Long Aotian brought Hu Yuying to the cafeteria.
He grabbed two trays and handed one to Hu Yuying.
As they lined up at the counter, Hu Yuying hesitated while looking at the food on display. She stepped forward and asked softly, "Excuse me, can I pay with cash?"
She had just transferred to this school today.
She didn’t have a meal card for the school cafeteria, and the cash she had on her wasn’t enough to buy two lunches.
If it weren’t for Long Aotian helping her earlier and not minding her tagging along as his follower, she felt she should at least treat him to a meal...
"Sorry, dear, we don’t accept cash here. Maybe you should go top up your card first," the cafeteria lady said gently, her tone softening as she looked at the pitifully meek Hu Yuying.
Hu Yuying’s face flushed with embarrassment.
The next second, she felt a hand on her head, lightly pushing her back.
Long Aotian withdrew his hand and took her tray as well. "I’ll pay for it."
As the cafeteria lady started serving the food, Hu Yuying rubbed the spot on her head where Long Aotian had pushed her and said, "I’ll give you the cash later."
"What? You want something fancier?" Long Aotian glanced at her and continued, "This is the treatment followers get. You eat what I eat. If you want something better, buy it yourself."
Hu Yuying quickly waved her hands, indicating that wasn’t what she meant.
"Then take the tray and go find us a seat," Long Aotian said firmly, not giving her a chance to speak further as he picked up the trays of food.
Hu Yuying, with her words stuck in her throat, could only pick up the tray and look for an empty table to save a seat for Long Aotian.
Fortunately, the school cafeteria was spacious. Since most first and second-year students, unlike the third-years, weren’t as burdened with studies and chose to go home for lunch, finding an empty seat wasn’t difficult.
"You’re so annoying, saying half a sentence and then stopping. It’s frustrating to watch," Long Aotian said, clearly irritated as he watched Hu Yuying hesitate.
Hearing this, Hu Yuying finally spoke up, "Brother Long, maybe I should pay you back for the meal? I feel like I owe you something."
This was typical of her people-pleasing personality.
She didn’t mind being taken advantage of by others.
But when someone did something as simple as buying her a meal worth a few dollars, she immediately felt indebted.
Her mind would wander, and she’d start feeling inexplicably guilty.
"If you keep talking, I’ll hit you!" Long Aotian frowned.
It had to be said that Long Aotian’s earlier display of authority with Wang Shuo had left quite an impression.
As soon as he said this, Hu Yuying immediately fell silent.
"If you really feel bad, then just do more to make it up to me."
Hearing this, Hu Yuying’s eyes lit up. She suddenly felt this was a good idea, but the light in her eyes quickly dimmed again.
Because she was clumsy and didn’t know how to do anything well. She had no idea what she could do to help Long Aotian.
Back at Second High School, Hu Yuying had seen followers who would stand behind their bosses, helping them curse, fight, or bully others.
But she didn’t know how to do any of that.
If she did, she wouldn’t have been bullied all the time.
She stole a glance at Long Aotian. Would he think she was too useless and stop letting her be his follower?
Thinking this, Hu Yuying’s mood sank again.
Without Long Aotian’s protection, would she be bullied again?
This feeling was hard to describe. Those who had never been bullied couldn’t understand it.
After being bullied for so long, suddenly finding a boss who would protect her, keep her from being bullied, and even make those who had bullied her apologize...
Long Aotian couldn’t read Hu Yuying’s mind.
Watching her, her eyes lighting up one moment and dimming the next, he could only guess that the girl was overthinking again, though he had no idea what she was thinking about.
"What’s on your mind? Is helping me with homework really that hard for you?"
Hearing this, the light in Hu Yuying’s eyes returned. That’s right! Followers could help their bosses with homework!
She was really good at homework.
"Brother Long, I can help you with your homework and even tutor you."
This was Hu Yuying’s forte, so when she said this, her voice carried much more confidence.
Long Aotian hadn’t expected his offhand remark to excite Hu Yuying so much.
He nodded in approval.
A girl’s emotions could be like a rollercoaster. One moment, her heart could sink to the bottom, and she’d lose her appetite.
The next, she’d bounce back, and the food in front of her would suddenly seem delicious.
"Chen, what’s wrong? You seem really off today!"
Gao Quan watched as Ye Liangchen’s expression shifted from gloomy to resentful, then to fierce, and finally to a helpless sadness.
In just a few seconds, Ye Liangchen had cycled through several emotions like a master of facial expressions.
Ye Liangchen took a deep breath and slowly shook his head. There were some things he couldn’t say, not because he didn’t want to, but because they were impossible to explain.
If he said he was reborn, would anyone believe him?
After all, in Gao Quan’s eyes, he had just taken a short nap during the morning break.
"I’m fine. Maybe I haven’t been sleeping well these past few days," Ye Liangchen explained.
But his gaze remained fixed on Hu Yuying.
Earlier, he had seen Long Aotian frown and say something, after which Hu Yuying’s expression visibly fell.
Though he hadn’t heard what Long Aotian said, from his lip movements, Ye Liangchen had caught the word "hit."
From that, he inferred that Long Aotian had likely threatened Hu Yuying, possibly saying he would hit her!
Ye Liangchen’s heart was in turmoil.
Long Aotian was tall, strong, and robust. In a fight, Ye Liangchen knew he stood no chance.
But he couldn’t just stand by and watch Hu Yuying get bullied!
In the end, he chose to switch seats with Gao Quan.
By turning his back, he wouldn’t have to see it.
No one wanted to see their treasure of a girl being bullied by someone else, and Ye Liangchen was no exception.
Pretending not to see was the best solution he could think of.
Everything Hu Yuying was suffering now, when the time came, he and Hu Yuying would make Long Aotian pay back double!
With this thought, Ye Liangchen secretly made up his mind.
He would use the advantage of his rebirth to accelerate his entrepreneurial plans.
In his previous life, with the help of his treasure girl, his first love, and his childhood friend, he had achieved financial freedom by the age of 28.
But now that he was reborn, he could use this time to succeed earlier, ensuring that Gao Quan wouldn’t meet the same tragic fate as in his past life—beaten to death by Long Aotian and his gang while trying to save him.
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
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!
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."
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.
