"Haah... haah..."
Shen Mengli gasped for breath, her forehead drenched in sweat as her hands clutched her throat, as if confirming something.
Just as the sharp blade was about to pierce her throat, Shen Mengli jolted awake from her wheelchair. Her trembling pupils betrayed sheer terror.
"Wh-what in the world is going on? Why did I fall into that same scenario again... Was it an illusion?"
Her frantic emotions gradually settled with each steadying breath. She didn’t even bother sending a message to Ye Feng—she needed to sort out the mystery of these recurring visions.
......
"Repeated medication leads to the body adapting to the drug—this is what we call resistance. Do you understand, Mucheng?"
"Oh, I see... That explains why..."
Listening to Ye Feng’s explanation, Li Mucheng lowered her head in contemplation.
"Mucheng, what did you say? 'That explains why' what?"
"Ah~ Nothing. I just meant, so this is what drug resistance is."
"Exactly. And the body's resistance varies depending on one’s constitution. For example, a healthy, illness-resistant physique also builds stronger immunity."
"I understand. Thank you for the lesson, Professor~"
Li Mucheng pressed her lips together, offering Ye Feng a soft smile before rising from her chair with a regretful sigh.
"It’s just a shame class is over. I still had so much more to ask you."
"Don’t worry, there’ll be time. Our lessons aren’t finished yet. Once the manor renovations are complete, we can always go back."
Ye Feng pulled out the phone Li Mucheng had gifted him to check the time, noticing Shen Mengli still hadn’t messaged him. He stood up as well, meeting Li Mucheng’s lingering gaze.
"Then it’s settled, Mucheng. We’ll go together next Thursday when I have class with Su Yuxin."
"Alright~ Let me walk you out, Professor~"
......
As they left the apartment, Ye Feng and Li Mucheng walked side by side. Suddenly, Li Mucheng reached out and looped her arm through his. Feeling the pressure against his arm, Ye Feng turned to her with a questioning look.
"Mucheng, what’s this about?"
"Professor, I still feel a bit dizzy. Would you mind if I leaned on you for a bit?"
Li Mucheng rested her head weakly against his arm, her voice laced with a sultry charm that plucked at Ye Feng’s heartstrings like a well-played melody.
"Are you really okay? You push yourself too hard—you should be resting, not overworking. What goes on in that head of yours?"
"Hehe~ I’ll take your advice to heart~"
The two walked in comfortable silence the rest of the way...
"Alright, Mucheng, you don’t need to go any further. It’s not safe past the apartment."
Ye Feng glanced at the passing cars outside the complex, his concern easing slightly as he noted Li Mucheng’s improved complexion.
"Mhm. By the way, Professor, you’re still carrying the phone I gave you~ That makes me happy~"
"Ah... haha..."
Ye Feng knew her words carried a veiled warning—he usually only brought her phone to their lessons. Yet her tone made him wonder if she could see right through him.
Strange... Was it just his imagination? Or was Mucheng genuinely pleased?
"Well then, goodbye, Professor~"
"Take care, Mucheng."
After parting ways, Ye Feng hailed a taxi and left. Watching the car disappear into the distance, Li Mucheng turned expressionlessly to Ah Fu, who stood nearby.
"Father has a meeting to attend tonight, correct?"
"Yes, Young Mistress."
"What about Uncle Su? Will he be there?"
"President Su should also attend."
"Oh? Good. Prepare the car."
"Wh-where to?"
Ah Fu swallowed hard. Li Mucheng never voluntarily attended such events—something was definitely amiss.
"The banquet. There are things I need to confirm."
Her voice was icy as she turned back toward her apartment, an air of authority radiating from her.
"Understood."
......
"Hmm..."
Shen Mengli lay on her bed, staring blankly at the door. According to her vision, this was where the shadowy figure in her dream had killed her... Yet no matter how long she dozed or zoned out, the hallucination refused to return.
It felt less like a mere illusion and more like a dire warning—one that, despite its surreal nature, had felt terrifyingly real.
"I have to figure this out. It can’t just be random... Why am I suddenly seeing these things? Unless—it’s a side effect!"
Shen Mengli suddenly recalled Ye Feng’s warning when she took the "Marrow Restoration Pill"—he’d mentioned possible strange side effects, though he couldn’t specify what. Now, after all this time, the anomaly in her body was these visions.
Which meant...
This hallucination was the pill’s side effect!
Click.
A faint noise at the door made Shen Mengli flinch. She grabbed her phone, relaxing only when she saw the time—Ye Feng’s class should be over by now.
"Did I really lose track of time? Is Xiao Feng back?"
The sound of the front door opening was followed by Ye Feng’s voice.
"I’m home!"
"Xiao Feng!"
Hearing him, Shen Mengli finally exhaled in relief—the visions had shaken her more than she cared to admit.
"Huh?"
Noticing her voice from the bedroom, Ye Feng stepped inside. The moment he saw Shen Mengli’s crimson eyes fixed on him, he flopped onto the bed with open arms.
"So you’re here, Mengli. Did you eat properly?"
Watching him drop his guard like this, Shen Mengli couldn’t help but giggle softly. His behavior was proof he saw her as family now.
With that thought, she crawled closer, cradling Ye Feng’s head in her lap as she murmured tenderly,
"Welcome home, Xiao Feng~"
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)
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?!
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."
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
