Ye Fan spoke with confidence and composure, listing off a dozen points at once. As Su Xiu listened, her eyes shone brightly, and she nodded continuously like a little chick pecking at grain, her admiration for Ye Fan deepening even further.
Only then did Ye Fan pause. He let out a sigh and said, Your second uncle... if he had just used any single one of the points I mentioned, your Su Manor wouldn't be in the state it is today!
Your second uncle is the actual person in charge of the Su Manor. He has controlled the Su family's businesses in the Northern Frontier for so many years, yet his vision and scope remain so limited. He sticks to the old ways, unable to adapt. It truly is...
Heartbreaking!
Su Xiu immediately replied, Brother Ye Fan, thank goodness you are here now, otherwise I would truly be finished.
Mhm! Ye Fan nodded, his face blooming with confidence. He said, However, you should rest a little now. Soon, we will have to set off again.
Where to?
Naturally, to leave Yunji City.
Su Xiu was startled. Brother Ye Fan, can we really leave this Yunji City?
Of course! Ye Fan said proudly. Without boasting, with my unparalleled intellect, what place could possibly trap me?
Besides...
I have my master waiting to receive us.
With my master here, how could a mere Ren Tianye and a trifling Yunji City possibly trap me?
Seeing that Su Xiu still had a somewhat worried look on her face,
he continued to comfort her. Xiu'er, I once told you about our three-year agreement. Now that the three-year period is arriving, I, Ye Fan, am no longer the person I used to be.
You are my most beloved woman, so I will not hide anything from you.
My master is so powerful that even Ren Tianye would have to show him respect.
Moreover, over these three years, I have gone from being an obscure collateral descendant to the most trusted person in the family. The patriarch of the Ye family treats me like his own son, and the future of the Ye family will definitely be handed over to me!
Now, everyone in the family obeys my every word. I have already given them orders to...
Reaching the exciting part, the light in Ye Fan's eyes grew brighter: To have them hoard a massive amount of...
Warhorses!
Wealth!
Provisions!
Weapons!
If you give me another three years, I will definitely be able to command an army of three hundred thousand and besiege this Yunji City.
When that time comes...
A ruthless glint flashed in Ye Fan's eyes as he looked far off in the direction of the General's Manor. For what Ren Tianye has done today, I will make him regret it!
I will use an army of three hundred thousand to tell him...
That he, Ren Tianye, was wrong!
I want him to personally apologize to me, and to paste notices of his apology all over Yunji City... no, all over the streets and alleys of the entire Northern Frontier.
To make Ren Tianye admit...
That love between a man and a woman is entirely natural and justified, that there should be no class distinctions, and that there should be no oppression by the powerful!
As he spoke those last few words, Ye Fan's voice was like striking gold, pausing on every syllable, exuding a commanding aura.
Su Xiu listened with a face full of yearning.
If that day truly came, when all men and women in this world could freely pursue their love without any outside interference, what a beautiful world that would be.
Her heart filled with sweet joy, she said to Ye Fan, Brother Ye Fan, you haven't changed. Just like three years ago, you carry great aspirations and extraordinary ambitions.
Xiu'er truly admires you!
Since I am loved by you, how could I let you down? Ye Fan smiled, then paused and added, However, right now we must leave Yunji City as soon as possible.
We cannot delay.
Why is that? Su Xiu asked reflexively. By Ye Fan's side, she had almost lost the ability to think for herself.
Ye Fan looked at her dotingly.
He said, Xiu'er, as a chess player of this world, the greatest taboo is having one's thoughts guessed by others, let alone revealing them. Only in this way can one inspire awe and reverence.
However, you are different. You are the one I love deeply.
I am more than willing to reveal everything to you.
The joy on Su Xiu's face grew even richer as she listened to Ye Fan continue, Xiu'er, you are a woman and do not understand the minds of men. I cannot blame you for that.
But for your second uncle, at his age, to still not understand the hearts of men is truly unacceptable.
I fear that even now, he still thinks Ren Tianye's marriage alliance with the Su Manor is aimed at your family's power and wealth in the Northern Frontier.
Ridiculous, truly ridiculous!
Although the Su Manor has some wealth, worldly possessions are but trivial matters. What is there to scheme for?
What Ren Tianye is truly after...
Is you!
Su Xiu's eyes widened. Me?
That's right! Ye Fan said with burning conviction. You possess beauty capable of toppling nations. To call you the number one beauty in the Northern Frontier is not an exaggeration in the slightest.
How many men in this Northern Frontier swoon over you?
How many men would willingly give up everything for you?
How could Ren Tianye be any exception?
It's just that this person is far too insincere and resorts to despicable methods. Doesn't he know that if he doesn't treat others with sincerity, he can never win a true heart in return?
Su Xiu thought about it seriously and felt it made perfect sense.
The secret plotting between Ren Tianye and her second uncle ultimately centered around her. Furthermore, when she resisted, Ren Tianye had flown into a rage out of humiliation and hung her on the city wall, all to force her into submission using heavy-handed tactics!
He truly was a vile man!
Ye Fan continued, Now that you have been rescued by me, Ren Tianye knows he is no match for me, but how could he be willing to let this go?
He will definitely surround your Su Manor first to demand your whereabouts from your second uncle.
Secondly, he will certainly impose martial law across the entire city, laying an inescapable net to search for us.
After that, he will inevitably intensify the search efforts, absolutely unwilling to let you leave him just like that.
Finally, the moment he gets even the slightest news of us, he will surely go all out and personally lead his army to pursue us without the slightest hesitation.
Pausing, Ye Fan concluded, Therefore, we must leave first!
...
Inside the General's Manor.
Ren Tianye was reading several reply letters.
They were replies from some former generals of the Northern Frontier. After being ordered to disband by the Female Emperor, they had nowhere to go. Most had either become bandits or sought their own ways to survive.
But none of their prospects were particularly good.
Naturally, Ren Tianye would not let such an opportunity slip by.
He had already begun communicating with these men through scouts and envoys, inviting them to come to Yunji City.
After all, he now controlled Yunji City, a place easy to defend and hard to attack. Furthermore, having received the support of many wealthy merchants recently, he possessed abundant funds and fully stocked granaries. He was perfectly positioned to attract these men and bolster his own strength.
However, while things looked simple on the surface, the actual execution was quite complex. Relying merely on a few letters and some lofty, heroic words would not be enough to make these easily frightened soldiers swear their allegiance.
Everything had to be grounded in reality and actionable in order to be realized. Otherwise, if mere fantasies were enough to steamroll everything, he would be holding an omnipotent protagonist's script, conquering the world simply by showing off.
Just as he was pondering how to entice them with benefits and awe them with his might, the Guerrilla General Sun Xiang stumbled in, his face etched with exhaustion.
Great General, your subordinate is incompetent. I have yet to find that thief.
Heh! Ren Tianye raised his head and scoffed coldly. I really didn't expect that a shrewd man like Su Hong would be burdened by familial ties and plot such a scheme.
What, is his entire Su Manor truly not worth a single Su Xiu?
"Great General, I am also quite puzzled," Sun Xiang said. "Su Hong seems quite far-sighted and shouldn't be so foolish. But within Yunji City, other than his Su Manor, who else could possess such capability?"
"To rescue Su Xiu right from under our noses?"
"He is digging his own grave!"
"If that is the case, I will no longer spare him." Ren Tianye had little patience to waste words with Su Hong. If the man had a death wish, then so be it. "Go and invite Su Hong to the military camp, and see to it that he is well taken care of."
"Su Hong won't be able to hide the truth."
"Yes, Great General!" Sun Xiang accepted the order, a ferocious look twisting his face. "I have also been wanting to properly question Su Hong for a while now. He certainly has some nerve, managing to find someone like Ye Fan."
"Just what kind of price did he pay?!"
Just as Sun Xiang was about to leave, Ren Tianye suddenly stood up. "Wait a moment."
"What did you just say?"
"Ye Fan?"
"That scoundrel's name is Ye Fan?"
...
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
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!"
] [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!"
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."
