"These past few days have been exhausting, but things will ease up starting tomorrow. Get back to the dorm early and rest." In the glass corridor, Li Qingxue said with concern as she looked at Hu Yuying’s weary expression.
"Yeah, I know," Hu Yuying replied absentmindedly, her thoughts still lingering on Qingxue’s confession—that she liked Long Aotian...
"See you tomorrow." With that, Li Qingxue headed toward the dorm.
Hu Yuying didn’t leave. Instead, she turned to watch Qingxue’s retreating figure, her eyes flickering with hesitation before she finally called out, "Qingxue."
Li Qingxue paused and turned back with a smile. "What’s up, Yuying?"
Seeing the frown on Hu Yuying’s face, Li Qingxue walked back to her and gently smoothed her furrowed brow with her fingers. "What’s wrong?"
Though they hadn’t known each other for long, Hu Yuying had been nothing but kind to her—so much so that Li Qingxue found herself emotionally invested in her well-being.
Gazing into Li Qingxue’s concerned eyes, Hu Yuying softly took hold of the hand resting on her forehead. If it were anyone else, she would have been thrilled and fully supportive of Qingxue’s feelings.
She might have even played wingman for her, because Qingxue was her closest friend.
But why did Qingxue have to like Long Aotian?
She liked him too—so much, in fact, that she didn’t know what to do.
Giving up on him was impossible.
So...
She held Qingxue’s hand lightly, her eyes serious as she spoke. "Qingxue, what if—just what if—someone else liked Long Aotian too?"
Li Qingxue thought for a moment before giving a shy smile. "I don’t know." Her tone was uncertain.
Long Aotian was a gentle soul, the kind of person anyone would notice after spending time with him. Naturally, he’d be popular with girls.
Hadn’t she herself fallen for him without even realizing it?
"But if there is someone else, then it’s fair competition," Li Qingxue said, lightly brushing her long hair aside. "After all, I’m not so bad myself."
"What if... what if I really liked him too?" Hu Yuying’s voice was barely above a whisper, as if stating a fact or murmuring to herself.
If she had been braver, if she hadn’t hidden her feelings, if she had confessed as openly as Qingxue—would things have been different?
Hearing this, Li Qingxue chuckled, thinking Hu Yuying was joking.
It wasn’t surprising. If Hu Yuying had feelings for Long Aotian, they would have been together long ago.
From what she’d observed, Hu Yuying clearly relied on Long Aotian, and he, in turn, took great care of her.
Yet there was always an invisible wall between them.
If she had to describe it, it was like the affection between an older brother and a younger sister.
Besides, they’d known each other since the second half of their senior year in high school. Now, after graduating and entering university, if they had mutual feelings, they would have gotten together by now.
At first, Li Qingxue had even mistaken them for a couple.
She’d teased Long Aotian about it, but he’d brushed it off, saying Hu Yuying was just his "little sidekick."
Back then, she’d assumed he was just being shy, so she’d kept her own feelings hidden.
But when Hu Yuying also confirmed they weren’t dating, she’d finally let herself fall for him without restraint.
"You’re not worried I’ll steal all of Long Aotian’s attention from you, are you?" Li Qingxue teased playfully, leaning closer against Hu Yuying. The scent of another girl was always so nice—soft and sweet. "But if it’s you, I might actually feel a little threatened."
Hu Yuying stiffened at her words. She cherished her friendship with Qingxue, but she couldn’t bring herself to give up on Long Aotian.
She was just his little sidekick—a coward who loved him in secret. She had no right to stop others from liking him.
If Qingxue wanted fair competition, then so be it.
That night, sleep eluded many.
Lin Wanning couldn’t sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Long Aotian tilting her chin up, leaning in so close that she could see her own reflection in his pupils.
So close that his breath seemed to whisper against her ear.
That tingling sensation—the rush of adrenaline, the flutter in her chest, the shyness of a girl in love—left her tossing in bed, careful not to wake her roommates.
Li Qingxue couldn’t sleep. It was the first time she’d ever openly confessed her feelings. Scenes from the day replayed in her mind.
At first, it had just been a simple urge to share her thoughts. Slowly, it had turned into an inexplicable fondness.
Then, without her realizing, it became a habit.
And now, the seed buried deep in her heart had sprouted uncontrollably.
She used to think love was just a trivial thing.
But now, this "trivial thing" had taken over her entire heart.
Hu Yuying couldn’t sleep. She loved Long Aotian.
The happiness she felt with him was real.
The jealousy when she caught him sneaking glances at other girls’ legs was real.
The sadness when he was away from her was real.
And her desire to stay by his side forever was real.
But Qingxue’s boldness left her unsettled.
Even when she’d impulsively kissed Long Aotian before, she hadn’t felt this flustered.
For the first time, she was terrified of losing him...
Ye Liangchen couldn’t sleep. Tears streamed down his face as he gazed at the moon, holding a wilted rose to the sky—a tribute to his fallen love.
Long Aotian couldn’t sleep either—because his three idiot roommates were too rowdy.
......
The next morning.
When Li Qingxue spotted Hu Yuying, her cheeks flushed as she hurried over. "Yuying, don’t tell Long Aotian what I said yesterday, okay? I still need to figure out how he feels."
"Don’t worry, I won’t say anything," Hu Yuying replied. She’d spent the night thinking things through. Long Aotian was wonderful—it was only natural for others to fall for him too.
If she couldn’t stop girls from liking him, she might as well face the competition head-on.
"Hehe, I knew you’d keep my secret. You’re the best, Yuying!" Li Qingxue linked arms with her, grinning.
"I’m really not that great," Hu Yuying murmured silently in her heart.
Today is the last day of the month, and tomorrow marks the start of a new month—a fresh beginning. Wishing all my dear readers an early Happy New Year! I haven’t taken a single day off this entire month, so I’d like to make a small request. As we step into the new month and celebrate New Year’s Day, could everyone spare a little support? I know some of you might be busy and may only have time to click "next chapter," but tomorrow, could you all lend a hand, even if it’s just a tiny bit? Every little contribution adds up, just like how vultures gather scraps. I’d truly appreciate it!
shall grant"] ["Inscribing the glory of our race upon tombstones"] ["All that is threatened, I shall protect"] How his younger sister sees her brother: A brother who only makes eye contact once a day, mostly fading into the background as he tinkers with who-knows-what in his room all day. Their life paths should have remained largely separate. Until one day. Su Qi created an equipment card for his never-met "online girlfriend." His sister fell into silent contemplation upon receiving the "white stockings." [Card can be upgraded] [Upgrade by fulfilling any of the following conditions] [Condition ①: Consume one hundred higher-tier cards] [Condition ②: Complete one 'Heart-Pounding Adventure'] What constitutes a Heart-Pounding Adventure? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Beginner Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to admire it.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Easy Level): Equip the card, invite 'Su Qi' to touch it, and analyze the equipment's texture.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Entry Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to...] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Challenge Level): Freely combine the words 'Brother' 'Out' 'Brother' 'Me' 'Please' into a complete sentence...] "Please help me analyze both teams' mistakes in this match, brother..." His sister exhaled in relief—surely... surely there couldn't be anything more difficult? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Suicide Mission Level): Sneak a peek at the names of the galgames in 'Su Qi's' hidden E-drive folder]
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.
e vast world of cultivation, where he becomes the master of the Heavenly Ruins Sacred Hall, a dying old man with barely a tenth of his former cultivation remaining. He is immediately confronted with a deadly crisis: his subordinates have rebelled, and his protectors are forcing him to abdicate. At the critical moment, the system descends from the heavens: [Ding! The host has been detected facing a life-or-death crisis. The system is now officially activated!] [As a gift, you have received the Supreme Beginner’s Pack and awakened the ultimate cheat: ten thousand years of pure cultivation essence every second!] Yin Tianjue: “Wait… ten thousand years of cultivation every second? That’s six hundred thousand years a minute, and in one day… I can’t even calculate it. Either way, I’m already invincible!” You’re a peerless prodigy rarely seen in ten thousand years? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re an undying ancestor who has guarded a sacred land for countless ages? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re the strongest chosen one, blessed with heaven-defying destiny? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. From this day forth, I have only one thing to say: “I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. Now, how exactly are you supposed to deal with that?”
