It Doesn't Matter How He Likes Himself

"Wait, I have a condom here."

"No way!"

It must be said, Lin Wanning was quite skilled—always coming up with bizarre moves, like doing the splits with one leg draped over Long Aotian's shoulder, seemingly just to prove her endurance.

It wasn’t until evening that Long Aotian finally stepped out of the room.

Near the pedestrian street.

Whether from University T or the music academy, people would flock to the pedestrian street after classes ended—some as couples, some just grabbing food or shopping, and others simply strolling around.

"Don’t come. The three of us are just out for a walk," Wang Lijuan said after hanging up the phone, looking pleased but pretending to be exasperated in front of Shen Mengjie and Han Xiaojing.

"Oh, stop pretending. Look at that grin on your face—it might as well say 'I’m thrilled,'" Shen Mengjie teased.

Han Xiaojing, true to her name, watched them banter quietly.

In terms of looks, Han Xiaojing and Shen Mengjie could easily outshine Wang Lijuan by miles—no exaggeration.

Yet, Wang Lijuan was the first among them to get into a relationship, and her boyfriend genuinely cherished her.

It was hard not to envy her knack for picking good men.

"Sometimes, compatibility isn’t about looks. If the whole experience makes you happy, you’re probably halfway there. You two are just too picky."

"Am not," Han Xiaojing protested. "I’m not that picky."

It’s just that the person I liked first already has a girlfriend, she added silently in her heart.

"Or maybe there’s just no one in class who catches your eye, right?" Shen Mengjie slung an arm over Han Xiaojing’s shoulder, joining in the teasing.

Knowing she was being ribbed, Han Xiaojing rolled her eyes. "If I had even half the 'green tea' charm, I’d have been taken ages ago!"

If they were teasing her, she’d tease back.

"Being a 'bad girl' isn’t easy, you know," Shen Mengjie shot back, completely unfazed, even turning the tables on her.

Defeated, Han Xiaojing could only sigh in surrender.

As the trio chatted and laughed, they drew plenty of attention from male students.

Some even approached them directly, asking for their QQ numbers.

The three brushed them off with awkward laughs before quickening their pace to escape.

"How about we grab some boba before heading back?"

Wang Lijuan nodded. "Sure."

Their eyes then turned to Shen Mengjie, who was staring blankly ahead. "What are you looking at?" they asked.

Shen Mengjie snapped out of it. "N-Nothing."

"We’re thinking of getting boba and then heading back. Sound good?"

After a brief hesitation, Shen Mengjie replied, "You two go ahead. I’ve got something to take care of—I’ll catch up later."

With that, she walked off in the opposite direction, pausing halfway to call back, "Get back safe, okay?"

Wang Lijuan and Han Xiaojing exchanged glances as they watched her leave, then headed toward the boba shop.

......

Lin Wanning had spent the afternoon playing herself into exhaustion—again.

Long Aotian could only shake his head at her antics.

She was terrible at holding back yet obsessed with pushing boundaries, insisting on wild experiments just so he’d "never forget her," since these were experiences only she could give him.

Watching this silly woman, Long Aotian couldn’t resist punishing her from behind one more time before finally stepping out to grab takeout for her.

As Long Aotian entered the hotel, Shen Mengjie’s eyes flickered with confusion.

She’d recognized his silhouette from afar and followed him. The glimpse of his profile when he pushed open the glass door confirmed it—that was Long Aotian.

Back in the room, Long Aotian found Lin Wanning still sprawled on the bed, whining and rolling around, refusing to get up. He smacked her butt in exasperation.

Lin Wanning yelped, clutching her rear as she shot him a wounded look. "You jerk! After I went all out to please you, this is how you repay me?"

The memory of her doing the splits against his shoulders made Long Aotian take a deep breath. "Get dressed and eat something first."

Sitting on the edge of the bed, he noticed the marks he’d left on her thighs and reached out. "Leg."

Lin Wanning obediently lifted her leg onto his palm. "Go ahead. These legs? Guaranteed to keep you entertained for a year without getting bored."

Long Aotian sighed. "Could you at least pretend to be modest?"

"After what we just did? And how much you enjoyed it? Modesty is overrated."

As he wiped away the traces on her legs, he murmured, "Wanning, don’t you think this is irresponsible of me?"

"Not at all." Lin Wanning picked up a bite of food with her chopsticks, carefully shielding it with her hand as she brought it to his lips. "Don’t overthink it, gege. I, Lin Wanning, will never be a burden to you."

"If the person I choose has to keep me hidden forever, I won’t regret it. So don’t dwell on it—what matters is the joy we have now."

She paused, then grinned. "Am I stubborn or what?"

She fed him another bite. "I won’t be your shackle. If that day ever comes, I won’t make things hard for you. You can walk away anytime—I won’t mind."

"But not now. Please not now..."

Her voice held sincerity laced with a hint of pleading.

Hearing this, Long Aotian covered his face with a bitter laugh. "I’m such a scumbag."

The moment Lin Wanning laid her heart bare before him, he knew he’d gained another tether. Reluctant as he was to admit it, he’d started feeling something different for her.

"Gege isn’t a scumbag. I’m the bad one here."

She was willing to shoulder all the blame. Her gege was good—his only flaw was being too soft-hearted.

But that was fine. Wanning would protect him.

"It’s getting late. Let me take you back."

Lin Wanning peeked through the curtains. The nights had grown longer with the cold.

Though it was barely past seven, darkness had already settled in. She nodded. "Okay."

As they cleaned up the aftermath on the bed, she tossed the torn fishnets into the trash. Guess I’ll need to stock up on more of these...

This was the third pair gege had ripped. Did he really enjoy shredding them that much? She didn’t quite get it, but if he liked it, she didn’t mind...

"Brr—it’s freezing out. Guess I’ll need thicker clothes from now on."

She turned to Long Aotian. "Gege, buy me fruit tea?"

"Sure."