After a night of playful antics, Hu Yuying still woke up early. She couldn’t help but smile as she looked at Li Qingxue, who was sound asleep with an arm draped over her waist, and Lin Wanning, nestled snugly against her chest.
Yet her gaze lingered longer on Lin Wanning.
She quietly leaned closer, inhaling the familiar scent of Lin Wanning’s natural fragrance. Her expression grew complicated as she watched her. Taking a deep breath, Hu Yuying got up, dressed, and went downstairs to buy two breakfasts, leaving them on the table before stepping out of the hotel.
She hadn’t forgotten that Long Aotian had something to tell her.
The morning air was damp and bitingly cold. Hu Yuying hailed a taxi and soon arrived back at the courtyard house. Unlocking the gate, she pushed the bedroom door open quietly and stepped inside.
On the bed, Long Aotian stirred at the sound of the door opening, blinking sleepily. When he saw it was her, he reached out groggily, pulling her into his arms. "You’re back. Did you miss me?"
Hu Yuying chuckled, gently ruffling his hair. "Of course I did. How could I not?"
Long Aotian grinned and tugged her onto the bed. "You’re so cold. Let me warm you up."
Hu Yuying couldn’t hold back another laugh. Even half-asleep, he couldn’t resist teasing her. Still, she lifted the covers and slid in beside him.
The moment her feet were cradled in his warm hands, the chill melted away, and she relaxed completely."Long Aotian, didn’t you say you had something to tell me when I got back?"
At her words, she felt his hands stiffen slightly.
Now that the moment had come, Long Aotian didn’t know how to begin. He tried to sit up, but Hu Yuying gently held him close, her voice soft. "Did you do something wrong?"
She remembered his earlier words: If one day you find out I’ve done something bad...
And: You should be greedy—take everything from me...
Long Aotian tensed, his arms tightening around her waist. He couldn’t bring himself to meet her eyes, afraid of the disappointment he might see—or worse, that she’d turn away from him.
Hu Yuying let him hold her, feeling the tremor in his arms. After a long silence, she asked gently, "Is it about Lin Wanning?"
Natural fragrance was different from perfume.
Perfume was external—it could linger on the skin after contact.
But a person’s natural scent? That only clung to someone after the most intimate closeness.
The faint, delicate aroma she’d noticed on Long Aotian that Wednesday was the same one that had enveloped her last night when Lin Wanning had undressed.
Long Aotian sat up, kneeling before her, gripping her hands tightly. "I didn’t know how to tell you."
"Why didn’t you just keep hiding it? Were you trying to confess to me yesterday?"
"I couldn’t keep lying to you. I just couldn’t." His voice was desperate as he pulled her into his arms again. "I’m sorry. I’m so sorry."
"Was it your idea?"
Long Aotian hesitated, then nodded silently.
Lin Wanning had given up everything—thrown it all away, humbled herself to the dust. He couldn’t push the blame onto her...
"Liar."
Hu Yuying moved to stand, but Long Aotian clutched her hand. "Don’t go."
He’d known she’d be angry when the truth came out, but now that it had, he couldn’t let her leave.
Only now did he realize how selfish he was—how shameless. Even after hurting her, he still refused to let go.
Hu Yuying sighed as she looked at him—his bloodshot eyes, the desperation in his grip.
"Yell at me. Just don’t ignore me..."
She reached out, her fingers brushing his cheek. This was her Long Aotian—the man who had shown her kindness from the very first moment they met.
The one who had stood up for her when she was bullied.
Who had taught her, step by step, helping her grow and change.
Who had never hesitated to praise her, to make her feel seen.
He had been so good to her.
From the first time she’d laid eyes on him—that lazy, mature boy who had pulled her out of the darkness—Hu Yuying had known she didn’t deserve such sudden kindness. And yet, she had craved it desperately.
There was no doubt she loved Long Aotian.
Did he love her?
From the way he had always treated her, to the way he clung to her now—his pain, his reluctance to let go—she could feel it.
He loved her too.
She carefully wiped away the tear stains at the corner of his eye, then let her hand slide to the back of his head, giving it a gentle pat.
After doing all this, she glanced at her hand, still tightly gripped by Long Aotian, and her waist, still firmly encircled by his arms.
With a light struggle, she murmured, "Long Aotian, loosen up a little."
Long Aotian only shook his head instinctively. "No."
Left with no choice, Hu Yuying took out her phone and dialed Lin Wanning's number right in front of him.
The call connected quickly.
Hu Yuying spoke in a calm, measured tone. "Come to the house."
Then she hung up.
On the other end.
Still half-asleep, Lin Wanning felt as if a bomb had detonated inside her the moment she heard Hu Yuying utter those words.
Instantly, she was wide awake, every trace of drowsiness gone.
Emotions tangled within her—she hugged her knees, her body trembling uncontrollably. Tears slipped silently between her fingers as the last barrier in her heart finally crumbled and shattered today.
She dared not make a sound. Quietly, she dressed, her gaze falling on the two breakfasts laid out on the table. Tears welled up endlessly, dripping onto the back of her hand.
Taking a deep breath, she bit her lip hard, trying desperately to stop crying. But this self-deception only made her seem all the more fragile.
Leaving the hotel, she got into a taxi. As the distance gradually shortened, as the surroundings grew more and more familiar, $2he kept her head down, hands pressed tightly against her chest.
She had imagined this day might come. But now that it was here, the pain in her heart was far worse than she had ever anticipated...
The taxi came to a stop.
Lin Wanning shakily wiped the tear stains from her face and stepped out.
Standing at the mouth of the familiar alley, she lingered in a daze for a long moment before finally walking silently toward the courtyard house...