"Brother." Lin Wanning called out to Long Aotian.
"What's wrong?" Long Aotian looked at her in confusion, sensing something off about her mood.
He wondered if he had said something wrong.
The next second, a soft, fragrant body pressed into his embrace.
Her body was so delicate—older folks often said women were made of water, and there was truth to that.
For a moment, Long Aotian didn’t dare move.
After a long pause, Lin Wanning’s voice finally broke the silence. "Brother, you’re so lonely."
From Long Aotian’s words earlier, Lin Wanning had started as a listener but gradually immersed herself in his emotions.
She realized just how lonely her brother was—as if he had lost many years of his life, as if he had woken from a dream to find everything around him unfamiliar.
At first, Lin Wanning thought her brother had helped Hu Yuying.
But no—while helping Hu Yuying, he had also saved himself.
Hearing the word "lonely" from Lin Wanning’s lips, Long Aotian stiffened for a second, his nose and eyes suddenly stinging.
Waking up in a strange world, surrounded by strangers, he had felt like an outsider.
Why had Long Aotian preferred solitude when he first arrived here? Because those who seek quiet are often lonely.
Why had he understood Hu Yuying so well? Because he saw his own loneliness reflected in her.
Guiding her to change had, in truth, been his own transformation.
Long Aotian took a deep breath, forcing back the ache in his eyes and nose. He forced a laugh and patted Lin Wanning’s back lightly. "Alright, alright. If I’d known you’d get so emotional, I wouldn’t have told you."
"Come on, are you just trying to take advantage of me?"
His teasing instantly shattered the heavy mood. Lin Wanning huffed, "Who’s taking advantage of you? I... I just meant that now you have a sister... You’re not alone anymore."
Everyone had their illusions—even someone like Long Aotian had vulnerabilities.
"Listening to you, I think I might be the luckiest person in the world," Long Aotian joked.
Lin Wanning smiled. "Then I guess I’m lucky too."
Life was full of trials, but thankfully—no, luckily—her brother had shielded her from them.
Defeating the villains, protecting her and her reputation—wasn’t that a stroke of fortune?
They fell into a comfortable silence under the shade of trees, streetlights, and the night sky. The peaceful atmosphere eased the earlier tension.
"It’s late. Let me walk you back," Long Aotian finally said.
After seeing Lin Wanning back to the music academy, Long Aotian returned to his dorm.
The moment he saw his three self-proclaimed "adopted sons," his mood shifted instantly.
"Old Ao, you’re finally back! Guess what club we signed up for?"
"Total jackpot, I swear."
"Hahaha, you’ll never guess, you pervert."
Who could stay melancholy in an environment ?
"Swimming club! Bet you didn’t see that coming, huh? Hahaha, this is gonna be amazing!"
"Can you believe our college actually has a swimming club?"
Long Aotian chuckled. "Nice. I’m rooting for you."
The three immediately frowned. "Don’t be like that, Old Ao. That’s too distant."
"You think we’d hog all the fun?"
"Exactly. The Four Heavenly Kings of Room 147 stick together."
"So we signed you up too. Ready to celebrate? Hahaha..."
Hearing this, Long Aotian laughed along with them.
"Old Ao, why does your laugh sound so fake? Aren’t you excited?"
Long Aotian laughed even harder, tears nearly welling up as he shook his head. "I can’t fucking swim!"
Xu Shuai: "Oh crap, I forgot to wash my underwear."
Li Longlong: "Ah, it’s bedtime for me."
Huang Fei: "I, uh... need a smoke on the balcony."
"Hold on, before you scatter—let’s discuss some truths. I’ll even give you a handicap..." Before Long Aotian could finish, three figures bolted out of Room 147.
Long Aotian turned stiffly to the open door and the vanished trio. "You bastards!"
Swimming was part of the sports curriculum.
As Huang Fei put it, real men faced their weaknesses head-on.
They claimed they were helping Old Ao "adjust in advance," but their true motives remained a mystery.
"After the club orientation, there’s a small gathering. We’re just getting familiar with the place early."
"Look, Huang even went through the trouble of reserving the pool and got you swim caps and goggles. Just accept your fate."
"Honestly, Old Ao, if I had your physique, I’d be flaunting it here every damn day!"
Long Aotian shot Huang Fei an exasperated look. "This idiot only did it because Shen Mengjie joined the club, didn’t he?"
Huang Fei grinned shamelessly. "You’re never in the dorm anyway, always running off somewhere. You missed our whole strategy session."
As Long Aotian started stripping, the three winced. "I think inviting Old Ao was a mistake."
But that hesitation vanished the moment they stepped into the pool area.
"This beats ogling legs on campus any day."
"Stay cool. Don’t embarrass the Four Heavenly Kings of 147."
A figure emerged from the water and swam to the edge, preparing to climb out.
"Oh! You guys came too." Zhang Mengmeng greeted them with a smile.
"What a coincidence, running into you here," Huang Fei replied smoothly.
Zhang Mengmeng rolled her eyes. She knew exactly what he was thinking. "Mengjie’s over there."
"Thanks!" Huang Fei hurried off in the direction she pointed.
Watching him leave, Zhang Mengmeng sighed faintly.
When she turned back, she noticed the well-built guy—the one whose physique made her cheeks warm—hadn’t followed.
Curious, she wondered: Why wasn’t he going with them? Was he... waiting for her?
At this thought, Zhang Mengmeng's cheeks flushed with a faint blush as she stole a glance at Long Aotian. Her gaze traveled upward from below, where his... assets were particularly prominent, making her quickly avert her eyes in slight fluster. "Why aren’t you going in?" she asked.
"I can’t swim, so the shallow end suits me just fine," Long Aotian replied with a smile as he stepped into the pool, unbothered by the limitation. This spot was perfect for him.
Hearing his words, Zhang Mengmeng gave a soft nod.
Her eyes lingered as droplets of water trailed down Long Aotian’s toned physique, leaving glistening streaks in their wake. She couldn’t help but sneak another look or two.
"His body is really well-built..."
[You say that us meeting because of a novel must be fate—for me, at least, it’s definitely a stroke of luck. Really, thank you all for supporting Vulture.]