【Qu Meimei: Gu Luo, are you free tonight?】
【Qu Meimei: I kinda feel like drinking.】
Staring at the two blunt yet undeniably suggestive messages on her phone, Luo Shuning blinked her large, dewy eyes in amusement.
In the kitchen, warm yellow light spilled down, casting a soft glow over the space.
After handing his phone to Luo Shuning, Gu Luo continued washing vegetables with practiced ease while recounting the incident that had taken place earlier that afternoon on the fifth floor of the student club building.
When Luo Shuning heard how Gu Luo had relentlessly called Qu Meimei a bitch—and how Qu Meimei had foolishly agreed—she couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Her bright, mischievous eyes flicked toward Gu Luo as she playfully scolded, "Brother, you’re so mean."
Her expression was lively and charming, making her look utterly adorable.
Without pausing his task, Gu Luo shrugged, a helpless yet teasing smile on his face. "What can I say? Maybe she’s into that sort of thing."
"After all, there are a lot of weirdos these days."
"Pfft—" Luo Shuning giggled again.
She was starting to realize that her brother was like a treasure chest full of surprises—not only was he handsome and endearing, but he also had a sharp, witty sense of humor that never failed to make her laugh.
In short, he was absolutely adorable.
"You’re still laughing? She was bullying you," Gu Luo shot her a half-hearted glare.
Though his tone carried a hint of reproach, his eyes were filled with nothing but concern.
Unlike with Luo Shuhe and Luo Shuling, around Luo Shuning, he sometimes unconsciously slipped into the same small habits he usually reserved for Gu Ximan—like this casual eye-roll.
Even though they had only recently become part of the same family, it already felt like they had known each other for years.
Noticing his expression, Luo Shuning covered her mouth with a light chuckle and reassured him in a gentle voice, "It’s fine, really. None of it matters anyway. I don’t—"
"I care."
Gu Luo’s response was firm, his voice rising slightly before she could even finish the word "care."
Luo Shuning froze, her eyes widening as they reflected Gu Luo’s unusually serious expression.
She hadn’t expected such a strong reaction from him.
A ripple of warmth spread through her chest.
"As your brother, it’s my job to make sure no one bullies my little sister," Gu Luo said solemnly, arranging the washed vegetables neatly on a plate before turning to face her.
"If it were you, wouldn’t you feel the same way about protecting Shuhe, Shuling, and Ximan?"
"Mmm... you’re right, brother." Luo Shuning nodded obediently, accepting his words with humility.
Though she had technically just been scolded, her heart felt as if it were basking in the warmth of a winter sun.
This was an entirely new experience for her—as the eldest sister, she had always shouldered everything alone, never letting her younger sisters see her struggles.
Gu Luo then asked, "So... why is Qu Meimei so fixated on targeting you?"
"Well..."
Luo Shuning tilted her head slightly, gathering her thoughts before answering with a mix of amusement and exasperation:
"Back in freshman year, she liked three different guys in a row... and all three of them ended up confessing to me instead."
"So she just...?"
"That’s it?" Gu Luo was baffled.
He couldn’t wrap his head around the idea of someone holding a grudge—even spreading malicious rumors—just because the guys they liked happened to like someone else.
What kind of logic was that?
And of course, the classic "she stole my man" accusation.
In Qu Meimei’s version, Luo Shuning had snatched her boyfriend away.
But in reality, it had just been one-sided crushes.
"It didn’t end there..." Luo Shuning pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.
"After I turned one of them down, he went back to her..."
"But... I heard that after they... y’know... he broke up with her almost immediately."
She paused, recalling the messy details before continuing slowly,
"It’s complicated, and I don’t even fully understand it myself. But ever since then, Qu Meimei started spreading rumors about me in the club..."
"Maybe it makes her feel better, I guess..."
Listening to this, Gu Luo’s emotions were a tangled mess.
This was probably a classic case of admiration turning into envy, then resentment.
Or maybe Luo Shuning’s complete indifference had further wounded Qu Meimei’s fragile, hypersensitive ego.
Whatever the case, the situation was undoubtedly fueled by a mix of complicated emotions, leading to the mess they were dealing with now.
But no matter the reason, none of it justified Qu Meimei’s malicious behavior.
Luo Shuning added, "Actually, it's not that bad. Qu Meimei only spreads rumors within her little clique. Most of the club members are reasonable and don’t pay much attention to them."
Hearing this, Gu Luo nodded.
Indeed, anyone with a bit of sense and judgment would most likely not believe such baseless, full-of-holes rumors.
But there’s no denying that some envious people might choose to believe them selectively.
Then he asked, "What about your club president? Doesn’t she handle this kind of thing? Just letting Qu Meimei run wild and ruin the club’s harmony?"
"…Because the school festival performance still needs Qu Meimei and her group to cooperate, the president has to maintain balance for now, so she’s staying neutral," Luo Shuning explained, a helpless smile tugging at her lips.
Gu Luo frowned at her words.
He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly—even in a small club like this, it was a microcosm of society, filled with complicated interpersonal relationships and tangled interests.
Now, here’s the problem.
The special task was to ensure Luo Shuning’s performance succeeded—in other words, to ensure the music club’s performance was a success.
The biggest issue right now was the internal conflict within the music club.
One group supported Luo Shuning, while the other backed Qu Meimei.
So, was the problem going to be coordination?
Thinking this, Gu Luo asked Luo Shuning, "Shuning, how are your rehearsals going so far?"
"Pretty well. We just need a bit more fine-tuning, and we’ll be ready."
"I see…" Gu Luo frowned slightly, lost in thought.
He had a feeling things weren’t that simple.
If both sides were cooperating as smoothly as Luo Shuning said, then the special task wouldn’t have been triggered in the first place.
So, what else could go wrong?
Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he asked, "Is there any chance Qu Meimei and her group might deliberately refuse to perform right before the show?"
Luo Shuning didn’t understand why Gu Luo would think of that, but she quickly explained, "That’s highly unlikely. The school wouldn’t allow it. They take the school festival performance very seriously and definitely wouldn’t tolerate such behavior."
True…
Gu Luo couldn’t think of anything else for now.
"Big brother, you seem really concerned about the music club’s performance," Luo Shuning said softly, watching the way his brows furrowed and his expression turned contemplative.
"Is it because of me?"
Though she already knew in her heart that Gu Luo’s attentiveness was for her sake, she couldn’t help but want to hear him say it.
"Yeah."
Still deep in thought, Gu Luo nodded reflexively at her question.
"Ohh~" Hearing his immediate confirmation, Luo Shuning blinked, her heart fluttering.
She really loved this feeling—being cared for, being protected.
It was like suddenly having a solid pillar to lean on.
Not that she usually needed protection, of course.
But this feeling was truly special.
Still unable to figure things out, Gu Luo sighed and said, "Anyway, I’ll try to find out what Qu Meimei is really up to first."
"Better safe than sorry. The alumni association will be there too, so we absolutely can’t afford any mishaps."
As Luo Liang’s daughter, Luo Shuning’s performance on stage wasn’t just about her own reputation—it reflected on the entire Luo family.
And now that they were family, Gu Luo wouldn’t allow his little sister to suffer even the slightest grievance or harm.
Big brother…
Knowing that Shen Yue was Gu Luo’s deskmate, Luo Shuning wasn’t surprised he knew about the alumni association.
But seeing him go so far as to play undercover for her sake, she felt something gently poke at her heart.
Having an older brother was really nice.
With that thought, Luo Shuning turned and lightly brushed her fingers over Gu Luo’s clothes.
"Big brother, your clothes are getting old."
"Let me take you shopping this weekend."
Her voice was soft and sweet.
"Huh? Oh—wait, what?"
Gu Luo nodded instinctively at first, then snapped back to reality, his expression turning surprised.
"I said your clothes are old. Let me take you shopping this weekend," Luo Shuning repeated with a smile.
"They’re fine," Gu Luo said, glancing down at his casual outfit. After a moment’s thought, he added, "I bought them last year. They’re not that old…"
When it came to clothes and shoes, he never had high standards. As long as they were comfortable and wearable, he didn’t care about style or how new they were.
"Last year’s clothes are definitely old by now," Luo Shuning insisted, tilting her head up to look at him earnestly, her eyes sparkling.
"I’ve never bought clothes for a guy before. Big brother, just humor me, okay?"
Then, with a slight tilt of her head and a playful, pleading expression, she asked in a sweet, coaxing voice:
"Pleaaase?"
............
............
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
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!
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.”
. 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!"
