"Then... does this mean you dislike me?"
Bai Qianshuang's voice carried a faint trace of melancholy, mingling with the sea breeze that brushed past them, prompting Ye Chuan to glance up.
Truthfully, he wasn’t oblivious to the girl’s feelings.
But Ye Chuan harbored no romantic affection for Bai Qianshuang. Everything he had done was merely to secure the rewards from his tenants.
When her affection meter had peaked, and Bai Qianshuang’s emotions became unmistakable, Ye Chuan neither deliberately avoided them nor fully embraced them.
If it were purely a physical relationship—like with Lan Xiaoke—he could handle it. But faced with genuine sincerity, Ye Chuan felt an inexplicable guilt.
Mutual benefit was his preference, but Bai Qianshuang wasn’t like that.
Moreover, what worried Ye Chuan the most was Bai Qianshuang’s memories as an Empress.
That power sounded even more terrifying than ascension—an absolute powerhouse.
What if she decided to kill him? This was the real world; there were no respawns.
"......"
Silence stretched between them, broken only by the waves crashing against the shore.
Ye Chuan’s prolonged silence seemed to give Bai Qianshuang her answer.
"I see..." she murmured softly. "So you do dislike me."
"I..." Her lashes lowered. "I do eat a lot, I know..."
“Though we have a Heavenly Oath, if this is how you feel, I’ll leave. Thank you for taking care of me all this time.”
"No!" Ye Chuan cut her off. "That’s not it at all. You’re beautiful, kind, gentle... Sure, you eat a bit much, but that’s just part of your charm."
Bai Qianshuang stared at him silently, her eyes filled with skepticism.
Had Ye Chuan checked her affection meter now, he’d have seen it plummeting to rock bottom.
"Actually, there’s something I haven’t told you," Ye Chuan said.
"......" Bai Qianshuang blinked in confusion. "Are you... impotent?"
"Definitely not," Ye Chuan replied instantly.
"Then...?"
"My constitution is special. I absorb others' spiritual energy, especially those with exceptional physiques." He held out his hand, gesturing for her to place hers atop it.
Bai Qianshuang instinctively raised her hand. The moment their palms touched, she felt her spiritual energy being rapidly drained!
Ye Chuan immediately pulled away.
"See?"
"......" Bai Qianshuang studied him quietly, recalling that night when her energy had been similarly sapped.
"If we were to harmonize yin and yang, your spiritual energy would be completely depleted," Ye Chuan explained.
"......"
Bai Qianshuang frowned. "Then how come your junior sister can?"
"She’s pure trash."
Some distance away, a certain big-breasted girl stacking sand suddenly sneezed. "Achoo!"
"My constitution craves strength," Ye Chuan continued. "For your safety, I’ve avoided... harmonizing with you. I’m sorry, Qianshuang. I didn’t mean to mislead you."
Bai Qianshuang fell silent for a long moment, as if piecing together a puzzle. "If that’s the case, I can understand. But... what about the harmonization in the future?"
"You’re looking forward to it?" Ye Chuan teased.
Bai Qianshuang stiffened, her fair cheeks flushing crimson like a boiled lobster.
Ye Chuan chuckled and pulled her into his arms. "We could always try."
Her long lashes fluttered shut as she trembled slightly.
Ye Chuan’s fingers danced skillfully, and Bai Qianshuang—highly sensitive—soon squirmed free, collapsing weakly onto the rocks.
"Come here," Ye Chuan said, ready for a playful match. But then, a voice called from behind them.
"Chuan Chuan—!"
Ye Chuan turned to see Luo Xi waving in the distance. "Bring Qianshuang back for watermelon!"
"Got it," he called back. When he turned around, Bai Qianshuang was already on her feet, her face still flushed.
"Leaving already?"
"......" She averted her gaze. "Let’s go."
Ye Chuan grinned. "Alright."
......
"Here, have some watermelon." Under the sunshade, Wang Yanran had prepared sliced watermelon. Lan Xiaoke was already digging into half a melon with a spoon.
These watermelons had been bought by Luo Xi the day before and stored in her spatial ring—undoubtedly a priceless treasure.
"Qianshuang, did Chuan Chuan bully you again?" Luo Xi waved her fist playfully. "Tell me, and I’ll teach him a lesson."
"No." Bai Qianshuang glanced at Ye Chuan. "He... was considerate of me."
"Just a misunderstanding," Ye Chuan added with a nod.
Seeing them at ease, Luo Xi relaxed. "Alright then, dig in."
After their talk, Bai Qianshuang’s heart seemed lighter—even Lan Xiaoke didn’t seem as irritating anymore.
She settled onto a stool and began scooping watermelon just like Lan Xiaoke.
Meanwhile, Ye Chuan admired the girls in their swimsuits, though he lamented not getting to see Lilith’s.
"What are you thinking?" Lilith’s voice echoed in his mind.
"Just wondering how you’d look in a swimsuit."
"Not happening."
"But you’re so adorable. It’d be a waste not to."
"...Hmph." Though she feigned annoyance, her tone betrayed a hint of pleasure.
A violet glow flickered, and Lilith materialized before them.
Bai Qianshuang and the others were used to her presence, but Wang Yanran stared in shock before deciding to play it cool.
Lilith now wore a purple swimsuit, though compared to the others, her proportions were... modest.
"I’ll just have some watermelon," she declared, only to find the table empty.
"What?!"
"Where’s the watermelon?!"
She turned to see Bai Qianshuang and Lan Xiaoke innocently munching away, seeds stuck to their lips.
"Here," Bai Qianshuang offered her bowl.
"It’s empty," Lilith deadpanned.
"Then take mine," Lan Xiaoke pushed forward her share.
"That’s just the rind!"
As Lilith fumed, Luo Xi produced another chilled watermelon. "I’ve got one more, Lilith."
"......" Lilith composed herself, sitting primly on an invisible chair and flicking her twin tails. "Hmph. Not like I wanted any anyway."
"Fine, I’ll put it away then," Luo Xi teased.
"W-Wait, no!" Lilith protested, then—perhaps realizing how her tone had sounded—cleared her throat with a blush. "Hmph, I suppose I could have a little."
"Do you like it, then?" Luo Xi pressed with a playful grin.
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...
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
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."
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
