By the time Ye Feng and Shen Mengli returned, it was already past noon. Shen Mengli noticed everyone giving her knowing looks and couldn't help but bite her unusually flushed lips in embarrassment.
"Ahem... Little Feng, didn’t you say you wanted to take a nap? You should go now~"
"Huh? Mengli, I didn’t say... Mmph..."
Before Ye Feng could finish, Shen Mengli suddenly reached out and covered his mouth with her small hand, then began pushing him toward the guest room. At the same time, she whispered softly into his ear, "Little Feng, there’s something important we need to discuss among ourselves. Could you give us some space?"
"Ah... Alright... Sure."
Ye Feng hesitated for a moment but ultimately didn’t press further. Since Shen Mengli had put it that way, he didn’t want to be stubborn. He walked into the guest room alone and closed the door behind him.
"Phew..."
Shen Mengli let out a long sigh of relief. But as she turned around, she suddenly noticed Li Mucheng and the other two staring intently at her.
Oh no... Did Yuyan and the others find out that I took the chance to get cozy with Little Feng in the garden while we were supposed to be talking? What do I do now? Ugh... Whatever! They’re the ones who sent me to talk to him in the first place. It’s only fair I take a little reward for myself.
Just as Shen Mengli puffed up her chest, ready to face their questioning, a flood of inquiries poured into her mind one after another.
"So... how did it go?"
"Is Teacher doing alright?"
"Has he accepted us now?"
"Does Ye Feng still have reservations?"
"Mengli, don’t just stay silent—say something!"
"..."
"W-Wait a minute..."
Shen Mengli took a few steps back, trying to process their words.
"That’s all you wanted to ask?"
"What do you mean ‘that’s all’? This is exactly what we wanted to know!"
Su Yuxin stomped her foot lightly, her expression serious. Ye Feng’s true feelings were crucial—it would determine whether she could be with her beloved Ye Feng in the future. If he remained indecisive, she feared she might lose him forever.
"Then, Mengli, what exactly did you and Teacher talk about in the garden? You’ve been acting strange ever since you got back."
Li Mucheng also noticed Shen Mengli’s odd behavior, narrowing her eyes slightly as she scrutinized her expression for any clues.
"Alright, let’s all calm down first."
Finally, Xie Yuyan stepped in, gently patting Su Yuxin and Li Mucheng’s shoulders to settle the restless atmosphere.
"Ye Feng is resting inside right now. If we have questions, let’s go to the living room and talk properly. Besides, Mengli isn’t hiding anything from us on purpose."
"Y-Yeah... I just... There were too many questions at once, and I didn’t know how to respond."
Shen Mengli seized Xie Yuyan’s words as an opportunity to deflect, shooting her a grateful glance.
"Fine, let’s go outside then."
Su Yuxin cast a worried look toward the guest room door, making sure there was no unusual movement inside before leading the way out.
Just as Shen Mengli was about to follow them to the living room, Xie Yuyan suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist.
"Yuyan?"
Xie Yuyan pulled Shen Mengli aside, leaning in to whisper in her ear, "Mengli, tell me—how does Ye Feng really feel now?"
"Well..."
Seeing the urgency in Xie Yuyan’s eyes, Shen Mengli decided not to hold back and briefly summarized what had happened at noon.
"So... Ye Feng has fully accepted us?"
"That’s how it seems, but he’s still a little hesitant. I think he’s worried about letting any of us down, which is why he’s so torn."
"I see..."
Xie Yuyan nodded thoughtfully before letting out a long sigh.
"Thank you, Mengli. Without you, we might have..."
"Come on, I just did it for Little Feng’s sake. As long as he’s happy and unhurt, that’s all that matters to me."
"..."
Sensing the mood growing heavy, Shen Mengli quickly changed the subject. "Alright, Yuyan, let’s head to the living room."
"Okay. Oh, Mengli!"
"What is it?"
"Earlier, in the garden... did something happen between you and Ye Feng...?"
Before Xie Yuyan could finish, Shen Mengli bolted down the hallway like a startled rabbit, the tips of her ears still tinged with a faint pink.
But unexpectedly, Xie Yuyan didn’t follow her to the living room. Instead, a strange glint flickered in her beautiful eyes.
"Heh..."
......
"Sigh."
Meanwhile, Ye Feng lay on the guest bed, exhaling softly. He knew he had to face everyone properly, but balancing the feelings of so many girls was no easy task. What if misunderstandings arose along the way?
Just as he was lost in thought, the door to the guest room creaked open slightly before closing again.
"Who’s there?"
Ye Feng immediately sat up at the sound, only to relax slightly when he recognized the figure before him.
"Yuyan? What are you...?"
"Ye Feng, I just wanted to talk to you."
Xie Yuyan explained her sudden visit before sitting down beside him.
"Mengli already told me what happened between you two in the garden earlier."
"I see... So, Yuyan, is there anything you want to say?"
"I think... as long as you’re moving forward with what’s in your heart, that’s all that matters."
"What’s in my heart..."
"Exactly."
As she spoke, Xie Yuyan reached out and gently guided Ye Feng’s head onto her lap.
"Yuyan..."
"Shh... Just relax, Ye Feng. There’s no need to keep your guard up all the time."
Listening to Xie Yuyan’s soothing voice, Ye Feng gradually let his tension fade. Though he had been alone with her before, his heart still raced inexplicably.
Strange... Why do I feel like I’m not as composed as I used to be? Have I grown too soft?
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!
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
