The smile on Gu Ximan's face froze abruptly.
Yes, froze.
An intense unease and panic began to spread through her heart.
In that instant, countless thoughts flooded her mind, one question after another.
What does this idiot brother of mine mean?
Is he hinting at something?
Has Lu Xuexue already confessed to him?
Even if she hasn’t, she must have at least subtly expressed her feelings, right?
Otherwise, why would he suddenly ask such a startling question out of nowhere?
Does he like Lu Xuexue too?
But they only had a princess carry for half an hour—how did things progress so quickly?
If that’s really the case, then what does that make me? Did I just become the best wingwoman for my best friend, pushing my idiot brother straight into someone else’s arms?
Noticing no movement behind him, Gu Luo stopped walking and turned around, only to see Gu Ximan standing there in a daze.
He blinked in surprise and quickly waved a hand in front of her face.
"Ximan? Ximan, are you okay?"
"Ah... I'm fine..." Gu Ximan snapped out of it, forcing a smile that looked as natural as the one she wore during the day, feigning nonchalance as she said,
"Idiot brother... if you want to date someone, go ahead. But I bet whoever she is, she’s not as pretty as me."
'Idiot brother, you’re not allowed to date anyone! Not allowed! Not allowed! Not allowed!'
Gu Luo stared at Gu Ximan’s bright smile, but his heart immediately filled with worry.
Something’s off.
This is really off.
If her lack of jealousy at Donglai Plaza could still be explained away by some unknown conflict between her and Lu Xuexue,
then why isn’t she jealous now either?
Or is she just pretending?
But would a carefree, silly girl like Ximan even know how to pretend?
Of course, there was another possibility.
Maybe Gu Ximan really wasn’t jealous.
If that was the case, then as a brother-con, why wouldn’t she be jealous? Had her feelings quietly shifted to someone else?
After all, Guangya High had plenty of outstanding boys, and Ximan was right in the middle of her youthful, love-struck phase—it wouldn’t be strange.
But.
The moment this thought crossed his mind, Gu Luo’s heart suddenly felt hollow, as if an invisible hand had carved out a piece of it.
It hurt.
So, so, so much.
To test his suspicions, he cautiously asked again,
"Ximan... do you have a guy you like?"
At this question, Gu Ximan’s heart jolted violently.
She took a deep breath, raised her head, and met Gu Luo’s gaze with burning intensity, her eyes brimming with complicated emotions. Then, she nodded seriously.
"Yes. There’s a guy I like."
'And it’s you, you blockhead!'
Sure enough.
Gu Luo’s heart ached instantly.
It hurt.
So much.
He couldn’t help but recall how Gu Ximan had once sworn she’d stay by his side for the rest of her life—those words still echoing in his ears.
But plans could never keep up with changes.
In the blink of an eye, Ximan had really grown up, and now she had someone she liked.
Still, maybe this was for the best.
He couldn’t possibly expect Ximan to stay with him forever, never marrying or having children, could he?
That would be too selfish.
With that thought, Gu Luo forced a smile and asked lightly,
"Who is it?"
'It’s you, you blockhead!'
"I won’t tell you—unless you tell me who the girl you like is." Gu Ximan fought back the urge to burst into tears, her small fists clenched tightly, her heart trembling with fear.
She was terrified that the next words out of his mouth would be her best friend’s name.
Hearing this, Gu Luo opened his mouth, but no words came out.
First, the gentle, sweet image of the angelic Shu Ning flashed through his mind—but then, it was replaced by the fiery red lips of the devilish Shu Ning.
The two identical faces, yet with completely opposite personalities, flickered in his thoughts, leaving him speechless.
In the end, he couldn’t answer.
"Hmph! If you won’t tell me, then I won’t tell you either!" Gu Ximan stuck out her tongue playfully, then quickly sidestepped him and strode alone into the apartment building.
At the same time, her nails dug sharply into her palm, her heart aching unbearably.
Gu Luo’s silence was an answer in itself.
He really did like someone.
And when combined with what had happened earlier that day,
the identity of that girl was obvious—Lu Xuexue.
Right now, Gu Ximan didn’t want to think about anything.
All she wanted was to sprint to her room as fast as possible, bury herself under the covers,
and then—
break down in tears.
......
......
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
] [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!"
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!
't think I'm that capable, I'm just trying my best to stay alive. I've been kind all my life, never did anything bad, yet worldly suffering spared me not one bit. The human world is a nice place, but I won't come back in my next life. A kind young man, who wanted to just get by singing, but through repeated deceits and betrayals, has gone down an irredeemable path.
