You're lying, I can see your ears turning red

"Brother Long, have some porridge," Hu Yuying handed the bowl of porridge to Long Aotian.

"Thanks," Long Aotian took the bowl and chopsticks, his gaze inadvertently drifting toward Hu Yuying's chest.

Noticing Long Aotian's glance, Hu Yuying felt so nervous that her legs began to tremble.

Unsure of what to say, she could only turn around, her back facing Long Aotian.

Her reaction was unmistakable.

Long Aotian coughed awkwardly twice. He simply hadn’t expected Hu Yuying to be so... well-endowed.

To be honest, he was a 28-year-old man, far too old to be harboring any inappropriate thoughts about an 18-year-old girl.

If nothing else, Long Aotian had a strong moral compass. It was just curiosity, that's all.

Hu Yuying returned to the kitchen, pressing her palms against her cheeks. They felt hot and flushed, and she was certain her face was red, even without looking in a mirror.

Glancing down at her chest, she recalled the conversation she'd had with Long Aotian last Saturday.

She had asked him if men generally preferred women with good figures.

At the time, Long Aotian had replied that he appreciated all types, but based on his stunned expression just now, it seemed he leaned more toward those with better proportions.

"Turns out, not just women, but men can be hypocrites too," she thought.

Though she had never considered her figure to be particularly outstanding, the way Long Aotian had looked at her... Biting her lip, her cheeks flushed even deeper.

Thinking about it, Hu Yuying covered her face with her hands and stomped her feet lightly on the ground.

Her youthful awkwardness was on full display.

"This is so embarrassing," she muttered.

Suddenly, the bamboo curtain of the kitchen was pulled aside, and Long Aotian asked curiously, "What are you doing? Why aren’t you coming out to eat?"

The moment Long Aotian lifted the curtain, Hu Yuying quickly turned away, not wanting him to see her flustered expression.

"I... I was just thinking if I should cook a side dish. Just porridge might be a bit too plain."

"Ah, don’t bother. No need for extra dishes," Long Aotian said.

Hu Yuying peeked at him briefly before turning away again. "Okay, okay."

"Come out and eat, then."

"Mm-hmm."

Only after Long Aotian left the kitchen did Hu Yuying let out a sigh of relief, her shoulders slumping like a deflated balloon.

It seemed Long Aotian had already forgotten the earlier incident, returning to his usual self.

Hu Yuying took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down as well.

It wasn’t that she was overthinking things.

After all, Long Aotian was an adult, and his mindset wasn’t something someone her age could easily match.

If it had been someone younger, they’d probably be just as flustered as she was.

But Long Aotian had long since passed the age where such things would make him blush.

Soon, Hu Yuying regained her composure and brought the bowls out.

The morning air was fresh and slightly chilly.

Sitting on the steps of the courtyard, enjoying a bowl of lean meat porridge, felt just right.

After cleaning up the dishes, it was already 6:40.

The two of them headed out to school.

Along the way, Hu Yuying remained quiet, her school jacket zipped all the way up to her chin.

"You look really strange like that," Long Aotian remarked casually.

Hu Yuying knew what he meant. The zipper was pulled so high it nearly covered her chin, making her look odd while walking.

"I... I didn’t know you’d be coming over today, so I didn’t change after waking up," Hu Yuying explained softly.

She wasn’t trying to be provocative or flirtatious.

She didn’t mind being misunderstood by others, but she didn’t want Long Aotian to misunderstand her...

"It’s fine. I didn’t see anything," Long Aotian said nonchalantly.

Hu Yuying pursed her lips and glanced at him, muttering under her breath, "You’re lying. I saw your ears turn red."

Long Aotian stumbled slightly, almost tripping.

Though Hu Yuying had spoken quietly, Long Aotian’s hearing was sharp!

He looked back at the smooth ground and said awkwardly, "Who left pebbles on the road? No sense of public decency."

Then he cleared his throat and added, "What were you muttering just now? I’ll smack you if you keep it up!"

Lately, Hu Yuying had started to wonder if she’d truly changed.

Or maybe it was because Long Aotian had threatened to smack her so many times but never actually did it.

At first, she had been a little scared.

But now, she wasn’t afraid at all.

Still, for some reason, she found herself instinctively playing along, pretending to be scared.

Seeing Hu Yuying still acting afraid of him, Long Aotian’s big brother demeanor instantly returned.

"Pull your zipper back to normal."

Hu Yuying obediently adjusted her zipper to its usual position.

"That’s better. Now you look normal."

Hu Yuying didn’t respond, simply walking quietly beside Long Aotian.

But the more docile Hu Yuying was, the more it highlighted Long Aotian’s own discomfort.

Still, there was nothing he could do. This was just how adults were—drawn to beauty, even if only for a moment.

But when the other person was a girl ten years younger in mental age, it felt... wrong.

Yes, that was exactly how Long Aotian felt.

If it weren’t for the fact that his body had reverted to its 18-year-old state, he’d probably have been labeled a creep by now!

The worst part was, there was no way to address this properly.

Hu Yuying was only 18. If he spoke too lightly, it might come off as flippant.

If he spoke too seriously, he might scare her into developing a fear of men.

So, the only solution was to use threats to distract her and shift her focus.

He had initially planned to brush it off and move on.

But he hadn’t expected Hu Yuying to notice even his ears turning red.

If he didn’t act tough, he didn’t know how to face her.

Fortunately, the awkwardness didn’t last long.

By the time they reached school, Hu Yuying seemed to have forgotten the earlier incident.

She continued to help him with his studies as usual.

When the class bell rang, the math teacher walked in with a stack of test papers.

Hu Yuying was about to face her first exam since transferring schools.

She took it very seriously.

Seeing Hu Yuying so focused, Long Aotian also became more diligent.

He wanted to see if the knowledge he’d been absorbing over the past few days would translate well onto the test.

So, for the entire class, Long Aotian stayed focused.

When the bell rang, signaling the end of the test, Long Aotian let out a long sigh of relief.

He nudged Hu Yuying with his shoulder.

"What is it, Brother Long?" Hu Yuying tilted her head to look at him.

"Grab your notebook and go," Long Aotian said, gesturing with his eyes.

Hu Yuying glanced at the group of girls she’d been discussing problems with earlier.

After a moment’s hesitation, she picked up her notebook and walked over.

Watching Hu Yuying gradually integrate into the group, Long Aotian suddenly felt a strange sense of pride, as if he were watching his own daughter grow up...