Hospital.
In the corridor, around the corner.
The long-awaited father-daughter alone time between Dongfang Zhan and Dongfang Zhixia should have been a happy occasion, but right now, Dongfang Zhan couldn't muster a smile at all.
The father and daughter had maintained this silence for nearly half a minute. Ultimately, it was Dongfang Zhan who spoke first, breaking the slightly oppressive atmosphere.
"Sweetheart, it wasn't what you just saw," Dongfang Zhan sighed as he spoke, feeling incredibly unlucky. He had just been getting ready to blow his top, and she showed up right at that moment.
If he had actually blown up and gotten chewed out by his daughter, he would have accepted it. But the problem was, he hadn't even had the chance to say anything! Daughter, I'm truly innocent here!
Dongfang Zhan felt he was being completely and utterly wronged.
"What did I just see?" Dongfang Zhixia asked in return, her tone perfectly calm.
She said nothing specific, yet it felt like she had said everything.
Dongfang Zhan's current excuse was tantamount to a confession. In Dongfang Zhixia's eyes, he was admitting to bullying Ye Cheng just now.
Dongfang Zhan: "..."
"I... Sweetheart, don't you believe your dad?" Dongfang Zhan's face revealed the helplessness of an old father.
After a moment of silence, Dongfang Zhixia replied, "I believe in evidence."
Dongfang Zhan: "..."
You little...
"I've already had someone pull the security footage. Once I watch it, I'll make my own judgment." When Dongfang Zhixia first stepped out, she had already ordered someone to retrieve the room's surveillance video. In three minutes at most, the footage would be sent to her phone.
All they had to do now was wait.
Hearing about the security footage, Dongfang Zhan actually breathed a sigh of relief. He had almost forgotten about that! That's right, with surveillance, what did he have to fear? A clear conscience laughs at false accusations!
Good girl!
As expected of Dongfang Zhan's daughter, she did things with such rigor. So what if they were family?
Could family members not lie?
Everything requires evidence!
The surveillance footage would naturally prove his innocence!
"Alright, then let's wait," Dongfang Zhan nodded. He couldn't wait to see the look of shock and remorse on his daughter's face after she watched the video and realized she had wrongly accused her great father... Of course, this was all just playing out in Dongfang Zhan's imagination.
Even though it was just in his head, Dongfang Zhan had already begun to prematurely enjoy the fruits of victory, his mind filling with delight.
He completely tossed Su Su's previous warnings aside and began to attack Ye Cheng, ready to tear away the boy's ugly disguise!
"Sweetheart, this bastard... ahem, this kid is not a good person." Dongfang Zhan had originally wanted to call Ye Cheng a bastard, but noticing his daughter's slightly sharp glare, he gave up on the idea.
Oh, daughter, once you see the footage, you'll know just how ridiculously wrong you are, wrongfully accusing your great father!
Dongfang Zhixia furrowed her brows, instinctively wanting to speak up and defend Ye Cheng. But then she thought back to the first time she met him, and a few keywords popped into her head.
Iced black tea, a speaker, backflips...
Dongfang Zhixia: "..."
He indeed wasn't a good person.
Let alone a good person, he might not even count as a normal person. At the time, Dongfang Zhixia had concluded that there was something wrong with Ye Cheng's brain. And after investigating... huh, it turned out to be true!
It was just that he was so smart his brain appeared to have issues, resulting in behavior that normal people couldn't understand. But after interacting with him, she found out it was a different story entirely.
Although a certain bastard did like to push his luck, enjoyed bullying the idiot of her family when she wasn't around, and was generally unreliable, but... for some reason, Dongfang Zhixia just felt that Ye Cheng was incredibly dependable.
Thinking about it carefully, Ye Cheng did cause trouble, but that trouble only brought bad luck to himself and never harmed anyone else... well, except for Li Yong, of course.
On the contrary, Ye Cheng never flinched from getting things done. Like the time he delivered flowers—although the process was a bit convoluted, the flowers ultimately ended up in her hands.
And then there was this time with the idiot of her family...
At this thought, Dongfang Zhixia's heart ached faintly again. The more guilty she felt, the worse she felt; the worse she felt, the more she felt she owed him; the more she felt she owed him, the more... it was like an endless loop!
Through a series of mental gymnastics and stacking emotions, while the great old father remained completely oblivious, the Student Council President had already completed the process of stacking her rage.
"Dad, based solely on what you did today, I don't think you can convince me that he isn't a good person!" Dongfang Zhixia's tone turned sharp.
"He's a patient, yet you still bullied him like this, throwing dirty water on him and calling him a bad person... Can you tell me why?"
Dongfang Zhixia interrogated Dongfang Zhan.
Dongfang Zhan's burly frame shuddered. He could clearly feel that his daughter was dead serious right now, sternly addressing his slandering of Ye Cheng.
How long had it been, and she was already siding with an outsider?
You bastard kid, just you wait! I'm not done with you!!!
"Sweetheart, so many posts on your school forum say so. Can't your dad say a few words too? I'm not just spouting nonsense. I wasn't the one who said this kid isn't a good person; it was your schoolmates," Dongfang Zhan pleaded earnestly.
He realized he couldn't play the emotional card with his daughter. She was terrifyingly cold-blooded; she wouldn't even recognize her own parents in the face of sheer logic.
This was the consequence of being overly rational—it made her seem somewhat unfeeling. In the past, when encountering situations where his daughter handled things like this, Dongfang Zhan had felt quite gratified. But not now. Now, he just felt his heart bleeding.
Since he couldn't play the emotional card, he had to speak with facts, bringing up the things he had seen on the forum earlier.
Dongfang Zhixia frowned. "Posts?"
Instinctively, the voting post from before surfaced in Dongfang Zhixia's mind, along with some posts related to rumors and gossip—clear-cut mudslinging.
But for some reason, Dongfang Zhixia hadn't deliberately asked anyone to delete those posts...
She was aware of those posts.
Weren't they just posts discussing how Ye Cheng was hooking up with her and a certain self-righteous problem child? It was a typical tactic, clickbait posts. What about it?
Dongfang Zhixia hadn't looked at the posts for a while, and her impression was still stuck on the voting post that Lin Baizhi had posted earlier. She had no idea that she was simultaneously being elbowed by several families.
Madam Du, Lin Baizhi, Tang Shouye... The three families had exerted their strength together, hitting Dongfang Zhixia with a combo attack!
However, Dongfang Zhixia was unaware of all this, at least... not right now.
"I've seen the posts. They're just clickbait meant to drive traffic. The contents are half-true and half-false, mostly exaggerated..."
Dongfang Zhixia began to analyze it rationally. She didn't think what happened between her and Ye Cheng was anything shameful. First, Ye Cheng was the one who confessed to her. Second, Ye Cheng kissed her. And lastly... a certain problem child only deserved to be a classmate!
Her speech left Dongfang Zhan completely dumbfounded.
"Wait, sweetheart, you know all about those posts?" Dongfang Zhan's face was filled with disbelief.
He had thought his daughter was kept in the dark, which was why...
"Yes, that's right. I've seen them before," Dongfang Zhixia nodded.
Dongfang Zhan: "???"
"Then, my dear daughter... what are your thoughts?"
Dongfang Zhixia frowned, seemingly conflicted about something. She sighed, deciding to reveal some things in advance: "I was originally going to bring this guy over for your birthday in a few days. But now that he's lying here, I don't know when he'll be able to get out..."
Dongfang Zhan: "???"
She was going to bring him home on his birthday?
Wouldn't that just be telling everyone around...
NO!!!
"Daughter, tell me this isn't true. Daughter, does this kid have some sort of blackmail material on you? Tell Daddy, Daddy will definitely..."
Dongfang Zhan's tone grew agitated. A great old father was about to turn into a completely broken old father.
He originally thought his daughter had been deceived and kept in the dark. But after all this, it turned out his daughter was clearer about it than anyone else. She knew everything, and not only did she know, but she also wanted to bring him home.
To confirm Ye Cheng's identity in a formal setting!
What a joke!!!
That damn social climber, you and I are sworn enemies!!!
"Enough!" Dongfang Zhixia looked awful.
She had considered that her parents might not be too thrilled when they first met Ye Cheng. Even if they didn't like him, they definitely shouldn't hate him like this. Just based on Ye Cheng's face alone, Dongfang Zhixia was very confident that he would absolutely make people subconsciously feel favorably toward him upon first sight!
But her dad's reaction was so extreme...
Dongfang Zhan froze. Knowing his words had been a bit out of line, he began to apologize: "I'm sorry, daughter. Daddy didn't mean it like that. Daddy is just afraid that you..."
"Buzz buzz!"
Before Dongfang Zhan could finish, Dongfang Zhixia's phone vibrated. The logistics staff had sent a message.
"Miss, the security cameras are broken."
Dongfang Zhixia: "???"
Astonishment appeared in Dongfang Zhixia's eyes. After inquiring carefully, her face completely darkened. She handed the phone to her old father, who was still earnestly trying to persuade her.
"Dad, is this what you meant when you said I didn't believe you?" Dongfang Zhixia's face was cold.
Dongfang Zhan was taken aback. Frowning, he finished reading the chat logs in front of him. His face turned pale, and he stood frozen on the spot as if struck by lightning.
"How is this possible? How could it be such a coincidence? Daughter, I didn't, I..."
"Enough, let's drop the matter here... Dad, I'm tired. I won't be coming home for a while. As for your birthday, I'll see how things go before deciding whether to attend." After speaking, Dongfang Zhixia put her phone away, turned around, and walked back to the hospital room.
Tap, tap, tap. The sound of footsteps gradually faded away. Dongfang Zhan stood in place, still looking utterly dumbfounded.
"How is it possible? How could it be such a coincidence? How could this be the exact camera that broke? How could it break exactly when we came over..."
Dongfang Zhan felt like he had been set up. It was like dropping yellow mud in his pants—even if it wasn't poop, it sure looked like it!
Who!
Who is framing me!!!
Dongfang Zhan's eyes were bloodshot and red, veins bulging on his forehead, looking as if he was ready to eat someone alive...
As for the security camera... it had been taken out by the passionate combo move of the head maid and Ye Cheng. Ye Cheng's anti-reconnaissance awareness was absolutely top-tier.
Sorry man, your minion... oh wait, your camera has already been dealt with by me.
The seething Dongfang Zhan suddenly had a flash of inspiration, and a figure appeared in his mind...
"That crazy woman!!!" Dongfang Zhan gripped the railing tightly, veins popping out on his hands!
For this matter, he really couldn't think of anyone else but Du Wanyi. Other than Du Wanyi, who else could frame him like this!!!
Meanwhile.
In the women's restroom.
"Achoo~"
Du Wanyi, who was still engaged in a mutual dragon's breath spitting match with Lin Baizhi, sneezed without warning.
Lin Baizhi: "Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!"
"Damn it, a sneak attack, huh? You little green tea witch, I'll personally..." Du Wanyi rinsed her mouth, preparing for her next dragon's breath, when she suddenly realized she seemed to have forgotten something.
Little Chengcheng...
Du Wanyi: "..."
Ahhh, Little Chengcheng, I'm so sorry!!!
Du Wanyi let out a sharp, ear-piercing scream, her soul practically flying out of her mouth.
Du Wanyi let go of Lin Baizhi, grabbed the restroom doorframe with one hand, and practically flew out. She quickly washed her face on the way and scrambled frantically toward the hospital room.
Lin Baizhi: "???"
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
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)
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
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."
