Not bad, you're getting more and more like me.

The hints Ye Liangchen had given Li Qingxue could only go so far.

If she trusted him, she might temporarily escape Long Aotian's pestering.

But if she didn’t listen to him, it was only a matter of time before Long Aotian would start bothering her.

For Ye Liangchen, it just meant one more person he’d have to save.

Soon, Gao Quan returned.

“How did it go?” Ye Liangchen asked eagerly.

He wondered how far the story of his brave charge for love last Friday had spread, and whether Hu Yuying had heard about it.

If she had, why hadn’t she come to see him yet?

Gao Quan took a sip of water and said, “Brother Chen, almost every class has heard about your heroic act of getting beaten up.”

Hearing this, Ye Liangchen furrowed his brows deeply. “That doesn’t make sense!”

“If Hu Yuying had heard, she should have come to see me by now.”

“Did you mention it was Ye Liangchen from Class 1?”

Gao Quan nodded. “I did. And some people saw you getting beaten up by that group on Friday. Your heroic act is spreading widely among the senior year students.”

Hearing this, Ye Liangchen decided to wait a little longer. If Hu Yuying still didn’t come to him, he’d go find her himself.

That girl was probably too shy to approach him.

As a man, there was nothing wrong with taking the initiative when it came to someone you liked.

With that thought, Ye Liangchen decided to wait a bit more.

“Oh, Brother Chen, on my way back, I overheard Li Qingxue and Wang Rui discussing Long Aotian. Should you warn Li Qingxue about him?”

“After all, Long Aotian isn’t exactly a good guy,” Gao Quan whispered. Even though they weren’t in the same class, they had all heard about Long Aotian’s bad reputation.

Ye Liangchen glanced at Li Qingxue’s back. “As a friend, I’ve already warned her. Whether she listens or not is up to her.”

Truthfully, Ye Liangchen hoped Long Aotian would bother Li Qingxue.

Long Aotian’s roughness would serve as a stark contrast to his own gentleness.

Perhaps it would speed up Li Qingxue’s realization, her regret, and her desperate attempt to win him back.

Thinking this, Ye Liangchen sighed quietly. The feeling of having everything under control was somewhat boring.

If only there were some challenges, his life might ripple with a little more excitement.

“Brother Chen, Li Qingxue just looked back at you again,” Gao Quan whispered beside him.

“I know,” Ye Liangchen said, a slight smile curling at the corner of his lips.

His earlier initiative to speak to Li Qingxue had given her an excuse to approach him in her eyes.

She must be feeling very excited right now, probably wanting to say a lot to him.

So it was only natural for her to sneak glances and observe him.

After all, even a proud girl like Li Qingxue needed a reason to get closer to him.

“Brother Chen, you’ve changed so much,” Gao Quan said sincerely.

Ever since tearing up that love letter, Ye Liangchen’s actions had become incomprehensible to Gao Quan.

It was as if he had become a completely different person, from his way of doing things to his lifestyle.

“Quan, we’re all growing up, all changing. Once you figure some things out, you naturally become more mature.”

“You can think of it as me maturing, but I’m still your Brother Chen, right?”

Ye Liangchen looked at Gao Quan and flashed a confident grin.

......

Back at his seat.

Hu Yuying’s smile still hadn’t faded.

“Brother Long,” she called softly, placing a candy on Long Aotian’s desk.

The candy was a gift from Zhao Yueyue, whom she had helped with a problem earlier.

Long Aotian glanced at the candy but didn’t refuse it.

It wasn’t that he wanted to eat it, but since Hu Yuying had given it to him, she obviously wanted him to accept it.

Refusing would make him seem petty.

Hu Yuying smoothed out the colorful candy wrapper on the desk, then held it up to her eyes, looking out the window.

With the colored filter, the world outside seemed more vibrant.

Seeing Hu Yuying’s smile, Long Aotian reached out and ruffled her hair. “You’re such a dork.”

“I’m happy,” she replied.

Not long ago, Hu Yuying had wondered why happiness seemed so easy for others.

Now, she realized that happiness was indeed simple.

It was her own heart, burdened with too much negativity, that had kept her from feeling it.

Happiness had always been close by; she just hadn’t had the courage to reach out and embrace it.

“Brother Long, which university do you want to go to?” Hu Yuying asked in a small voice.

“I’m not sure yet. I’ll see which one I can get into based on my scores,” Long Aotian replied.

Then he turned to Hu Yuying and joked, “What, the college entrance exams haven’t even started, and you’re already asking me this? Don’t tell me you’re going to miss me?”

“Mhm,” Hu Yuying nodded without hesitation.

Long Aotian was taken aback. He had only been teasing, but her response was so serious and straightforward that it made him a little embarrassed. “You’ll miss me hitting you with my fists?”

“Brother Long, did you used to hit people a lot?” Hu Yuying asked softly.

“Only those who didn’t listen to me. So, will you listen to me?” He raised a fist playfully.

“I will.”

“Then stop overthinking things. Your job now is to study hard and tutor me.”

“Okay,” Hu Yuying murmured, her voice sounding a little down.

But the next second, she perked up like a machine filled with fuel, full of energy again.

“Brother Long, how about you come to my place on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning? I’ll tutor you.”

“I’m sure you’ll get great results in the college entrance exams!”

Long Aotian leaned back. “You’re already setting high expectations for me before we’ve even started!”

“Brother Long, pressure creates motivation,” Hu Yuying said with a smile.

Long Aotian raised an eyebrow. “Not bad, you’re starting to sound like me!”

“Then it’s settled. Brother Long, you can’t go back on your word,” she said, extending her pinky finger.

“You want to pinky swear?” Long Aotian scoffed. “Isn’t that something only kids do?”

But when he caught Hu Yuying’s determined and serious gaze, his lips twitched. “You’re serious? This is a kid’s game. I don’t do this!”

Ten seconds later.

“Pinky promise, a hundred years, no take-backs...”

Hu Yuying hooked her finger around his, her eyes curved into crescents, joy shimmering in her gaze.

Long Aotian let her hold his pinky, his other hand resting on his forehead, covering his face. This was beyond embarrassing.

In Long Aotian’s world, pinky promises were something only kids in diapers did...

......