Chen Qingtian vaguely heard a familiar name and looked up, freezing instantly.
Countless memories flooded her mind.
"Sis, you have to say yes when I confess to you, or I’ll be heartbroken. You promised you’d take care of me."
"Sis, don’t you want me anymore? I really don’t know why it turned out like this. I’ve cleaned myself up—please don’t leave me, okay?"
Tears welled up in Chen Qingtian’s eyes. She hated this man, but she also remembered him.
Perhaps it was time to say "long time no see"—a belated, imperfect closure for her younger self.
She stood up and walked over to Fang Buxia, extending a hand. "Long time no see."
Fang Buxia finally realized this wasn’t a hallucination. His eyes widened, and he stumbled back three steps before collapsing to the ground.
"I’m not dirty, I’m not dirty…" he muttered before turning and running away, leaving Chen Qingtian with only his retreating figure.
Chen Qingtian stared blankly into the air. "What did he just say…?"
After all these years, the obsession still lingered. Could it be…?
"Hey, where are you going?"
She chased after him but quickly realized she was far too drunk—her steps grew unsteady, and soon, she collapsed.
The old man at the bar was terrified and immediately called 120.
An unknown amount of time later, Fang Buxia returned, freshly washed.
"I’m clean now, sis…"
But all he saw was an empty bar, with only the old man inside.
"Grandpa Boss, where’s Qingtian-jie?"
The old man gave him a strange look before answering, "She’s at the hospital. She drank too much."
Hearing that Chen Qingtian had been hospitalized, Fang Buxia froze, then grew intensely worried.
He took a taxi to the hospital but didn’t go inside—just stood silently outside before quietly leaving.
"Qingtian-jie probably doesn’t want to see me. She’d be disgusted, right?"
"I’m filthy."
When Chen Qingtian woke up, the first person she saw was Lin Ran.
"Cousin? Why are you in my house? Where am I?"
Lin Ran wore an exasperated expression.
"I—seriously, what were you thinking, drinking yourself into a coma in the middle of the night? You think you’re Li Qingzhao? Do you have any idea how much you’ve messed up my plans? Yao Yao’s in the next room, and I had to come check on you instead."
Chen Qingtian recalled the events of last night, feeling like it was all a dream. "Who asked you to come?"
Lin Ran was speechless.
"The ambulance brought you here. You were mumbling not to contact your family, so Dean Yi had no choice but to call me. You’re such a handful."
Chen Qingtian didn’t respond, lost in memories of the previous night.
"What’s going on with you?"
Chen Qingtian: "Cousin, can you help me look into something? Or rather, a person—a guy named Fang Buxia."
Lin Ran studied her expression and realized this person meant a lot to her.
"What’s so special about him?"
"He… might be the one I’ve never been able to let go of."
Chen Qingtian then told Lin Ran about her past—though calling it a "romance" would be generous, since nothing had ever officially started between them.
Lin Ran, however, didn’t see it that way.
Who said two people had to confess to each other for it to count?
He and Luo Yao had been together since they were kids.
Still, he wouldn’t judge someone else’s feelings, especially without seeing the full picture.
"Fine, I’ll have Uncle Fu look into it. You can contact him directly."
"Thank you."
Fang Buxia couldn’t resist returning to the hospital.
He remembered that Chen Qingtian had said "long time no see" to him yesterday—and he hadn’t responded.
How could he ignore her words?
So early the next morning, freshly cleaned, he went back to the hospital.
After asking around, he learned Chen Qingtian was in the VIP ward, and his heart sank.
The gap between them had only widened. Chen Qingtian could afford the best care at Yi Family Hospital—she must be doing well. Meanwhile, he was still the same ordinary student he’d always been.
When he reached the VIP floor, he braced himself—only to see Chen Qingtian walking out of her room with another handsome young man.
Fang Buxia didn’t follow the news much these days, living a reclusive life, so he didn’t recognize Lin Ran.
He’d heard the name before but had no idea what he looked like or what he did.
He watched as the guy frowned at Chen Qingtian and said, "Getting hospitalized from drinking is one thing, but trying to check out right after getting stitches? You’re unbelievable…"
Chen Qingtian smiled her usual bright smile. "I know my limits, I’ll be fine. Don’t forget what I asked you."
"Relax, I’ve already got someone on it."
The guy sighed in resignation before they parted ways.
As Chen Qingtian turned the corner, Fang Buxia ducked into the emergency stairwell.
He couldn’t face her now.
She already had a boyfriend—what right did he have to reappear?
Besides, he was tainted. She wouldn’t want to see him.
After a while, he heard the elevator descend and stepped out of the stairwell, staring blankly at the empty hallway.
"Maybe I really shouldn’t have come back."
Fear took hold, and he thought of running again.
Over the past three years, he’d considered returning—just to catch a glimpse of her from afar.
But he never dared.
Chen Qingtian had grown busier, spending less time in the capital, so he’d watch her on big screens instead.
Eventually, he stopped even that. Every time he saw her face, he’d lose himself in delusions.
Dreams of her by his side, saying the things she used to say.
Dreams of her giving him gifts, kissing him, marrying him.
The Chen Qingtian of the past had fulfilled every fantasy he’d ever had about love, and the Chen Qingtian in his dreams remained as enchanting as ever.
Only in his imagination could he experience that love—but the deeper he fell into those fantasies, the more terrified he became.
He was dirty. What right did he have to keep dreaming of love?
It was time to let go—for his own sake, and for the world’s.
His parents had passed away long ago. His only family was his older sister, now married and working as a TV producer.
They rarely spoke, and this trip back was meant to be his farewell before leaving for good.
But then everything took a dramatic turn. After spending New Year’s with his sister, he couldn’t resist the urge to see Chen Qingtian one last time—even if just from a distance.
One look would be enough.
Yet fate had other plans. He ran into an "old acquaintance"—a high school classmate who was now a student at Jingda University.
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
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."
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)
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?"
