The moment Shen Mengjie withdrew, Han Xiaojing bit her lip and stole a glance at Long Aotian.
She had been so afraid just now that Long Aotian would agree with Shen Mengjie’s words.
But seeing him merely smile, unmoved, she inexplicably felt a little happy.
"He’s different from other guys," Shen Mengjie whispered into Han Xiaojing’s ear.
Hearing this, Han Xiaojing maintained her composure on the surface, but the tips of her ears turned faintly red.
He really was different. It wasn’t just about giving her the watermelon—even during military training, his everyday behavior had made her pay a little extra attention to him.
Though he was the same age, his demeanor stood out from everyone else in the class.
He was mature, considerate, and knew how to make others feel at ease without awkwardness.
He might seem less competitive, less fiery, but whatever he did, he did well, always giving off an air of quiet reliability.
Around him, Han Xiaojing often felt like she could just be a delicate girl who needed protecting.
And this feeling—she never got it from any other guy.
If there was a difference between Long Aotian and other boys, this was it.
Like now, she could tell that Li Longlong and the others were just trying to show off.
But Long Aotian simply stood by, watching. If needed, he’d step in without hesitation—playing the supporting role, the wingman.
Yet when he wasn’t needed, he’d sit quietly, observing with a smile, as if genuinely enjoying the moment.
And it wasn’t forced—he truly seemed to relish it.
A new bottle of wine and an aged one—both were wine, but they were nothing alike.
Han Xiaojing quietly took out her phone, gathering her courage before finally looking at Long Aotian. "Long Aotian, can we—"
Before she could finish, a badminton landed beside them in a perfect arc.
"Just when I was getting warmed up, you guys are already done?" Xu Shuai and the other two walked back, spinning his racket in hand.
Truly, a guy was at his most attractive when he was confident in his element.
Xu Shuai wasn’t exactly ugly, but he wasn’t handsome either—at least, he was the most ordinary-looking in the dorm.
But right now, he was the coolest.
The courage Han Xiaojing had mustered vanished in an instant, interrupted.
Shen Mengjie watched everything with amusement, her gaze lingering playfully on Long Aotian.
"How about we all grab lunch together?" Huang Fei asked Shen Mengjie with a smile.
"Yeah, let’s eat together," Xu Shuai added, wiping sweat from his forehead as he grinned at Wang Lijuan.
The group lunch was a success, and everyone was in high spirits.
Romance? No big deal.
Pursuing girls? Just another day.
Youth was all about self-expression—anything was possible.
After lunch, the "147 Love Trio" felt like they’d made leaps of progress in front of their crushes. Once they escorted the girls back to their dorm, the boys erupted into a brief celebration.
"So, how’d I do today, Old Ao?" Xu Shuai asked excitedly.
"Not bad. I saw Wang Lijuan glance at you more than once."
"What about me? How about me?" Li Longlong pressed.
They all turned to Long Aotian because, in their dorm, he was the only one with actual dating experience.
The aloof campus belle from the music school, the two stunning beauties who’d come looking for him before—Long Aotian wasn’t the type to compete with them over girls, so his opinion was the most reliable.
"Didn’t really notice," Long Aotian admitted. "I wasn’t exactly staring at the girls while you were playing."
Huang Fei nodded. Old Ao wasn’t that kind of guy, so he didn’t press further.
Still, Huang Fei felt like he’d made solid progress today—Shen Mengjie had smiled at him several times and even subtly showed off her figure around him.
What did that mean? It meant she was practically his already!
As they say, where there’s a goal, there’s motivation. Right now, they were all brimming with confidence.
Just then, Long Aotian’s phone rang.
An unknown local number.
Seeing his "sons" still hyped up, Long Aotian stepped onto the balcony to answer.
"Hello, is this Mr. Long Aotian?" a polite voice asked.
"Who is this?"
"I’m from Haidian District’s second-hand property agency. We spoke in the group chat earlier. I have a vacant courtyard house available—would you like to come take a look?"
Hearing this, Long Aotian immediately set up a time with Cui Yong.
"I’m heading out," he said, grabbing his things.
"Old Ao, where are you going? Not joining us tonight?" Xu Shuai called after him.
They’d agreed to be his wingmen today, but these two had immediately hogged the spotlight in front of the girls.
He was the one who’d set this up—wasn’t today supposed to be his moment?
Only Long Aotian had stuck to his role as the reliable wingman.
"Won’t make it tonight. Wang Lijuan’s a good girl—go for it, ‘Dad’ believes in you."
Xu Shuai scratched his head, grinning. Sometimes, his instincts were spot-on.
With Long Aotian’s blessing, he felt even more determined.
Under the shade of the trees, the peak heat had passed. Capital City’s breezy weather made it just right.
"Brother!"
Long Aotian looked up to see Lin Wanning waving at him.
When he stopped, she hurried over, her white dress fluttering with each step, her long hair swaying in the wind. Her delicate face was alight with a charming liveliness.
"Slow down, Wanning," her three roommates teased from behind, unable to resist laughing.
Lin Wanning reached Long Aotian’s side and noticed him checking subway directions on his phone. Tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her fair profile so flawless it was hard to look away, she asked, "Brother, where are you going?"
Before he could answer, her roommates caught up.
"Brother? You mean the hero who saved the beauty, right?"
"Must be. Otherwise, our aloof campus belle wouldn’t ditch us the second she sees him. Look how happy she is now—where’s that icy demeanor gone?"
"Hi, we’re Lin Wanning’s roommates—and best friends."
"Nice to meet you. I’m Long Aotian."
The first girl patted her stomach in mock dismay. "Ugh, I’m too full now."
Then she grinned. "But Hero Brother, you owe us a meal. Otherwise, we might just bully your little sister in the dorm."
Long Aotian chuckled at the nickname. "Sure thing. Just take good care of Wanning for me."
Hearing this, Lin Wanning’s lashes fluttered slightly. She peeked up at Long Aotian, her eyes shimmering faintly.
Her fair cheek, partially revealed as she tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, flushed with a delicate rosy hue...

【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)

nto another world, I bought a slave for the first time, never expecting the silver wolf girl to be so cute... Lin Feng: I know it's cold, but you don't have to sneak into my bed! Yuna: Just sharing body warmth, if you dare do anything naughty, I'll definitely...

ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!

transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”