A One-Minute Friend

Returning to the subway station entrance,

Lin Wanning, who had been waiting there, spotted Long Aotian approaching from a distance and stepped forward. "Brother."

"Let's go. It's time to head back."

Lin Wanning didn’t move. Instead, her gaze lingered on Long Aotian’s neck.

"What’s wrong?"

She reached up and adjusted his collar, covering the hickey on his Adam’s apple.

It wouldn’t be good if others saw it.

Boarding the subway, the train was sparsely populated at this hour.

Lin Wanning spoke softly, "Thank you."

"You never need to say thank you to me."

Hearing this, Lin Wanning slowly leaned closer to Long Aotian, eventually resting her head on his shoulder. "Brother, let me borrow your shoulder for a bit."

Noticing Long Aotian’s slight frown and the growing stiffness in his posture, she whispered, "Just for a little while, brother."

A faint smile curled at the corner of her lips as she glanced sideways at him. "Brother, why are you always so good to me?"

Long Aotian’s furrowed brow relaxed slightly. "Should I start being a little worse, then?"

Lin Wanning almost blurted out, "Yes"—preferably bad enough to shed some of his moral compass. Maybe then, the line between "brother" and "something more" would blur...

But she knew he wouldn’t. His path in life was paved with sincerity.

Even if he turned "bad," he’d still be a bad guy with a strong sense of morality.

"I believe relationships are built on sincerity and genuine care," he said.

"Treat your friends and family with heart, and the world will return that kindness to you someday."

Lin Wanning murmured, "That’s wonderful. Brother, you’re not alone anymore."

Long Aotian smiled. "See? Life isn’t just one narrow road. You can grow freely too. Lift your head—there’s a whole future ahead. The mountains are high, the rivers long, but don’t worry about being ‘too late.’ Nothing’s a big deal. Everything happens exactly when it should."

Lin Wanning nodded. "Even if I fall into darkness, brother will pull me out."

"So nothing’s a big deal. Everything’s just... perfectly timed."

Time, oh time—could you slow down just a little? Let me savor this stolen moment a while longer.

But time waits for no one.

The station arrived. Lin Wanning took a deep breath and sat up. "Brother, we’re here."

At the entrance of the music academy,

Long Aotian turned to Lin Wanning. "Go on. Be careful on your way back. Text me when you reach the dorm."

"Mm. Brother, I’m leaving now."

He watched her figure gradually disappear into the crowd.

Just as Long Aotian was about to leave,

"Is she your girlfriend?"

Shen Mengjie twirled a lollipop in her hand, eyeing him with amused curiosity.

She prided herself on her looks, but even she had to admit Lin Wanning was striking.

Still, it was just a passing thought—after all, she wasn’t bad-looking herself.

"None of your business." Aware of Huang Fei’s feelings, Long Aotian didn’t want to escalate things unnecessarily.

"Hey, Long Aotian, it’s not like I’ve ever wronged you," Shen Mengjie said, stepping closer with a playful grin.

"You haven’t."

"Then can’t you be a little gentler? I am a girl, you know."

"Please. When you were chugging beer from the bottle, I didn’t hear you playing the ‘delicate flower’ card."

Shen Mengjie burst out laughing. "That’s different."

"How?"

"They’re them. You’re Long Aotian."

"Oh wow, I should be honored you think so highly of me, huh?"

His teasing tone made her grit her teeth. She exhaled sharply, crunching the lollipop between her molars.

"Can’t you stop looking at me like I’m some kind of troublemaker?"

At that, Long Aotian paused.

Seeing him stop, Shen Mengjie’s lips curled in smug satisfaction—until she noticed his uncharacteristically stern expression.

Normally, Long Aotian wore an easygoing smile, radiating approachability and reliability.

But this sudden seriousness carried a maturity far beyond his years.

"Enjoying life is human nature. But reining yourself in? That’s true discipline."

"Sweet words are hollow. Harsh truths are reality. Sometimes, clarity is its own wisdom."

Short-term thrills come with long-term withdrawals. The happiness you deplete now? You’ll pay it back in loneliness later.

Shen Mengjie blinked, momentarily thrown. "You—what are you even—"

"I’m saying you should button up your clothes." He tightened the collar of her blouse.

Then he walked away without another word.

This time, Shen Mengjie didn’t follow.

She just stared at his retreating figure, then down at her now-modest neckline.

"The world’s too cruel, life’s too bitter. What’s wrong with stealing a little sweetness now and then?"

Shen Mengjie turned toward the voice.

A young man stood there, hands in pockets, a cocky grin on his face as he flicked his hair back.

His gaze briefly darkened as it followed Long Aotian’s departure, but the smirk returned as he faced Shen Mengjie. "Some people act like they know what’s best for you when they don’t understand a thing. Honestly, those types are the worst. Don’t you agree?"

Another hair flick. His eyes locked onto hers with unwavering confidence.

"Hi. I’m Liangchen. Ye Liangchen’s Liangchen."

Shen Mengjie exhaled slowly, the scent of crushed candy sweetening her breath.

Ye Liangchen inhaled deeply, closed his eyes, then grinned. "Apologies—I just stole a whiff of your lovely exhale without permission."

His antics actually made her laugh.

She eyed him with amused skepticism. "You think you’re charming, don’t you?"

Ye Liangchen smirked, lightly tossing his bangs. "Maybe. In the looks department, I’ve got some confidence."

He checked his phone. "Perfect. It’s been exactly one minute. Now we’re friends who’ve known each other for sixty seconds!"

His grin widened. "And who knows? Maybe someday, I’ll look back on this minute as the start of something great."

"Sometimes, clarity is its own wisdom."

The words—Long Aotian’s words—echoed in Shen Mengjie’s mind inexplicably.

And now, applied to Ye Liangchen? They fit alarmingly well.

Suddenly, a realization hit her. She stomped her foot in frustration.

Was this how Long Aotian saw her too? Is that why he’d said those things?

She scrutinized Ye Liangchen again, irritation bubbling up.

Watching Shen Mengjie storm off,

Ye Liangchen chuckled. "Shy, huh? Youth truly is something."

Ever since Long Aotian had humiliated him that day, Ye Liangchen had been nursing a grudge.

As it turned out, he had prepared some song lyrics these past few days, knowing full well how passionate Lin Wanning was about music.

He hoped these lyrics might help smooth over the misunderstanding between them.

He thought that if Lin Wanning could see his talent, maybe... just maybe...

But to his frustration, that jerk Long Aotian had been sticking to Lin Wanning like glue, making it impossible for him to hand her the lyrics.

He had almost given up hope for today.

Then, right before his eyes, Long Aotian—that scoundrel—had the audacity to flirt with another woman. Hah! As if he didn’t even exist.

So after Long Aotian left, he stepped in like a hero, appearing beside the girl just in time to save her from being sweet-talked by that snake.

"Though, she really is quite pretty—even more so than I imagined."

"Long Aotian, since you dared to hit me, don’t blame me for stealing your woman!"

The way she shyly walked away afterward... well, it seemed things were off to a good start.