**Chapter 140: The Feeling of Meeting You, I Really Like You**
As Dragon Brother lifted his shirt, Li Qing Xue’s eyes widened at the sight of a swollen red patch on his right shoulder, complete with a rather unfortunate scar. Thankfully, it was no longer bleeding.
“Dragon Brother, did someone beat you up?” Li Qing Xue gasped, her voice suddenly choked with concern.
Dragon Brother turned around, lightly tapping her head in annoyance. “Am I that easy to bully?”
“You can’t see that! You’re all swollen up, no wonder you’re in so much pain!”
Li Qing Xue didn’t quite understand how tough guys like Dragon Brother could be. If she just scraped her knee, it would take ages to feel better! Seeing that massive swelling on his back made her cringe at the thought of his pain…
“Calm down, don’t cry! It’s not what you think,” Dragon Brother explained, launching into a tale of how, right after moving in and having dinner with his roommates, he ended up in a situation where someone was being bullied.
“You idiot! Always sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong! Can’t you see how many people were there? And you just had to charge in! What if that lunatic was throwing knives?” Li Qing Xue scolded, but she knew this was classic Dragon Brother behavior—only he would pull off such stupid stunts.
Their initial encounter had been quite similar, hadn’t it? In her darkest moments, a meddling boy had uttered a single line that made her remember him for ages…
“I’m going to get you some medicine. You stay here.”
“Hey, hey, look what I found!” Dragon Brother dug into his pocket and brandished a tube of ointment in front of her.
“Are you seriously laughing? I thought you were hurt! Here you are, smiling while I’m all worried!”
Dragon Brother stopped laughing and lifted his shirt for her to apply the ointment.
“Qing Xue, promise you won’t tell Hu Yu Ying about this.”
“Yikes! Be gentle!”
“I thought you didn’t feel pain?” he teased, though he did his best to be gentle, applying the ointment with tender care, then blowing on it to help it soak in faster.
“Yu Ying is sensitive. If she finds out, she’ll definitely cry. I can’t stand it when she cries! You don’t know—when she gets going, she can cry for ages!” Dragon Brother said, a smile creeping onto his face as nostalgia swept over him.
“I know! I could tell when you were trying to hold it together at the restaurant; you didn’t want Hu Yu Ying to notice.”
“But I think Hu Yu Ying is stronger than you realize.” Li Qing Xue said this considering Hu Yu Ying’s strong performance at school.
“Well, that’s good to hear.”
“What do you mean ‘that’s good’? You’re always taking care of everyone else—can’t you take care of yourself a little?”
“Oh, come on! It’s just a little scratch! I’m tough-skinned! In a couple of days, the swelling will be gone, and this will all be a joke,” he said, brushing it off.
Li Qing Xue poked at the edge of his swelling in annoyance. “Then why don’t you want Hu Yu Ying to find out?”
“You’re the most stubborn person ever!”
Dragon Brother stood up and lowered his shirt. “This isn’t stubbornness; it’s just unnecessary. There’s nothing really wrong, and saying anything just makes me look delicate.”
“Classic case of wanting to save face while suffering in silence,” she replied with a smirk.
“Do you really want to see Hu Yu Ying cry?”
“No way!”
“Then it’s settled! There’s no point in telling her and making her worry.”
“Speaking of Yu Ying, with you looking like that, anyone would think I did something to you; it’s so embarrassing!” Dragon Brother laughed.
Upon hearing that, Li Qing Xue shot him a look and plopped down beside him. “You’re really nice to Hu Yu Ying.”
“Yeah, so what? Call me ‘Dragon Brother.’ I might consider letting you be my second-in-command!”
“No way!” Li Qing Xue fussed with her shirt, sneakily glancing at Dragon Brother, wanting to say something, but her mouth just wouldn’t cooperate.
Silence enveloped them for a moment.
“Let’s head back. There’s nothing pressing. You should rest; we have military training starting soon,” Dragon Brother suggested, suddenly feeling a bit shy after sitting together for a while.
In Dragon Brother’s memory, Li Qing Xue was always the happy, lively one, like all the beauty in the world gathered around her. Just being near her was enough to catch her upbeat spirit.
But now, with her arms crossed and a sulky face, she radiated a strange tension.
Dragon Brother turned to look at Li Qing Xue, realizing her uncomfortable vibe. “What are you staring at?”
“Your makeup seems to have smudged,” he joked.
“Huh? Really?” Li Qing Xue instinctively touched her face, suddenly conscious of her appearance. “I only put on a very light makeup today—there shouldn’t be any…”
Before she could finish, Dragon Brother burst into laughter, and she quickly pinched his waist. “You just had to tease me, huh?”
She realized he was just trying to make her smile; truly, what a big goof!
With that one laugh, the atmosphere shifted entirely.
“Let’s go!”
As she watched Dragon Brother walk away, Li Qing Xue felt a mix of amusement and annoyance. Sometimes, he was genuinely great—changing Hu Yu Ying for the better, inspiring her with a few words, and standing up for people being picked on.
But when it came to his own issues, he was so unfazed. Such a strange person, indeed.
He seemed to be living in an entirely different world yet desperately trying to blend into this one.
He looked like any other 18-year-old but had a vibe totally unlike his peers…
In the girl’s dormitory on the 3rd floor, Room 301,
Hu Yu Ying bit her lip hard, her fingers trembling with white knuckles, refusing to let go.
“Yu Ying, you’re back?” Her roommate noticed her, and Hu Yu Ying forced a smile, lightly mumbling a response before heading to her bed.
She tried to calm her racing emotions, but tears began to flow unexpectedly.
As Dragon Brother’s most obedient sidekick, nobody understood him better than her.
If Li Qing Xue could notice, how could she not?
The moment Dragon Brother’s body had stiffened, Hu Yu Ying had sensed it.
But he put on a brave face, smiling at her as if nothing was wrong, terrified she’d see through his act, leaving Hu Yu Ying to play the fool.
She knew he didn’t want her to worry, so she pretended not to.
When Li Qing Xue sent Dragon Brother a secret message, she saw it.
Even if Li Qing Xue hadn’t messaged him, Hu Yu Ying would!
So she heard what he said.
When she caught a glimpse of the swollen patch on his back, heaven only knew how much it hurt her heart, how miserable she felt.
Yet he understood her too well, fearing her worry and tears. Thus, he always pretended everything was fine.
He was always looking out for her. When he heard Li Qing Xue say she was doing great in school, he just smiled and replied: “That’s good.”
Dragon Brother was right about one thing: her heart was tiny, so small…
“Dragon Brother, before I met you, I thought life was just okay. But after meeting you, I’ve forgiven all the troubles that came my way.”
Looking at the photo of herself and Dragon Brother making a pinky promise and smiling wide,
Hu Yu Ying carefully placed the picture against her chest.
“The feeling of meeting you? I really like you…”
“You want to see me become stronger and better? Then I’ll become even stronger and better. One day, I’ll scale the walls of your heart…”
