Chapter 156: Actually, I’m Not Really Okay at All
“It’s been really tiring lately, but starting tomorrow it’ll be much easier. You should get some rest back at the dorm,” Li Qing Xue said, her voice dripping with concern as she looked at Hu Yu Ying, whose energy seemed as low as a flat tire.
“Yeah, I know,” Hu Yu Ying mumbled back, her mind still stuck on the fact that Qing Xue confessed to liking Dragon Brother…
“See you tomorrow!” Li Qing Xue chirped before heading towards the dorm.
Hu Yu Ying didn’t budge. Instead, she turned to gaze longingly at Qing Xue’s retreating figure, her eyes flickering like a faulty lightbulb. After a moment of hesitation, she called out, “Qing Xue.”
Li Qing Xue paused, spun around, and smiled, “What’s up, Yu Ying?”
Noticing Hu Yu Ying’s furrowed brow like she was trying to figure out a complicated math problem, Li Qing Xue returned to her side and gently smoothed her friend’s forehead, softly asking, “What’s wrong?”
Even though they hadn’t known each other long, Hu Yu Ying’s kindness had really touched Qing Xue, enough to stir her emotions.
Reflecting back the concern in Qing Xue’s eyes, Hu Yu Ying lightly grasped the hand smoothing her brow. If it were anyone else, she would be thrilled and fully support Qing Xue.
Well, she would go out of her way to be Qing Xue’s sidekick simply because Qing Xue was her best friend.
But why on Earth did Qing Xue have to like Dragon Brother?!
Hu Yu Ying also liked Dragon Brother—like, a LOT—so she was at a complete loss about what to do.
She really didn’t know what to do. Asking herself to give up on Dragon Brother was like asking her to swim without water. Not going to happen.
So…
She tugged on Qing Xue’s hand, her eyes shining seriously as she said, “Qing Xue, what if—just IF—there were other girls who liked Dragon Brother too?”
Li Qing Xue thought for a moment, then responded with a youthful giggle, “I don’t know!”
Her tone was a bit uncertain.
After all, Dragon Brother was a gentle soul. Anyone who spent time with him might feel at least a flutter—he must be pretty popular with the ladies, right?
Hadn’t she unknowingly developed a crush on that guy herself?
“But even if there are,” Li Qing Xue said while lightly tossing her hair back, “we could just compete fairly. I mean, I’m not exactly chopped liver here!”
“If, if I really do like Dragon Brother a lot,” Hu Yu Ying said softly, almost like she was letting out a secret. It felt like she was putting her heart out there all on her own.
What if she was a bit braver? What if she didn’t hide her feelings? What if, like Qing Xue, she had openly shared her heart from the beginning? Would everything be different?
Hearing this, Li Qing Xue chuckled, thinking Hu Yu Ying was just teasing her.
It made sense, though. If Hu Yu Ying liked Dragon Brother, they would already be together.
Spending all this time together, it was clear Hu Yu Ying relied on Dragon Brother so much, and Dragon Brother took care of her in return.
But it felt like there was always an invisible wall between them.
If she had to put it into words, it felt like the way a brother takes care of his sister, and the sister relies on her brother.
Plus, they’d known each other since sophomore year, and here they were, graduated and off to university. If they really liked each other, they should have been a thing by now.
There was a time when Li Qing Xue thought they might be boyfriend-girlfriend.
She even teased Dragon Brother about it, but he just said they weren’t dating and that Hu Yu Ying was his little follower.
At that time, she thought Dragon Brother was just embarrassed, so she kept hiding her own feelings.
But when she heard Hu Yu Ying say that they aren’t dating either, it really fueled her feelings without any reservations.
“You’re not afraid I’ll snatch Dragon Brother’s attention away from you, are you?” Li Qing Xue said with a mischievous grin.
She cuddled closer to Hu Yu Ying, and it was just as nice as it sounded—girl hugs smell the best, fragrant and sweet. “But if it’s you, I might just feel a bit pressured!”
At that, Hu Yu Ying froze, feeling happy to be friends with Li Qing Xue, but she definitely didn’t want to lose Dragon Brother.
She was just Dragon Brother’s little follower, a shy girl with a crush on him, and she couldn’t stop others from liking him too.
Just like Li Qing Xue said, they might as well compete fairly.
That ordinary night, many of them struggled to sleep.
Lin Wan Ning couldn’t catch a wink. Every time she closed her eyes, her mind flashed back to Dragon Brother lifting her chin and leaning in close.
So close she could see her reflection in his eyes.
So close, his breath felt like it was whispering in her ear.
That tingling sensation—pure adrenaline and feelings was the essence of a girl’s shyness.
She rolled restlessly on her bed, scared of waking her dorm mates.
Li Qing Xue couldn’t sleep either. It was the first time she had revealed her feelings, and all those moments replayed in her mind like a guilty movie marathon.
It started with a simple desire to express herself, slowly morphing into a feeling she couldn’t quite describe.
Eventually, before she knew it, that feeling became a habit.
And finally, the once hidden seed of love she buried deep inside had sprouted without warning.
In the past, she thought love was a small matter, just a tiny detail.
But now, that small matter took over her entire heart.
Hu Yu Ying couldn’t sleep. She liked Dragon Brother.
The days she spent with him were genuinely happy.
Seeing him sneak glances at other girls’ legs? Yup, jealous as green snot.
Dragon Brother being away? Downright sad.
And yes, the wish to be with Dragon Brother forever? Absolutely real.
But Qing Xue’s boldness left her feeling a bit frantic.
The first time she kissed Dragon Brother hadn’t made her feel this way.
Suddenly terrified of losing him…
Ye Liang Chen couldn’t sleep either, crying at the moon with a wonky rose in hand, mourning his lost love.
Dragon Brother couldn’t sleep because his three “adopted sons” in the dorm were too hyped up to cool down.
…
The next morning.
Li Qing Xue spotted Hu Yu Ying and her cheeks flushed as she dashed over, “Yu Ying, please don’t tell Dragon Brother what I said yesterday! I still need to test his attitude.”
“Okay, I won’t say a word,” Hu Yu Ying promised, having thought about a lot the previous night. Dragon Brother was great; it felt so natural to like someone like him.
She couldn’t stop other girls from liking him, so she might as well compete openly.
“Hehe, I knew you wouldn’t let me down, Yu Ying! You’re the best!” Li Qing Xue said while linking arms with her, grinning widely.
“Actually, I’m really not okay at all,” Hu Yu Ying thought quietly to herself.
