"This..." Hearing this, Su Cheng hesitated, but he couldn't refuse.
After all, he was the one who broke the promise first. The other party didn’t blame him and even invited him to share a meal. If he refused now, it would seem ungrateful.
Just then—
Li Guanqi placed the food on the picnic mat, pressed down her pleated skirt with one hand, and gracefully sat on the grass. She kept her knees together, tilted her body slightly to the right, and rested her legs—encased in sheer black stockings—to the side, exuding an elegant and poised demeanor.
Once seated, she looked at Su Cheng and patted the spot beside her with a fair, slender hand, gesturing for him to sit.
"Well, it seems I can’t decline."
Seeing this, Su Cheng had no choice but to brace himself and sit down, awkwardly lowering his gaze to the fresh green grass beneath his feet.
But then, a gentle breeze swept by, carrying the faint, irresistible fragrance from Li Guanqi’s person. It instantly lifted his spirits.
The scent seemed to have a refreshing, calming effect, soothing his previously anxious mood. It was... well, quite pleasant.
Unable to resist, he stole a glance at Li Guanqi beside him. Though her expression remained unreadable, her profile alone radiated beauty and charm, accentuated by the serene surroundings, making her appear even more refined and noble.
He quickly averted his gaze.
Truly, she was a young lady of noble upbringing.
He marveled inwardly but didn’t linger on the thought—after all, he was a man with a fiancée.
He couldn’t afford to entertain any improper thoughts about another girl. That would be a betrayal of his betrothed!
Clenching his fists, he silently admonished himself. Then, clearing his throat lightly to mask his earlier fluster, he raised his head again, pretending to look ahead—though his peripheral vision still instinctively traced Li Guanqi’s movements.
She was meticulously cutting the cake, her motions practiced and precise. For some reason, her every gesture carried a uniquely captivating grace, so pleasing to the eye that he found himself holding his breath just to watch.
Soon—
"Here, take this. I can’t eat too much."
Li Guanqi handed two-thirds of the cake to Su Cheng, keeping the rest for herself. She held it out with both hands and said, "Thank you for the cake."
"Ah... I should be the one thanking you for not blaming me. I’m the one who broke our agreement."
Accepting the cake, he froze for a moment before bowing his head in shame. "I’m really sorry. Yesterday was so busy that it slipped my mind. I truly apologize."
"I’ll forgive you this time."
Li Guanqi’s tone remained as calm and expressionless as ever, though it softened slightly. "Besides, this cake looks delicious. Did you buy it because you were worried I’d go hungry?"
Su Cheng was taken aback. He hadn’t expected her to be so understanding instead of angry. His guilt deepened, and he repeated, "I’m truly sorry."
"It’s fine."
Li Guanqi shook her head again, then picked up her own cake, appearing completely at ease, as if she’d already let the matter go.
Watching her, Su Cheng fell silent, reflecting inwardly. Despite her cool exterior, she was unexpectedly gentle, without a trace of arrogance or temper. In comparison, he felt like a childish, impulsive fool.
"Alright, let’s eat." Li Guanqi turned to him and nodded.
Su Cheng hurriedly agreed and began eating his cake slowly, though he couldn’t help stealing glances at her from time to time.
Her movements were refined and graceful, her pace measured—flawless in every way. She kept her eyes forward, her face impassive, as if completely unaware of his gaze.
Not daring to disturb her, Su Cheng quietly continued eating.
To his surprise, the cake was delicious.
So delicious that he ended up devouring it in one bite.
"Um... I should probably get going—" Just as he was about to excuse himself, Li Guanqi set down her fork and asked, "Do you have plans for the afternoon?"
"Ah..."
Su Cheng hesitated before answering truthfully, "Actually... no, not really. I just didn’t want to intrude on your rest time."
Hearing this, Li Guanqi shook her head. "Since you’re already here, it’d be a waste to leave now. You can stay and rest. I don’t mind."
"Wha—?"
Su Cheng’s eyes widened as he stared at her in disbelief.
He blinked, wondering if he’d misheard. But Li Guanqi’s firm gaze confirmed she meant every word—this wasn’t just politeness.
Could it be...?
"I know this might sound strange, but..." Li Guanqi paused for a second. "I find you rather intriguing. Ever since you arrived, things have been... eventful. I’d like to talk with you a bit more. Is that alright?"
"This is..."
He was at a loss.
As a man with a fiancée, being alone with another woman on a grassy field didn’t seem proper.
Yet, after a long silence, he still couldn’t bring himself to refuse—not when Li Guanqi’s eyes held a glimmer of hope, as if she genuinely wanted him to stay.
"Why?" Su Cheng finally voiced the question weighing on his mind. "We barely know each other, and we don’t share any common interests. More importantly, you know I’m engaged. Why take the risk of inviting me like this?"
At his words, Li Guanqi lowered her lashes, her long, curled eyelashes veiling her eyes. She didn’t respond immediately, only silently sipping her milk.
Su Cheng’s heart skipped a beat. He sensed she might have something difficult to say, but he couldn’t guess what. Uneasy, he watched her, waiting for her to continue.
"Actually..."
Finally, Li Guanqi spoke again. She lifted her gaze to meet his and said earnestly, "I—"
"Junior!!"
Just then, a bright, cheerful voice called out from a distance.
Su Cheng turned toward the sound and saw Liu Qingyue standing by a flowerbed, waving at him enthusiastically. Her lovely face was lit with a radiant smile as she shouted, "Junior, I’ve been looking everywhere for you! So this is where you were hiding—I almost couldn’t find you!"
"I’ll write it in the book I return tomorrow."
As Su Cheng looked toward Liu Qingyue, Li Guanqi’s whisper reached his ears—so soft he almost doubted he’d heard it. He instinctively turned back and asked, "Huh? Did you say something just now?"
Yet, Li Guanqi remained with her head lowered, picking up pieces of cake one by one and savoring them carefully, as if entirely indifferent to his question—not even bothering to lift her gaze.
Su Cheng frowned, sensing that she seemed wary of the senior student. With Liu Qingyue now approaching, he had no choice but to suppress his curiosity for the moment and shift his attention to her. "Senior, is there something you need?"
"Oh? Junior Li is here too?" Liu Qingyue glanced between the two in surprise before eyeing the cake in his hand with envy. "How nice. By the way, did you like the rice dumplings I gave you last time?"
"They were delicious," Li Guanqi finally looked up, murmuring her thanks. "I appreciate the gift, Senior."
"Don’t mention it!" Liu Qingyue waved her hand dismissively, then leaned closer to Su Cheng with a playful glint in her eyes. "Hey, junior, did you make the young lady angry yesterday?"
Su Cheng’s heart skipped a beat at her words, panic flashing across his face as he hastily stood up. "Uh… Senior, did you come to talk to me about something?"
As the saying goes, family matters shouldn’t be aired in public.
"Of course! Why else would I be here?"
"Alright, let’s walk and talk." Su Cheng shot an apologetic glance at Li Guanqi before leaving with Liu Qingyue.
Li Guanqi stayed seated, silently watching their figures fade into the distance before resuming her meal.
Meanwhile, Su Cheng and Liu Qingyue strolled leisurely along the tree-lined path. Though the dense foliage overhead should have made the air stifling, the atmosphere was instead cool and refreshing—like wandering through a winter forest, every breath crisp and invigorating, as if every pore in their bodies had opened up.
"Hey, you went a bit too far at lunch today!" Liu Qingyue suddenly complained.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Not only did you upset the young lady yesterday, but today you went and spent time alone with another girl. If she finds out, what do you think she’ll do?" Liu Qingyue puffed her cheeks in accusation. "How could you be such a jerk? That’s just awful!"
Su Cheng’s lips twitched at her words, and he sighed helplessly. "Senior, you know how it is. She came to visit me over the weekend, so I was just returning the courtesy and thanking her. That’s all."
"Enough, enough." Liu Qingyue cut him off abruptly, turning to face him with a serious expression. "The young lady sent me to tell you—from now on, don’t wander around at noon. Just come straight to the archery club. She’ll be waiting to have lunch with you."
"Wait, the president is waiting for me now?"
"Exactly!"
iemie, male, Race: Moon. Hobby: Collecting anomalies. At first, he thought he possessed two systems: the Crimson Rainbow Moon and the Clear Cold Frost Moon. One day, he discovered that he himself could also become a system for others, holding the chessboard of fate. The Eighth Epoch, also known as the Eternal Moon Epoch. Humans, witches, elves, bloodline descendants, specters, demons, and spirits together compose a new history. Walking the path on behalf of the moon, before he knew it, Chen Miemie's footsteps were followed by all manner of strange and wondrous anomalies. As time passed, many titles circulated about him—The King in Yellow, Lord of Anomalies, Heart of the Eternal Moon, and more. "Me? I'm just a traveler who enjoys collecting interesting creatures," Chen Miemie said.
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
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."
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
