After the two had completely entered the hall, Su Yang finally let go of Chu Qiunan's hand.
"Who said you could call me 'Brother Chu'? Don’t try to act all chummy with me!"
At this moment, Liu Bo rolled his eyes, stepped forward with a grin, and slung an arm around Chu Qiunan’s shoulders, saying coolly, "So you’re the one eyeing my sister-in-law, huh?"
"Huh? When did I ever eye your sister-in-law? I don’t even know who you are."
"Then listen up. Your big bro here is Liu Bo. This guy, Su Yang, is my elder brother, and Pan Ning is his woman—so that makes her my sister-in-law."
"What? You—"
Before Chu Qiunan could say more, Liu Bo tightened his grip and yanked him forward, pulling him into the circle of the group.
Ji Bo and Zhang Ziming weren’t entirely clear on the situation, but after hearing Liu Bo’s earlier remark, they had a rough idea.
Smirking, the two stepped forward, and soon the five of them formed a tight circle, trapping Chu Qiunan inside.
"You what? Do you know why we kept you here?"
"What do you guys want? You think you can just beat someone up in broad daylight? This is Meng Wenzhou’s house—who are you to him?" Chu Qiunan glared at them, demanding an answer.
Meng Wenzhou smiled faintly. "I am Meng Wenzhou."
Hearing this, Chu Qiunan’s jaw dropped. "Bruh—you… you’re Meng Wenzhou??"
"Well, yeah. Didn’t you see me greeting your parents earlier?"
"Damn. Then what do you want now?"
"Nothing much. Just wanted to chat. We think you’re alright—how about we be friends?"
"Be… be friends?"
"Yeah~ What, not willing?" Meng Wenzhou teased.
"Well… it’s not that. It’s just that I’ve got some issues with this Su… Su Yang. I can be friends with you guys, but not him."
Meng Wenzhou rolled his eyes and replied, "What’s the issue between you two? Let’s hear it."
Chu Qiunan was about to explain, but when he opened his mouth, he suddenly didn’t know what to say.
Truth be told, there wasn’t any real conflict between him and Su Yang. They hadn’t fought or even argued. The so-called "issue" was simply that he liked Pan Ning, while Pan Ning liked Su Yang—which made him feel like there was a problem between them.
Chu Qiunan glanced at Su Yang, who was smiling, and frowned. "I…"
"Go on, say it. We’re not gonna hit you."
After hesitating for a few seconds, Chu Qiunan sighed. "Actually… there’s no real conflict."
"Then what’s the problem?" Meng Wenzhou chuckled.
"Even if there’s no conflict, you guys are ganging up on me!"
"Who’s ganging up on you?" Meng Wenzhou replied, amused. "Explain it to me. If you’ve got a point, I’ll back you up."
"Fine. This fat—uh, this brother here said Pan Ning is his sister-in-law. But has Pan Ning and Su Yang even gotten married?"
"Well, no."
"Exactly! If they’re not married, what’s wrong with me pursuing her openly? You’re just using your numbers to intimidate me into backing off, right? Not happening!"
"Hey, this guy’s really stubborn, huh?" Liu Bo scowled at Chu Qiunan, putting on a stern face.
He quickly added, "Buddy, who said anything about marriage? They’re already into each other. If it were you, would you like it if someone kept bothering your girlfriend?"
Hearing this, Chu Qiunan scratched his head and fell into thought.
The five of them exchanged knowing glances, and Su Yang gave Liu Bo a thumbs-up.
After about ten seconds, Chu Qiunan looked up and sighed in resignation. "Alright, fine. I’ll back off."
"Wow, didn’t expect you to come around so quick!"
Chu Qiunan rubbed his nose. "I won’t bother Pan Ning anymore, but you can’t stop me from liking her!"
At this, the five of them shared another look.
Su Yang said calmly, "Fine. Who you like is your business—we can’t control that."
"Good."
"Can I go in now?"
"Sure, go ahead."
The six of them then turned and headed toward the first-floor reception area.
Once inside, Meng Wenzhou checked the time. "You guys go ahead and sit. I need to go prepare."
"Sure, go ahead. We’ll catch up later."
After Meng Wenzhou left, Su Yang and the others made their way to the lounge area.
Chu Qiunan glanced around but didn’t see his parents. With no other choice, he reluctantly followed them.
When they reached the sofas, Liu Bo spotted Pan Ning and plopped down with a grin. "Hey, sis-in-law!"
Pan Ning blinked, rolled her eyes at him, and didn’t respond.
Zhang Ziming and Ji Bo also greeted her cheerfully before taking their seats.
Su Yang, meanwhile, sat down beside Pan Ning.
Once everyone was seated, Su Yang looked up at Chu Qiunan, who was hesitating nearby, and waved him over. "Come on, what’s taking you so long?"
"Coming." Chu Qiunan trudged over with a sullen expression and chose a seat slightly farther away from the group.
Pan Ning turned to Su Yang and whispered, "What did you do to him? He’s acting so meek all of a sudden."
"Nothing much. He just had a sudden change of heart."
"Really?"
"Why would I lie?"
Su Yang chuckled, leaned forward to pour tea for everyone, then turned to Zhang Ziming. "By the way, Ziming, earlier you mentioned Yi Xue is still in Shanghai. What’s going on?"
"Oh, she’s got family stuff keeping her there, so I came back first."
"You two didn’t have a fight, did you?" Liu Bo cut in, winking at Zhang Ziming.
"Nah, I wouldn’t dare fight with her. You give me too much credit."
"Wow, you sure know your place."
"What else can I do? Us men…" Zhang Ziming was about to rant but stopped when he remembered Pan Ning was present.
Liu Bo quickly changed the subject. "Sis-in-law, did my bro Su Yang tell you about our road trip plans in a couple of days?"
"He did."
"Great! I’ve been researching routes. This time, I wanna plan something a bit challenging—a real spontaneous adventure."
Hearing this, Zhang Ziming and Ji Bo immediately perked up.
Ji Bo tilted his head. "Fat Bro, what road trip? I didn’t hear about this."
"Yeah, what’s going on?" Zhang Ziming echoed.
Liu Bo grinned. "That’s what I’m saying now. It was Su Yang’s idea. I figured it’s been a while since we went out, so while the weather’s nice, we should drive to Tibet."
"Oh? That sounds awesome!"
"Right? The legendary Route 328—any of you driven it before?"
They all shook their heads.
Liu Bo laughed. "Perfect. I’ve been to Lhasa before, but I flew there and only stayed a couple of days. This time, we’ll plan it properly and make it a real road trip."
Pan Ning, who had been listening, suddenly interrupted. "So after days of research, all you came up with was the most cliché route possible?"
"Uh… yeah?"
"And the destination is Lhasa?"
"Yep."
Pan Ning rolled her eyes. "Then you wasted your time."
"How so?"
"You just said you wanted something challenging, didn't you? There are plenty of tough spots in Tibet, and you picked the Holy City."
"Uh... Sister-in-law, what do you suggest?"
"Have you heard about the two uninhabited zones in Tibet?"
"Uninhabited zones? I don’t know much about that. Are you saying we should go on a self-drive expedition through one?"
Pan Ning nodded. "Yeah."
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."
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
