You Better Not Fall for Me

This piqued Long Aotian's interest a bit. He turned over to look at Li Qingxue: "Something good?"

"Mm-hmm." Li Qingxue nodded, then proudly pulled out a few notebooks from the small bag she had brought with her today.

"These are my notebooks. They contain a lot of key points and some of the mistakes I've made over the past few years. You can take a look at them; they might be helpful to you."

"Hey, why are you turning your back to me again? Turn around! Don't pretend to be asleep; I just saw you open your eyes..."

When Li Qingxue took out the notebooks, Long Aotian had already turned around, continuing to face away from her, enjoying his leisurely time.

In the end, Li Qingxue stuffed the notebooks into Long Aotian's arms and then sat down beside him, gazing at the river in the distance.

Ever since the unpleasant incident with Ye Liangchen last week, the lingering resentment in her heart seemed to be gradually fading.

She no longer let Ye Liangchen's recent social media posts affect her state of mind.

This feeling made her exceptionally relaxed, not just physically, but more so mentally.

Even though she no longer needed Long Aotian's guidance, Li Qingxue still found herself coming here.

She didn't know why, but perhaps it was because the environment here truly brought her peace and joy.

Like now, even just sitting here with Long Aotian without saying a word, her mood was... unexpectedly good.

But this didn't last long.

Soon, bored, Li Qingxue poked Long Aotian with her finger.

"What?" Long Aotian waved his hand, signaling her to stop poking him.

"What's wrong with you? You seem so listless," Li Qingxue asked.

Then her eyes lit up: "Oh, I know! Is it because the college entrance exam is coming up? Are you stressed? Feeling the pressure?"

As the exam approached, anxiety was inevitable.

So, mimicking Long Aotian's manner, Li Qingxue patted his shoulder and said earnestly, "You need to keep a good mindset. Didn't you always say that all worries come from overthinking?"

"Please, you're not cool at all right now."

Hearing this, Long Aotian finally stirred, slowly sitting up from the grass.

He straightened his clothes: "Ahem, how about now?"

Watching Long Aotian's actions, Li Qingxue couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Cool, very cool."

"Just a little," Long Aotian replied modestly.

No one dislikes praise, whether they're a woman or a man.

"You're so full of yourself!" Li Qingxue laughed even harder. Long Aotian gave her a strange look: "What are you giggling about? Be a little more reserved!"

After her laughter subsided, Li Qingxue gradually calmed down, though the amusement in her eyes didn't fade much: "Mm-hmm, okay, I'll try to be more reserved."

But after this little exchange, Long Aotian didn't lie back down. Instead, he sat up and gazed at the shimmering river with Li Qingxue.

"Long Aotian, which university are you planning to apply to?"

"My first choice is Kyoto. I still need to think carefully about the others."

Hearing the word "Kyoto," Li Qingxue's heart inexplicably skipped a beat. This subtle internal change was something even she didn't fully realize: "Really?"

Long Aotian turned his head to look at Li Qingxue, who seemed more excited than he was, and asked, somewhat puzzled, "Why are you so excited?"

After saying this, he looked her up and down: "Don't tell me you've fallen for me!"

Hearing this, Li Qingxue was momentarily stunned. Then, biting her lip lightly—perhaps because it was the first time someone had teased her so directly—her cheeks flushed slightly.

Perhaps to divert attention and hide her embarrassment, she hit Long Aotian's shoulder: "You're so annoying! I would never fall for you!"

"If anything, you should be careful not to fall for me."

Long Aotian chuckled. The monotony of studying over the past few days had completely vanished.

"What are you laughing at? Don't think I won't tell Hu Yuying about this tomorrow afternoon at school!"

"Tell her? Don't you know I'm Hu Yuying's big brother? It'd be better to just tell me directly."

Li Qingxue's lively eyes narrowed slightly, and she blinked a few times.

She hummed smugly: "Don't think I don't know. You two must be dating. The whole 'big brother' and 'little follower' thing is just a cover so no one finds out."

Seeing how confident and smug Li Qingxue looked, Long Aotian became intrigued.

Since he had nothing better to do, Long Aotian decided to play along: "Oh? And how did you figure that out?"

Thinking that Long Aotian was admitting it, Li Qingxue had a lot to say: "I just noticed."

"Oh, when did you become so observant? You can even see that?"

"I feel like you're mocking me," she said, but continued, "I've seen you smiling at Hu Yuying several times."

"Well, I'm smiling at you right now. Does that mean I like you too?"

"It's different," Li Qingxue rolled her eyes at Long Aotian. "The way you smile at Hu Yuying is so doting. And you're always gentler with her than with anyone else."

"That just means Hu Yuying is special to you."

Long Aotian scratched his head: "That's it?"

He was Hu Yuying's big brother, after all. He had watched her transform from a gloomy girl into someone confident and a bit lively. Of course, he felt a sense of accomplishment.

Besides, being gentle with her was only natural—Hu Yuying deserved kindness from everyone.

"You're just being stubborn!"

"Hu Yuying is the same with you. You're special to her. She's indifferent to others, but when she looks at you, she can't help but blush. Her eyes are always full of you."

After saying this, Li Qingxue crossed her arms, looking as if she had just solved a great mystery.

Long Aotian couldn't help but flick her on the head.

"Ow! What was that for?" Li Qingxue clutched her head, then suddenly realized something: "Ah, I must be right! You're just embarrassed!"

"Right, my foot," Long Aotian couldn't resist flicking her head again, this time lightly.

"I'm Hu Yuying's big brother. From the day she transferred here, I promised to protect her. So, of course, I give her more attention as her big brother."

"Hu Yuying treats me specially because she's a kind person. She's grateful for my help."

Hearing Long Aotian's explanation, Li Qingxue snorted, her delicate and beautiful face pouting slightly: "No way. We girls understand each other best..."

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