"Your question is a bit foolish, as I just told you, boredom is boredom, and killing time is killing time. The two cannot be mixed together."
"Do I only kill time because I'm bored?"
"Not necessarily. Maybe I just enjoy this natural and peaceful environment."
"Or maybe I simply like lying here, listening to the sound of flowing water and feeling the natural breeze."
"Besides, don't you think this environment is truly relaxing?"
Li Qingxue seemed to understand, but also seemed a bit confused: "So, dependency and companionship don't necessarily mean liking someone?"
"They can't be lumped together. There are many kinds of 'liking,' and it's not a singular concept. That's why they can't be mixed up."
Li Qingxue watched Long Aotian lying comfortably on the grass and followed suit, relaxing her arms. From this angle, the blue sky above seemed truly different.
"Can you explain it to me in more detail?"
Afraid he might refuse, Li Qingxue took out her breakfast and placed it beside Long Aotian: "Please, please, I really want to know."
Long Aotian glanced at it: "Open that, let me try it."
Li Qingxue opened the yogurt and held it to Long Aotian's lips.
This series of actions felt completely natural.
After coming to her senses, Li Qingxue's face turned bright red—this was the first time she had ever fed a boy...
Long Aotian took a sip, moistened his throat, and said, "Just this once. Next time, I'll charge you more!"
"Okay, okay, thank you, thank you." Li Qingxue cupped her cheeks with her hands, trying to hide her blushing face, but a smile unconsciously crept onto her lips.
She liked listening to him speak because his words could subtly guide her to see things from a different perspective.
It was like talking to her parents—it had the same effect, but she was older now, with her own private secrets, and not everything could be shared with them.
"'Liking' can be divided into several types."
"The first is physiological liking: This is an innate genetic instinct. Humans naturally feel an inexplicable fondness for men or women with good looks. In simple terms, it's what people call 'love at first sight.'"
"The second is psychological liking: This builds on physiological liking and takes it a step further."
"For example, appreciating someone's temperament, personality, qualities, interests, or having common topics that attract each other. This stage is what people often call the 'ambiguous stage.'"
"The third is spiritual liking: Commonly known as a soulmate. It refers to a relationship where both parties achieve spiritual resonance, support, and mutual encouragement. This level transcends 'liking' and is more aptly described as 'love.'"
"And you fall into the fourth category: companionate liking."
Li Qingxue was taken aback: "Companionate liking?"
"It's a unique habit formed from long-term interaction. You enjoy having someone accompany you, but you don't feel physiological, psychological, or spiritual liking for them."
"In other words, all you need is a companion."
"Let me give you the simplest example. Your parents have been by your side for eighteen years. Do you like them?"
"Yes," Li Qingxue answered without hesitation.
"Another example: You like listening to me talk, but just because you like listening to me, does that mean you like me?"
Li Qingxue's face flushed red. What kind of example was that?
So embarrassing!
She shook her head shyly, but she had already understood the main point he was trying to make.
Companionship and dependency are also a form of liking.
But this kind of liking is fundamentally different from romantic liking.
Now Li Qingxue finally understood.
"So, 'liking' is complex and multifaceted. It can't be lumped together."
As Long Aotian finished speaking, he ate the last bite of his bread: "Take the trash with you."
"I know." Li Qingxue gathered the trash and placed it by her feet, glancing at Long Aotian, who still looked completely at ease.
"Thank you. After hearing what you said, I feel much more at ease."
Long Aotian nodded: "Good, as long as you understand. It wasn't a waste of my breath then."
"Everyone has their own choices. Learning to understand and respect them is the key to maintaining friendships."
Li Qingxue looked at Long Aotian: "How do you know so much? You're only a senior in high school, but the way you speak sounds so mature."
Long Aotian's words didn't sound like advice, yet they subtly resolved the confusion in her heart.
"It's a secret."
"Oh." Li Qingxue didn't press further. Understanding and respect.
Ding~
Li Qingxue's phone chimed—a notification from her special contacts list.
She took out her smartphone and glanced at it.
She saw that Ye Liangchen, one of her special contacts, had posted a status update.
["Finally made up my mind to let go of someone who was once very important to me on an ordinary day. (A picture of a lonely shadow.)"]
Looking at the status, Li Qingxue felt a momentary daze, then took a deep breath and exited the screen.
This classmate was right. Her feelings for Ye Liangchen were just about companionship.
It wasn't romantic liking, so she should understand and respect his choices.
Instead of making unreasonable demands for him to stay by her side, which would be irresponsible.
Now that she understood her own heart, Li Qingxue suddenly felt less anxious.
If she hadn't heard Long Aotian's guidance, she probably would have done something impulsive after seeing that status, wouldn't she?
After all, they had known each other for nine years. How many nine-year spans does one have in a lifetime...
......
Ye Liangchen looked at the browsing history on his phone and smiled faintly.
That's right, the status was set to be visible only to Li Qingxue.
In other words, the browsing history showed that only Li Qingxue had seen it!
"I wonder how you're feeling right now?"
"Probably anxious, right?"
"After all, nine years isn't just nine days. Suddenly losing someone who's been by your side for nine years must be hard, right?"
At this point, Ye Liangchen sighed slightly, his tone tinged with helplessness as he continued, "Even if it were a dog you'd raised for nine years, you'd cry if it went missing, let alone a living person like me."
"Regret it, cry over it. This is a necessary part of everyone's growth."
"Only after losing something do you realize its value. Only after losing it do you learn to cherish it. Qingxue, you're too slow when it comes to emotions. This is the best chance for you to understand your own heart."
Ye Liangchen waited quietly for Li Qingxue's message.
Based on his understanding of Li Qingxue from their past interactions, it wouldn't be long before she sent him a message, demanding to know what he meant by that status!
What did he mean by ["Finally made up my mind to let go of someone who was once very important to me."]
Then she would ask if he really didn't want her anymore, if he was truly giving up on her.
"I'm sorry, but we're better off as just friends." That's how he would respond to Li Qingxue.
"So classy!" Ye Liangchen mentally gave himself a thumbs-up.
But after waiting for a long, long time, Li Qingxue still hadn't sent him any message demanding an explanation.
Ye Liangchen started to feel impatient.
"Is she still crying?"
After some thought, he edited another status, again set to be visible only to Li Qingxue.
["Let's end it here. I choose dignity! (A picture of a lonely shadow.)"]
......
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
end. Thus one must continue to cultivate, and become a saint or great emperor, in order to prolong one's life. Chen Xia, however, completely reversed this. Since his transmigration, he has gained immortality, and also a system that awards him with attribute points for every year he lives. Thus between the myriad worlds, the legend of an unparalleled senior appeared. "A gentleman takes revenge; it is never too late even after ten thousand years." "When you were at your peak I yielded, now in your old age I shall trample on you." - Chen Xia
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
