Giving Myself to You, Want It or Not~

Suddenly, Long Aotian's phone rang.

Glancing at the video caller, a faint smile curled at the corners of his lips as he stepped onto the balcony and answered the call.

"Long-ge, what are you up to?" On the screen, Hu Yuying stood on her own balcony, dressed in pajamas.

Video calls every night had become a habit, but today, Hu Yuying waited and waited, yet Long-ge's call never came.

As curfew approached, she couldn’t suppress the longing in her heart and finally dialed him instead.

Looking at the soft, sweet face on the screen, Long Aotian exhaled a breath tinged with alcohol. "Had some things to deal with today—just got back to the dorm."

"What kind of things? Are they related to you?"

The worry in her voice was unmistakable.

"Just a small misunderstanding. But don’t worry, your Long-ge has already sorted it out."

The situation was bizarre and complicated, and with his three roommates—including Huang Fei—still in the dorm, bringing it up would only weigh on Huang Fei’s mood even more.

As he finished speaking, he noticed Hu Yuying staring intently at him.

At first, he thought the connection had frozen, but no—he could see her blink.

"What are you looking at?" Long Aotian chuckled.

"Long-ge seems a little different tonight," Hu Yuying admitted honestly. "Your cheeks are flushed, and your eyes look serious... but also more complicated."

She had never seen Long Aotian drink before, but something in her heart told her he wasn’t quite himself tonight.

"Maybe it’s because I had a little alcohol," Long Aotian said, rubbing his cheeks with a smile.

"You drank?" Hu Yuying’s eyes widened slightly, a hint of admiration flickering in them.

"Please don’t drink too much, okay?" She knew alcohol was bad for health, but seeing Long-ge smile at her like this, she couldn’t help but feel he was especially tender tonight.

Just gazing at her through the screen, he was already unbearably gentle.

After a tiny hesitation, she murmured, "Then... maybe just a little, like today. No more than this."

Long Aotian watched her quietly, his gaze lingering greedily on her face. Whatever she said, he’d agree.

"Long-ge, Long-ge, did you hear me?"

"Heard you." His voice was lazy with amusement. "Whatever you say."

Hearing him promise to obey, Hu Yuying bit her lip, her face instantly flushing to the tips of her ears. Every bit of her shyness was written plainly on her face.

Even through the screen, she was too flustered to speak, her mind replaying Long-ge’s words—Whatever you say.

Embarrassed, she turned her face away. Even though he wasn’t physically there, even though it was just a screen, a single gesture, a glance, or even a word from him could make her blush uncontrollably.

"I... I... then should I tell Long-ge a secret?"

Seeing her bashful expression, Long Aotian let his emotions surge freely—because a warm, sweet feeling, spanning over three kilometers, was slowly sweeping through his heart. "Okay."

"But Long-ge has to pretend he doesn’t know, alright?"

"Qingxue and Wan Ning are planning to prepare gifts for you during the break—they want to surprise you."

"They said they’re really grateful. We just registered an online store, and with your help, we took a few photos... but everything else was all because of you..."

Long Aotian listened quietly, then teased her, "Then why aren’t you giving me a gift?"

At this, Hu Yuying stole a glance at him, trying hard to steady her breathing and keep her face from turning red.

But through the video, it was clear her hand had unconsciously pressed against her chest.

Even without being beside her, Long Aotian could imagine her heart racing wildly, like a frantic little deer.

He couldn’t help but wonder—what was it that had made his little girl so shy before she even spoke?

"They... they said... that I’m Long-ge’s best... gift. That I should... give myself to you..."

After saying this, seeing the smile on Long-ge’s face and the tenderness in his eyes, Hu Yuying couldn’t bear to continue the call any longer.

She hung up.

One minute. Two minutes. Three minutes.

Then, a message arrived:

[Do you want me?]

Three words. Three minutes to send.

The letters were easy to type, but the courage behind them was hard-won.

Those three words had likely drained every ounce of bravery she had saved up.

"Yes."

Delete. Rewrite. Typing...

Typing...

Typing...

In the end, what he sent wasn’t a string of words, but the simplest emoji—a pulsing red heart, symbolizing love.

Putting his phone away, he leaned against the balcony railing, gazing at the distant night sky.

After a long while, a soft laugh escaped him, followed by a whisper:

"So good."

This night had been tumultuous, but it was undeniably happy.

......

In the girls’ dormitory, Shen Mengjie felt much clearer-headed after washing up.

Facing the concern of her three roommates, she was deeply moved.

Friendship in student life truly was beautiful.

Untainted by interests, uncomplicated—just pure connection.

"Don’t worry, I’m really fine. I’m not that fragile."

How could they not worry? Such rumors were the worst kind of harm for a girl.

Shen Mengjie’s playful personality might have its flaws, but she had always been good to them—from the first day they met until now.

If she had to describe herself, she was like the big sister of the dorm. Big or small matters, if she sensed you needed help, she’d step in. Even if her words were often teasing and her jokes playful...

"Seriously, I’m fine. No need to look at me like that." Smiling, Shen Mengjie plugged her phone in to charge.

As she was about to open the campus forum, Han Xiaojing whispered, "Maybe... don’t look?"

"It’s fine. If I really cared, I wouldn’t have come back with you guys tonight."

The campus forum was clunky and slow.

It took forever for the page to load.

There were many screenshots, but the posters’ usernames and avatars were all blurred out.

"How shameless, hiding behind throwaway accounts to spread nonsense," Wang Lijuan muttered under her breath.

"Maybe this’ll finally cut down on the number of guys hitting on me. And if anyone still dares after this, just watch how I mess with them!"

Hearing Shen Mengjie’s words, for some reason, the previously tense atmosphere suddenly broke into laughter.

"But... are you really not bothered?" Zhang Mengmeng asked quietly, studying her joking expression.

"Of course I’m bothered. That’s why I’m going to find out who posted this and have a proper chat with them."

Zhang Mengmeng frowned slightly, "But this person is clearly using a throwaway account. How are we supposed to find them?"

At the mention of this, Shen Mengjie's red lips curved into a faint smile. Her gaze drifted casually over her phone as she replied softly, "I already know how!"

Zhang Mengmeng's eyes flickered with confusion, her expression filled with even more bewilderment...