"Complete the illustrated guide? The Shadow?"
Facing the system panel brimming with overwhelming information, Ye Feng blinked in disbelief.
How could he have imagined that the so-called "Shadow" would turn out to be Shen Mengli?
Whether it was the Bloody Rose or the Black Morning Glory, both bore similarities to Xie Yuyan and Li Mucheng's personalities. But when it came to Shen Mengli, Ye Feng was utterly baffled.
How could someone as adorable and gentle as Shen Mengli be the so-called Shadow?
Yet when Ye Feng recalled the moment their eyes met in the bathroom, he had distinctly noticed Shen Mengli's gaze turning eerily unsettling—like someone lurking in the shadows, silently watching him with a deranged, almost manic expression.
The thought sent a shiver down his spine. Worried that dwelling on it might darken his mood, he quickly pushed the idea aside.
"Right... Who cares about Shadows or not? Mengli will always be Mengli. Why should I fuss over labels now? The road ahead is smooth and wide."
Just as Ye Feng was about to close the illustrated guide for good, the panel suddenly displayed a system reward notification.
"Huh?! What's this...?"
Frowning, Ye Feng took a closer look. Sure enough, it was a mission reward from the system. He hadn’t expected to receive anything after all this time. Then again, his life now hardly needed so-called "survival tools"...
But having something was better than nothing. With that in mind, Ye Feng promptly claimed the reward. Who knew? Maybe it included something like extended lifespan.
"Ding."
A system chime echoed in his mind as the reward was delivered. Before he could even check what it contained, a pair of small hands slowly crept up his abdomen.
"?! Mengli?"
Ye Feng gently covered Shen Mengli’s hand with his own. Even now, he could feel the lingering droplets of water on her skin, dampening his back.
"Xiao Feng..."
Shen Mengli buried her face against his back, her whisper floating softly in the room.
"Now... let’s focus on the real matter at hand. Please give me all your attention, okay?"
"Okay."
Ye Feng patted her hand lightly, seizing the moment to turn around and pull her into his embrace.
"But Mengli, could you wait just a bit? I just got a system notification and wanted to check—"
Before he could finish, Shen Mengli cut him off.
"No! Is everything alright? Did it threaten you?!"
"Uh..."
Seeing the panic in her eyes—as if she might lose her beloved at any second—Ye Feng smiled tenderly and stroked her silky hair.
"Well... the system did give me a pretty serious task."
"What task?!"
Shen Mengli gripped his hand tightly, her voice trembling with urgency.
"I’ll stay with you, Xiao Feng. Always. We’ll face everything together!"
"Mengli..."
Ye Feng took a deep breath, exhaling slowly before speaking.
"The system’s task is... to make sure you live happily."
"......"
The moment those words left his lips, Shen Mengli fell silent, her earlier tension vanishing.
"Xiao Feng... you’re teasing me again."
Hearing this, she knew he was just being playful.
"Heh, I just wanted to see you smile."
"I’m not smiling!"
Shen Mengli buried herself in his chest, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
"Do you have any idea how worried I was?!"
"Sorry, Mengli... I..."
"Promise me you won’t joke like this again, okay?"
"Okay..."
"Mm."
Gazing at the girl who loved him more than anything, Ye Feng couldn’t resist lowering his head into the crook of her neck.
"Mengli, I love you."
"Mmm... even if you say that, I still..."
"I love you so, so much."
"......"
After what felt like an eternity, a muffled voice finally rose from his embrace.
"You’re awful~"
......
After carrying Shen Mengli to bed, she clung to him relentlessly. Only when everything settled did she bring up the system again.
"Don’t worry, Mengli. There’s really no scary task."
"Then why did you mention the system all of a sudden?"
Girls’ intuition was frighteningly accurate. Ye Feng saw no reason to hide it—it wasn’t dangerous anyway—so he explained the reward. Of course, he omitted any mention of Shen Mengli being the "Shadow." He didn’t want her worrying over something trivial. Life was perfect as it was.
"Reward? Like those miraculous pills from before?"
"Yep."
Ye Feng pinched her cheek affectionately, unable to resist. Her skin was soft and smooth, like flawless jade.
"Mmm?"
His touch was like a cool stream on a scorching day, soothing her heart and filling her with warmth.
"But..."
"But what?"
"I feel like the system’s rewards are kinda pointless now..."
"Pointless? Why?"
"Because everyone gets along now. The rewards used to be about survival..."
"You’re wrong, Xiao Feng. If there really are miraculous pills, we can use them as safeguards. Having a few tricks up your sleeve is never a bad thing."
"True. My Mengli is always so wise."
"Ngh..."
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!
ose... to cooperate with the protagonist! Shen Yuan: I have a system! Protagonist: What? System: Holy crap, you're just spilling it out like that? Shen Yuan: Let's team up, we'll split the system rewards! Protagonist: Fifty-fifty split? Shen Yuan: No way! Protagonist: What!? I'm the one getting beaten up, and I don't get half? Shen Yuan: Forty-sixty split, I get forty, you get sixty! Protagonist: Deal! Big brother, come on, hit me! As long as it doesn't kill me, beat me like you mean it! Shen Yuan: Don't worry... I will definitely protect all of you! No one but me can lay a finger on you! Guard our Heaven's Chosen Ones! I'm the only one allowed to bully them!
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!
