Li Guanqi caught the keyword "return" in Gu Ruoxue's words and couldn't help feeling surprised. Staring at the bright-eyed crow, she asked in confusion, "Was this crow originally raised by me?"
Faced with Li Guanqi's question, Gu Ruoxue didn’t answer directly. Instead, she lifted Yaya and gestured toward her.
As if receiving some kind of signal, the crow immediately flew around Li Guanqi cheerfully, circling her affectionately, as if very familiar with her.
Li Guanqi was momentarily at a loss but eventually raised her hand, imitating Gu Ruoxue’s gesture. Yaya let out a happy cry and landed steadily on her palm.
It tilted its head, nuzzling her arm and gently pecking the back of her hand. This intimate behavior stirred mixed emotions in Li Guanqi, making her increasingly curious about the memories she had lost.
Seeing this, Gu Ruoxue turned to leave, holding her drink.
Li Guanqi sank into deep thought. After questioning her own conscience, she didn’t believe her previous actions had been wrong. If time rewound, she would still have acted the same way without hesitation.
And so—
"Senior," Li Guanqi called out, stopping Gu Ruoxue in her tracks.
Gu Ruoxue paused and looked back at her, her gaze calm and unreadable.
Li Guanqi gently placed Yaya on the bench, then raised her head and asked cautiously yet firmly, "Can you tell me why all of this is so unfair?"
This question had lingered in Li Guanqi’s heart—an injustice she had personally experienced.
Why was it that, despite everyone being ring bearers, she alone remained ignorant of the truth? Why had Gu Ruoxue even referred to her as some kind of test subject? It was utterly absurd!
"Senior, you really lack empathy," Li Guanqi chided, then abruptly shifted her tone. "I remember you once said this was a 'false stage.' If so, isn’t a stage meant for performance? I conveyed the plot and emotions—what’s wrong with that?"
Her sudden outburst made Gu Ruoxue raise an eyebrow. She watched Li Guanqi silently, as if waiting for her to continue.
Taking a deep breath, Li Guanqi spoke with even greater conviction, "Senior, you care about him too, don’t you? Whether it’s the orange juice in your hand, the orange cat at home, or the fact that you rushed to help despite knowing the card was bait—doesn’t all of that prove your concern for him?"
Faced with Li Guanqi’s accusations, Gu Ruoxue remained silent, though her gaze never wavered.
"Senior, I only acted according to what my heart told me was right," Li Guanqi said, meeting her eyes with unwavering sincerity. "But you—you wrote the script, yet you didn’t follow it completely. Haven’t you violated the basic principles of being an actor?"
Upon reflection, Li Guanqi realized Gu Ruoxue was no impartial, strict judge. On the contrary, she had her own hidden motives. From the moment she dropped the "amnesia" hint at the racetrack to now, traces of her influence were everywhere.
This realization struck Li Guanqi with clarity.
Gu Ruoxue stood like an unyielding rock on the shore, quietly listening. After a moment, she turned and walked away, leaving behind a fading silhouette and a detached remark: "You’ve misunderstood a few things. The script wasn’t written by me, and as for the actors’ roles and actions—it’s not your place to judge."
……
Watching Gu Ruoxue disappear into the distance, Li Guanqi lowered her eyes, her mind now clear: Gu Ruoxue was no ally. She was a formidable opponent, one who played her cards with cunning precision.
Today, she had used Li Guanqi to successfully dismantle the seemingly unbreakable relationship between the Ji Family and Su Cheng.
The thought, oddly enough, brought Li Guanqi a sense of relief.
She believed that from now on, the conflict between the Ji Family master and servant would inevitably be directed at Gu Ruoxue. In this game of chess, though she was merely a pawn, the "general" had already charged forward—effectively shielding her.
Just then, Yaya suddenly flapped its wings and landed on her shoulder, gently preening her loose strands of hair as if to comfort her.
"Thank you, Yaya," Li Guanqi murmured, stroking its little head. Yaya seemed to understand, proudly spreading its wings in a gesture that clearly said, "You’re welcome," leaving Li Guanqi astonished.
"Let’s go home," Li Guanqi said, glancing at the sky. The sun had fully set, and the city lights were beginning to glow.
But the moment the words left her lips, Yaya nodded—then took off into the sky without warning.
"Eh?" Stunned by the crow’s uncanny response, Li Guanqi was left speechless. Before her bewilderment could fade, a sliver of worry crept in: What if this remarkably intelligent bird never returned?
"I hope it went straight back to the estate."
She quickly pulled out her phone and made a call. Soon, a taxi rolled to a stop at the coastal entrance. Behind the wheel sat a young female driver, looking around as if searching for someone.
Li Guanqi stepped forward and lightly tapped the window. The driver, who introduced herself as "Sister Qin," jumped slightly before relaxing into a smile. "Geez, you scared me!"
"My apologies," Li Guanqi said with a polite shake of her head, cutting straight to the point. "Are you Sister Qin?"
"And you’re Li Guanqi?" Sister Qin countered, studying her closely.
Li Guanqi nodded, and the two quickly warmed up to each other.
"That Su Cheng kid didn’t get into any trouble, did he?" Sister Qin asked first, her tone laced with concern. Clearly, she was deeply worried about Su Cheng’s well-being.
"He’s safely back home now. No need to worry," Li Guanqi replied calmly, her expression giving nothing away.
"Seems like Su Cheng’s quite the ladies' man, surrounded by beauties like you," Sister Qin teased, her eyes sparkling with approval. As she spoke, she opened the car door and gestured for Li Guanqi to enter.
"Looking at you, I’d say the same," Li Guanqi said, smoothing her skirt before gracefully settling into the passenger seat. Fastening her seatbelt, she turned to Sister Qin, a playful glint in her eyes.
Inside the car, Sister Qin chuckled and patted the steering wheel. "You’ve got quite the silver tongue! If Su Cheng were half as smooth as you, he’d be unstoppable."
"Not at all, Sister Qin. You flatter me," Li Guanqi replied modestly. "With your charm, you could easily pass for a young beauty yourself."
The two exchanged lighthearted compliments, easing the atmosphere. Seizing the opportunity, Li Guanqi thanked Sister Qin for her advice earlier that afternoon and extended another invitation for her to become her personal driver.
As they spoke,
the scenery outside the window blurred past, fading into the distance.
Though Sister Qin had willingly shared Su Cheng’s whereabouts, Li Guanqi remained cautious. There was no guarantee she wasn’t connected to the Ji Family. In such uncertain company, vigilance was essential.
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.
lities. One day, Qi Yuan was buying groceries when he unfortunately came face-to-face with a monster. Just when he thought he was going to die on the spot, he suddenly heard the monster's thoughts... "This aura, he's definitely not an ordinary master!" "So terrifying, so terrifying." "A fight with my back against the wall, I can't take it anymore." Qi Yuan: Ah, no one told me that my awakened ability isn't telepathy, but rather the stronger my enemies imagine me to be, the stronger I truly become. PS: Zhou Hai in the first chapter is not the protagonist.
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?"
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...
