The night deepened, swallowing the sky in darkness.
Li Guanqi cradled Su Cheng’s head against her chest, her jade-like fingers gently stroking his hair, over and over, as if soothing a fragile child.
She poured all her tenderness into the gesture, yet words failed her when it came to comforting his wounded soul. She knew that even the slightest solace she could offer now might ease the tension between them.
A soft, intimate atmosphere enveloped the two, safe and warm, as though time itself had slowed, allowing their souls to intertwine.
It wasn’t just the faint milky fragrance clinging to the girl, nor the warmth of their pressed skin—these sensations transcended language, etching themselves indelibly into his heart.
Su Cheng slowly lifted his head, meeting Li Guanqi’s gaze.
Her clear, spring-like eyes mirrored his reflection, and for a fleeting moment, his expression turned blank, as if all his worries had dissolved.
But in the next breath, he stiffened, holding his breath as he pushed her away abruptly. He knew that letting this continue would only spiral out of control.
Indulging further would hurt others—especially his fiancée, Ji Qingyi. The thought filled him with shame.
Caught off guard, Li Guanqi stumbled back a few steps before steadying herself.
Her eyes never left Su Cheng, brimming with confusion and concern. She sensed that his retreat wasn’t solely driven by guilt—there was something deeper, something he refused to confront.
"You know I’m taken, yet you still cross the line," Su Cheng said, brushing off his clothes as he put distance between them, his brow furrowed. "Since when did you get the idea that I’m running away because of you?"
Li Guanqi remained silent, her fists tightening imperceptibly.
She was aware that ever since discovering their shared past in the exam papers, her feelings for Su Cheng had grown beyond mere curiosity. But she didn’t know how to navigate this tangled situation, so she buried her emotions, afraid of complicating things further. Now, she needed to hear the truth from him—even if it shattered her.
When Li Guanqi didn’t respond, Su Cheng sighed and continued, "I told you, my reasons for avoiding you go beyond that."
He paused, then added, "And the effect you have on me—one conclusion I’ve drawn is that keeping my distance is the only way to resist your scent. That scent must be your special ability, right? It has nothing to do with me."
"You promised me," Li Guanqi insisted, her tone unyielding. She remembered clearly—Su Cheng had vowed to tell her everything about his dream when he woke up that morning.
"Right, I did. But I never said when I’d tell you," Su Cheng replied, his expression turning cold and distant as he turned to leave. "I’m not in the mood right now. Besides, there are people looking for me. I need to go before things get messy."
"I want to hear it now," Li Guanqi demanded, brandishing her dark-bladed dagger with unwavering resolve. "The way you are now is my fault. Unless you speak, I’ll follow you—every step of the way."
Her uncharacteristic stubbornness made Su Cheng halt.
Was it guilt over owing her? Shock at her defiance? Or dread of her relentless pursuit? Perhaps all three.
Regardless, Su Cheng abandoned his escape for now, turning back to face her. "Fine, I’ll tell you. But you have to promise never to pester me again or mention tonight to anyone. Otherwise, our friendship ends here."
"I promise," Li Guanqi agreed without hesitation.
Su Cheng pressed his lips together, then began speaking slowly.
Li Guanqi listened intently, not uttering a word.
"What I saw in my dream wasn’t a future—it was the future!" Su Cheng’s answer was startling.
Not a future, but the future?
Did that mean there were two different futures?
"Could it be...?" Li Guanqi’s eyes widened, as if she’d guessed something unbelievable.
"Exactly—our shared future," Su Cheng said, covering one eye with his hand, his voice strained with pain. "The dream was long and vivid. It felt less like a dream and more like I’d traveled forward in time. There, I witnessed things beyond comprehension."
"What’s wrong with your eye?" Li Guanqi asked, alarmed by his gesture.
"Ever since I woke up, my eyes—one has been fixed on the future, the other gazing at the present." Su Cheng's voice was low and hoarse, his exhaustion unmistakable, as if he had witnessed too many unspeakable things.
"What do you see right now?" Li Guanqi pressed.
"I see myself burning to ashes, my life consumed in flames." At this, Su Cheng suddenly lifted his head, a bitter smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "And I see... you learning the truth of this world. Your smile—every joy and sorrow you've never shown—unfurls before my eyes."
Li Guanqi froze, the black blade in her hand clattering to the ground with a sharp, metallic ring. Her mind went blank; her blood seemed to turn to ice.
"You mean... my face can heal? I’ll be able to smile again?" Her voice trembled, betraying the turmoil within. Frantically, she bent to retrieve the blade, but shock made her fingers clumsy—it slipped from her grasp again and again.
"Yes. By then, you’ll have regained your memories." Su Cheng nodded, his smile faint but knowing.
Li Guanqi finally seized the blade and straightened, locking eyes with him. "Then what should I do to—"
"Faith can trade for opportunity. Wisdom can seize achievement. Struggle can win the future. But tell me—what must one sacrifice to glimpse the truth of this world?"
Su Cheng cut her off, offering no answer, only another question. Li Guanqi fell into thought, while he seized the moment to turn away once more.
As she stood absorbed in contemplation, Su Cheng quietly pivoted and strode off. By the time Li Guanqi snapped back to awareness, his figure was already receding into the distance.
Her eyes widened abruptly, a voice inside her screaming the obvious answer—
It was Su Cheng himself.
"Now it’s your turn to keep your promise."
Su Cheng raised a hand in farewell without looking back, his tone weary, almost self-mocking. "Like that unsheathed blade in your grip, my heart no longer has a home. Perhaps... this is simply our fate."
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.
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."
