Doctor Tang chuckled gleefully, covering her mouth with her hand, thoroughly amused at the sight of a scumbag getting caught red-handed by his young girlfriend.
But... her laughter didn’t last long.
As Doctor Tang shifted her gaze with a smile, she accidentally locked eyes with the icy stare of the girl perched behind Ye Cheng.
Doctor Tang: "..."
Silently, she retracted her grinning teeth.
Why was this young lady here too?
Could this guy have some kind of special charm, exclusively targeting high-profile girls? His game was strong!
After her initial surprise, Doctor Tang began reassessing Ye Cheng. She might have misjudged him based on appearances—after all, the most skilled hunters often disguised themselves as prey.
Perhaps Ye Cheng was exactly that kind of predator: harmless on the surface, but deliberately preying on noble young ladies to climb the social ladder.
With just a brief exchange of glances, Doctor Tang understood the girl’s silent message. After a moment of hesitation, she spoke up.
"Come closer, Miss Lin. Let me see where you're hurt."
Ye Cheng crouched down, preparing to let the girl off his back.
But the girl didn’t budge. The infirmary fell into an awkward silence for half a minute.
She showed no intention of getting down. Instead, she tightened her grip on Ye Cheng with her uninjured hand, only extending her wounded one for Doctor Tang to examine.
Doctor Tang: "..."
"Uh, miss, this might make it hard to check properly. Maybe you should come down?" Doctor Tang suggested tentatively.
"No," the girl replied bluntly.
Ye Cheng, ever "considerate," swiftly turned her "no" into a reluctant "fine."
With zero gentlemanly grace, he pried her clinging hands off him.
Good news—he succeeded!
Bad news—only halfway!
The upper-body lock was broken, but her legs immediately coiled around his waist like a vice.
Ye Cheng remained unfazed.
"Wow, such a huge mosquito!" he exclaimed suddenly.
Then—
Smack!
"Ow, that hurts..." The girl winced in pain and instinctively retracted her legs, finally freeing Ye Cheng, who stood up triumphantly.
"Why did you hit me?" Her voice turned pitiful, her eyes wide and teary as she stared at him.
Ye Cheng stayed cool as a cucumber.
"There was a mosquito."
The girl blinked, glancing down at the red handprint on her thigh—no sign of any mosquito.
"Where’s the mosquito?"
"It flew away. But I stopped it from sucking your blood. No need to thank me—what are bros for? Just doing my duty." His face didn’t even twitch, his shamelessness rivaling a fortress wall.
For Ye Cheng, lying through his teeth was second nature—effortless.
The girl looked at the glaring red mark on her fair skin. Not a trace of a mosquito.
She pouted. "Oh... thanks, I guess."
"Don’t mention it, bro. Anyway, call me if you need anything. Gotta run."
Ye Cheng prepared to bolt. Sure, the girl had said she’d cover the costs, but trust was the flimsiest thing between people.
He didn’t believe a word from this scam artist.
As for "call me"? Yeah, right!
They hadn’t even exchanged contact info. His words were just empty politeness.
As the saying went: Bros in spirit, but good luck reaching me.
Ye Cheng, the ultimate slippery eel, made sure to leave no traces. After speed-running his "disclaimer," he vanished without looking back.
The infirmary was left with two women staring at each other in silence.
Finally, Doctor Tang broke the ice.
"Miss Lin, what brings you here? Shouldn’t you be buried in company work instead of playing student?" she teased, picking up an alcohol-soaked cotton swab with tweezers.
"This might sting. Feel free to scream—I’ll close the door."
"No need. Just get it over with." The girl’s earlier vulnerability was gone, replaced by eerie calm.
Doctor Tang paused.
Wait... was the real hunter actually the prey here?
"Miss Lin, how did you end up like this? Your father would be heartbroken." She shook her head, pressing the cotton to the wound.
A sharp pain shot through the girl’s palm. Her brows twitched, but she showed no further reaction.
"I fell," she answered absently, still staring at the door where Ye Cheng had left.
"He’s long gone," Doctor Tang sighed, wrapping the injury with gauze and finishing it off with a neat bow.
The girl remained fixated on the doorway, as if in a trance.
Doctor Tang smirked. "What, do you like that unreliable guy?"
"Yes," the girl admitted.
"Pfft, as if—wait, what?"
Doctor Tang froze. That... wasn’t the expected response. Shouldn’t she deny it or laugh it off?
Did she just stumble upon a bombshell?
Was she about to be silenced?
"You’re serious?" Doctor Tang eyed her skeptically while securing the bandage with a perfect butterfly knot.
The girl finally turned, tilting her head. "Do I look like I’m joking?"
Her unblinking gaze was unnerving.
Doctor Tang: "..."
"Ugh, talking to you rich girls is exhausting. Why be so cryptic? If you like him, go after him before someone else does."
At this, the girl’s eyes dimmed slightly. She might be late, but it didn’t matter—in the end, her brother would belong only to her.
Doctor Tang studied her with interest. "Aren’t you curious who these 'others' are?"
The girl shook her head.
"It doesn’t matter. They don’t have the power to shape their own futures. But I do." Her voice dripped with confidence, an unshakable arrogance radiating from her.
Doctor Tang was stunned.
Seriously? Kids these days were going all-in for love?
Betting their entire fortunes to win a man?
Was that little brat really that special? Why hadn't she noticed anything unusual about him? She'd have to take a closer look next time.
The young woman stared unblinkingly at the other person and said, "Doctor Tang, aren't you doing the same thing yourself?"
Doctor Tang froze for a moment at the question, then adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses with a bewitching smile.
"Don't call me 'Miss Tang' or anything like that. I've cut ties with my family. I'm just an ordinary person working to make ends now—nothing like you high-society young ladies."
As if recalling something, Doctor Tang added,
"I'm only giving you youngsters some advice as someone who's been through it all. Think carefully before you act—don't just rush into things on impulse..."
"Do you regret it, Doctor Tang?" The young woman interrupted with a smile.
Doctor Tang's face twisted into a pitiful expression. "Regret? I regret it so much I could die! Ugh, the life of a wage slave is too miserable, wuuu..." She put on an exaggerated, childish act, sniffling as if drowning in regret.
The young woman chuckled. "I can help you go back. In return, you just have to keep today's matter a secret. Deal?"
Doctor Tang shook her head like a rattle-drum.
"No way! I'm perfectly happy slacking off here every day. Why would I go back?" she muttered under her breath.
The young woman smirked. "Doctor Tang, are you the type who preaches but doesn't practice?"
"Alright, alright, I can't win against you, Miss Lin. Do whatever you want. I'll pretend today never happened, okay? No more lectures, please! Being an overworked drone is exhausting enough as it is—spare me, wuuu..." Doctor Tang pouted pathetically, completely shedding her usual cool, mature demeanor.
After a brief silence, the young woman spoke again.
"Who was that other person earlier?"
Doctor Tang arched an eyebrow, her expression turning mischievous. "Oh? I thought you didn't care, Miss Lin. Why the sudden interest?"
The young woman flushed slightly and turned her face away. "I might pay the Tang family a visit later..."
Doctor Tang's smile instantly stiffened.
"Miss Lin, what are you planning?!" she gasped in horror.
"Nothing much. Just dropping by for a chat—maybe discuss investment opportunities in healthcare, China's declining birth rate, solutions for unmarried women reluctant to settle down, and..."
Doctor Tang: "..."
Her scalp prickled as she hastily cut in, "Fine, fine! You win, I surrender! No more!"
"The person who came earlier was the young master of the Shen family. You've met him before. Now will you let me off the hook?"
The young woman pondered this before nodding thoughtfully.
"He has personality flaws, though. How could it be him?"
"How should I know? I was surprised too. I suspect that kid might have some kind of succubus charm—specifically targeting high-society girls like you." Doctor Tang grinned slyly, nodding to herself.
"Good to know. Thanks." The young woman smiled, having gotten the answer she wanted, and quickly left.
Bang.
The infirmary was quiet again, leaving Doctor Tang alone.
But now, she had no mood left for her drama. The apple in her hand suddenly seemed tasteless, and she tossed it aside.
"Who's an unmarried old maid?! You're the old maid! Your whole family's full of old maids!"
Gritting her teeth, she clenched her fists and unleashed a flurry of punches on her poor pillow.
After a long while, the assault finally stopped.
"I'm a perfectly youthful woman in my mid-twenties!"
"Haven't you heard? Older sisters have more charm! What do little girls like you know?!"
Muttering to herself, her lips curled into a smirk as some thought crossed her mind, her smile turning almost... wicked.
Adjusting her gold-rimmed glasses, she purred,
"Don't underestimate an older sister's appeal to younger boys, heh..."
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!
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."
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.
