"Director." Qin Ruoyao spoke in a deliberately sweet voice, "Let me serve you."
"Get the hell away from me!"
The director kicked Qin Ruoyao away.
With a sharp "Ah—", Qin Ruoyao fell to the floor.
The director stood up from his chair and walked over to her, his face twisted in disgust. "Look at yourself. And the way you throw yourself at anyone—even if you offered yourself to me, I’d still find you filthy."
Besides, if Boss Su found out he had any involvement with Qin Ruoyao, his position as director of this psychiatric hospital would be over.
"Take her away," the director ordered the orderly.
"Yes, sir."
The orderly immediately obeyed, locking Qin Ruoyao in a room with other female patients who had suffered emotional trauma.
He turned on the TV inside, replaying the video from Lin Li’s engagement ceremony.
Once the video ended, the orderly pointed at Qin Ruoyao and announced, "You saw the footage. Lin Li is already engaged, with a fiancée. Yet Qin Ruoyao here tried to seduce him, scheming to replace his fiancée and take her place."
A homewrecker?
The three female patients fixed their terrifying gazes on Qin Ruoyao.
Her body trembled uncontrollably.
"Qin Ruoyao, enjoy your stay," the orderly said before shutting the door.
The women stared at her, unblinking, then slowly advanced toward her.
Qin Ruoyao’s legs shook violently.
"Tch." One of the women grabbed her hair and yanked. "You like stealing men, huh? You enjoy breaking up relationships?"
"Steal? Let’s see you steal now!"
Slap! Slap! Slap! The woman struck Qin Ruoyao’s face repeatedly.
"No, stop!" Qin Ruoyao screamed, trying to resist. But her frail body was no match for three deranged psychiatric patients.
She couldn’t fight back.
Screams of agony echoed from the room.
Despair filled Qin Ruoyao’s eyes.
"Lin Li, just you wait! I won’t let you get away with this!" she hissed, her eyes burning with hatred.
She loathed Lin Xuan and Su Hua—they were the ones who had ruined her, the ones who had locked her in this hellhole.
But after enduring life in the psychiatric ward, fear had begun to outweigh her hatred for them.
Too afraid to retaliate against Su Hua and Lin Xuan, she redirected all her rage toward Lin Li instead.
If she ever escaped this place, she would make sure Lin Li regretted ever using her and then discarding her like trash. While she rotted in this asylum, he was living the good life!
The director watched the surveillance footage with satisfaction.
"Boss Su should be pleased with this," he muttered to himself.
He compiled the footage from the room with the earlier clips he’d recorded on his phone and sent them to Secretary Jiang.
After reviewing the video and finding no issues, Secretary Jiang forwarded it to Su Hua’s phone.
[Boss Su, the psychiatric hospital has followed your instructions and tortured Qin Ruoyao. Here’s the footage.]
Soon after, the head of the Midnight Rose intelligence network contacted Jiang Qing.
"What’s the matter?" Jiang Qing asked.
"Secretary Jiang," the man rubbed his hands together nervously, "I was wondering… how are Boss Su and her boyfriend doing?"
"Their relationship?" Jiang Qing answered without hesitation, "Perfectly fine. Why do you ask?"
"That can’t be right. How could they be fine?" The man frowned.
Weren’t they supposed to be fighting?
How could things be good between them?
"Secretary Jiang, are you sure?" he pressed.
"Absolutely," Jiang Qing confirmed. If they weren’t on good terms, why would they have been so lovey-dovey just yesterday?
"Why are you asking this?" she questioned.
"Well… you had us dig up photos of Young Master Lin being intimate with other women. I assumed Boss Su and he had a falling out, which was why you wanted those."
"Oh, that?" Jiang Qing chuckled. "Boss Su just wanted an excuse to lock Young Master Lin in the black room for fun."
"She didn’t say it outright, but I’m pretty sure that’s the case."
The man: "..."
What a letdown.
He had genuinely thought they were in conflict—that Boss Su had grown tired of Lin Xuan. Turns out, they’d just become part of the couple’s little game.
Night Garden.
Lin Xuan stepped out of the bathroom after brushing his teeth and washing his face.
Su Hua had just woken up and saw Secretary Jiang’s message. She casually tapped on it.
The video was lengthy.
Su Hua watched intently.
The agonized screams of Qin Ruoyao from her phone sent a strange thrill through her.
It wasn’t just Qin Ruoyao—inflicting suffering on others always gave Su Hua a rush.
If she didn’t have to stay at Night Garden with Xuan, she would’ve loved to torture Qin Ruoyao herself.
Come to think of it, it had been a while since she’d last tormented someone.
Too engrossed in the video, she didn’t notice Lin Xuan approaching.
"Hua Bao, whose screams are those?" Lin Xuan asked, puzzled.
The voice sounded eerily familiar.
Almost like… Qin Ruoyao’s?
Su Hua stiffened for a split second before masking her tension and closing the video nonchalantly.
"Nothing important. Just some assassins sent by my dear cousin. My people caught them and are interrogating them to see if they know his whereabouts," she replied smoothly, without missing a beat.
"Oh, I see." Lin Xuan nodded, accepting her explanation without suspicion.
He must’ve misheard.
Qin Ruoyao was still locked up in the psychiatric hospital—there was no way that was her voice.
"Hua Bao, it’s getting late. Let’s go downstairs for breakfast," Lin Xuan suggested.
They had been so busy last night that they hadn’t even had dinner.
"Sure." Su Hua nodded.
The dining table was laden with an array of delicacies.
"This is my new creation. Miss, Young Master Lin, please try it and let me know what you think," the chef said cheerfully, placing a freshly baked cake in front of them.
Lin Xuan took a bite with his fork, his expression lighting up. "This is amazing—sweet but not cloying, with a rich, creamy flavor."
"Do you like milk, Xuan?" Su Hua suddenly whispered in his ear.
Lin Xuan: "..."
Pleased by his reaction, Su Hua leaned back, resting her chin on one hand as she gazed at him with amusement.
"Thank you for the praise, Young Master Lin," the chef beamed. What chef didn’t love hearing their food was delicious?
Su Hua: "Fifteen-thousand-dollar bonus this month."
"Thank you, Boss Su!" The chef’s smile widened.
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
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!
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
iemie, male, Race: Moon. Hobby: Collecting anomalies. At first, he thought he possessed two systems: the Crimson Rainbow Moon and the Clear Cold Frost Moon. One day, he discovered that he himself could also become a system for others, holding the chessboard of fate. The Eighth Epoch, also known as the Eternal Moon Epoch. Humans, witches, elves, bloodline descendants, specters, demons, and spirits together compose a new history. Walking the path on behalf of the moon, before he knew it, Chen Miemie's footsteps were followed by all manner of strange and wondrous anomalies. As time passed, many titles circulated about him—The King in Yellow, Lord of Anomalies, Heart of the Eternal Moon, and more. "Me? I'm just a traveler who enjoys collecting interesting creatures," Chen Miemie said.
