The balcony on the second floor of the villa offered a pleasant view, with the artificial lake in the distance shimmering with rippling light.
The setting sun painted the evening clouds like fire, creating a scene of breathtaking beauty.
A young woman and a young man stood on the balcony, facing the wind and gazing into the distance, resembling a picture of serene and peaceful times.
Of course.
In such a large villa, there was more than one balcony.
On the balcony directly above them, a group of beautiful young women had gathered: Ji Qingyi, Liu Qingyue, Gu Ruoxue, Li Guanqi, Cornelia, and the trio including Xuan Ying.
Their intentions were transparently clear—
They were there to eavesdrop on the conversation downstairs.
From Ling Ning's praise of Su Cheng, quoting "The mountains are lush, the rivers vast; the gentleman's virtue, lofty as mountains and long as rivers," Ji Qingyi and the others deduced that the negative impact Su Cheng had previously brought upon Ling Ning had vanished. Otherwise, Ling Ning wouldn't have praised Su Cheng's character so lavishly in front of everyone.
Although this was good news for Ji Qingyi and her group, they couldn't feel happy about it. Because such a matter didn't need to be announced with such fanfare, unless Ling Ning had an ulterior motive.
That was why they had come to eavesdrop in secret.
At this moment, everyone was exceptionally synchronized, holding their breath, listening intently, afraid of missing a single word.
...
On the balcony below, Su Cheng held a glass of juice, leisurely looking into the distance, a faint smile playing on his lips.
He was waiting for Ling Ning to speak first.
Ling Ning also held a glass of orange juice, closely observing Su Cheng before her. Unlike his usual school uniform, today he appeared more mature and steady, making one involuntarily want to lose themselves in his presence, unable to break free.
"You look very handsome today," Ling Ning broke the silence first, raising her glass in a toast.
"The hills I see are charming; I suppose the hills see me the same way," Su Cheng also raised his glass in return and took a sip of juice.
"Is that so?" Ling Ning was momentarily taken aback, then smiled gracefully and took a sip. "I somehow feel you are consoling yourself with a touch of resignation."
She wore a cheongsam with a modest slit, neither conservative nor revealing, perfectly showcasing her intellectual charm. With her movements, her beautiful legs, sheathed in flesh-colored stockings, became faintly visible, utterly alluring.
"Oh? Is that so?" Su Cheng feigned surprise.
"Not just that," Ling Ning put down her glass, turned to face the distant mountain scenery, and asked softly, "So, what do you see through those green hills?"
Su Cheng remained silent. Because the rational Ling Ning and the irrational Ling Ning were like two completely different people. The former was meticulous and highly intelligent; the latter was emotional and impulsive.
"I can guess even if you don't say it."
Ling Ning gave a bitter smile, opened her folding fan, and gently fanned herself. "You're angry about my earlier inappropriate behavior, aren't you?"
"Not entirely."
"Then please tell me."
"I can't figure it out," Su Cheng shrugged, "what about me is worth you acting this way, senior?"
"Because what I said before still stands," Ling Ning closed her fan, gazed at the distant mountains, and a faint smile curled at the corner of her mouth: "It's just a normal reaction when choosing a partner."
"Do you know me?" Su Cheng suddenly asked.
"No, not really."
"So, you're still influenced by my previous... ability," Su Cheng said calmly. "For both of us, this is a distorted emotion. It's my fault, and I must correct it."
Ling Ning looked up, her gaze fixed on Su Cheng, silent.
Perhaps, just as she had evaluated Su Cheng, he was noble in character and high in virtue.
And it was precisely this point that made her sincerely admire him.
Su Cheng avoided her intense gaze, cleared his throat lightly to change the subject: "Seriously, senior, I'm actually a very unreliable person. What you're doing is really unwise."
"But everything you do is perfectly executed," Ling Ning reopened her folding fan, fanned it a few times, and continued, "On the contrary, it gives me an illusion that you are trustworthy and dependable. I even wonder, just who exactly are you?"
"You flatter me, senior," Su Cheng shook his head. "A gilded exterior hiding a core of rotten wood—that describes someone like me."
"Why do you speak of yourself so disparagingly?" Ling Ning smiled gently. "Whether in academics, kyudo, or other areas, you are among the best. That is an indisputable fact."
"That's because this unreliable person can always find reliable people to help," Su Cheng said with a tinge of melancholy. "There are always people in this world willing to help me through difficulties. My achievements aren't solely due to my own talent and effort."
Hearing these words, both Ling Ning and the young women on the balcony above fell into contemplation, their eyes revealing traces of reminiscing about the past.
"But aren't connections also part of one's capability?"
Ling Ning couldn't help but chuckle softly: "That is a consensus everyone at this banquet would agree with."
"Hmm... you're right," Su Cheng sighed, as if persuaded: "Yes, so far, my strength has relied entirely on peerless natural talent, astonishing comprehension, and relentless hard work day and night... and, of course, that negligible bit of external help."
"That's an interesting way to put it," Ling Ning covered her mouth with a light laugh, then quickly regained her composure, looking seriously at Su Cheng. "You are truly enigmatic. Humble one second, arrogant the next."
"Aside from my looks and being a kyudo champion, I have nothing. What right do I have to be arrogant?"
Su Cheng spread his hands helplessly.
Ling Ning smiled upon hearing this: "Then I'm the same. Aside from a bit of beauty and a passable family background, I also have nothing."
As a result, the young women on the balcony upstairs couldn't help but frown upon hearing this dialogue. They even began to suspect if the two people downstairs had something wrong with their heads.
Facing Ling Ning's frequent signals of "compatibility," Su Cheng felt extremely troubled.
Ling Ning seemed to sense his distress.
"Sorry, am I causing you trouble?" Ling Ning resumed her gentle and elegant demeanor, apologetically saying.
"Senior, thank you for caring about me so much," Su Cheng said earnestly. "There's something I must make clear to you."
Hearing this, Ling Ning's heart sank.
Just as expected.
"Actually, I already have a girlfriend."
Su Cheng slowly uttered the sentence.
Ling Ning wasn't surprised by this. She just lowered her head, revealing a trace of bitterness, her face shadowed. But she soon forced a smile and looked up.
"Is that so? Actually, before coming, I was mentally prepared for this possibility," she said with open-minded frankness, yet unable to completely hide her disappointment.
Unlike her, the hearts of several young women on the balcony upstairs were now in turmoil. Especially Zhao Yan and Xuan Ying, who could no longer suppress their feelings of disappointment and dejection.
Although they had anticipated it, hearing it confirmed by the person involved firsthand was still a blow, leaving them disheartened.
Ji Qingyi and the others didn't have any particular feelings about it; they just listened quietly, seemingly waiting for Su Cheng to finally announce his girlfriend's name.
If he used them as a shield, they were willing to oblige.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as hoped.
Su Cheng did not say his girlfriend's name.
Because—
"Is she here at the banquet today?"
Ling Ning blinked, her heart aching over this relationship that had ended before it even began.
But she still maintained her composure, trying to find out who her romantic rival was. She had her own pride and dignity; it would be too pathetic not even to know her opponent.
Su Cheng didn't respond, merely taking another sip of his juice.
Ling Ning vaguely sensed something was off but couldn't guess the reason, so she pressed on: "Forgive my bluntness, but I truly want to know the answer. Who is she?"
Su Cheng fell into contemplation.
"Why do you need to think about something like this?" Even the usually calm and collected Ling Ning was nearly at her breaking point. Did such a question really require consideration?
"The concept of 'girlfriend' is a bit vague to me," Su Cheng explained.
"Why is it vague?" Ling Ning retorted. "Did you fabricate a girlfriend just to reject me?"
As she said this, she couldn't help but feel a flicker of hope.
But that hope lasted only a second.
"I have feelings for them, and they have feelings for me," Su Cheng said slowly, looking down. "I don't know how to respond to their affections, nor how to choose, let alone how to handle my relationships with them."
These words completely stunned Ling Ning.
She was utterly bewildered.
She probably understood what "vague" meant now.
Even the trio of Xuan Ying upstairs was stunned.
Meanwhile, Li Guanqi and the others frowned.
"I am just that insatiably greedy," Su Cheng turned around and looked seriously at Ling Ning. "Are you sure you want to wade into these muddy waters?"
"You really know how to joke."
After a brief silence, Ling Ning suddenly laughed. "However, this joke isn't funny at all."
"Avoiding one's own desires is an extremely difficult thing," Su Cheng continued, almost talking to himself. "So I've decided to release them. Although it's not very useful, it at least counts as a response to their feelings. In my own words, this is the longest confession."
Ling Ning involuntarily took a step back. She clearly sensed that Su Cheng was very different from before. If the old him resembled an immortal who had seen through the vanity of the mortal world, the current him was more like an ordinary person who had gained clarity after experiencing the world.
His original "mask of divinity" had completely shattered.
"You... you've changed so much," Ling Ning murmured, her gaze gradually growing complex.
When Su Cheng mentioned "growth," his eyes inadvertently swept over the upstairs balcony, and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly. Ling Ning keenly caught this detail, a ripple stirring in her heart.
"People always have to grow up," Su Cheng said, taking another sip of juice and gazing into the distance, a hint of nostalgia flashing in his eyes. "I've witnessed the life of an ordinary person. He was alienated by society, powerless, and mediocre. Under the vast sky, no one looked at him without contempt."
Although Ling Ning didn't fully understand for a moment, she could feel that Su Cheng was telling a story that seemed to be about himself.
Upstairs, Li Guanqi, Ji Qingyi, Gu Ruoxue, and Liu Qingyue knew that Su Cheng was talking about his life before his transmigration.
He had always been sensitive about it but had never elaborated on his past life.
At this moment.
They focused all their attention on him.
"Is this person you're talking about... yourself?"
Ling Ning blurted out.
"It's not me," Su Cheng shook his head in denial, then revealed a faint smile. "To be precise, he is just a part of me. I am not him, yet he is me."
From this statement, one could infer.
The person he spoke of seemed to be his past self, but now he appeared to have broken free from that past influence.
"Is this what you call growth?"
Ling Ning asked.
"Correct, I believe this is growth," Su Cheng raised his glass in a toast. "For this, I feel proud!"
"Though I still don't fully understand, I suppose that's the gist of it," Ling Ning raised her glass and clinked it with Su Cheng's. "Congratulations, Junior Su Cheng, for finally breaking free from the troubles of the past. This holds great significance for you."
Just as their glasses touched, several figures suddenly appeared behind them. Ling Ning turned to look, and her expression instantly darkened. She realized her romantic rivals had arrived.
And there were quite a few of them, enough to form a class.
Especially, among them, a few—from their flawless appearances, to their reproachful gazes that were seen through yet unconcealed, to their deep eyes that seemed to hide certain secrets—all made Ling Ning unconsciously avert her eyes.
"Senior, I must excuse myself for now," Su Cheng said apologetically, placing his juice glass on the balcony and walking towards the group of girls.
Ling Ning watched him leave, seeing Su Cheng surrounded by the girls, with Ji Qingyi and Gu Ruoxue standing on his left and right sides respectively.
Then, the two of them reached out.
Simultaneously pinching Su Cheng on both sides of his waist.
Su Cheng winced in pain, his body bending as he crouched down.
Afterwards, Ji Qingyi and Gu Ruoxue left.
Immediately after, Li Guanqi bent down and whispered something gently into Su Cheng's ear.
What exactly did she say?
Ling Ning had no way of knowing.
But she knew that Su Cheng certainly wasn't in pain anymore.
] [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!"
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...
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?"
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
