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.
......
......
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
shall grant"] ["Inscribing the glory of our race upon tombstones"] ["All that is threatened, I shall protect"] How his younger sister sees her brother: A brother who only makes eye contact once a day, mostly fading into the background as he tinkers with who-knows-what in his room all day. Their life paths should have remained largely separate. Until one day. Su Qi created an equipment card for his never-met "online girlfriend." His sister fell into silent contemplation upon receiving the "white stockings." [Card can be upgraded] [Upgrade by fulfilling any of the following conditions] [Condition ①: Consume one hundred higher-tier cards] [Condition ②: Complete one 'Heart-Pounding Adventure'] What constitutes a Heart-Pounding Adventure? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Beginner Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to admire it.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Easy Level): Equip the card, invite 'Su Qi' to touch it, and analyze the equipment's texture.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Entry Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to...] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Challenge Level): Freely combine the words 'Brother' 'Out' 'Brother' 'Me' 'Please' into a complete sentence...] "Please help me analyze both teams' mistakes in this match, brother..." His sister exhaled in relief—surely... surely there couldn't be anything more difficult? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Suicide Mission Level): Sneak a peek at the names of the galgames in 'Su Qi's' hidden E-drive folder]
th】 【No prior gaming knowledge required】【The First Cultivation + Game Design Novel on the Platform】 In a world where the righteous path dominates and crushes the demonic sects, Lu Ze unlocks the "Son of the Demon Path" system. Killing righteous cultivators now grants him power-ups. Wait—deaths in illusions count too? As a former game designer, Lu Ze decides to give the cultivators of this world a little—no, a massive—shock... Sect Elders: "What is this 'Escape from the Demon Sect' game? Why have all our disciples abandoned cultivation to play it??" Elite Disciples: "You're saying... mastering 'Demon Slayer' can help us counter demonic schemes?" Reclusive Masters: "Why did I leave seclusion? Ask that backstabbing rat who ambushed me in 'Eternal Strife' yesterday!" Rogue Cultivators & Civilians: "'Immortal Abyss Action' is addictive! You can even earn spirit stones by loot-running..." Sect Prodigy: "My Dao heart is unshakable... except for that cursed black hammer." Royal Scions: "Can skins have stat boosts? I’ll pay 10,000 spirit stones for one!!" Sect Leader: "WHO IS CORRUPTING MY DISCIPLES?!!!"
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
