The authenticity of the marriage contract aside, based on Su Cheng's own understanding, the other party's intentions were simple: the Ji Family, or rather Miss Ji, did not want to cancel the engagement, nor did she demand that he fulfill the marriage. Instead, they had chosen an alternative approach.
This was not a humiliating rejection meant to wound his pride, nor was he being looked down upon. Contrary to the tropes often seen in novels, the other party had shown him kindness and patience—even offering to help him achieve his dreams.
Yet, precisely because of this...
Su Cheng found himself with a headache.
Unexplained kindness was far more tormenting than unexplained malice. After failing so many times, he had developed an extremely negative view of things like "manna from heaven."
For him, canceling the engagement might have been the cleaner solution.
At least it wouldn’t waste both parties' time, and he wouldn’t have to worry about future hurt. After all, she was the lofty Miss Ji of the Ji Family, while he was just a nobody. The vast difference in status was bound to create conflicts, and once those conflicts arose, they would inevitably lead to a chain of consequences.
In the end, the only one who would suffer would be him.
And so—
"Our ultimate goal is to cancel the engagement, right?" Su Cheng said solemnly, his gaze firm as he looked at Liu Qingyue.
Thunk— A crisp knock sounded as Liu Qingyue's temple twitched slightly. She tapped Su Cheng's head in dissatisfaction. "Could you please be a little more patient?"
"I’m not avoiding reality. On the contrary, I’m facing my ideals head-on," Su Cheng said, clutching his head in pain, his tone resolute. "I can say with certainty that I am not a match for your Miss Ji. There’s no need to waste time on this pointless courtship game."
"Is the outcome really that important?"
Liu Qingyue frowned as she asked.
"Yes, to me," Su Cheng murmured after a moment of contemplation, nodding lightly. "Extremely important."
Liu Qingyue responded softly, "In that case, why didn’t you choose to jump into the sea yesterday and end your suffering?"
Su Cheng was speechless.
"Alright," Liu Qingyue waved her hand, speaking earnestly. "Once you’re born, whether in joy or pain, you can’t escape experiencing all sorts of things. Might as well take it easy and enjoy the process. Why obsess over the result?"
"Yesterday, I was just lost. But the path is always beneath my feet."
Su Cheng opened his mouth but ultimately could only sigh.
"Miss Ji is giving you this opportunity. Why not give it a try?"
"Fine." Su Cheng sat down with a frown, lowering his voice. "Let’s be clear—I don’t know how to flatter people. What if I upset her? Will others be dragged into it?"
"Relax, our Miss Ji isn’t petty. Besides, if you really do anger her, you can always find a way to cheer her up." Liu Qingyue grinned, patting her chest. "Anyway, my Miss Ji is easy to handle. A few sweet words, a little coquetry, some aegyo—any problem can be solved."
"Coquetry? Aegyo?" Su Cheng shuddered and immediately shook his head. "I won’t debase myself for mere survival."
"Alright, sign it."
Liu Qingyue pushed the pen and paper toward him, smiling. "If not for yourself, think of the children at the orphanage. Sign, and we’ll start construction immediately."
At the mention of the orphanage, Su Cheng’s heart clenched.
The orphanage—those three words were branded deeply into his heart, the softest part of his soul.
He subconsciously glanced at the contract. Seeing the stack of documents at least five centimeters thick, he felt lost. He lacked the expertise to parse the legal terms and couldn’t afford a lawyer’s consultation fee. Yet, the bait the other party dangled was too tempting to refuse.
Just as he was scratching his head in frustration, a memory flashed through his mind. His eyes widened abruptly.
He recalled Cornelia once saying the orphanage had already been renovated and that Sister Xue had gotten prosthetic legs and was working outside. Back then, he thought she was spouting nonsense. But now, staring at this contract, his heart surged with shock.
Could it be...
Cornelia hadn’t lied!
Did that mean...
He, too, would become the famously beautiful youth everyone knew!?
"Hey, what are you spacing out for?"
Liu Qingyue waved a hand in front of his face. Seeing him still frozen in his seat, she raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Oh, hold on." Su Cheng snapped out of it, taking a deep breath to suppress the excitement and surprise. He quickly pulled out his phone, intending to message Cornelia for confirmation.
Liu Qingyue lounged leisurely in her seat, as if everything was proceeding exactly as she had planned.
Su Cheng: "Did the Ji Family sponsor the orphanage in the future?"
Su Cheng: "Please answer truthfully. This is really important to me!"
Su Cheng: "I’ll discuss the details with you later. For now, just tell me the truth."
After sending the messages, he waited for Cornelia’s reply.
But—
Cornelia, who usually responded instantly, remained silent this time, making Su Cheng increasingly anxious.
Ding— Finally, a reply came.
Cornelia: "Yes."
Reading that single word, Su Cheng was nearly overwhelmed by euphoria. He bit his tongue hard, using the pain to stay composed.
Then, with trembling hands, he picked up the pen and prepared to sign.
He was afraid he might faint otherwise.
Liu Qingyue’s lips curled into a faint smile, her voice like a demon’s whisper: "Sign it."
Su Cheng’s fingers paused briefly before he lowered his gaze to the contract. After a long moment, he lifted his hand and slowly signed his name.
"By the way... is Cornelia someone you sent?"
After calming down, Su Cheng pieced everything together and realized Cornelia might have been a plant—a spy arranged by the Ji Family. The whole "reincarnation" and "future" thing could have been fabricated!
That possibility wasn’t zero.
But whether it was true or not, he would have signed anyway.
Because even a sliver of hope was worth the risk. Not to mention, this was a chance to fulfill the dreams of two lifetimes.
Still, after signing, he hesitated and asked, "Do I have persecution complex or something?"
Liu Qingyue couldn’t help but laugh, waving dismissively. "Sure, sure, she’s one of ours. When you get home, just tell her the mission’s over. Tell her to scram!"
Her attitude dispelled his last shred of doubt, allowing him to finally relax. After all, he’d already signed—there was no reason for her to keep lying. If Cornelia really were from the Ji Family, he might have even felt a little disappointed.
"Thank you," he said solemnly. "I’ll leave the orphanage matter in your hands."
"Don’t mention it."
Liu Qingyue smiled playfully, teasing, "You can report to the archery club tomorrow. Miss Ji is waiting for you—hope you’ll put on a good show."
"I’ll do my best..."
Seeing that their expressions hadn’t changed after his signature, Su Cheng’s tone lightened considerably as he nodded in agreement.
"Chief, there's a car tailing us," the driver said, glancing at the rearview mirror before turning to address them. "The license plate confirms it belongs to Yan City Culture Media Group. How should we handle this?"
"Xu Tianyi?" Liu Qingyue frowned, peering out the backseat window. "Why is she following us?"
] [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!"
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?"
and couldn't return to the real world. Finally, I gave up and decided to go with the flow, only to discover that writing a diary could make me stronger. Since no one could read it, Su Luo wrote freely, daring to pen anything and everything. Female Lead #1: "Not bad. This diary helped me steal all the protagonist's opportunities. I just want to get stronger." Female Lead #2: "I don’t care about reaching the peak of the cultivation world. Right now, I just want to enjoy the chaos." Female Lead #3: "What? Everyone around me is a spy? I’m the Joker Demon Lord?" ... It’s so strange. Why is the plot completely off track, yet the ending remains the same? Are you all just messing with me?!
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
