Looking at Hu Yuying like this, Li Qingxue smiled.
She wasn’t laughing because she could finally pursue Long Aotian without affecting their friendship.
She was laughing because she finally understood why Long Aotian would always shower Hu Yuying with all his affection.
Because, well, Hu Yuying truly deserved it.
Turns out, when you genuinely want to be good to someone, you don’t expect anything in return.
"Yuying, we’ll be best friends forever, right?" Li Qingxue gently hugged Hu Yuying and asked softly.
"We will. We’ll definitely be best friends forever." At this moment, Hu Yuying could sense Li Qingxue’s emotions—nothing more, nothing less, just eternal friendship.
Suddenly, Hu Yuying’s delicate frame trembled slightly, her cheeks flushing as she whispered, "Qingxue, could you move your hand off my butt? We’re still outside."
"No way, no way. You’re so soft, it feels so nice to hold."
"Then I’ll grab you too."
"Mm~" Li Qingxue shivered for a moment. "Yuying, if only you were a guy, I’d marry you in a heartbeat."
Hu Yuying found it amusing. She looked up at the sky—if she were a guy, would anyone really like such a timid version of herself?
It was Long Aotian who changed her. If she hadn’t met him, how unfortunate her life would have been.
Long Aotian was wonderful, the best in the world, which was why she wholeheartedly wished for his happiness.
That was her way of respecting him.
She patted Li Qingxue’s back lightly.
At first, when she learned that Li Qingxue had feelings for Long Aotian, she had panicked.
But now, she could say these words to Li Qingxue with ease.
Because Long Aotian’s heart had told her—it had once raced wildly for her too.
That was enough. No matter the outcome, at least it had beaten for her once.
Three days later, the first long break of university arrived.
That afternoon, Li Qingxue went to a café outside campus.
"Over here." Lin Wanning raised her hand to signal when she saw Li Qingxue enter.
Spotting Lin Wanning, Li Qingxue chuckled and walked over with light steps.
Lin Wanning rested her chin on one hand, her eyes smiling as she observed Li Qingxue. Compared to their last meeting, Li Qingxue had changed noticeably.
It was hard to describe, but there was a shift—something in her demeanor.
"You’ve changed a lot these days," Lin Wanning remarked softly.
Li Qingxue nodded without hiding it. Of course she had changed.
When facing Long Aotian, her heart would sway.
When facing Hu Yuying, she’d feel guilt.
But after that afternoon talk with Hu Yuying, all of it vanished.
Her heart felt clear, and naturally, she seemed different.
"Qingxue, do you like Long Aotian too?" Seeing her nod, Lin Wanning cut straight to the point.
Her personality disliked beating around the bush, and since she considered Li Qingxue a friend, she asked directly.
"Yes, I do. How could anyone not like a guy like him?"
Li Qingxue’s bluntness surprised Lin Wanning, who then laughed. "I knew it."
"Right? After getting to know him, it’s impossible not to develop feelings."
Li Qingxue looked at Lin Wanning in surprise. "Wait, do you...?"
"Mm. That’s why I wanted to meet you."
From Long Aotian’s stories, Hu Yuying was his first friend. They had supported and saved each other, their bond far deeper than what others shared.
Both Hu Yuying and Li Qingxue were her friends, and she didn’t want to see any rift between them.
So she had come today to talk things out with Li Qingxue.
Why Li Qingxue and not Hu Yuying? Because Hu Yuying was the most important person to Long Aotian.
Lin Wanning could see that clearly.
But today, it seemed she had worried for nothing. Li Qingxue was in good spirits, and that strange mood from before no longer weighed on her.
During their chat, Li Qingxue recounted everything she and Hu Yuying had talked about that afternoon.
After hearing it, Lin Wanning smiled faintly. "Hu Yuying really is amazing. No wonder my brother said she’s someone very important to him."
"Really? What did Long Aotian say?" Li Qingxue was curious.
"Before, I asked him if he had a girlfriend. He said no, but there was someone in his heart who meant a lot to him."
"Though he didn’t name her, I could tell—he was talking about Hu Yuying."
Li Qingxue took a sip of coffee and asked tentatively, "But knowing he already has someone so important in his heart, how could you still fall for him?"
There was no answer to that—at least, not one Lin Wanning could give yet.
Just like why Li Qingxue had fallen for Long Aotian in the first place.
Seeing Lin Wanning shake her head, Li Qingxue pressed on in a hushed voice, "So what do you plan to do?" Pure curiosity—Li Qingxue loved gossip.
"What do I plan to do? It’s simple. Being with Long Aotian makes me happy. He gives me this indescribable sense of security."
"If we become a couple, I’d cherish him. If not, he’ll still be my brother—forever."
Li Qingxue narrowed her eyes and leaned forward. "Brother, or lover brother?"
Lin Wanning hadn’t expected such a question. Instantly, a blush spread across her fair cheeks.
Her mind flashed back to when she had kissed him. Li Qingxue wasn’t wrong—kissing was something magical.
A girl’s first kiss, given to someone she liked, was unforgettable. People said the impact of a first love was profound, and it was true.
Meeting someone special at the best age was beautiful. Even years later, the memory could still make your heart flutter.
"Don’t lie to me. I’m basically a human lie detector."
At that, Lin Wanning lowered her gaze and murmured, almost inaudibly, "If my brother wants me... I’ll give myself to him."
"Wow!" Li Qingxue stared at her in disbelief. "So the colder they seem on the outside, the hotter they burn inside. That saying’s spot on."
Truthfully, the fact that Lin Wanning could share her true feelings told Li Qingxue one thing: compared to her, Hu Yuying held a far more significant place in Long Aotian’s heart.
That was why Lin Wanning could speak so openly.
Did it hurt? No.
Like Lin Wanning said, being together would be great—but if not, staying friends was fine too.
Just as Hu Yuying had put it: all she wanted was for him to be happy. That was enough.
Lin Wanning looked at Li Qingxue. "What about you?"
Li Qingxue wrinkled her nose. "Not telling."
"I already told you, but you're still keeping secrets. That's not fair." Lin Wanning reached out to tickle Li Qingxue.
Li Qingxue quickly shielded herself. "I'm not ticklish, you know."
The next second, her body trembled. "No—not there! You'll ruin it..."
"Then tell me, or I'll keep going."
Li Qingxue's cheeks flushed pink, her gaze turning hazy as she murmured, "If it's Long Aotian... then I suppose it's alright..."
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
【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.)
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
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.”
