Chapter 39: You’re Lying! I Saw Your Ears Turn Red!
“Dragon Brother, here’s your porridge,” Hu Yu Ying said cheerfully as she handed over a bowl of steaming congee.
“Thanks,” Dragon Brother replied, grabbing the chopsticks—his eyes drifting downward, unintentionally, towards Hu Yu Ying’s chest.
Realizing where Dragon Brother’s gaze was headed, Hu Yu Ying’s legs started twitching nervously like a hyperactive squirrel on espresso.
Not knowing what to say, she quickly spun around and turned her back to him, with the kind of awkwardness that screams, “I know what you’re looking at!”
Dragon Brother cleared his throat awkwardly, feeling a bit uncomfortable. He’d just never imagined Hu Yu Ying’s assets could be so… impressive. Honestly, at 28, he was an old man—what kind of thoughts could he possibly have about an 18-year-old girl?
But really, his worldview was pretty solid—he was just curious, okay?
Hu Yu Ying retreated to the kitchen, pressing her palm against her flushed face, feeling hotter than a summer BBQ. Even if she didn’t have a mirror right now, she knew her cheeks were probably glowing like a neon sign.
She sneaked a peek at her bust area, recalling that talk she had with Dragon Brother last Saturday.
She had asked him if men liked women with good figures.
He’d said, “Yeah, I like them,” but judging by his stunned face just now, she could tell he probably preferred the well-endowed kind a little more.
So, turns out, not only women are full of mixed signals—men are too.
Though she didn’t quite think her figure was extraordinary, she bit her lip, cheeks burning brighter, especially when she thought about Dragon Brother’s face just now…
She covered her face with both hands and stomped her foot in embarrassment, like a squirrel caught in a trap.
Her awkward posture was now all too obvious.
“Ugh, so embarrassing,” she muttered.
Suddenly, the kitchen’s bamboo curtain was pulled aside, and Dragon Brother’s curious voice floated in: “What are you doing? Come out and eat.”
Hu Yu Ying spun around swiftly, not wanting him to see her blushing like a ripe tomato.
“I, I… was just thinking about whether I should cook something else. Just eating congee might be a bit too plain,” she mumbled.
“Oh, no need to fuss, just relax,” Dragon Brother said breezily.
Hu Yu Ying stole a quick glance at him, then hurriedly nodded, “Okay, okay.”
“Come on out soon. Dinner’s ready.”
“Uh-huh.”
When Dragon Brother finally left the kitchen, Hu Yu Ying deflated like a balloon that had just lost all its air—her shoulders slackened, her tension melting away.
Dragon Brother seemed to have forgotten the previous awkwardness, returning to his usual self, and Hu Yu Ying took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
It wasn’t that she was overthinking; no, Dragon Brother was an adult—the kind whose mind was far more steady than hers at this age.
If it were a younger guy, seeing her like that… maybe he’d be the same, blushing and tongue-tied.
Honestly, she had long since graduated from that teenage blush stage. Still, her cheeks blushed even thinking about it.
Soon, she steadied her nerves, carrying her bowl and heading outside.
The morning air was crisp and a little chilly. She sat on the garden steps, sipping a bowl of lean pork congee—just right.
She tidied up her dishes, glanced at the clock: 6:40 AM. It was time to leave for school.
She and Dragon Brother headed out, walking silently. Hu Yu Ying kept her jacket zipped all the way to her chin.
“That looks really weird,” Dragon Brother said slowly.
Hu Yu Ying knew exactly what he meant—her zipper pulled up to her chin looked like she was hiding half her face.
Walking with it zipped all the way up indeed looked a bit odd.
“I-I didn’t know you’d come today, so I didn’t change my clothes,” she whispered by way of explanation.
She wasn’t trying to charm anyone, definitely not. She could have been mistaken for anything—except maybe a little sister cosplay gone wrong. But she definitely didn’t want Dragon Brother to misunderstand…
“It’s fine, I saw nothing,” Dragon Brother responded casually.
Hu Yu Ying pursed her lips, glancing at him and muttering softly, “You’re lying—your ears turned red, I saw it!”
Dragon Brother’s body staggered slightly, almost tripping over his own feet.
Even though she whispered, Dragon Brother’s sharp ears caught every word!
He looked back at the neat street ahead, sheepishly complaining, “Someone’s throwing rocks on the road—such a lack of manners.”
He quickly cleared his throat and coughed twice, pretending to be serious. “What were you mumbling just now? Hmm? I’ll give you a spanking!”
Maybe because she’d been feeling a bit different lately, or perhaps because Dragon Brother had jokingly threatened to spank her so many times that she was starting to believe it… she wasn’t as scared as before.
In fact, her heart wasn’t pounding with fear anymore.
But still, she instinctively played along, pretending she was scared — just a little.
Seeing her genuinely scared, Dragon Brother’s big-brother aura shot up like a rocket: “Pull your zipper down to normal.”
Hu Yu Ying obediently unzipped her jacket to her usual position, looking more relaxed.
“That looks way better,” he nodded.
She didn’t say anything, just quietly trailed behind him.
But the more obedient she was, the more awkward Dragon Brother felt inside. He knew it wasn’t her fault—adults instinctively glance a little longer at beautiful things.
But if that beautiful thing was a girl who looked about ten years younger than him, suddenly he felt like a thief in the night, guilty as charged.
Yeah, that was exactly Dragon Brother’s mindset right now.
If only his body hadn’t reverted to age 18, he’d probably be in police custody by now!
And the worst part—he hadn’t found a way to explain these weird feelings.
Hu Yu Ying was only 18—downplaying it made her seem flippant, but exaggerating? Well, he was worried she’d get cold feet about men altogether.
So, right now, he could only threaten, coax, and distract her in desperate measures.
He’d wanted to deceive her a bit, fool her into thinking nothing was wrong.
But to his surprise, she actually noticed her ears turning red!
If he acted more assertively, maybe she’d back off, and Dragon Brother wouldn’t know what to do with himself anymore.
Luckily, this awkward moment didn’t last long.
Once they arrived at school, Hu Yu Ying seemed to forget everything that had just happened.
She was back to coaching herself on homework as usual.
The school bell rang, and the math teacher strode into the classroom with a test paper in hand.
Hu Yu Ying faced her first test since transferring—she was especially serious about it.
Seeing her so focused, Dragon Brother also became serious.
He wanted to see if everything he’d learned these days could come together on this test.
So, during the entire class, he stayed attentive.
When the bell finally rang, dismissing class and collecting papers, Dragon Brother let out a long sigh of relief.
He glanced at Hu Yu Ying and nudged her lightly with his shoulder.
“Anything wrong, Dragon Brother?” Hu Yu Ying looked up at him curiously.
“Grab your notebook and come along,” Dragon Brother signaled with his eyes.
Hu Yu Ying hesitated, glancing at the few girls she’d partnered with earlier, then finally packed up her things and moved over.
Watching her gradually integrate into the group, Dragon Brother suddenly felt like his little girl was growing up—step by step.
