Others might not know what her senior brother had sacrificed, but she, Ning Qingcheng, was very clear about it.
So she couldn't help but say:
"Sister Jiang Yunlu? I think she must already know about the Situ family's matters. In that case, she should also know about the many things Senior Brother did for her."
"Then why would she be angry? Is it because Senior Brother didn't tell her anything?"
This sentence was like a key, instantly unlocking a closed-off corner in Xie Yuling's heart.
Right, Jiang Yunlu should know everything now.
She knew that Lin Mo, for the sake of her mother, didn't hesitate to offend the entire Situ family.
"So you mean, she might be angry because Lin Mo kept it from her?" Xie Yuling followed this train of thought.
But as soon as this idea arose, an inexplicable emotion surged into her heart.
Lin Mo didn't seem to have hidden many things from her. He was willing to accompany her to see ghosts and helped her cultivate.
He even let Ning Qingcheng stay at her house, which should be considered trust, right?
He had always trusted her so much. Thinking of this, Xie Yuling felt that she was being a bit unreasonable.
For a moment, Xie Yuling's cheeks felt slightly hot, feeling both a bit ashamed and a trace of hidden sweetness.
She felt that in Lin Mo's heart, she seemed to be a bit more special.
Just then, Ning Qingcheng shook her head, her clear eyes full of certainty.
"I don't think so."
She looked at Xie Yuling seriously: "Sister Yuling, let me ask you, if it were you in this situation, and Senior Brother took on everything alone to protect you, would you be angry because he hid it from you?"
Would she be angry?
Xie Yuling was stunned by the question.
She carefully imagined that scenario, and instead of the slightest anger, her heart was enveloped by a huge wave of warmth.
A man, for the reunion of your family, to keep you from harm, was willing to face a behemoth of a family all by himself.
How is this concealment? This is clearly protection.
Let alone being angry, if it were her, she probably wouldn't know how to repay him other than giving herself to him.
Xie Yuling shook her head decisively.
"No, I would only be... very moved."
"That settles it then."
Ning Qingcheng spread her hands, summarizing like an adult, "Sister Jiang Yunlu is so smart, she definitely understands this too. So, she is absolutely not angry because of this."
Xie Yuling was completely confused.
Then what else could it be?
She racked her brains but couldn't figure it out.
"Then... what exactly is she mad about?"
Ning Qingcheng blinked, suddenly leaning in like a little kitten, mysteriously lowering her voice.
"I took a psychology class before, and the teacher talked about a concept called beneficiary's resentment."
Her voice was very light, but it was like a small pebble tossed into the lake of Xie Yuling's heart.
"People, in their bones, pursue equality, even superiority. Being helped, especially when one is in their most wretched state, is equivalent to admitting that they are weak and incompetent.
This feeling will severely strike a person's self-esteem, producing a sense of shame of being inferior."
Ning Qingcheng spoke with clear logic, not at all like a teenage girl.
"Sister Jiang Yunlu comes from such a good background, always surrounded by people like stars around the moon since she was young, and her pride is very high. She definitely wants to stand together with Senior Brother and interact as equals.
But now, Senior Brother has become her savior. This favor is too heavy, pressing down on her so much that she can't breathe. She doesn't know how to face Senior Brother, so she simply hides."
Listening to this, Xie Yuling couldn't help but slightly open her mouth. This clearly teenage girl actually knew so much.
"Are these the kinds of classes you used to take?"
Mentioning this, Ning Qingcheng's demeanor of a little teacher instantly deflated, her small face falling, full of frustration.
"Yeah, specifically studying these. I never really properly attended math, Chinese, or English classes."
She scratched her hair in annoyance, "So even now I don't understand, in reading comprehension, when the author hangs a black curtain, why must they ask what deep meaning it has? Isn't a black curtain very common? My house has one!"
"Pfft!"
Xie Yuling couldn't hold it back and laughed out loud.
There were too many contradictions in this girl, which instead made her seem exceptionally real and cute.
Her smile hadn't faded as she followed the topic and asked: "Then in your opinion, what should we do to help Jiang Yunlu figure this out?"
Hearing this, Ning Qingcheng looked at Xie Yuling with a strange expression.
As soon as the words fell, Ning Qingcheng cast an extremely weird look, looking her up and down.
"Sister Yuling, are you mistaken? That's your rival in love! If you help her untie the knot in her heart now, she'll probably be tied to that scumbag Senior Brother for the rest of her life. Are you... actively conceding defeat and planning to quit?"
Meeting her gaze, Xie Yuling frankly let out a long breath, her eyes clear and firm.
"I just can't stand seeing the two of them so awkward, it's uncomfortable to watch. Besides..."
She paused, the corners of her lips curling into a confident arc, "I don't think I will lose."
In this competition, she wanted to win fairly and squarely. A victory gained through the opponent's internal friction was something she disdained.
Seeing her determined look, Ning Qingcheng curled her lips and said no more.
But she kept muttering in her heart.
She probably wouldn't lose.
But she couldn't win either.
It could only be said that Senior Brother was still too overpowered.
As for the other side, they were seriously eating.
Situ Yunshu just found a high-end restaurant nearby and took the two to eat.
Because Chu Miaomiao was there, the mother and daughter didn't talk much.
Instead, Situ Yunshu asked Chu Miaomiao: "Miaomiao, what do you think of Lin Mo?"
Chu Miaomiao looked at Jiang Yunlu, and then her gaze fell back on Situ Yunshu.
"I think Lin Mo is very good, a very, very good person."
Then Situ Yunshu smiled and asked again: "Then do you like Lin Mo?"
This question was a bit problematic, so Situ Yunshu added another sentence.
"I mean liking him as a friend."
However, Chu Miaomiao said seriously: "I like him, but it's the kind of liking between a man and a woman."
It could only be said that she was very strong and very straightforward.
Instead, Jiang Yunlu had a feeling of having known it all along.
Even Xie Yuling was very clear about this matter, it was just that they never treated Chu Miaomiao as a rival.
At this time, Jiang Yunlu suddenly spoke.
"Actually, Lin Mo is not as simple as you think, he..."
The words stopped at the tip of her tongue. Jiang Yunlu thought for a moment and didn't finish the second half of the sentence.
However, Chu Miaomiao suddenly spoke.
"If you want to say how special Lin Mo is, then I know better than any of you how special he is."
For some reason, upon hearing these words, Jiang Yunlu and Situ Yunshu suddenly felt that Chu Miaomiao's expression changed in an instant, but then returned to its original state in the next second.
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
