’t you dare laugh at him...

"I won’t either!" Li Longlong said solemnly. "Even if I don’t support you, I won’t mock you. Because we’re the Four Heavenly Kings of Room 147!"

"I just want to slap some sense into you. I don’t get what you’re thinking!" Xu Shuai frowned. "Can you really accept Shen Mengjie enjoying your affection while also accepting someone else’s?"

"Damn, even the thought pisses me off. Where’s your pride, Huang?" Then his voice softened as he punched Huang Fei lightly on the shoulder. "But... but you’re my brother."

Huang Fei smiled bitterly at the three of them. "Maybe you don’t understand, but I really still want to try."

The first time he saw Shen Mengjie, he had been stunned...

He’d be elated when she replied instantly, and crushed when she took too long...

Long Aotian stepped forward and patted his shoulder. "Love doesn’t need reasons. ‘Because I want to’ is the best answer you can give yourself."

Everyone understands love differently, but one thing is the same—that person can sway your emotions anytime, anywhere.

If Huang Fei, after careful thought, still chose this path, it meant he still held hope for Shen Mengjie.

No one could say if it was right or wrong—but it was Huang Fei’s choice to make...

......

In the girls’ dormitory.

Shen Mengjie returned to her room and glanced at Han Xiaojing, who had just woken up and was scrolling through her phone, before casually sitting on her own bed.

Her phone buzzed.

Pulling it out, she couldn’t help but chuckle when she saw the sender.

"How adorable."

Stretching lazily, she replied with a small sticker...