As these words rang out, a slender figure emerged slowly from the entrance of the Archery Club nearby. Dressed in a school uniform, she exuded an icy, formidable aura. Her strikingly beautiful face carried an aloof expression, yet it gave off an illusion that made it hard for others to meet her gaze.
Hearing this, Gu Ruoxue turned her head slightly, her eyes narrowing.
"Student Gu, why not come inside to take shelter?"
Ji Qingyi looked at Gu Ruoxue's eyes and spoke softly, her red lips parting.
Gu Ruoxue glanced at her, then at the fool Su Cheng beside her, who seemed oblivious to the tension and was playing with his fingers. A flicker of something unreadable passed through her eyes before she responded with a polite smile, "Since Student Ji is so kind as to invite me, I won't refuse your hospitality!"
With that, she turned and walked toward the Archery Club.
The tagalong Su Cheng hurried after her.
Right now, he didn’t feel like speaking—he just wanted to be a silent, brooding pretty boy.
The situation between these two girls was something he couldn’t possibly interfere with. Besides, it was like choosing between two sides of the same coin—he had no idea what to do.
Ah, what a difficult dilemma.
Ji Qingyi followed them inside.
"Su Cheng, long time no—wait?!"
As soon as the two stepped into the Archery Club, Li Shishi was about to hand over a towel when she realized the person beside Su Cheng was none other than Gu Ruoxue. She quickly offered the towel, asking in surprise, "S-St-Student Gu, please use this!"
"Thank you."
After hearing her thanks, Li Shishi turned and left, leaving only the three of them at the entrance.
Gu Ruoxue raised her eyes, accepted the towel with a word of gratitude, and began dabbing at the damp strands of hair on her forehead with her slender, fair fingers.
Beside her stood Su Cheng and Ji Qingyi.
As she wiped her hair, she subtly observed the two.
Ji Qingyi stood with her arms crossed leisurely, one finger tapping against her arm, completely still otherwise.
Su Cheng, however, was having a much harder time.
In this situation, there was only one towel.
And now…
A sense of impending doom washed over him. He could already foresee the deadly dilemma he was about to face. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the club president (Gu Ruoxue) finishing with the towel and attempting to hand it to him, while the other (Ji Qingyi) unexpectedly pulled a handkerchief from her skirt pocket.
Gulp.
At this moment, he knew with absolute clarity that if he didn’t act, he would soon be forced into a fatal multiple-choice question.
It was like two girls standing before him, gazing at him with hopeful yet nervous expressions, asking him who he liked best. The scenarios were eerily similar.
He inwardly groaned, realizing he had exactly one second to come up with a solution—or else, he was doomed.
Should he pull out his own towel from his system space?
No, that would be way too obvious.
There were surveillance cameras at the entrance too.
Just as the two girls extended their hands to offer him their respective items, a sudden flash of inspiration struck him.
The answer was…
Take both!
He raised both hands simultaneously, grabbing the towel with one and the handkerchief with the other. His action made the two girls freeze.
Then, Gu Ruoxue frowned slightly as she looked at what Su Cheng was holding. She hadn’t expected their relationship to be so intimate that they could share personal belongings like this.
Su Cheng pressed both the handkerchief and towel to his face, inhaling deeply. The combined scents made him feel like the luckiest man alive.
"Hehe, so fragrant~"
The two distinct, captivating fragrances of the girls intertwined, blending into a unique, refreshing aroma.
This was… the Qingxue fragrance~
Ji Qingyi didn’t say anything, simply allowing him to wipe his face. However, when she glanced at Gu Ruoxue, she found the other girl staring unblinkingly back at her. Ji Qingyi returned the gaze with an equally indifferent expression, as if they were locked in a silent standoff.
By now, Su Cheng had finished drying himself.
At the same time, Ji Qingyi spoke, her voice cool. "Since you’re already here, why not come inside for some tea?"
Without waiting for Gu Ruoxue’s response, she turned and walked toward the inner room. Gu Ruoxue hesitated for a moment before following.
As for Su Cheng?
He clutched the towel and Ji Qingyi’s handkerchief, planning to stash them in his system space later. After waiting half a minute, he finally made his way into the Archery Club.
The moment he stepped inside, he noticed the club members whispering about what had just happened.
The moment they saw Su Cheng, everyone fell silent, their eyes fixed on him.
"Su Cheng? Why did you suddenly quit the club? And why did you come here with President Gu? Did something happen?"
Yang Xin couldn’t resist asking, and the others—including Wang Guancong’s older sister—also looked at him curiously.
Su Cheng scratched his head awkwardly before holding up the items in his hands. "Well, I joined the Social Practice Club. It just happened to start raining, so I came in to take shelter."
"You could’ve at least given us a heads-up! That was way too sudden!"
Wang Guancong’s sister glared at him reproachfully.
Su Cheng quickly shook his head, apologizing profusely. "Sorry, sorry! This time it really was too rushed—"
But before he could finish, Li Shishi’s voice called out from a nearby room. "Su Cheng, the president wants you inside."
Hearing this, Su Cheng’s expression changed. He had been planning to stay outside and chat, but now…
Sigh.
He let out a resigned sigh, gave everyone an apologetic smile, and headed toward the president’s office.
When he pushed the door open, he found the two girls seated at a table with a tea set between them. The atmosphere was… strange, to say the least.
What stood out even more was that Ji Qingyi wasn’t sitting in the host’s seat.
They were positioned directly across from each other.
This left Su Cheng unsure of where to sit.
Which side should he choose?
At the same time, both girls turned to look at him, their beautiful eyes filled with unspoken warnings and expectations.
"President, I used to drink tea here all the time! Let me tell you, President Ji’s tea is amazing—you’ve got to try it!"
Su Cheng put on his best sycophantic smile, picking up the teapot and pouring a cup for Gu Ruoxue first, then one for Ji Qingyi. After that, he simply stood to the side, the towel still draped over his shoulder, ready to serve them at any moment.
Ji Qingyi’s eyes narrowed slightly at his words.
She glanced at the teapot in Su Cheng’s hands, a glint of something unreadable flashing in her gaze, but she remained silent, sipping the tea he had poured for her.
"Mmm."
Gu Ruoxue took a small sip before nodding in approval. "Sitting quietly and enjoying a cup of tea is a rare moment of leisure. However…"
She paused, setting the cup down before looking up at Su Cheng. "The heavy rain does dampen the mood somewhat."
"The rain shows no sign of stopping anytime soon."
Just as Gu Ruoxue finished speaking, a woman’s voice came from outside—likely Ji Qingyi’s attendant.
Ji Qingyi also set down her cup and turned to Su Cheng. "You just got caught in the rain. Sit down and have some tea to warm up."
Hearing this concern, Su Cheng found himself trapped in yet another dilemma.
He glanced at the now-silent Gu Ruoxue, then at Ji Qingyi beside her.
The two were clearly locked in a battle of wills, and he was stuck in the middle, miserable.
To sit or not to sit—neither option felt right.
As a man, this was truly humiliating.
Fortunately, at times like these, his mind grew clearer, allowing him to better grasp the situation he was in.
After careful consideration, he finally made up his mind. Picking up a cup, he moved a chair next to the door and sat down, leaning against it. He began drinking one cup after another, refusing to spare another glance at the two women—his demeanor making it clear he was upset and not to be provoked.
Seeing this, the two women exchanged a look before lowering their heads and sipping their tea in silence.
Two stunning beauties sat there, drinking quietly, yet an undercurrent of tension swirled between them, as if a storm were about to break.
This standoff lasted about five minutes before Ji Qingyi finally spoke. She dabbed her lips gracefully with a napkin, set down her teacup, and said, "I’ve heard a little about the activities of the Social Practice Club, Director Gu. Recently, I’ve encountered some difficulties—might you offer some guidance?"
"If it’s merely ‘some difficulties,’ then you haven’t reached a point of desperation yet. One of our club’s principles is to extend help only to those truly in need. I suggest you strive a little harder, President Ji."
Gu Ruoxue set down her cup and replied coldly.
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
