"Shen Mengli..."
"You can leave now. There's nothing left to discuss between us."
Faced with Shen Mengli's aggressive demeanor, Xie Yuyan knew it was impossible to resolve things calmly. Her eyes dimmed visibly with despair.
Of course... I’m the least deserving of forgiveness...
......
"Wah... Why? Why did it have to end like this?"
Su Yuxin crouched beneath a large tree not far from the wooden cabin, wiping away her tears as quiet sobs escaped her. Fat teardrops rolled down her cheeks, staining her clothes. The girl who usually cared so much about her appearance now seemed to have abandoned all such concerns—as if losing Ye Feng outweighed everything else.
Just then, a small hand gently rested on Su Yuxin’s shoulder. Feeling the warmth from that touch, she turned her head.
"Mucheng..."
"Yuxin, why did you run off like that? I couldn’t even stop you."
Li Mucheng knelt down, pulling an embroidered handkerchief from her pocket to dab away Su Yuxin’s tears, her voice soft and comforting.
"I’m sorry, Mucheng... I just—I can’t bear the pain of losing Brother Ye Feng. I don’t want to let him go, but the things he said today... they hurt so much..."
"There were so many times I thought about just taking Brother Ye Feng away by force. Those thoughts came out of nowhere, and that’s why I ran. I was afraid... afraid I’d make another mistake if I stayed."
"It’s alright, Yuxin. We’ve done all we can."
Li Mucheng pulled Su Yuxin close, letting her lean against her shoulder.
"It’s only natural that Teacher still resists us right now. Him returning to the city is just a compromise on his part."
"That’s exactly why I said it’s too late..."
"Don’t think like that. The fact that Teacher is willing to see us at all means he still has feelings for us. If we just keep trying, we can win back his affection."
"But don’t you think this is all absurd, Mucheng? All of us have our own selfish desires when it comes to Brother Ye Feng."
"That’s only because you haven’t learned to accept it yet."
Li Mucheng spoke calmly.
"Yuxin, ask yourself honestly—do you truly love Teacher?"
"Of course! Brother Ye Feng is the person I love most!"
Su Yuxin answered without hesitation.
"Then if you’ve disappointed the person you love most, shouldn’t you try to make it right?"
"W-Well... yes."
"And even if the path to making amends is difficult, shouldn’t we keep going?"
"...Yes."
"Then that’s all there is to it. Teacher is someone we all want to make things right with. The only thing we can do is ensure we don’t lose him while earning his forgiveness. Because we’re the ones who gave up our place to Shen Mengli."
"It was me..."
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Just then, the two heard light footsteps approaching from behind. Turning, they were surprised to see that the person walking toward them wasn’t Xie Yuyan—but Ye Feng.
"Teacher?"
"Brother Ye Feng?"
"Yuxin, Mucheng... hello."
Ye Feng nodded slightly in greeting before crouching down in front of them.
"Are you alright? Are you feeling unwell?"
"N-No! Brother Ye Feng, I’m fine!"
Su Yuxin immediately wiped away her tears and stood up straight beside Li Mucheng, not daring to bring up trivial matters now that he was here.
"Brother Ye Feng, did you come back because there’s something else you wanted to say?"
"It’s not so much about having more to say... I just wanted to talk with you both after so long apart."
"Of course, Teacher. What did you want to discuss?"
"Well..."
Ye Feng sighed before explaining.
"My actions may have been too extreme, but I had to do it to protect Mengli."
"I... I understand, Teacher. It’s just... I can’t help feeling resentful."
Hearing the bitterness in Li Mucheng’s voice, Ye Feng knew she was referring to the time they had spent together before.
"I was trying so hard to close the distance between us, Teacher. But because of what happened, everything fell apart... and you left me behind."
"I’m sorry, Mucheng. Everything happened too fast."
"But don’t worry, Teacher! I’ll guide Yuxin and Yuyan properly from now on. We won’t disturb your life with Mengli anymore."
"Mucheng, that’s not what I meant. You’ve misunderstood."
"Then... are you saying you’ll still stay with us? But wouldn’t that make Mengli unhappy? Even though I’ve tried my best to suppress my feelings for you, Teacher, it’s just... so painful. You’d already accepted me before..."
"Mucheng... I truly am sorry."
"No, Teacher, you’re not the one at fault. After hearing about the mission today, I’m even angrier about that. It’s the reason you became like this. If it didn’t exist, wouldn’t you be happier? Even if it meant I never got to know you, I wouldn’t want you to exhaust yourself for our sake."
"Mucheng, please don’t say things like that. The one who’s truly at fault is me, not any of you! Don’t carry the weight of this sin yourselves. I’m the one who failed you."
"But a mistake is a mistake, Teacher. Didn’t you always tell us to face setbacks bravely? Though you forgot one thing—we’ll never give up. As long as you’re here, no matter how long it takes, I’ll keep coming back until the day you accept me."
"Mucheng... why must you torture yourself like this?"
"Teacher... may I ask one small favor of you?"
"What is it?"
"I... I want to hug you."
"H-Hug me? But why...?"
"Because I want to shatter all these damned restraints once and for all."
Without waiting for a reply, Li Mucheng wrapped her arms around Ye Feng, her gaze hazy as she savored his presence.
"Teacher, I want to help you. No matter the cost, I’m willing to pay it!"
"Mucheng?"
Still holding him tightly, she continued, "You chose to forgive and compensate us, Teacher. So why can’t we do the same for you? Isn’t that the same logic?"
"That’s sophistry, Mucheng!"
"It’s not sophistry, Teacher. I’m just negotiating with you."
Knowing when to stop, Li Mucheng finally released him and gently pushed Su Yuxin forward instead.
"My heart belongs to you alone, Teacher. There’s no room for anyone else."
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
and couldn't return to the real world. Finally, I gave up and decided to go with the flow, only to discover that writing a diary could make me stronger. Since no one could read it, Su Luo wrote freely, daring to pen anything and everything. Female Lead #1: "Not bad. This diary helped me steal all the protagonist's opportunities. I just want to get stronger." Female Lead #2: "I don’t care about reaching the peak of the cultivation world. Right now, I just want to enjoy the chaos." Female Lead #3: "What? Everyone around me is a spy? I’m the Joker Demon Lord?" ... It’s so strange. Why is the plot completely off track, yet the ending remains the same? Are you all just messing with me?!
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!
