The moment these words were spoken, everyone at the table paused their eating, their gazes simultaneously turning toward Luo Shuling.
Of course, Lin Mengyun was the exception—her eyes were solely fixed on Gu Luo at that moment.
The little one paid no attention to the reactions around her. Like a hungry baby bird, she nestled obediently in Gu Luo's arms, eagerly waiting for him to feed her.
Meanwhile, Gu Luo was completely stunned.
He didn’t understand why his little sunshine had suddenly brought this up.
Besides, he didn’t think his life had been hard at all.
Cooking for his sister? That was pure happiness.
"Gu Luo started cooking when he was five or six?" Li Juan was shocked. Her own granddaughter, Wen Qianrou, had rarely stepped into the kitchen even now, let alone as a child.
In an instant, her thoughts drifted back to what Luo Shuling had said earlier at Donghu Park.
Gu Luo’s father was an orphan.
Combined with the fact that Gu Luo had begun cooking at such a young age, Li Juan’s mind involuntarily conjured up images, and her heart ached even more for him.
Luo Shuling nodded solemnly before continuing slowly, "Because my brother’s mother left when he was very young. His father had to work day and night to raise two children alone, so he rarely had time to stay at home."
"My brother took care of his sister... day after day, for over a decade..."
"His father never had time for parent-teacher meetings... my brother had to handle everything by second grade..."
"My brother..."
"In the end, for his sister’s sake, he even gave up Guangya..."
"..."
His so-called "hardworking father"?
More like a carefree, indulgent man who lived for pleasure.
That irresponsible, playboy of a father had somehow been glorified into this diligent, sacrificing figure.
And honestly, bringing all this up out of nowhere was just plain awkward.
Gu Luo felt his scalp tingle, desperately trying to signal Luo Shuling with his eyes.
But it was useless.
She acted as if she couldn’t see him, continuing her impassioned speech, recounting his past in a slightly dramatized manner—almost as if she were trying to paint him as some tragic hero.
The atmosphere at the table grew heavier by the second.
Li Juan sighed repeatedly, her heart full of pity.
Such a good boy, enduring so much hardship from such a young age, yet still so mature and responsible—it was truly heartbreaking.
Even Wen Qianrou, who already knew much of the backstory, now looked at Gu Luo with admiration.
A surge of indescribable pride welled up inside her.
This was her ultimate idol!
However—
Just then, Wen Qianrou’s peripheral vision caught something unusual about Tang Qi beside her.
A single tear was slowly trailing down Tang Qi’s cheek.
Crying?
She was actually crying?
Sure, the story was touching, but not that touching.
This wasn’t just liking someone anymore.
Had she really fallen for him?
"...Qi-jie," Wen Qianrou whispered cautiously, "Qi-jie, what’s wrong?"
Her voice was hushed, but since they were all seated at the same table, the faint sound immediately drew the attention of the others—
Including Lin Mengyun this time.
"Ah... I’m fine," Tang Qi snapped back to reality, forcing down the ache in her chest as she tried to steady her voice.
"Xiao Qi... here, wipe your tears. You artists are always so sentimental," Li Juan remarked sympathetically, handing her a tissue.
Her heart ached even more.
To empathize so deeply—everyone here was truly a good soul.
"Huh? Me... crying?"
Tang Qi reached up, touching her cheek, only then realizing it was wet.
At that moment, senses she hadn’t even realized were numb suddenly sharpened again.
"Sorry... I just think Gu Luo’s had it so hard..."
She forced a weak smile, attempting to explain:
"It reminded me of a movie I acted in before..."
But before she could finish, the tears surged like a broken dam, unstoppable.
"Excuse me... I need to use the restroom."
As Tang Qi stood up—
She felt an icy gaze pierce through her.
............
............
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
] [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!"
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
