Alright then.
There’s nothing to complain about.
And nothing more to desire.
Watching Meibi’s newlywed-like alluring demeanor, Bai Xing picked up her knife and forcefully cut the steak in front of her into the shape she wanted—
She sawed back and forth, using the serrated edge to completely sever the tendons. Then, with a *click*, she stabbed the fork into the center of the meat, cut off the top and bottom, leaving a square piece, and casually popped it into her small mouth, as if no one else was around.
“…”
Lu Qing watched her, deep in thought.
“Take your time, no rush.”
He decided to set aside the serious topics for now and observe the girl’s reactions first.
After all, as the female lead, Bai Xing’s every move in any state was worth recording.
Including her grievances.
Including her resentment.
And also her pitiful little face as she pretended nothing was wrong.
…
Bai Xing didn’t respond, but the one next to her did.
“Mmm, so good!”
At this moment, Tang Hua was already devouring her meal with gusto.
After all, it had been years since she’d indulged in something so delicious, and it was all meat, as if the boss had specifically brought her here to feast.
Wiping her small mouth, she couldn’t help but express her gratitude:
“Boss! This is so good! I love it! I want to come again next time!”
Her expression of happiness made her tremble with joy.
For her, this many calories would keep her going for hours.
High-quality protein intake always makes one feel great!
“Sure, sure, next time we’ll go somewhere else, and I’ll make sure you’re fully satisfied.”
Lu Qing didn’t hold back either, showing his care for her almost unreservedly.
In his eyes, although Tang Hua was a bit older than him, her mental age was like that of a child—pure and endearing, making it impossible not to take care of her.
Of course, of course, this might also have a tiny, tiny bit to do with her perfect figure and absolutely armor-piercing appeal.
At this moment, Lu Qing’s promise instantly gave Tang Hua an immense sense of satisfaction.
She felt that with him by her side, no matter what storms lay ahead, she could easily weather them.
【With the boss around, I won’t die.】
But in Bai Xing’s eyes, this was the complete opposite.
Chewing the delicious beef forcefully, she couldn’t help but protest:
“Senior, why are you so biased towards her? Do you want to be with her?”
—The Ultimate Technique: 「Straightforward Questioning」.
As stated in *The Path of Spirits*: When encountering a question that bothers you, you can ask it directly without any pretense. This not only resolves the issue at hand but also delivers a 「Guaranteed Hit」 to the other party, leaving them no room to dodge.
Sure enough, hearing this, Lu Qing felt he had no choice but to respond.
Tang Hua was also slightly stunned, thinking to herself, “She asked a good question… Could it be? Does the boss want to be with me? Does he want to move in with me? Well, if that’s what he meant, he should’ve said so earlier!”
Not explaining leads to misunderstandings,
Thus proving the strength of this technique.
But nothing could stump Lu Qing.
After calmly thinking for a few moments, he spoke seriously: “Tang Hua and I have known each other for a long time, and she’s always been one of my greatest supporters. The cover of my last novel was drawn by her, so I hope you two can get along well, because—she’ll also be drawing you as the cover illustration for my next book, which will be promoted across the entire platform.”
“???”
“!!!”
His words left both girls shocked.
“What? Senior, she drew the cover for your last book?!”
“Huh? Boss, is Bai Xing the prototype for the female lead in your next book?”
In an instant, their eating came to a halt,
And they exchanged glances, reassessing each other.
Such was the impact of Lu Qing’s words.
At this moment.
In Bai Xing’s eyes:
If Tang Hua has this level of skill, then she’s the boss’s 「exclusive illustrator」, indispensable not only now but also in the future, as the boss would likely rely on her for all art-related tasks.
This meant that if she didn’t get along with Tang Hua, the latter could potentially sabotage her in various ways! For example, what if she didn’t draw her cute enough… or intentionally failed to highlight her best features… What then?
That simply wouldn’t do.
So, at least on the surface, they had to maintain a decent relationship.
They couldn’t afford to break ties.
Hmm.
In Tang Hua’s eyes.
Bai Xing’s status had just been elevated a notch.
“She’s going to be the boss’s next female lead?”
“Is she on the same level as that older sister character?”
How strange…
Does she really have that kind of ability?
“Last time, when the boss asked me to draw a character, he also mentioned that it was based on a real-life prototype, and he even paid me 8000 for it… when the standard rate for an illustration is only 4000…”
Tang Hua remembered it clearly.
Back then, Lu Qing had asked about the market price for original illustrations. At the time, Tang Hua’s listed price on Taobao was 2000 per commission, with 800 going to her after the platform took its cut—60% to the platform, 40% to her.
Later, after connecting privately with the boss, the platform’s cut became 0%, and she took 100%.
Not satisfied with the status quo, she naively thought about making a one-time deal.
So she tried to overcharge the boss—
After all, it was their second collaboration, and she wasn’t sure about his situation. What if he never hired her again? The risk seemed too high, so she quoted the market price and asked for 4000 (which she considered a rip-off).
To her surprise, Lu Qing directly offered 8000, saying, “Draw it at this level.”
Tang Hua was completely stunned.
At the same time, she realized that the boss wasn’t just “winging it”—he truly understood the market and was willing to pay above the industry standard for a commercial illustration.
The boss believed in me, thinking I was worth that much, so he paid such a high price.
Since that’s the case,
「What kind of client you are is how seriously I’ll treat you.」
So, Tang Hua gave it her all and drew that “older sister character design” to perfection.
Absolutely flawless.
At the time, Lu Qing’s story had a maid-related plot, so the cover required “an older sister + maid outfit + black hair + a reassuring gaze,” with no other specific instructions.
Following her intuition, Tang Hua carefully drew an E-CUP, girl-next-door type of older sister, which earned Lu Qing’s utmost satisfaction.
“Hmm…”
“So now, this little thing is on the same level as that older sister?”
Tang Hua thought to herself, still somewhat skeptical.
She reassessed Bai Xing.
She seemed… not as simple as she appeared.
【Could there be a trap here?】
Before she could think further.
Lu Qing spoke up again:
“By the way, Bai Xing, send me your bank account number.”
“Huh?”
Bai Xing was momentarily confused, “What for? Senior, what do you need my account number for?”
“To transfer money. You’re streaming, and there’s monthly income that gets deposited into my account. After I settle the accounts, I’ll transfer your share to you. WeChat has daily limits, so if you earn too much, I won’t be able to send it all at once. It’s easier to do a bank transfer.”
Lu Qing explained flawlessly.
“Oh… alright then.”
The girl nodded.
Although she felt there was something more to the boss’s request, and the timing seemed a bit off,
Bai Xing thought that, on the surface, there was nothing wrong with it.
She had previously streamed using the Hoshizuki Rina account, but that account belonged to the guild, and the income went through the guild’s accounts. She was just the “user,” not the “owner,” so after each month’s settlement, it would take a few days for the guild to transfer the money to her, also via bank transfer.
Thinking this, she saw no reason to argue and obediently took out her phone, edited her account number and bank details on WeChat, and sent them to him.
“Good.”
Lu Qing felt reassured and nodded.
He thought to himself: Today’s plan has a trump card now. As long as I deliver the final blow to her—
At that moment, Tang Hua suddenly interrupted:
“Boss, what about me? What should I do?”
??
“You…”
Caught off guard, Lu Qing was a bit speechless, thinking, *You’re so close to me, it’s not like I’m going to let you starve…*
But then he realized that, on the surface, he should treat them equally to avoid raising Bai Xing’s suspicions. So he added, “Send me yours too. From now on, we’ll handle transfers through the bank instead of Alipay.”
“Heh heh heh, alright!”
Tang Hua nodded repeatedly, then pulled out a phone with a completely shattered screen and entered the account number for Lu Qing, along with another string of numbers.
“?”
Lu Qing was about to make a sarcastic comment, but after receiving the message, his brows furrowed deeply.
“What are you doing, Tang Hua?” he suddenly asked.
“Huh?”
Tang Hua was completely baffled.
“I mean, isn’t this your bank card password?”
Lu Qing pointed to the second row of six digits below the account number he had received on his phone, his expression resembling that of a confused old man on the subway.
He scolded:
“Are you trying to give yourself entirely to me as well?”
……
……
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
lities. One day, Qi Yuan was buying groceries when he unfortunately came face-to-face with a monster. Just when he thought he was going to die on the spot, he suddenly heard the monster's thoughts... "This aura, he's definitely not an ordinary master!" "So terrifying, so terrifying." "A fight with my back against the wall, I can't take it anymore." Qi Yuan: Ah, no one told me that my awakened ability isn't telepathy, but rather the stronger my enemies imagine me to be, the stronger I truly become. PS: Zhou Hai in the first chapter is not the protagonist.
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
] [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!"
