Chapter 89: Acting Like a Serious Adult
Seeing both of them gaze at him with that synchronized “look,” he naturally didn’t understand what Dragon Brother and Hu Yu Ying were thinking—he just assumed they still didn’t believe him.
So, he reached into his backpack and took out an album.
Because it was so familiar, he quickly found the matching photos.
“Look.”
In the pictures, the people looked about the same age as them from their facial expressions.
The guy’s smile was bright and sunny; the girl was sweet and shy.
In the photos, their eyes were locked on each other, radiating tenderness and love.
The second photo was a scene of them hugging sweetly.
Their faces beaming with happiness—just looking at it, anyone could be moved.
In the background of these two photos, one particular blue stone brick stood out.
【Chen Classmate, I love you.】
【Su Classmate, me too.】
Looking at these photos, Hu Yu Ying couldn’t help but compare her two pictures with theirs.
A faint smile played on her lips, a little sweet and a little shy.
She still felt her own photos were prettier than Dragon Brother’s.
Sure, “Chen Classmate and Su Classmate are also lovely,” but Hu Yu Ying just thought Dragon Brother and she looked better.
“Dragon Brother, can I have these photos?” Hu Yu Ying asked softly.
She was really, really, really into those pictures.
“Sure, take them.” Long Aotian glanced at the photos and said.
That old rascal really should say no—these photos are pretty good.
“Thank you.” Hu Yu Ying loved them so much, she happily hugged the photos to her chest.
“You’re such a silly smiley.”
Hu Yu Ying turned around, giving her back to Dragon Brother. “I’m not silly! I’m happy.”
…
When Hu Yu Ying got home, she carefully slipped the photos between her books.
But not long after, she took them out again.
Looking at herself and Dragon Brother in the photos, Hu Yu Ying unconsciously observed his expression.
Especially since their hands were intertwined, and he was lightly touching her little fingers, her heart beat a little faster, her breath quickened, and her face grew warm.
After a long time, this pure, kind girl finally understood—this feeling of her heart fluttering, and realized with a start that she was… like this.
At that moment, she just felt joy inside, an uncontrollable smile crept onto her face, and her heart seemed to overflow with honey-sweet happiness.
Suddenly, she remembered what Dragon Brother had told her, and Hu Yu Ying’s smile dimmed.
“We’re all heading in the same unchanging direction…”
“And I still owe you a set of clothes—you said no matter if you chase me to the ends of the earth, you’ll come beat me up.”
Taking a deep breath, Hu Yu Ying pulled out her phone and took a picture of the photos.
It’s a bit blurry—compared to the photos, the current smartphone photos are still a little fuzzy.
She carefully stored the pictures away, as though these two photos were truly precious to her.
She reached under her bed and took out a small metal box.
Opening it, she saw money saved over the years.
Some change, some bills.
Ever since she set her goal, Hu Yu Ying had been working towards it tirelessly, never relaxing.
Sometimes she felt a little lost.
But Dragon Brother’s words had strengthened her resolve.
This was her answer to years of studying hard, including her grandparents’ expectations and Dragon Brother’s hopes.
“After the college entrance exam, I’ll have more time to work part-time, and I can save enough for tuition.”
With that, she put the book containing the photos into the metal box too.
Then she forgot about cooking, sitting alone in her room, in this little courtyard, occasionally looking at the photos on her phone, sometimes teasing her little bunny plush…
At least, at this moment, loneliness seemed to have gone away…
…
Lying on his bed, Dragon Brother was lost in thought when suddenly his phone vibrated.
Hu Yu Ying: [Pictures x2]
“Silly girl!” Dragon Brother chuckled, amused. He looked carefully at the photos Hu Yu Ying sent, his face unconsciously breaking into a smile.
He clicked to save.
Then asked, “Have you eaten yet?”
“Not yet, not hungry,” Hu Yu Ying replied.
Actually, it was because Dragon Brother wasn’t here, and she didn’t know what to cook, so she was just trying to get by.
It had always been like this, so she was used to it.
“Eat something. You’re already so light and skinny—don’t let a gust of wind blow you away,” he teased.
Last time, he pulled Hu Yu Ying by the arm at school; she was really light.
“If I get blown away, I can find my way back, no worries,” she shot back.
“Wow, you’re pretty formidable.”
Seeing this message, Hu Yu Ying flopped back on her bed, clutching her phone. “That’s because I have a pretty amazing big brother.”
She rolled around in bed once, then switched albums to look for a while. The time passed—almost bedtime—but Hu Yu Ying had no desire to sleep.
Likewise, Dragon Brother was the same.
He was thinking about Li Qing Xue’s words today and Hu Yu Ying’s little movements.
Hu Yu Ying really took good care of herself around him—she didn’t need to worry about anything when she was with her. She always looked after him so well.
She—really, really, really, is good. So good. Such a good girl—obedient, kind…
…
Sunday afternoon, they arrived at school.
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As soon as they entered the classroom, Dragon Brother sent Hu Yu Ying out.
Now, Hu Yu Ying was well integrated into the group.
Dragon Brother no longer worried.
He took a deep breath and started his own journey of progress.
Meanwhile, Hu Yu Ying, sitting lonely in the last row, gazed at the distant Dragon Brother, her eyes reluctant to leave.
Finally, the first study session ended.
Hu Yu Ying wanted to say something, but Dragon Brother stood up and walked out of the classroom.
When he came back, the school bell just rang.
“Dragon Brother, did I do something wrong?” Hu Yu Ying asked silently.
“Why would you say that?” Dragon Brother looked at her and laughed.
Honestly, Hu Yu Ying didn’t even know why she said that, but she could feel that Dragon Brother was different from before.
Before, Dragon Brother was especially carefree, always treating himself like a kid, teasing her.
He liked to see her get angry or happy, and she wasn’t silly—she could tell.
But since Saturday, Dragon Brother hadn’t teased her anymore.
He acted like a serious adult.
She couldn’t quite put her finger on what kind of feeling this was—just that it felt bad.
So she gathered her courage and asked boldly:
“You’re really good. Stop being so silly all the time—always blaming yourself instinctively. I’m worried you’ll be tricked someday.” Long Aotian gently ruffled her hair and then rubbed her head.
