"Click."
The hospital ward door opened, and the frantic woman rushed into the room, crying and sniffling pitifully.
Inside the room, the young lady lay quietly on the bed, with Ye Cheng keeping her company.
The moment the door opened, the young lady's relaxed brows slightly furrowed, then quickly returned to normal. Just as Madam was about to start wailing, Ye Cheng raised a finger to his lips in a shushing gesture.
Du Wanyi sniffled twice, looking pitiful as she nodded: "Boo hoo, Little Hanhan, don't be scared, Mommy's back, boo hoo hoo..."
Ye Cheng was speechless.
As expected of you, Madam—you never stick to the script.
So... why did you nod just now? You were bluffing me, weren't you?
Ye Cheng's mouth twitched, and he silently began backing away. He had initially planned to set the stage and stir up some resentment, but now it seemed... there was no need to stir up anything.
When the young lady woke up after being disturbed, she'd settle old and new scores all at once, slipping into an unstoppable fury and throwing punches that would hit their mark.
Ye Cheng dashed to the window and checked the locked frames, which he had reinforced with layers of yarn tied into knots, just in case Madam tried to escape through the window later.
If the young lady's anger had nowhere to go, he and Brother Doudou would end up being the victims...
With that in mind—sorry, Madam!
Ye Cheng was known for being petty, still holding a grudge against Madam for tying him up earlier. Now was the perfect time to get his revenge!
After making sure everything was secure, Ye Cheng crept softly to the door and stopped.
He positioned himself at the best spot for a quick escape, then began to fan the flames.
"Madam, that's no way to wake up the young lady. Have you heard the story of Snow White? Oh, no, that's wrong. Sleeping Beauty? Hmm, that doesn't seem right either... Anyway, just go big or go home!"
"Madam, keep it up! The young lady is about to wake up!"
Ye Cheng cheered from the sidelines, and Du Wanyi, buying into his encouragement, threw herself even more vigorously into the "willpower" approach.
She was determined to revive her daughter, who seemed to have burned out, and restore her to the sparkling, radiant Little Hanhan!
"Boo hoo, wake up, Little Hanhan, boo hoo hoo..."
Tears and snot all landed on the young lady. Finally, Madam's sincerity moved the heavens—next, the young lady would be sending Madam flying sky-high.
Having just fallen asleep moments ago, Shen Qinghan slowly stirred awake under the noisy ruckus. Her long eyelashes trembled faintly as she roused.
Ye Cheng's heart began pounding wildly. Keep crying now, Madam; soon you'll have no end of tears.
Ye Cheng's most important job now was to block the door. Madam was too quick and too strong, treating him like a little chick.
But if he gave it his all, he could still hold her off for a bit.
For his revenge, Ye Cheng was about to enter his "Furious Mode" and put everything, full force, into his elbow strike plan. Even if it seemed impossible, he'd give it everything!
All-out attack!
"Boo hoo... sniffle, sniffle... Little Hanhan, boo hoo..."
"Hmm? Little Hanhan, you're awake?"
"A miracle occurred"—the burnt-out young lady had come back to life. Her eyes were unnervingly calm. After a brief moment of hesitation, she decided on her next course of action.
She surveyed her surroundings, then looked down at herself, drenched in tears and snot from some wicked old hag.
Shen Qinghan remained silent.
Rage began to build. Recalling everything that had happened in her room earlier, her calm eyes gradually shifted to a murderous glare, and she wrapped her arms around Madam.
"Boo hoo, it's so great you're okay, Little Hanhan! Don't worry, Mommy will never leave you, boo hoo... cough... Little Hanhan, that hug might be a little too tight..."
All of a sudden, Du Wanyi felt a constricting pressure like a python strangling her. When she snapped back to reality, she realized she was already in a chokehold.
Du Wanyi was left bewildered.
Hmm... was the situation turning a bit... weird?
No way! What’s going on here?!
Dawning realization hit, Du Wanyi figured out that she had walked right into a trap. Combined with what she had seen earlier with Brother Doudou and Ye Cheng... Du Wanyi's pupils shrank.
She turned her head in disbelief toward the doorway, staring at Ye Cheng as if to say, you set me up!
"Bam!"
"Ow... boo hoo, that hurts..."
Du Wanyi took a solid punch right to her left eye. Before she could protest, the furious young lady's second punch came flying. This time, it wasn’t just a tickle—it dealt some real damage!
A breakthrough in quality!
Du Wanyi's health bar went down by ten, then ten, then ten again...
Even if the young lady only scratched the surface, she did it quickly and she knew how to target weaknesses.
After watching for a while, Ye Cheng saw that Madam was pinned to the bed, unable to fight back. He finally felt satisfied that his revenge was achieved, though it wasn't quite enough.
He quietly pulled out his phone, found a few good angles, snapped a flurry of photos, gave them a satisfied look, and pocketed the device.
"Little Cheng, save me..."
After enduring a few more blows, Madam couldn't hold out any longer and tearfully begged for mercy from Ye Cheng, who was just spectating.
As for Ye Cheng...
He whistled softly, averted his gaze, and silently began to back away, ready to make a getaway.
"Run, Brother Doudou! Madam knows your plan!" he yelled, and vanished before the words even died out. As he left, he considerately shut the door behind them.
Du Wanyi was absolutely stunned.
Madam wore a look of utter despair. The young lady stayed on those fists, and screams echoed back and forth. Who knows how long passed before the noise finally died down, and the room grew quiet once more.
Shen Qinghan collapsed onto her bed, thoroughly worn out, and fell into a deep sleep. Even in her final moments before sleep took her, she held punching positions.
This time, all accounts had been settled—clean slate.
Accounts between Madam and the young lady were balanced, but those between Madam and the other two were far from over.
Du Wanyi was now bruised and swollen in the face, with two blackened eyes thanks to the beatdown. That young lady really didn't hold back—nothing but true love in every punch!
"Brother Doudou, you've got some nerve, learning to use someone else's knife to get revenge. Fine, just fine!"
Du Wanyi ground her teeth, ignoring the pain on her face as she crawled quietly out of bed and crept into the hallway, peering in every direction. Finally, she spotted the Noble Lady waiting behind a corner down the way.
The Noble Lady heard the noise and turned around, startled by Du Wanyi's condition.
"Wanyi!"
The Noble Lady couldn't believe it. Who could have imagined that her best friend’s daughter would actually resort to violence? She had gotten beaten into the spitting image of a panda... it was heartbreaking.
The Noble Lady hurried over and gently touched Du Wanyi's face. "Does it hurt, Wanyi?"
"It's bearable. Isn't there a saying someone once said? If you find it painful and can barely hold on, that's exactly when true training begins... Oh, heck, I can't keep making stuff up. I want to hit someone!"
Du Wanyi was halfway through reciting her lines when she realized her murderous intent had taken over. She couldn't go on. She dropped the act, came clean. Right now, all she wanted was to go stab that certain little brat!
"Hehe, set everything else aside for now. Where's that little rascal?"
Du Wanyi scanned the area with a fierce expression, searching back and forth.
The Noble Lady: "..."
She was starting to understand why Shen Ming had scrambled away in a panic just moments ago—and why, before leaving, he'd asked her to pass along a message to his best buddy.
"Uh... Wanyi, Brother Ming said there's a super urgent deal he needs to handle in person. He should be back next month. Right now, he's..."
"AHHH!"
The Noble Lady's voice grew quieter with each word, and the fear in her eyes became more intense. Right before her eyes, the iron railing her dear bestie was clutching began to bend.
It twisted and warped, letting out a grating, metallic groan.
Du Wanyi let out a pained shriek, further cementing her "certainty" that the mastermind behind this whole mess was that little rascal.
Skipping town.
Last time, Madam had merely fled to Da'ao City, but this time, Brother Little Rascal had actually bolted abroad. He was already on his way to the airport.
Even if she called the Du family right now to try and have him stopped, it probably wouldn't work. The Shen family had their own private airfield.
Since he was fleeing in guilt, he definitely wouldn't take a commercial flight. He'd use the family's private jet. Everything was ready—all that was left was for Shen Ming to arrive. The moment he did, the plane would take off!
"Dammit, I was so close! So close! Why, why, boohoo..."
Du Wanyi burst into tears, as if something truly catastrophic had happened.
The Noble Lady: "..."
The Noble Lady found herself feeling strangely sorry for the railing. It had been completely crushed out of shape.
She shook her head and let out a sigh.
"Wanyi, I'm going to go have a word with Little Hanhan. How can she treat her own mother like that? That's really not okay." For once, the Noble Lady's expression turned stern. She was ready to go confront the girl.
"No, Hehe, let's just call it a day. I'm magnanimous enough to let this slide. We'll consider this matter settled—once, and once only." Du Wanyi quickly straightened up, a flicker of guilt crossing her eyes as she glanced toward the hospital room.
"You know me—I'm a softie. I won't bother with a child's nonsense. Ahem, well, let's go. Time to head home..."
Without waiting to see if the Noble Lady agreed, Du Wanyi scooped her up and bolted.
Just as she'd arrived, so she left—still true to form.
The Noble Lady: "..."
"Hey, slow down, Wanyi! Slow down! Don't fall!" The Noble Lady's voice, tinged with fear, echoed down the hallway.
The truth of the matter was... if the Noble Lady were to go argue with the eldest daughter again, there was a good chance Madam would get dragged back for another beating.
This wasn't about elder-to-younger discipline; it was a "rematch invitation" for the eldest daughter.
She'd already taken one beating—why would she go back for more?
I'm lying to you, Hehe. It's not that I'm letting it slide. It's that I'm afraid I'll get whipped again... boohoo.
Meanwhile.
At a certain gate of the Shen family's private airport in Great Sea City.
Shen Ming glanced back one last time toward the hospital. "Xiao Cheng, take care of yourself."
At this point, his only option was to lie low abroad for a while. His better half's fury would have to be borne solely by Ye Cheng. You know how it is—I had no choice. So... hang in there, Xiao Cheng!
"Take off."
Shen Ming withdrew his gaze. The cabin door closed, and in no time, the plane soared into the sky...
Whoosh—
...
The Tang Residence.
"This should be the place, right?"
Ye Cheng glanced at his phone, parked the shared bike under a crooked tree by the gate, and walked toward the entrance.
"Knock, knock, knock—"
"Open up, Doctor Tang! It's me, Xiao Cheng!"
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."
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.”
end. Thus one must continue to cultivate, and become a saint or great emperor, in order to prolong one's life. Chen Xia, however, completely reversed this. Since his transmigration, he has gained immortality, and also a system that awards him with attribute points for every year he lives. Thus between the myriad worlds, the legend of an unparalleled senior appeared. "A gentleman takes revenge; it is never too late even after ten thousand years." "When you were at your peak I yielded, now in your old age I shall trample on you." - Chen Xia
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
