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...
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
e, Immortal Body, Transmigration, System, Progression Fantasy, Academy Setting, Third-Person Perspective. Alternate Title: Transmigrating into a High Martial World and Reading Live Comments. Bad news: I transmigrated. This is a terrifying high-martial world, and my original, pathetically weak body fell into a coma and never woke up. Good news: I got a Popularity Points system upon arrival. I can see live comments and even create an unkillable alternate identity. Starting out, the alternate identity has all stats at 1. The system tells me that to grow stronger, I must participate in the plot, gain popularity points to allocate stats and grow stronger, and ultimately awaken my original body. And so, carrying my original body on my back, I officially entered Huaqing Academy, where the story's protagonist resides. From that moment on, Chen Guan kicked the original plot to pieces. Live Comments: [Doesn't anyone find this mysterious coffin guy creepy? He can summon indescribable grey misty hands.] [Is this guy a hero or a villain? What kind of onion became a spirit?] [By the way, does anyone know who's in the coffin? Shouldn't the debt for saving his life be repaid by now?] [According to unofficial histories, the person in the coffin was Chen Guan's first love. Their love was once passionate and earth-shattering, but they were separated by life and death due to worldly circumstances. What a star-crossed pair.] ... Years later, the world knew of a demon god born from a coffin, shrouded in grey mist, impossible to gaze upon directly. His foremost divine emissary often wielded a scythe, reaping lives like the god of death. As war approached, facing former friends and a boundless sea of enemies, Chen Guan merely raised his scythe. "Would you like to dance as well?"
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."
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
