"Are... are you okay?"
Ye Feng asked awkwardly, his voice full of concern as he looked at Xie Yuyan, who was covering her mouth with furrowed brows and tear stains at the corners of her eyes.
"Gulp... Sniff... I-I'm fine! I just didn’t expect you to be so... energetic today, Ye Feng..."
Xie Yuyan sniffled, trying to steady her emotions with deep breaths.
"Whew~ I’m... I’m really fine now!"
"Are you... really okay? Wait here, Yuyan, I’ll get you some water."
Ye Feng hastily stood up from his chair and rushed to the water dispenser, returning moments later with a cup.
"Thank you, Ye Feng~"
Xie Yuyan took the cup with both hands and downed the water in one go. Meanwhile, Ye Feng sat back down and gazed at her with a solemn expression.
"Yuyan, you really don’t have to go this far for me."
"What do you mean I don’t have to?!"
Xie Yuyan’s eyes cleared as she placed her hands on her hips and pouted.
"Helping you with your troubles is something I should do!"
"Who said this was a trouble?! You’re just making assumptions—"
"Wow~ After that appetizer, I suddenly feel hungry! Stop talking, Ye Feng, let’s eat already!"
Xie Yuyan cut him off and began digging into the dishes on the table. Ye Feng knew better than to press further—if she didn’t want to answer, nothing he said would get through. Still...
Never mind. Time to eat.
......
"Beep... beep..."
In a dimly lit bedroom, Li Mucheng lay on her bed, staring blankly at the dark ceiling. The gloom in her eyes made it clear—she was agonizing over how to apologize to Ye Feng.
"Sigh... Why... why can’t I control my emotions? I’ve always been calm in the past, so why do I lose my composure so easily around him? How can I ever make it up to him... What should I do?"
Just then, her phone buzzed on the pillow. Li Mucheng picked it up and saw the caller ID: Su Yuxin.
"Su Yuxin?"
She frowned, already guessing what this was about. Su Yuxin was probably calling to vent about Xie Yuyan and scheme together. But Li Mucheng knew her relationship with Ye Feng was already strained—if she got involved now, she’d lose him for good. Without hesitation, she ended the call.
"Li Mucheng..."
On the other end, Su Yuxin gritted her teeth, whispering the name. She couldn’t understand why Li Mucheng would hang up—hadn’t they agreed to work together? Had Xie Yuyan made her give up? No. Anyone else might quit, but not Li Mucheng!
After a moment’s thought, Su Yuxin gave up on calling again. She’d confront Li Mucheng in person. The mere thought of Xie Yuyan controlling Ye Feng made her skin crawl.
Ye Feng must be under her spell. If I can just free him from Xie Yuyan’s claws, we can go back to how things were before. As for Li Mucheng... she’s just a tool to bring me and Ye Feng closer.
......
"Xiao Feng..."
Shen Mengli murmured his name in the pavilion. It was late, well past bedtime, but sleep eluded her. Every night, an inexplicable dread seized her—she couldn’t bear to dream of Ye Feng hurt again. The sight of him bloodied felt like a knife twisting in her heart. Yet, strangely, as the nightmares repeated, her pain had begun morphing into something darker... something almost pleasurable, as if guided by an unseen force.
"No... I can’t! Hurting Xiao Feng is unthinkable!"
She clutched her head, shaking violently, as if trying to fling the twisted thoughts away.
"Rustle—"
A sound from the garden bushes snapped her to attention. Before she could react, a shadow emerged—followed by a flash of silver. A dagger pressed against her throat.
"Shh~ We wouldn’t want to wake everyone, would we?"
Pale blue eyes locked onto hers, freezing her in place.
"What are you doing here?"
"Hmm? I expected a more surprised reaction. Guess you knew I’d come?"
Xie Yuyan smirked, withdrawing the blade when Shen Mengli showed no fear.
"Ye Feng came alone today. I had a feeling."
Shen Mengli’s gaze trailed Xie Yuyan’s graceful figure, her brow furrowing.
"Smart girl. Then you’ll understand the deal I’m offering."
"Deal?"
"Exactly~"
Xie Yuyan’s mocking eyes lingered on Shen Mengli’s white-knuckled grip on her wheelchair. The girl was barely holding it together—terrified of something being exposed. Time to break her.
"Leave Ye Feng, and I’ll give you enough money to start a new life. Let’s be honest—with your condition, you’re just a burden to him."
"That’s not true!"
Shen Mengli fired back instantly, as if struck to the core.
"Xiao Feng would never think that!"
"Then what about you? Do you think you’re a burden?"
"I..."
Xie Yuyan’s words hit their mark. People like Shen Mengli—broken, dependent—were easy prey. One push, and their defenses crumbled. One less rival.
"You can’t do anything for him. Instead, he has to accommodate you. Isn’t that dragging him down? If you really care about him, cut ties. Stop making his life harder."
"I... I am a burden to Xiao Feng..."
ver to a world of cultivation and returned invincible. Modern medicine is child's play compared to elixirs; technological might crumbles before true cultivation. My name is Qin Ning, Earth's sole cultivator!
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!
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."
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
