Lan Xiaoke's revival took longer than Ye Chuan had anticipated, and with no progress bar to track it, he eventually left the room after waiting a while, seeing no signs of movement from her.
In the living room, Bai Qianshuang happened to step out to grab a snack. When she spotted Ye Chuan, her footsteps quickened slightly, as if she were about to turn back into her room.
"Qianshuang."
"..." Bai Qianshuang paused, her slender fingers fidgeting slightly before she turned gracefully toward him. "Ye Chuan, what is it?"
"Why have you been avoiding me lately?" Ye Chuan chuckled. Ever since that incident during her bath, the girl had seemed to be keeping her distance.
Bai Qianshuang’s face was still too easily flushed.
Cornered by Ye Chuan’s directness, her gaze began to wander—left, then right—before she finally muttered stubbornly, "No, you’re misunderstanding."
"Oh?" Seeing her denial, Ye Chuan simply smiled softly. "Want to go for a walk with me?"
"I... I still need to cultivate, to consolidate my cultivation base." Bai Qianshuang hesitated for a few seconds before ultimately retreating into her room like a startled rabbit.
"Guess she needs a bit more time."
Ye Chuan didn’t mind. There was no rush—once Bai Qianshuan figured things out, it would be easier to proceed.
Just as he was about to head out for a stroll, the sound of a door unlocking came from behind him. The gap in Bai Qianshuang’s door slowly widened, revealing half of her delicate face. "I... I’ll go with you?"
"Hm? Sure." Ye Chuan grinned at the sight of her actually opening the door to talk to him.
"Let me change first."
"Alright."
A short while later, Bai Qianshuang emerged again, smoothing out her clothes. Despite there being not a single wrinkle, she seemed unusually conscious of her appearance in front of Ye Chuan.
"You look great," Ye Chuan said.
"..." Bai Qianshuang averted her eyes, not daring to meet his gaze. "You bought this for me."
"Let’s go."
"Mm."
Stepping outside, Ye Chuan had only intended to get some fresh air. But since he now had Bai Qianshuang with him, he decided to head to the nearby park.
The weather was lovely—sunlight spilled across the asphalt, and the chirping of cicadas leaked through the rustling leaves.
The roads and buildings had mostly been repaired. Humanity had shown remarkable resilience in the face of disaster. On such a peaceful, beautiful afternoon, no one would guess that monsters had roamed these streets not long ago.
"Ha ha ha!"
"Don’t run!"
Children played along the roadside as Ye Chuan and Bai Qianshuang walked side by side. The girl kept her head slightly lowered the entire way, her gaze fixed on the trees lining the path—never once turning toward Ye Chuan.
Ye Chuan didn’t mind. After exchanging a few casual words, they arrived at the largest lakeside park in the area.
"Everyone... doesn’t seem afraid anymore," Bai Qianshuang murmured, observing the elderly men playing chess under the shade and the couples cuddling on benches.
"Life goes on, no matter what hardships come our way," Ye Chuan said, sitting beside her to enjoy the view. "Living optimistically is more important than anything."
His words carried a double meaning—one meant specifically for Bai Qianshuang.
Bai Qianshuang fell silent for a few seconds. A strand of hair slipped over her forehead, failing to hide the flicker in her beautiful eyes. "I don’t understand."
"What don’t you understand?" Ye Chuan asked.
"I... used to cultivate hard to repay my sect."
"Now, I cultivate for revenge."
"But I..." A trace of confusion surfaced on her face. The Tianxuan Continent seemed impossible to return to, and her Nascent Soul-level strength wasn’t enough for vengeance. Everything left Bai Qianshuang feeling utterly lost.
What was she supposed to do?
Like a castaway adrift at sea with no shore in sight, she had no sense of security at all.
"Live well. Be yourself." Ye Chuan’s words pulled her back from her thoughts.
"..."
"I’m not one for grand speeches, and at your age, I’m hardly some wise old man handing out life advice..." Ye Chuan suddenly grinned.
"But I think—if someone’s alive in this world, they shouldn’t live just for others, right?"
"Facing your own heart matters more than anything."
"Simply put, make yourself happy."
Bai Qianshuang gave a small nod.
"Sorry."
"Why apologize?" Ye Chuan blinked at her sudden words.
"I really have been avoiding you lately." Bai Qianshuang met his gaze earnestly. "I’m sorry."
"Ha ha ha..." Ye Chuan couldn’t help but laugh.
His abrupt laughter left Bai Qianshuang frozen for a moment, as if she couldn’t fathom why he found it so amusing.
But the next second, she felt warm hands cupping her face.
"..." Her eyes flickered slightly.
"You’re adorable when you’re serious—even when apologizing."
Bai Qianshuang’s usually expressionless, snow-pale face finally reacted, flushing pink. Yet she didn’t pull away, simply staring back at Ye Chuan.
"Close your eyes," he said.
Her lashes trembled, but she slowly obeyed.
A moment later, she felt something being pressed into her hands.
Baffled, she opened her eyes to find a bouquet of white flowers.
"Flowers...?"
"Spirit-Calming Blossoms. You should recognize them, right?" Ye Chuan said. "They have a soothing effect on cultivators. I figured you overthink things sometimes—don’t strain yourself so much."
"Flowers..." Bai Qianshuang held them silently against her chest.
Noticing the way she was looking at him, Ye Chuan smirked, amusement crinkling the corners of his eyes. "What? Did you think I was going to kiss you?"
Caught off guard, Bai Qianshuang stiffened like a robot before mechanically turning her back to him. "I thought... you were going to teach me a cultivation technique."
"Terrible excuse."
"..." She turned back around, clutching the flowers before finally meeting his gaze. "Ye Chuan... do you want to become my Dao Companion?"
"The kind with feelings, or without?" Ye Chuan knew Bai Qianshuang’s understanding of Dao Companions differed from others—or perhaps he himself wasn’t entirely clear on how things worked in the Tianxuan Continent.
"I want..." She hesitated. "The kind with feelings."
"Then you wouldn’t take another Dao Companion, would you?"
"No." Bai Qianshuang shook her head. "Only you, Ye Chuan."
"I see..." Ye Chuan grinned.
"Let me think about it. Or—how about you kiss me now? Then I’ll say yes."
The blush on Bai Qianshuang’s face deepened. Gripping the bouquet tightly, her voice trembled slightly.
"You’re terrible."
orn and Humiliation】【Forced Love】 In his past life, Lin Ran was betrayed and murdered by his girlfriend and family, while the yandere female aristocrat, who had treated him as a mere plaything, avenged him by doing in his enemies. Upon seeing the yandere female aristocrat lying in the same coffin, ready to die with him, Lin Ran realized how profoundly mistaken he had been. Reborn, he abandoned the fickle campus beauty and wholeheartedly embraced the yandere female aristocrat's arms. "Ran! If I dig out your eyes and turn them into a specimen, you'll only be able to look at me!" Lin Ran: "Darling, kiss me!" "Ran! If I break your legs, you won't run away anymore, right?" Lin Ran: "Love, hold me tight!" "Ran! If..." Lin Ran: "Hush now! Love me more!" Luo Yao: ... Seeing his scumbag dad: "Take him out!" Seeing his stepmother: "Get rid of her!" Seeing his brother: "Eliminate him!" Seeing his white moonlight: "Send that to Southeast Asia!"
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
saw a female celebrity tied up and stuffed in the trunk! Little did he know, countless cameras were aimed at him at this moment - this was a new type of reality show. The first randomly selected passerby was caught in less than an hour. But when Xu Moru was selected, things started to take an unexpected turn. "Damn, this isn't how the script goes. This Xu Moru is too bold, he's not following the rules at all." "Crap, is this guy taking it seriously?" "The female celebrity has been scared to tears!"
ial death, also known as "shè sǐ" in Chinese, generally refers to... well, never mind, it's not important. My name is Ye Cheng, and I'm about to experience social death firsthand. ... 【Host, your mission is to confess your love to the young lady of the Dongfang family, the current student council president, in a way that will be unforgettable for everyone at the freshman ceremony!】 【Host, assist the girl with a sprained ankle in front of you to reach the infirmary, and fulfill the wicked thoughts in your heart!】 【Host, act on your desires and punish the arrogant young lady before you mercilessly!】 【Host, follow your instincts—abandon shameful surrender, begging, or groveling, and ruthlessly criticize the domineering, ill-mannered young lady in front of you!】 【Host...】 Ye Cheng: "Here, here, you take this host role—I quit!" Wait, why is the girl with a sprained ankle the daughter of a mafia boss? And what kind of punishment method is this for the arrogant young lady? Also, who the heck said anything about wicked thoughts in my heart? Come out here, let’s settle this one-on-one!!! ... The haughty student council president, the scheming mafia princess, the fragile yandere young lady, the airheaded maid-in-waiting, the mixed-blood loli/...
