The next day.
At noon, the house was left with only Gu Ximan and Luo Shuhe.
"Ximan, I have something to take care of outside, so I won’t be joining you for lunch," Luo Shuhe said as she straightened her skirt, addressing Gu Ximan, who was sprawled on the sofa.
"Mm, bye," Gu Ximan replied weakly, waving her hand.
Luo Shuhe gave her a thoughtful glance, shook her head, and then headed for the door.
As she walked, she sent a message to a contact labeled 【Peak Dad】:
【Luo Shuhe: Dad, I heard Mom has meetings all day today, so I’ll come keep you company for lunch.】
At that moment, the entire house fell into silence, leaving Gu Ximan alone.
She stared anxiously at the time on her phone, her mind racing over how she would bring up the topic with Lu Xuexue later.
Would they still be able to stay as close as before after she laid everything out?
Ugh.
So frustrating.
It’s all because of that jerk of an older brother who can’t keep his hands to himself.
Well, if that’s the case, better to rip the bandage off quickly.
With that thought, Gu Ximan immediately sat up, slipped on her slippers, and rushed to her room to change.
............
An hour later.
Inside Lu Xuexue’s room.
Sunlight filtered through the pale pink curtains, casting a soft glow.
The two best friends sat on opposite sides of the bed, staring at each other in silence.
After what felt like an eternity, Gu Ximan suddenly took a deep breath and cut straight to the chase:
"Xuexue, is that senior you like… my annoying older brother?"
Her voice wasn’t loud, but in the quiet room, it hit like a thunderclap.
Even though Lu Xuexue had braced herself, the zero-warning question still caught her off guard.
Her face flushed instantly, and her hands fidgeted nervously in her hair. After a long pause, she finally stammered:
"Um... I... I like Gu Luo..."
Just as expected.
Even though she already knew the truth, Gu Ximan’s heart still felt like it had been struck hard, a sharp pain shooting through her.
Clenching her teeth, she took the plunge and declared:
"Xuexue, the person I like is also Gu Luo."
The moment those words left her mouth, Lu Xuexue’s jaw dropped in shock, her mind going completely blank.
What?
What did she just hear?
Who likes who?!
After a long pause, she managed to suppress her disbelief and asked in a trembling voice:
"Ximan... what did you just say?"
"I—SAID—I—LIKE—GU—LUO." Gu Ximan enunciated each word with all her strength, her voice firm.
Then, she dropped another bombshell—"And, Gu Luo and I aren’t related by blood."
At this point, Lu Xuexue’s brain completely short-circuited.
Too much information.
Her CPU couldn’t process it.
How was she supposed to compete with that?
She knew better than anyone how deep the bond between Gu Luo and Gu Ximan was.
If Gu Ximan confessed, Gu Luo would agree no matter what.
Just then, Gu Ximan clenched her fists and spoke solemnly:
"I know you’ve already confessed to Gu Luo, Xuexue. You’re probably already together."
"But."
"I don’t want to give up, so tonight, I’m going to tell Gu Luo how I feel."
Lu Xuexue was utterly stunned, her mind reeling from the barrage of ‘bombshells.’
Wait.
Who confessed to who?
Who’s together with who?
Ximan is going to confess to Gu Luo tonight?
This... it’s only been a day, right?
Why does it feel like a whole year has passed?
"Xuexue, I’m sorry."
Gu Ximan stepped off the bed and bowed deeply at a 90-degree angle.
"I really am sorry. I’m the one who broke our promise."
"So, even if you want to cut ties with me, I won’t argue."
"But you’ll always be my best friend."
Lu Xuexue stared blankly at the scene, her brain working overtime as she stammered:
"Ximan... is there some kind of misunderstanding here?"
"I... I never confessed to Gu Luo..."
"You... me... what’s even going on?"
Huh?
Huh?
HUH?!
Gu Ximan’s face froze in shock, her eyes wide with disbelief as she asked in a shaky voice:
"Then... what about yesterday, when he carried you in a princess hold...?"
"Weren’t you confessing then?"
"...No?" Lu Xuexue looked like she wanted to cry. She had considered it, but she never actually said anything.
This was outright slander.
"Ah... then... what were you two talking about...? You looked so close and happy..." By now, Gu Ximan’s face was burning red, the flush spreading to her ears and neck.
"We... we were talking about you, Ximan... Gu Luo kept going on about how well-behaved and adorable you were when you were little..."
Gu Ximan stood frozen in place.
One second.
Two seconds.
Ten seconds.
Suddenly—
"AAAAAAAAAAAH—!"
A high-pitched shriek erupted from Gu Ximan before she covered her face, now red enough to drip blood, her entire body resembling a boiled shrimp.
............
............
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.”
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
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!
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!
