Xue Shaohua quickly followed suit when he saw what was happening.
Truth be told, the moment he witnessed Hu Yuying walking into the courtyard with that other guy, his heart ached unbearably.
If he had to describe the feeling, it was like watching someone else play with his most treasured possession—an unbearable frustration.
He was outstanding in his own right, so why couldn’t Hu Yuying seem to see him?
The more unattainable she was, the more his heart stirred with longing.
All of it eventually condensed into sheer unwillingness.
A girl like her—once encountered, impossible to forget.
He wanted her every second of every day. That radiant smile was etched into his mind, and if one day it were to bloom just for him, Xue Shaohua felt his life would be complete.
And then there was Li Qingxue—if possible, he wouldn’t mind getting to know her better too. He knew he shouldn’t be so greedy, but greed was etched into human nature.
Someone as exceptional as him, well-liked in class, deserved a little more leniency, didn’t he?
The only regret was not knowing the name of that aloof yet stunning girl.
As they neared the courtyard, Ye Liangchen and Xue Shaohua faintly caught snippets of conversation.
Ye Liangchen suddenly raised his arm, signaling Xue Shaohua to stop and not go any further.
"Brother Long, I really have been trying my best."
"Of course I can tell." After all, he’d watched her grow step by step since she arrived from Haishi—how could he not see it?
"No, you don’t. The way you look at me is always so indulgent, like I’m some helpless child who’ll never grow up."
"My mistake. From now on, you’ll just be a slightly bigger child in my eyes. Happy now?"
"Brother Long~~" Hu Yuying stomped her foot, pouting in protest.
Seeing her like this, Long Aotian couldn’t help but chuckle. He pinched her puffed-up cheeks playfully before finally giving in and flicking her nose. "Go on inside. Everyone’s waiting for you. We’ll grab dinner together later."
The two eavesdroppers outside couldn’t suppress their grins, already picturing Hu Yuying’s adorable, sulky expression.
Their smiles were so blissful, as if in that moment, they were the ones standing before her instead of Long Aotian.
"Brother Long." Hu Yuying called out to his retreating figure. The second he turned, she wrapped her arms around him in a gentle embrace.
Just like that day when he’d carried her on his back, she held him tightly, pressing her face against his chest. "Brother Long, I’m an adult now. I know exactly what’s in my heart."
"It’s not gratitude, not indebtedness—it’s dependence. But not the kind a little girl has. It’s the dependence of a woman... on a man."
With that, she’d said everything she needed to.
Long Aotian looked down at Hu Yuying in his arms, his hand hovering as if to stroke her hair...
Silence. A deep, heavy silence.
Hu Yuying bit her lip and shut her eyes. Even if she expected rejection again, even if...
Thump.
Her lashes fluttered as she slowly opened her eyes, pressing even closer to his chest.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
She smiled—a smile so tender it could melt into one’s very bones.
Her cheeks burned uncontrollably.
Even the tips of her ears flushed hot.
She didn’t need words. She heard it.
And she thought... she might already know Brother Long’s heart.
"Scum! Let her go!" A sudden, jarring voice shattered the moment.
The door was kicked open.
Instinctively, Long Aotian pulled Hu Yuying behind him, his gaze snapping toward the intruder.
Inside the room, Li Qingxue and Lin Wanning, alerted by the noise, rushed out.
There, standing in the doorway, was a figure.
He faced slightly away, head tilted at a melancholic 45-degree angle, his expression shadowed with sorrow.
At the sight of him, Li Qingxue frowned. Lin Wanning frowned. Even the gentlest of them, Hu Yuying, wrinkled her nose in disgust.
Long Aotian studied Ye Liangchen without a frown—only a flicker of confusion in his eyes.
Hidden to the side, Xue Shaohua gave an approving nod at Ye Liangchen’s dramatic entrance.
Feeling all eyes on him, Ye Liangchen allowed a faint smirk.
With a dramatic toss of his hair, he fixed his piercing gaze on Long Aotian—and the three girls behind him, the objects of his longing.
The sight of Hu Yuying, Li Qingxue, and Lin Wanning deepened his smile, but it vanished as he glared at Long Aotian. "I said, let them go!"
"Ye Liangchen, have you lost your mind?" Li Qingxue snapped. She’d known him the longest, and seeing him here only deepened her disappointment.
She wasn’t stupid. In a city as vast as the capital, how had he found this exact alley, this exact courtyard? The answer was obvious.
Disgust slowly eclipsed her frustration.
Ye Liangchen responded with a bitter chuckle, shaking his head. "They call me mad, yet they see nothing."
"Your knight is here, Qingxue. Don’t be afraid." His gaze shifted to Hu Yuying and Lin Wanning. "You two—fear not. For I have arrived!"
He gave the three girls a solemn nod before finally locking eyes with Long Aotian. This was their first true confrontation.
No matter. He’d already embraced the darkness.
Hands in his pockets, he strode forward, stopping inches from Long Aotian. Swallowing hard, he declared, "Long Aotian, I know you feel threatened by me."
"I never wanted to fight before, but now—I can’t stand by any longer. I—"
Slap!
Ye Liangchen’s head snapped to the side. He stood frozen, lips trembling in shock.
Li Qingxue and Lin Wanning were equally stunned—this was the first time they’d seen Long Aotian act this way.
Only Hu Yuying understood. She looked up at him, her heart aching for her Brother Long... because she knew exactly why he’d struck Ye Liangchen.
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?”
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
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."
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."
