While tidying up, Li Qingxue noticed the courtyard house design plans in Long Aotian's hands.
"Is this the design for the courtyard house?" she asked, eyeing the documents on the table.
"Mm," Long Aotian replied. "Can you understand it?"
"Drop the 'can you,'" Li Qingxue shot him a glare. Looking at the plans, she knew there was no talking him out of this.
Hu Yuying stepped closer to examine the designs as well. Truthfully, she trusted Long Aotian implicitly.
From guiding her in sourcing goods to earn money to sharing insights about future societal trends—everything he said carried foresight.
Long Aotian always had his reasons, so among the three of them, Hu Yuying was quick to be surprised but even quicker to accept things.
Mostly, she was just happy they’d have a rented place now. Once she got her own tools, she could cook for him every day.
It had been so long since she last made him a meal. She wondered if he still liked her cooking.
Long Aotian stood in the courtyard, holding the blueprints as he explained his vision.
"What do you all think?"
Faced with his question, the trio studied the designs, brainstorming ideas based on the courtyard’s layout.
As the saying goes, three heads are better than one.
The plans were refined further. Long Aotian hadn’t just come today to tell Hu Yuying and Li Qingxue they now had a secret base in the capital.
He also wanted to finalize the design based on their input.
After all, this would be his future home—the more detailed, the better.
And the sooner it was settled, the sooner construction could begin.
Noticing Long Aotian had finished his fruit tea, Hu Yuying softly asked, "Long Aotian, where’s the nearest store? I need to buy something."
Long Aotian paused. He hadn’t really paid attention.
"I know. I’ll take you," Lin Wanning offered with a smile.
Meeting her gaze, Hu Yuying nodded lightly. "Okay."
Watching the two walk away, Li Qingxue’s eyes flickered. She turned to Long Aotian.
"You rented this place and even asked for our decorating opinions. Are you plotting something?"
"Yep, you saw right through me," Long Aotian chuckled, texting a contractor.
A blush crept onto Li Qingxue’s cheeks. This guy’s so blunt—not even pretending anymore!
Plotting against me is one thing, but Yuying and Wanning too?
"That’s not a good mindset!" she muttered, biting her lip.
"Why not?" Long Aotian countered, amused.
Li Qingxue pouted. Of course no guy would see anything wrong with it.
Her mind drifted to last week on the boat, when he’d called her pretty.
Hmph. So he’s had designs on me for a while.
The thought sent a flutter through her chest.
But then again—he wasn’t just interested in her. Yuying and Wanning were targets too.
Putting on a stern face, she lectured, "You might be fit now, but that’s just youth. Wait till you’re older—you won’t keep up."
Long Aotian found it hilarious. The contrast between her delicate face and her faux-mature tone was priceless.
Teasing, he flexed his bicep. "Relax, I’m in peak condition."
Li Qingxue’s breath hitched at the sight of his muscles. Peak condition? Would I even handle that? Her face burned anew.
This guy acted so mature and witty at first, but now he’s showing his true colors!
Enough. If he was going all out, so would she.
Steeling herself with two deep breaths, she stepped forward. "Long Aotian, I need to talk."
He turned. "What about?"
Her courage wavered the moment their eyes met.
Okay, maybe she’d overestimated herself.
Standing face-to-face under his gaze, her nerves spiked. She retreated two steps.
In her fluster, her feet tangled—as if her brain had short-circuited.
"Long Aotian!"
"Pfft—HAHAHA!" Her clumsiness sent Long Aotian into laughter.
He caught her by the waist, steadying her. "How do you trip on flat ground?"
Pressed against his arm, she was closer than ever. Even as he mocked her, all she heard was concern.
Her water bottle clattered to the ground.
Long Aotian was still chuckling when he looked up—then froze.
Hu Yuying stood at the gate, stunned. The look on her face twisted something in his chest.
The water she’d just bought slipped from her arms.
Lin Wanning, beside her, felt the shift instantly. Hu Yuying had been chatting cheerfully on their way back, but now—silence.
"What’s wrong?" Long Aotian asked, stepping forward.
Li Qingxue followed, concerned.
Hu Yuying forced a smile. "Just dropped the water. My grip slipped."
"Scared me for nothing." Long Aotian picked up the bottles, ruffling her hair.
The touch unraveled her. With anyone else, she kept her emotions locked tight. But with him, every little thing swayed her.
Long ago, she’d already placed him beside her grandparents—her third closest person.
Handing waters to Li Qingxue and Lin Wanning, she mumbled, "I—I need the bathroom," before hurrying off.
In the alley, Hu Yuying leaned against the wall, staring at the sky with a deep breath.
Maybe it was seeing Long Aotian holding Li Qingxue that made her realize—she cared far more than she’d thought.
He was the sunlight in her heart. Losing that light? She couldn’t bear to imagine it.
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
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!
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
Heart] Chen Yi traversed the cultivation world for eight hundred years, charging his way to the Tribulation Transcendence stage. Just as he was outwitting his 81st Heavenly Tribulation to ascend to immortality, he was suddenly pulled into a chat group called the "Multiverse Transmigrators Support Group." To his surprise, the group was filled with nothing but fresh-faced newbies who had just transmigrated. [Help! I transmigrated into a disgraced concubine in the cold palace, and the tyrant emperor is about to execute me!] [I ended up as a cannon-fodder villain, and the protagonist is still chasing me—WTF!] [I woke up as the protagonist’s father, but I’m about to be sacrificed in a ritual! What do I do? Urgent!!!] Chen Yi stared at the chaotic flood of desperate pleas in the group and fell into deep thought. "Seriously? You drag me into a newbie transmigrator chat group… only after I’m one step away from becoming an immortal?"
