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."
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
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!
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
