Hearing this, Gu Luo's gaze instinctively fell upon Luo Shuhe's fair little feet in their high-heeled sandals.
This pair of delicate feet resembled jade artifacts crafted by a master artisan, their skin impossibly smooth—more refined than the finest porcelain, with a faint rosy glow.
Her toes were petite and perfectly aligned, each one round and polished, exuding youthful charm.
After just a fleeting glance, Gu Luo flinched as if scalded, quickly averting his eyes before smacking his forehead and saying,
"Sorry, sorry, I forgot to remind you."
"Does your ankle hurt?"
"You shouldn't walk too long in high heels—it puts extra strain on your ankles."
"This is my fault."
Gu Luo genuinely believed this was a failure on his part as an older brother.
How could he have overlooked this?
Recalling how he'd been preoccupied with complicated emotional matters the whole way, he’d completely ignored Luo Shuhe’s comfort, never considering that walking too long in heels would be uncomfortable for her.
Meanwhile, Luo Shuhe was sipping her coffee in small, unhurried sips, watching Gu Luo’s self-reproach with the lazy grace of a kitten.
Only the faintest trace of softness flickered in her eyes.
"But really, you must not wear them often, right?" Gu Luo then adopted his usual brotherly tone, lecturing her seriously. "From now on, never walk so long in high heels. And if you feel any pain, you have to say so immediately."
"Understood?"
Luo Shuhe continued sipping her coffee, nodding lightly at his words but remaining silent.
Her gaze remained fixed on him, brimming with an indescribable intensity.
Gu Luo, unnerved by her stare, pressed on, "When we get back, soak your feet in warm water and give them a massage."
Yet the moment the word "massage" left his lips, Luo Shuhe seemed to trigger some hidden mechanism—swiftly twisting around and placing both feet squarely on his lap.
Zero hesitation.
"......"
Gu Luo was momentarily speechless, suddenly recalling an absurd in-game username he’d once seen—Every Toe of Hers Is My Alps Candy.
Ahem...
Sigh.
Well, whatever.
Now wasn’t the time for distractions.
Steeling himself, Gu Luo maintained a composed expression, forcing an air of calm.
Taking a subtle breath, he rested his hands on her ankles and asked softly,
"Does it hurt here?"
"Hurts."
Luo Shuhe finally spoke, though only a single word.
"What about here?"
Gu Luo shifted his touch slightly.
"Hurts."
"And here?"
"Hurts."
"That bad, huh...?" Frowning, Gu Luo said, "Let me massage it first and see how it feels."
"If it still hurts afterward, we’ll get some medicine from the pharmacy."
At this moment, his mind was solely occupied with concern, so without overthinking, he began gently kneading her ankles.
Though his technique wasn’t professional, every motion carried care, the pressure just right.
"How’s the pressure? Does it hurt?"
"Fine."
"Tell me immediately if it does."
"Mhm."
Luo Shuhe continued sipping her coffee, her gaze never leaving Gu Luo’s handsome, focused face.
She watched his slight frown, the earnestness in his eyes—all of it silently conveying his worry for her.
Ruixue Xingcheng, huh...? This brand of coffee was really quite good. Sweet, too.
She decided she’d stick with it from now on.
And so, Gu Luo kept massaging.
Five minutes.
Ten.
Fifteen.
His movements never wavered, not a hint of impatience, the pressure consistently even.
"Feel any better?" he asked while working.
"A little."
By now, Luo Shuhe had finished her coffee but was still chewing on the straw.
"Good, that’s progress."
Relieved, Gu Luo kept going.
After another five minutes, he finally released her. "Shuhe, try walking a bit. See if it’s eased up."
"Put my shoes on for me."
Luo Shuhe wiggled her toes playfully as she spoke.
"......Do it yourself."
"Forgot how."
"......"
Gu Luo’s lips twitched, but he picked up the sandals from the floor and carefully slid them onto her feet.
Luo Shuhe stood, took a few exaggerated steps, then nodded. "Much better. Thanks."
For a moment, Gu Luo was dazed. Staring at her, he couldn’t help but feel she resembled a pouting Luo Shuning.
"If you can walk, it’s not too serious. Just be more careful next time."
Changing the subject, he grabbed his grape taro ball drink and took a big sip.
Twenty minutes of massaging had left his arms a bit sore.
At least this cup seemed to have extra taro balls—a small consolation.
Suddenly, Luo Shuhe stepped right in front of him and asked, "Brother, is this good?"
"You’ve never had grape taro balls before?"
Gu Luo was surprised. Who hadn’t tried Ruixue Xingcheng’s grape taro balls?
Then again, given the Luo family’s wealth, maybe it wasn’t so strange.
She probably only drank high-end brands.
"Nope. Is it good?"
As she spoke, Luo Shuhe leaned in closer, bending down.
"Of course it’s—"
Before he could finish, the drink vanished from his hand.
Luo Shuhe took a sip, then returned it with her verdict: "Not bad."
Gu Luo stared at the straw, now clearly indented from her bite, and was instantly reminded of the yogurt incident.
Why did she always chew on straws?
And more importantly—how was he supposed to drink this now?
Whatever.
No sense wasting it.
Sharing drinks was normal anyway.
Making a big deal out of it would just seem guilty.
With that rationalization, he took another sip, expression neutral.
"You could’ve flipped the straw," Luo Shuhe remarked. "Seems like... you actually enjoy sharing a cup with me."
"Which means an indirect kiss."
Cough—!...
Gu Luo nearly choked on a taro ball.
"Enough." His face turned stern. "Jokes have limits."
"What if it were Shuning?"
Cough—!...
Well...
Gu Luo had no comeback, his forced seriousness crumbling instantly.
"Alright, brother, we should focus." Luo Shuhe clearly didn’t want to dwell on it either, lightly patting her chest.
"Let’s go."
"Go... where?"
As she moved, Gu Luo’s eyes flickered downward reflexively—then just as quickly darted away.
.............
.............
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]
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?
esick Sect? Well, at least it's considered a respectable orthodox sect. Wait a minute— What kind of vibe are you all giving off? Shouldn’t this be a love-struck, romance-obsessed sect? Why does everyone here sound more like demonic cultivators? "Master, today he’s getting married. This disciple wishes to descend the mountain and crash the wedding, then toy with him to death right in front of his wife..." "Elder, I only got into your sect through connections, so why won’t you teach me anything?" "Because I also became an elder through connections." Thankfully, Su Ji was just an outer sect labor disciple. Surely, nothing too crazy would— "Junior Brother, you’ve broken through to Qi Refining. Once you sever your useless spiritual root, you can officially become an outer sect disciple." "The Great Dao is merciless. Don’t let a worthless spiritual root waste your essence and spirit, hindering your cultivation." Is this really the Lovesick Sect? ... Three years later, Su Ji sat in the seat of the Lovesick Sect’s sect master, sighing with emotion. His rise to this position all started when his junior sister adamantly insisted on preserving his "spiritual root." "Mmm... Senior Brother, what’s our relationship now?" "Stop talking. Keep going." "By the way, that newly promoted top-tier sect—didn’t they come to buy our Love Beans?" "One top-grade spirit stone per Love Bean—is that really so expensive?" "I suspect they’ve eaten too many Love Beans." "Now they’re lovesick." Well, this really is the Lovesick Sect after all.
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
