Qin Hao smiled awkwardly. "Back then, I was still new to this line of work and a bit thin-skinned. Now I've let go of my inhibitions. Besides, you guys can't leave me anyway, so I just brought you all back."
"Ha, you brought her back just like that? I'm not having it! When I wanted to become an official girlfriend, you kept me waiting for so long!"
Saying this, Qin Kexin started counting on her fingers. "One, two..."
"Qin Hao! Are you planning to collect the full twelve Chinese zodiac signs?"
Qin Hao wiped the non-existent cold sweat from his forehead. "The twelve zodiac signs? That might not be quite enough."
"What!!!"
The girls' eyes widened, looking at Qin Hao in sheer disbelief. They hadn't expected this guy to say such a thing with such righteous confidence.
Qin Hao chuckled and said to them, "Ah, alright, stop making a fuss. I know you're upset. Today, I'll make it up to you properly."
"Save it!" Su Qingyue pushed Qin Hao away. She didn't use much force, but her attitude was resolute.
Pushed half a step back, Qin Hao leaned toward Jiang Xinyao. Smiling, Jiang Xinyao dodged to the side, not letting him succeed.
Next, Qin Hao turned to Shen Suning, who picked up her teacup and took a gentle sip.
Qin Kexin did the same, taking a sip from her teacup without even looking at Qin Hao.
Helpless, Qin Hao could only look at Xia Lingxi. "Lingxi?"
Xia Lingxi glanced at her older sisters behind her, then forcefully turned her head to the side to show her stance.
Standing to the side and witnessing this scene, Xu Siya felt her nervousness replaced by an indescribable emotion. She suddenly felt that standing here made her look like an intruder.
It was no longer a matter of whether these sisters welcomed her; it was that she was standing between them and Qin Hao, causing friction among them.
"Ah Cheng..." Xu Siya's voice was very soft, but it still drew the attention of everyone in the courtyard.
Feeling her face heat up under the gaze of the five women, Xu Siya subconsciously leaned closer to Qin Hao. But then, feeling that this action would only further inflame the conflict between Qin Hao and Su Qingyue's group, she shifted back away.
Her fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes, a little habit of hers when she was nervous.
"Did I cause trouble for you?" Xu Siya whispered, her voice so soft and delicate it seemed afraid of startling something.
Seeing Xu Siya like this, Qin Hao's heart instantly softened. He walked over and gently pulled her into his arms.
"You didn't cause me any trouble. None at all." Qin Hao's voice was very soft, as if coaxing a child.
Xu Siya looked up, her eyes red. She bit her lip and whispered,
"But the sisters seem unhappy..."
Qin Hao rubbed Xu Siya's head and explained with a smile,
"They aren't unhappy with you; they're unhappy with me. It has nothing to do with you. Don't worry, I can handle it."
After saying that, Qin Hao pulled Xu Siya behind him and turned to look at Su Qingyue and the other four.
"Ahem. What's done is done. Sending her away is impossible. In my heart, she is just as important as all of you. How about this, you guys state your positions."
"Whoever is the first to state that they accept Siya, I will spend a whole month exclusively with her. The second will only get half a month. The third will only get a few days. As for the fourth and fifth, I'm afraid there won't be any chance left."
As soon as Qin Hao said this, the courtyard fell silent for a moment.
Jiang Xinyao was the first to stand up, even knocking her chair over in the process.
"Qin Hao, what do you mean by this? Treating yourself as a prize? Can you have a little dignity as an Emperor's Son?"
Qin Hao shrugged. "It's not a prize, it's compensation. What's wrong? Do none of you want me to keep you company?"
"Wh-who wants you to keep them company?" Jiang Xinyao's face flushed red, but her voice grew louder. "Stop being so full of yourself. We won't be bewitched by your conditions!"
Su Qingyue nodded in agreement. She said to Shen Suning and the others beside her,
"Sisters, we need to stand firm today. We can't let him think we're easy to bully. A month? Heh, we are people who have seen great storms. How could we be tempted by such a low-level honey trap?"
Xia Lingxi kept her head down, her fingers rubbing the edge of her teacup without speaking. In truth, she really wanted to be the first to declare her acceptance. A month! That was a whole month! Wouldn't she be soaring to the heavens?
However, the two big sisters of her faction had already spoken. As the little sister at the bottom, she naturally didn't dare to open her mouth and state her position.
Qin Kexin declared with an indignant look, "Qingyue and Xinyao are right. Sister Suning, we must advance and retreat together. We absolutely cannot be traitors!"
Shen Suning's eyelashes fluttered. She smiled at Su Qingyue and the others, then nodded. "Kexin is right. We absolutely cannot be traitors."
"Therefore—"
"I accept her!"
Before her voice even faded, Shen Suning turned into a streak of light and threw herself into Qin Hao's arms. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her face against his chest. Her posture was gentle and soft, yet carried an unquestionable sense of possessiveness.
"Hao Hao, for the next month, you are mine."
The courtyard instantly erupted!
"Sister Suning, how could you do this! Didn't you just say you wouldn't be a traitor! How could you backstab us right after?"
Shen Suning poked her head out of Qin Hao's embrace and glanced at them. Her expression was extremely innocent, blinking her eyes like a cat that had stolen a fish, pretending to know nothing even after being caught.
"That's right, not being a traitor. I would never betray Hao Hao. Is there a problem?"
Saying this, a playful smile curled the corners of Shen Suning's mouth. "You guys didn't actually think you could stop Hao Hao from bringing someone back, did you?"
"Actually, all of you are well aware of this in your hearts. Since we can't stop it, I can only fight for my own maximum benefit. The condition of one month is quite nice."
As she spoke, Shen Suning hugged Qin Hao tightly, rubbing her head against his chest.
Su Qingyue and Jiang Xinyao hadn't even recovered their wits yet, but Qin Kexin's mind was completely filled with the thought that the second to declare got half a month, the third only a few days, and the fourth and fifth would get absolutely nothing.
"No way, I absolutely cannot be fourth or fifth!"
"I'm second!" Qin Kexin took a deep breath, as if making a life-or-death decision, and violently raised her hand, her whole body jumping up with it.
"Kexin!!! You!!!"
Su Qingyue and Jiang Xinyao were both shocked. Before Qin Hao came back, hadn't they agreed to advance and retreat together and teach him a lesson? He just used such a low-level honey trap, and you all surrendered just like that?
"I declare third!" Finally, Xia Lingxi really couldn't hold back anymore. She was afraid that if she delayed even a second longer, she wouldn't be able to grab any benefits at all.
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
lity and could only live as an ordinary mortal. He only wished to live a peaceful life. Yet he didn't know— The dog he adopted, because it ate his food, became a legendary demon king. The kitchen knife he casually forged became a peerless divine weapon, causing numerous experts to fight desperately for it. The young disciple he took in became an immortal lord that led an era, due to cultivating the techniques Ye Feng taught him. Even the skeletons he looked down on the most were ominous demon kings that suppressed countless worlds. Many years later, looking at the void shattered with a punch, Ye Feng murmured to himself: It turns out the peerless kings were myself all along...
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?"
] [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!"
