After a long while! ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel(ꜰ)ire.net

As Li Qingxue withdrew her gaze, Long Aotian suddenly let out a sigh of relief, as if the weight pressing on his heart had vanished.

"I'll take you to find Ying," Li Qingxue said, pulling Lin Wanning along as she headed inside.

Long Aotian quickly followed suit, though he wisely kept a respectful distance from the two girls.

He was afraid Li Qingxue might see him and recall unpleasant memories, resentfully scold him, and end up crying alone in a corner again.

Lin Wanning stole a glance at Long Aotian before whispering to Li Qingxue, "You’ve always had a way of keeping Brother in line. Look at him now—seeing you is like a mouse spotting a cat."

Hearing this, Li Qingxue instinctively straightened her posture, cast a sidelong glance at Long Aotian, and replied smugly, "Of course. The two of you spoil him too much."

"Alright, stop giving him those looks. Weren’t you quite happy last night too?" Lin Wanning teased softly by Li Qingxue’s ear.

Others might not know, but Lin Wanning had seen everything clearly the night before.

That delicate, flushed face, cheeks so red they could drip, and especially the way their lips had parted with a silvery strand between them...

At these words, Li Qingxue’s face instantly turned crimson, and she pinched Lin Wanning’s thigh. "S-stop talking! Forget what happened last night..."

"Then call me 'sister' first," Lin Wanning giggled behind her hand.

Li Qingxue gritted her teeth but finally relented with a soft, "Sister..."

The word sent a thrill through Lin Wanning’s heart, and she leaned in close to respond with a delighted, "Mhm."

The two shared a knowing smile.

After all, it was only with Lin Wanning’s encouragement that they’d finally managed to "tame" Long Aotian the night before.

"Then I’ll leave you two some time to talk," Lin Wanning said before walking off toward the artificial lake.

Li Qingxue remained standing where she was.

Long Aotian, trailing behind them, grew nervous again as he watched Lin Wanning leave and Li Qingxue stay behind.

But as a man—and the one who’d crossed the line with someone so close—he steeled himself and approached her. "Uh... Wanning’s gone..."

The moment he spoke, Li Qingxue suddenly turned and began pounding his chest with her small fists, her voice laced with complaint. "Why were you so rough last night? Do you have any idea how much it hurt?!"

Long Aotian stood frozen, letting her half-hearted blows land without resistance.

"Wasn’t having Wanning enough? Now none of us three escaped your clutches—you’ve ruined us all!"

As Li Qingxue vented her frustration, Long Aotian bent down slightly, and her hand accidentally struck his face.

The impact stunned even Li Qingxue herself. She stared blankly at Long Aotian, then at her own palm.

"Y-you... are you okay?" she asked hesitantly. She wanted to say it was an accident, but her prideful nature flared up, and the words stuck in her throat.

"Feel better now?" Long Aotian leaned closer. "It’s my fault. If hitting me helps, go ahead and do it a few more times."

Li Qingxue lowered her eyes, fiddling with her fingertips. "I... I’m done venting."

"Are you... really okay?"

"I’m fine. My face is pretty thick-skinned."

Li Qingxue let out a soft laugh but avoided his gaze. "Yeah, your face is definitely thick."

"Long Aotian... what am I to you?"

As she asked this, her heart clenched.

He was the first person she’d ever truly fallen for—Long Aotian.

But she’d never known how he truly felt about her.

If he liked her even a little—just a tiny bit—she’d cling to him for the rest of her life.

But if he felt nothing, she’d go back to keeping her distance, treating last night as nothing more than a fleeting dream.

So she needed an answer.

"Qingxue," Long Aotian called her name softly.

Her hands tightened into fists, but she still couldn’t bring herself to face him.

It wasn’t just Long Aotian who didn’t know how to act—Li Qingxue felt the same.

Then, a large, rough hand cautiously enveloped her clenched fist.

Despite the chill in the air, his palm was warm.

Li Qingxue’s tension melted away, her fingers gradually relaxing until they intertwined with his.

"Ew, PDA in broad daylight?"

Lin Wanning’s voice suddenly rang out.

Li Qingxue yanked her hand back, too embarrassed to look at Long Aotian.

"Our tsundere princess is actually blushing?"

Faced with Lin Wanning’s teasing, Li Qingxue lunged at her. "Laugh at me, will you? I’ll ruin your makeup!"

As the two girls playfully tussled, Long Aotian glanced at his hand, his smile widening at the sound of their laughter.

"Want to come to our dorm?" Li Qingxue asked Lin Wanning.

"Sure! But what about Brother?"

Li Qingxue glanced back at Long Aotian. Meeting his gaze, she bit her lip lightly. "He’ll be fine."

With that, she left Long Aotian behind and led Lin Wanning back to her dorm.

Once inside, Li Qingxue eagerly began changing outfits.

Even simple clothes couldn’t hide her lively charm. "How do I look in this?"

"Pretty."

"What about this one?"

"Also pretty."

"And this?"

"Are you going on a blind date? Even then, you wouldn’t dress this formally!" Lin Wanning laughed.

After much deliberation, Li Qingxue settled on the first outfit. She then opened her small bag, took out a box of earrings, and pulled out her makeup kit.

A light dusting of makeup accentuated her cheeks, and when she smiled faintly, adorable dimples appeared.

Noticing Lin Wanning’s red lips, she whispered, "I don’t have any lipstick."

Lin Wanning patted her coat pockets. "I didn’t bring mine."

"Liar, you do."

Lin Wanning shrugged. "I really didn’t. If I had, I’d share—after all, I wouldn’t let that 'sister' go to waste."

Li Qingxue slowly approached, cupped Lin Wanning’s face, and pressed her lips against hers.

Lin Wanning’s eyes widened in surprise.

When Li Qingxue pulled back, she licked her lips and checked her reflection in the mirror. "There... now I have some."

"I've grown so accustomed to everyone's company every night, and it's been over a hundred days now. I'm truly, deeply grateful for your unwavering support. But this time... sigh... I'm working hard to make revisions, though it breaks my heart to step away. I really, really don't want to say goodbye—not even for a little while..."