As Liu Ruxue appeared, all eyes in the courtroom were drawn to her.
Dressed in prison garb, her hair slightly disheveled, she still carried traces of her former beauty.
The moment she saw Lin Ran, a flicker of delight flashed in her eyes, followed by a shy, coquettish smile—one that mirrored the playful, ambiguous expressions she used to give him back in their school days.
Lin Ran shuddered, a wave of disgust rising in his chest.
How can you still smile when you’re about to be locked away? he thought. And why the hell are you smiling at me? Do you actually think I’d still have feelings for you?
Unable to hold back, Lin Ran stood up and shouted, “Liu Ruxue, just go back to Gotham. Batman says he won’t arrest you anymore.”
Everyone: ???
Court staff: “All observers, please remain orderly—uh, Young Master Lin? Please… sit down.”
Phew. Thank goodness I recognized his face in time. My job is safe.
Liu Ruxue froze momentarily but then relaxed.
Lin Ran must be acting this way to avoid arousing suspicion from Luo Yao’s people. He still loves me. Seeing him so upset… it breaks my heart.
During the trial, Liu Ruxue admitted to all the criminal charges brought by the prosecution. Her head hung low, her voice soft, yet every word echoed through the courtroom.
Huo Haini’s parents sat in the plaintiff’s seats. Upon hearing Liu Ruxue’s confession, they wailed in anguish, their grief threatening to drown out the entire proceedings.
Their eyes burned with hatred and pain—they looked ready to lunge at Liu Ruxue and tear her apart on the spot.
To them, she was a demon who had stolen their child’s life.
No matter how despicable a person may be, in their parents’ eyes, they will always be a good child. The loss was unbearable, and having the murderer standing before them only deepened their agony.
In the end, thanks to Xu Kai’s “vigorous defense,” Liu Ruxue was sentenced to 16 years in prison, effective immediately.
She accepted the verdict without appeal.
Lin Ran exhaled in relief, his body relaxing slightly as a glint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes.
Seeing his expression, Liu Ruxue misinterpreted it as confidence that he would save her. Reassured, she smiled at him again.
But after days of suffering in detention, her face was bruised and pale, making her grin appear ghastly—more unsettling than a grimace.
Lin Ran was baffled. What the hell is wrong with you? Why do you keep smiling at me?
He cursed under his breath, his disdain for her growing even stronger.
Once Liu Ruxue was taken away, Xu Kai approached Lin Ran with the sentencing documents.
“Mr. Lin, Liu Ruxue is finished. Sixteen years—her youth will be spent behind bars.”
Lin Ran sighed, his gaze lingering in the direction she had been led. A storm of emotions churned within him.
Liu Ruxue… you brought this upon yourself.
He remembered how deeply he had once loved her—how he would have given everything for her. And what had she done in return? She manipulated him, toyed with his emotions, keeping him dangling between love and hatred. But worst of all, she had conspired with Liu Yuemei and Lin Jian to kill him—a pain he could never forget.
Your suffering now is just the karma for your sins.
It seemed fate could indeed be rewritten, and justice would always prevail.
Lin Ran felt no sympathy for Liu Ruxue’s fate—only a righteous sense of vindication.
If I pitied my own enemy, wouldn’t that make me a saint?
Still, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment. Her punishment wasn’t as severe as it had been in his past life.
When she’s finally released, I’ll make sure she gets sent somewhere even more… entertaining. She’ll pay a heavier price for what she’s done. But that’s a matter for another day.
As Lin Ran left the courthouse, Liu Ruxue was transported to the First Women’s Prison on the outskirts of the city.
The police van sped down the highway, the scenery outside blurring past like the freedom she had lost.
When the vehicle finally came to a stop, Liu Ruxue arrived at the place every woman feared—a cage of concrete and steel.
The prison’s towering walls loomed ominously under the sunlight, its black iron gates shut tight like a gaping maw ready to swallow all who entered.
Staring at the imposing structure, Liu Ruxue finally felt fear.
Her body trembled slightly, her eyes wide with terror. It was as if stepping through those gates meant she would never come out again.
Escorted by the officers behind her, she trudged forward, her legs heavy as lead. Every step was a struggle, her knees nearly buckling beneath her.
Lin Ran will find a way. Stay strong, Liu Ruxue. As long as you’re alive, there’s still hope.
She repeated the words in her mind, trying to steel herself, but the overwhelming dread still crashed over her like a tidal wave.
Once inside, she was handed over to the prison guards. From this moment on, she would face the darkest chapter of her life.
After collecting her assigned belongings, Liu Ruxue carried a basin down the prison corridor.
“Liu Ruxue!” a guard barked, the sharp command reverberating off the walls.
“Here!” She stood rigidly at attention, clutching her meager possessions, forcing herself to appear composed.
Her delicate beauty stood out starkly in the grim surroundings—like a flower blooming in hell.
Meanwhile, inmates pressed their faces against the bars, scrutinizing the newcomer. Their eyes brimmed with curiosity and malice, like wolves eyeing fresh prey.
What kind of murderer could someone this beautiful be?
They speculated about her story while already plotting how to “welcome” her.
Before her arrival, the prison’s top dog had already given orders: this Liu Ruxue needed to be “educated.”
And in this place, everyone knew what “education” meant.
It was brutal torment—a merciless assault on both body and dignity.
Greedy eyes followed her, some filled with pity—though that pity was laced with schadenfreude.
They all knew: starting tonight, this woman’s suffering would begin.
“This is your spot,” the guard said, gesturing to a cell. “Rules are posted on the wall. Follow them. Understood?”
“Yes.” Liu Ruxue stepped inside, her every movement still carrying an air of her former “nobility.”
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
o a martial world and obtained a system that allowed him to draw one entry per year. Unfortunately, all he drew were useless white-tier entries. The probability for high-quality entries was extremely low, with the highest-tier mythic entry having a mere 0.001% chance! To increase the probability, he had to improve his martial realm, but he lacked the innate talent for cultivation. At the age of eighteen, Chen Yi fell into the hands of a gang and was forced into hard labor. Just as his life seemed destined for a bleak end, on his 18th entry draw, he actually pulled a mythic entry—Simulator! In the simulation, he could also draw one entry every year that passed, and upon ending the simulation, he would inherit all entries and his martial realm! In his first simulation, Chen Yi struggled desperately just to survive, knowing that living one more year meant one more entry draw! Finally, with hair turned white, he drew the entry he had longed for—Low-Grade Innate Talent! "Hahaha! Don't bully the old and poor! Time to cultivate and inherit my cultivation base!" ... From then on, Chen Yi continuously simulated and drew entries, his martial realm soaring higher and higher! Epic, legendary, and even mythic entries were gathered into his collection one after another! "What demon race or devil race? What dark turmoil? I don't know anything about that. They just charged at me screaming 'How can you possibly ascend to immortality?!' and got stuck to my fists, unable to be shaken off. Blind spots, speed bumps... go talk to my simulator. We're all struggling to survive out here. I'm trying so hard, so how are they still alive?"
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!"
