"Then... be careful on your way. Call me immediately if anything happens, alright?"
At the crossroads, Ye Feng gently stroked Shen Mengli's head, his voice laced with concern.
"Okay~ You take care too, Feng."
After bidding each other farewell, they parted ways toward their respective destinations. Ye Feng couldn't help but worry whether Shen Mengli would be safe visiting Li Mucheng's estate. Yet, recalling how well Li Mucheng had been treating both him and Shen Mengli lately, he pushed those thoughts aside.
Watching Ye Feng's figure disappear into the distance, Shen Mengli's lips parted slightly, as if murmuring something. A lip-reader would have caught her whispering an apology.
"I'm sorry, Feng..."
......
"Yuyan, are you sure you don’t want to eat anything?"
Li Mucheng glanced at Xie Yuyan, who sat stiffly on the sofa with a grave expression, and couldn’t help but ask. Beside her, Su Yuxin chimed in, "Yeah, Yuyan, you should at least have a bite. Mucheng told me you’ve been up since dawn and haven’t rested at all."
"I’m fine. Don’t worry about me."
Xie Yuyan merely tossed them a reassuring look, her calm tone betraying the fact that she was mentally preparing for what lay ahead.
"Shen Mengli should be arriving soon. Everyone, be ready."
"Ugh..."
Su Yuxin, who was prone to nervousness, instinctively clutched her dress at Xie Yuyan’s words and turned to Li Mucheng for reassurance.
"Let’s trust Yuyan. No matter what happens, we’ll face it together, right?"
"Mhm."
Just as Li Mucheng squeezed Su Yuxin’s hand to soothe her, a maid approached from the hallway, bowing slightly before speaking. "Miss, your guest has arrived."
The words sent a ripple of tension through the room. Li Mucheng only snapped back to attention when she felt Su Yuxin’s fingers twitch against her palm. "Bring her in at once," she instructed.
"Yes."
After the maid retreated, light footsteps soon echoed down the hallway. The three on the sofa turned their gaze toward the sound—sure enough, it was Shen Mengli.
"Shen Mengli, you’re here."
As the hostess, Li Mucheng was the first to step forward, a welcoming smile playing on her lips.
"Good morning."
Shen Mengli responded coolly, her eyes scanning Li Mucheng up and down.
Noticing the odd scrutiny, Li Mucheng remained unruffled but couldn’t resist asking, "Is something wrong, Shen Mengli?"
"Li Mucheng, how do you feel about Feng?"
The abrupt question left everyone stunned—especially Li Mucheng, who was put on the spot.
Though puzzled by Shen Mengli’s sudden inquiry, Li Mucheng sensed an unusual patience in her tone. After a brief hesitation, she decided to voice her thoughts honestly.
"My feelings for Teacher... I’d say I’m striving to care for both his life and mine. I made grave mistakes before, and that made me realize love shouldn’t be twisted or possessive. Instead, I want to earn his acceptance with sincerity. No matter the outcome, I’m content just staying by his side, quietly protecting him."
Shen Mengli’s expression softened at Li Mucheng’s explanation. Under Li Mucheng’s puzzled gaze, she murmured, "No wonder Teacher said your progress is the fastest among us. I never expected you to be the most open-hearted."
"Huh? What do you mean by that, Shen Mengli?"
The mention of "progress" and "open-hearted" struck a nerve in Li Mucheng. Though unsure whether Shen Mengli intended any slight, her usually gentle demeanor faltered, her brow twitching slightly.
"Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just surprised by your attitude."
"Why would that surprise you? And what’s this about 'progress'?"
"That... ties into what I learned from Feng last night."
With that, Shen Mengli stepped past Li Mucheng and stood before Xie Yuyan, locking eyes with her.
"Xie Yuyan, you were right. Feng... has been hiding things from us."
Xie Yuyan nodded thoughtfully.
"This secret must be deeply connected to all of us, right? What else is there about the system inside Ye Feng?"
Though momentarily startled by Xie Yuyan’s deduction, Shen Mengli quickly dismissed it—given Xie Yuyan’s sharp intuition, it wasn’t unexpected. Slumping onto the sofa beside her, Shen Mengli seemed resigned to an unchangeable fate.
"Feng... is going to die."
"What?!"
The shocking declaration sent the others into a collective gasp—even Xie Yuyan, who had braced herself, widened her eyes in disbelief.
"Explain properly, Shen Mengli. What exactly is happening?"
To steady the room, Xie Yuyan spoke firmly, shooting a warning glance at Li Mucheng and Su Yuxin to prevent interruptions.
Though grief threatened to overwhelm them, the two swallowed their emotions, waiting for Shen Mengli to continue.
With all eyes fixed on her, Shen Mengli repeated everything Ye Feng had confided in her the previous night. The weight of her words turned the atmosphere increasingly somber.
......
"What? How could this be?!"
Ye Feng chuckled at Wenwen, who stood with her hands on her hips, puffing her cheeks in outrage.
"Don’t be mad, Wenwen. Next time, your sister and I will take you to the beach too, okay?"
Ever since Ye Feng mentioned his seaside trip with Shen Mengli, the little girl had been sulking, forcing him into the role of a nursery teacher who comforts children.
"No way! Sister totally forgot about me! I’m really, really mad!"
"Come on, Wenwen, don’t be like that. Your sister said she went this time to scout the location for you."
"Scout the location? What does that mean?"
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
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!
