Gu Luo patiently posed for photos with Lu Xuexue, his gaze always gentle.
Seeing that she had taken enough pictures, he cut straight to the point and asked:
"Xuexue, have you and Little Man had some kind of disagreement lately?"
At these words, Lu Xuexue's heart skipped a beat. It took her several seconds to stammer out a reply: "N-no... not at all..."
What lay between her and Man Man wasn't exactly a disagreement—it was a far more complicated emotional issue.
Extremely complicated.
So complicated that neither of them could pierce through that thin layer of unspoken tension.
Seeing Lu Xuexue's evasive eyes and the blatant "I'm lying" written all over her face, Gu Luo found her rather adorable.
He adjusted his hold on her slightly and continued softly:
"I'm your older brother. If there's any trouble between you two, you can tell me. I’ll help mediate."
"......"
Lu Xuexue glanced up at the very 'culprit' behind this entire situation, but after barely a second of eye contact, she quickly lowered her head again, utterly unsure of where to even begin.
Maybe... confess to Gu Luo right now?
The moment this thought surfaced, her heart began racing uncontrollably, faster and faster, as if it might burst out of her chest.
Her cheeks instantly flushed crimson.
Honestly, considering their current position—held in a princess carry—this seemed like the perfect moment for a confession.
But the next instant, another thought doused her burning enthusiasm like a bucket of cold water.
What would happen when Man Man returned?
How would she face her?
Most importantly... would Gu Luo even accept her feelings?
And if he rejected her... would they still be able to stay friends?
Countless questions swirled in her mind, leaving her thoughts a tangled mess.
What should she do?!
What should she do?!
What should she do?!
Just confess! Just confess!
"Gu Luo... actually, I..." Lu Xuexue forced the words out with great difficulty, but she couldn’t bring herself to continue.
Her mind went completely blank.
It felt like her body wasn’t even her own anymore.
Seeing her like this, Gu Luo couldn’t help but sigh softly.
"I know."
"Ah... Ah?!" Lu Xuexue was stunned. Had Gu Luo already seen through her feelings?
At this realization, her entire body burned with embarrassment, and she nearly bolted on the spot.
Gu Luo continued calmly, his voice steady as ever:
"I know you two probably don’t want to share private matters between best friends with others. But as your brother, I really don’t want to see any rift between you."
Pausing, he added seriously:
"Let me apologize on Man Man’s behalf. That girl’s been spoiled by me since she was little—she’s too proud to admit when she’s wrong, but deep down, she’s really kind. A good kid."
"So... could you do me a favor and give Man Man a way to save face? If you just give that silly girl an out, she’ll take it without hesitation."
Hearing these words—spoken with such brotherly concern—Lu Xuexue felt both relieved and deeply pained.
Gu Luo truly, truly adored Man Man, in every possible way.
And that was exactly why she had fallen for him in the first place.
After a moment to collect herself, Lu Xuexue took a small breath and nodded.
"Gu Luo, don’t worry. I promise I’ll handle things properly with Man Man."
"Good. And as thanks, I’ll help you overcome your shyness around guys." Gu Luo inwardly sighed in relief, glad that his efforts had finally paid off.
Though it had taken a lot of work to mediate between the two girls...
For Gu Ximan, it was all worth it.
And so, the two chatted back and forth, their conversation never straying far from "Man Man," laughing and enjoying themselves.
Lu Xuexue gradually relaxed, her earlier tension melting away as she lost herself in the conversation, a sweet smile occasionally gracing her lips.
But at that very moment...
Below the stage.
At the edge of the crowd.
Gu Ximan, who had just rushed back from the restroom, stood frozen, staring blankly at the two on stage—laughing, talking, so intimate with each other.
One was the older brother she had relied on and adored since childhood.
The other was her closest, most inseparable best friend.
They looked...
So perfect together.
But.
Her heart.
It hurt.
So much.
She wanted to cry.
......
......
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!
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
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?"
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...
