Chapter 32: Habits Are Greater Than Likes
“Done and dusted!” Dragon Brother stretched lazily.
He raised his hand to give his shoulders a good pat, seeing Hu Yu Ying hesitate for a second. Then he remembered—her duty as his loyal sidekick.
She quickly stood up behind him. “Brother Long, let me help you with that.”
With that, she started kneading his shoulders with both hands.
“Will that make you feel better?”
“Yeah, much better. Thanks.”
Hu Yu Ying beamed with joy at Dragon Brother’s approval, and she wrapped herself deeper into her massage mode.
Back in her hometown, she’d do the same for her grandpa after he finished farm work—no fancy techniques, just simple pressing that made shoulders relax. That’s pretty much her secret method.
Thinking about it, she felt Dragon Brother was good to her, so helping him out wasn’t a bother but a pleasure.
“All right.” Dragon Brother clapped Hu Yu Ying’s hand gently, then stood up lazily, stretching his waist.
“Time’s almost late. I’m heading back now.” He glanced outside at the weather.
“Okay.”
She saw him to the door.
“Go on now. If you ever run into trouble you can’t handle, just call me. Remember, protecting yourself—no matter what—is the most important thing.”
“Got it, big bro.” Hu Yu Ying looked at Dragon Brother’s bright yet warm smile.
Hu Yu Ying was a very pure person; her smile was never tinged with other emotions, nor did anything ever make it complicated. All her innocence and goodness were like real, shining gems.
“Yeah! You should smile like this more often. Come on, give me another smile.” Dragon Brother teased.
Hearing that, Hu Yu Ying was tickled and her bright eyes curved like crescent moons.
“Bye!”
Watching his retreating back, Hu Yu Ying clenched her tiny fist, mustering her courage. She looked at his shadow in the sunlight and asked softly, “Brother Long, can I contact you even when I’m doing nothing?”
“Of course. Anytime,” Dragon Brother said without turning around—just raised his hand in a casual wave over his back.
“Travel safe, big bro.” Hu Yu Ying raised her hand too, mimicking the gesture, though he didn’t see it.
Until his figure disappeared around the corner, she looked up at the sky, a radiant smile blooming like jade. She took a deep breath.
This weekend was really happy for her.
All her worries were replaced by happiness. Hu Yu Ying’s heart was filled with joy now.
Back home, she locked the door, ran briskly to her bedroom, and grabbed her phone from beneath her pillow.
Seeing the penguin icon blinking and bouncing excitedly, she opened her WeChat account.
Dragon Brother: “Little Teacher, today’s meal was delicious. Thanks for hosting.”
Seeing the message, a gentle smile never left her face.
She carefully picked up her phone. “Brother Long likes to eat, I will make it for him next time.”
Dragon Brother: “OK.”
After replying, Hu Yu Ying lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Her shy girlhood innocence was so charming that you couldn’t look away…
Before heading home, Dragon Brother took a trip to the local market.
He helped an old man organize some stuff, then was driven back home by him.
But Dragon Brother didn’t go straight home. Instead, he headed to the internet cafe.
Earlier in the morning, he had opened an account there.
Now, it was time to do some legit business. His funds weren’t much—yet, for the current Dragon Brother, it was enough.
He had studied this novel thoroughly, knowing it hinted at many wealth and business opportunities woven into the story. So, he was in no rush.
Besides, what’s the rush? He wasn’t the protagonist; he didn’t have the divine luck to snag endless chances.
If he needed money, someone just naturally appeared and handed it over. When he was sleepy, there was a pillow waiting. Just like that, he was pretty much set.
Accumulating money slowly felt just right, even kind of enjoyable.
After wrapping everything up, Dragon Brother closed the game and went home.
He showered, laid on his bed. It’s been a few days since he traversed into this world, yet sometimes he still felt a little dreamlike—like he’d wake up at any moment.
So he drifted off, unaware.
The next morning.
Li Qing Xue twitched a bit, opening her sleepy eyes.
She looked at the sunlight outside, stretched out her arms lazily in bed.
She instinctively reached for her phone, preparing to ask Ye Liang Chen if he was awake yet—after all, it was Sunday afternoon, and she needed to go to school soon.
She wanted to ask if he’d had trouble reviewing homework, what time he planned to start heading from home to school.
It had become a habit—a years-old routine that wasn’t so easy to change.
But when she opened her WeChat chat window, saw the chat history, and snapped back to reality, she lowered her gaze.
He’d withdrawn his affection for her now. They were just truly friends—nothing more.
She took a deep breath, feeling a bitter mood inside.
Glancing at the time on her phone, she thought about Li Qing Xue getting up, dressing, washing up—and finally leaving her room.
“Xue’er, why are you in such a rush? Eat some breakfast before you go.”
Her mother watched her bustling out and called out.
Li Qing Xue hurriedly returned, grabbed a piece of bread and a boxed yogurt, and said, “I’m going to train my body.”
Watching her small figure dash away, her mother chuckled lightly. “Who trains while eating breakfast? Kids these days…”
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Li Qing Xue was walking along, arriving at Shuǐ Wān.
She looked around, sighed quietly.
Just as she was about to leave—nearby on a sloped platform—she noticed a figure lying there.
She approached.
Seeing the shape of two leaves covering someone’s eyes, she chuckled softly: “Hey, why’d you change your spot to sleep today?”
Dragon Brother heard the voice, lifted the leaves from his eyes, and looked over. “It’s you again.”
“I wasn’t sleeping; just passing time.”
Li Qing Xue sat down nearby, arms wrapped around her curled-up knees, staring absentmindedly at the shimmering and gently flowing Shuǐ Wān River.
“Habits are really a scary thing. This morning, I woke up and subconsciously wanted to contact him.”
“Are you treating me like a tree hole?” Dragon Brother lazily lay back, hands behind his head.
“But bottling this up is so uncomfortable. I don’t know who to tell. Since you’re bored anyway, can you listen for a bit?”
“Bored is bored, passing time is passing time. Don’t confuse the two,” Dragon Brother corrected.
He glanced at the girl beside him. “Why don’t you keep talking?”
Hearing that, Li Qing Xue’s mood suddenly lifted: “After I went home yesterday, I seriously thought about it—I think I know more about him than I like him.”
“Because we’ve known each other for many years, and being familiar means I depend on him and find comfort in him. So, is that considered liking?”
…
