Chapter 67: I am Frugal and Capable—At the Same Time!
Clenching her teeth, she bit her lip, her eyelashes trembling slightly as if a butterfly with broken wings was about to fall. “Big Brother Long…”
Long Aotian was suddenly struck by lightning—his whole body tightening up like a marionette cut loose. Hu Yu Ying’s teary-eyed gaze pierced straight into his soul, making his heart sting inexplicably.
The moment he saw her message, he could tell her mood was all off. But…
But… when he really saw Hu Yu Ying like this, Long Aotian froze, utterly clueless about what to do next.
On instinct, he raised a hand and gently wiped the corner of her eye with his fingertips. “It’s okay now, Big Brother’s here. No one dares to bully you.”
Hearing that, her previously restrained emotions suddenly unraveled.
Panicked, Long Aotian immediately became flustered. His hand hovered hesitantly over her cheek—neither withdrawing nor pressing further.
He could only softly ruffle her hair, trying to calm her down.
“What’s wrong? Don’t cry! You know, Big Brother hates seeing girls cry. When you cry, I really don’t know what to do anymore.”
Long Aotian, meanwhile, was honestly at a loss but also kind of puzzled. Today was supposed to be the day the male and female leads met and got acquainted.
How did he manage to make his little sidekick look so miserable?
Hu Yu Ying shook her head. First, she apologized to Long Aotian, then bit her lip and said she wasn’t in a good mood—really, she was fine.
Right now, she just wanted to give Long Aotian a quick tutoring session.
Big Brother Long was so good to her, she didn’t want to cause him trouble just because of her.
Plus, she probably wouldn’t forget today’s scene of Long Aotian arrogantly bragging about scoring 318 on the exam—the way he was showing off, and yet insisting he wasn’t bragging.
She still had to tutor Big Brother Long, so she definitely wouldn’t let some brainless people ruin that.
College entrance exams were coming up. If Long Aotian stepped in to scold Ye Liang Chen because of her, risking punishment or even being called home to reflect, or worse, being called by his parents—that wasn’t what she wanted to see!
And she even pushed Ye Liang Chen today—she hadn’t suffered a loss.
Honestly, she kind of had the advantage.
Her bad mood was only because Ye Liang Chen was talking smack about Long Aotian.
But now that she felt Big Brother Long comforting her, she was practically fine.
Long Aotian looked at Hu Yu Ying, not wanting to press further since she didn’t say anything.
“Besides d*ath and life, all other matters are just small stuff. As long as the sun rises tomorrow, there’s no hurdle you can’t clear.”
“If you’re feeling wronged inside, you want to talk, I’ll listen. No matter how harsh this world is, just be yourself with me.”
Hearing this, Hu Yu Ying secretly glanced at Long Aotian, then quickly looked away, biting her red lips as a faint joy crept onto her face.
【Just be yourself here】—these words stirred gentle ripples across her heart.
In her girlhood innocence, she didn’t quite understand what being “heart-flutteringly” in love meant; she just thought her heart was beating faster and she was very happy.
It was like as long as that person was in front of her, all her worries and unhappiness would be blocked out, unable to get close.
Though she didn’t know why Hu Yu Ying was upset, seeing her mood improve so much right now, Long Aotian stopped trying to probe further.
Instead, he switched the subject: “What are we eating today?”
“Stir-fried noodles, with tomatoes and eggs,” Hu Yu Ying said, pulling Long Aotian into the yard. “Big Brother Long, go wash your hands. The noodles will be ready pretty soon.”
Watching Hu Yu Ying bustling around, Long Aotian couldn’t help but feel amused. “This girl.”
They wandered around the yard, then went into the living room.
Every day she came over, Long Aotian felt like he was at his own home: poured himself a glass of water, then sprawled lazily on the sofa, stretching.
Soon, Hu Yu Ying brought in a bowl of rice: “Big Brother Long, dinner’s ready.”
“Tomorrow I’ll take you out to eat something delicious,” Long Aotian said while munching on the noodles.
That was the promise he made earlier—if she scored in the top three of the grade this time, he’d treat her to a feast.
And so she wouldn’t keep saying he’s always fooling her.
“Just eat at home, Big Brother Long. What do you want? I’ll cook it for you,” Hu Yu Ying whispered. “There’s no need to go out; eating out is a waste of money.”
For Hu Yu Ying, dining out cost money that could buy her several good meals at home.
And the homemade food wasn’t any worse.
“Just treat me a little,” Long Aotian said.
Seeing Hu Yu Ying still want to argue, he snapped, “Shut up! Stop bargaining with me, or I’ll punch you!”
“Not worth it,” Hu Yu Ying mumbled softly. She really thought it wasn’t worth the trouble.
Take this stir-fried noodles—at a street stall, one bowl costs about seven or eight yuan. But she only used two yuan for the noodles, two tomatoes, three eggs—the total cost under five yuan—and made tons of it.
And she’d still be hungry because there’s more in the pot.
Spending money outside doesn’t guarantee a full stomach either.
While listening to Hu Yu Ying mumbling softly, Long Aotian found it amusing and quite interesting.
Hu Yu Ying was good at everything, except—she was too frugal.
Before crossing over, Long Aotian thought he was pretty thrifty, but turns out, this girl was even more economical.
“I really have to bow to you. Anyone who marries you will definitely save up a fortune,” he teased.
Hu Yu Ying bit her lip, glancing shyly at Long Aotian, her lips slightly parted as she mustered her courage and softly said, “I… I’m very frugal…”
She lowered her head more and her voice grew softer, “And I can work really hard too…”
She finished, nervous, her legs tense. But her eyes caught sight of Long Aotian, who was busy showing off his stir-fried noodles with gusto. Without knowing why, her body relaxed.
After flaunting his culinary skills, Long Aotian placed the plate down. “What did you just say? What time should I come get you tomorrow?”
“Oh, nothing,” Hu Yu Ying said, poking at the stir-fried noodles, a bit embarrassed. “Tomorrow morning I have something to do…” I still need to work a part-time job.
“Then in the afternoon,” Long Aotian decided flatly.
After Hu Yu Ying finished eating, Long Aotian sat for a while longer. As evening fell, he stood up and left.
“Big Brother Long, take it slow on the way,” Hu Yu Ying watched his departing figure carefully, giving a cautious reminder.
“Go home,” Long Aotian waved his hand and quickly disappeared at the end of the alley.
Not too far away, just an easy walk after a meal.
Once he was out of sight, Hu Yu Ying locked the door again and hurried back to her room. She flopped onto her bed, burying her face in the blanket.
What just happened? Why did she say those words? Thank goodness Big Brother Long was just eating and didn’t hear—it would’ve been embarrassing if he was laughing at her…
【Thanks for the gifts! Really appreciate it, you’re too kind! Big thank-you to the little brothers, little sisters, and everyone! Heart emoji 0.0】
