Su Hua's previously softened expression turned cold once more.
She deeply disliked hearing the name Qin Ruoyao from Lin Xuan's lips.
"She's mentally unstable and in a psychiatric hospital," Su Hua replied, pressing her lips together.
Lin Xuan frowned.
If she had truly lost her mind and become a madwoman, his plans would be ruined.
"Hua Bao, is she constantly insane, or...?" Lin Xuan pressed.
"Occasionally. She's usually lucid," Su Hua answered, her tone growing icier.
"That's perfect," Lin Xuan's eyes lit up.
As long as she wasn't completely mad, his scheme could still proceed.
Su Hua's beautiful eyes darkened with suspicion—just what was Xuan planning?
"Hua Bao, Lin Li's wedding to another woman is in just over two weeks. Could you arrange for Qin Ruoyao to see the first half of the ceremony?" Lin Xuan asked.
Why not the latter half?
Simple—he wanted Qin Ruoyao to witness Lin Li's happiness. The later scenes, where he himself would make an appearance and Lin Li's fortunes would take a grim turn, were better kept hidden from her.
"Xuan, what exactly are you scheming?" Su Hua narrowed her eyes.
"Hua Bao, I want Qin Ruoyao to see how happy Lin Li is. Since Lin Li is one of the people who ruined her, it’ll torment her. Even in that psychiatric hospital, I don’t want her to have it easy," Lin Xuan explained.
Of course, he left out part of his plan.
Seeing Lin Li’s happiness while she suffered would surely twist Qin Ruoyao’s mind.
Later, when the time was right—preferably after Lin Li had lost everything—he could release Qin Ruoyao from the hospital and let her confront him. That would be... entertaining.
"So that's it," Su Hua's lips curled in satisfaction. "I thought you pitied Qin Ruoyao or wanted to reunite with your old flame."
Lin Xuan: "!!!"
Damn!
Where did Hua Bao get that idea?
That was the last thing he wanted.
In the past, he’d defied Su Hua repeatedly for Qin Ruoyao’s sake, and Su Hua had always reacted strongly to any mention of them.
If she truly believed he still had feelings for Qin Ruoyao, it would spell trouble.
"Hua Bao."
Lin Xuan cupped the back of Su Hua’s head and pulled her close, sealing her lips with his own.
Their kiss was deep, intoxicating.
Only after a long moment did Lin Xuan finally pull away.
"Hua Bao, don’t overthink it," he murmured soothingly. "I don’t have a shred of feeling left for Qin Ruoyao. My heart belongs only to you now."
"And if I still cared for her, I wouldn’t have exposed her affair with Lin Li or let Luo Yuan trick her."
"Mm." Su Hua nodded, though a flicker of regret stirred within her.
"Phew—"
Seeing the coldness fade from Su Hua’s face, Lin Xuan finally exhaled in relief.
This crisis, at least, had been averted.
"Hua Bao, one more thing," Lin Xuan asked curiously. "How did you know I was at the police station?"
Su Hua chuckled lightly. "Xuan, have you forgotten? I installed tracking on you."
Damn!
How could he have overlooked that?
Wherever he went, Su Hua could locate him with a glance at the tracker.
"Hua Bao, it’s getting late. Let’s head back," Lin Xuan suggested.
"Alright."
Su Hua’s expression remained calm.
Back at Night Garden, Su Hua nestled in Lin Xuan’s arms as he fed her, the two sharing a sweet, intimate dinner.
Later, Butler Wang pulled Lin Xuan aside.
"Master Lin," he whispered conspiratorially, "did you and the young mistress have a disagreement? Or... did you upset her?"
Lin Xuan frowned. "There was a minor issue, but it’s resolved now."
"Are you sure?" Butler Wang still looked puzzled.
If nothing was wrong, why had the young mistress instructed him to prepare chains in their bedroom?
Yet Lin Xuan seemed sincere.
Besides, if there were real tension, the two wouldn’t have been so affectionate during dinner, nor would Su Hua have been so composed.
Perhaps it was just a lovers’ game.
Butler Wang smiled knowingly.
Ah, youth.
Chains, no less! He’d also overheard Su Hua telling Secretary Jiang she wouldn’t be going to the office for the next three days, and that unless urgent, Secretary Jiang shouldn’t visit Night Garden.
Clearly, the young mistress planned to indulge in romantic games during that time.
"Butler Wang, why do you ask?" Lin Xuan pressed.
"Oh, nothing serious. Just making conversation," Butler Wang replied cheerfully.
"Master Lin, wait here a moment."
He returned from the kitchen carrying a bowl of fortifying tonic.
Lin Xuan recognized the scent and frowned.
Wasn’t this the invigorating soup?
But usually, he only drank it the day after he and Su Hua were intimate.
Besides, wasn’t Su Hua on her period?
They wouldn’t be doing anything—he shouldn’t need this.
Maybe it wasn’t the same tonic, just something with similar ingredients.
"Butler Wang, this is...?" Lin Xuan hesitated.
Butler Wang beamed. "Master Lin, don’t you remember? This is the tonic you often drink—made with angelica root, deer antler, and other potent herbs."
It really was the invigorating soup!
Lin Xuan grimaced. "Butler Wang, I don’t think I need this."
"Master Lin, just drink it. Trust me, you’ll thank me later," Butler Wang insisted.
He had no intention of revealing Su Hua’s chain preparations.
If this was a surprise, he wouldn’t spoil it.
Without the tonic, how would Lin Xuan last three days?
And the longer he endured, the better the chances of a little heir or heiress, no?
Lin Xuan still resisted. "Butler Wang, I really—"
"Master Lin, I spent hours brewing this. If you refuse, you’re insulting me," Butler Wang feigned offense.
"Fine, fine. I’ll drink it."
Not wanting to disrespect Butler Wang’s kindness—the man had always treated him well since he moved into Night Garden—Lin Xuan reluctantly accepted the bowl.
Tilting his head back, he downed the tonic in a few gulps.
Butler Wang smiled approvingly at the empty bowl.
"Master Lin, give it your all these three days. You can do it!" He even mimicked the trendy "fighting" gesture popular among youngsters.
Lin Xuan blinked in confusion.
Three days? Give it his all?
What exactly was he supposed to do?
Just as he opened his mouth to ask, Su Hua walked into the dining room.
pression Bureau] Transported to a fantasy world overrun by demons and monsters, Gu Qingfeng becomes a jailer in the Demon Suppression Prison of the Great Yan Dynasty's Demon Suppression Bureau. From this point on, bizarre cases frequently occur in the Demon Suppression Prison, once known as hell on earth and infamous for its gloomy, terrifying atmosphere! Why do the demons and monsters in the prison wail miserably every night? Why has the corpse demon, capable of transforming into various beauties, donned black stockings and switched careers to become a foot massage therapist? Why has the eye demon, expert in soul-snatching and illusions, turned into a VR headset? Why is the fox spirit performing otaku dances? Are all these occurrences a twisted expression of demonic nature, or a descent into moral depravity? After peeling away layer upon layer of mystery, all clues ultimately point to a jailer named Gu Qingfeng. Gu Qingfeng: "Hehehe... My dear demons and monsters, whose card shall we flip today?"
] [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!"
and couldn't return to the real world. Finally, I gave up and decided to go with the flow, only to discover that writing a diary could make me stronger. Since no one could read it, Su Luo wrote freely, daring to pen anything and everything. Female Lead #1: "Not bad. This diary helped me steal all the protagonist's opportunities. I just want to get stronger." Female Lead #2: "I don’t care about reaching the peak of the cultivation world. Right now, I just want to enjoy the chaos." Female Lead #3: "What? Everyone around me is a spy? I’m the Joker Demon Lord?" ... It’s so strange. Why is the plot completely off track, yet the ending remains the same? Are you all just messing with me?!
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
