Hu Yuying quickly pulled Li Qingxue and Lin Wanning away from the spot.
"What a psycho, seriously, what a complete nutcase."
"Yuying, don’t listen to that creep’s nonsense."
Lin Wanning, noticing Hu Yuying’s silence, softly added, "Once when my brother and I were biking, a bug flew into my eye. He was just helping me blow it out—nothing like what that pervert was implying."
Hu Yuying suddenly stopped walking. "I don’t get it. Why does that guy keep badmouthing Brother Long?"
"I don’t understand why he acts like he’s looking out for us while doing things that make zero sense."
Hearing this, Li Qingxue and Lin Wanning secretly sighed in relief.
After all, the things Ye Liangchen had just said were downright hard to stomach...
"He wasn’t like this before. I don’t know how he suddenly became this way."
Li Qingxue had known Ye Liangchen the longest, and the person he was now bore little resemblance to the past.
"So... did Brother Long really force you to stick out your tongue?" Hu Yuying turned to Lin Wanning and asked.
Lin Wanning hadn’t expected Hu Yuying’s train of thought to jump so abruptly. She shook her head but was immediately hit by a wave of awkwardness.
Long Aotian hadn’t forced her—she’d done it willingly.
But admitting that? Way too embarrassing.
Especially in front of Hu Yuying, the person who mattered most to her brother.
"It wasn’t like what Ye Liangchen described. Brother Long isn’t that kind of person. You know him better than I do..."
She peeked at Hu Yuying and noticed her lost in thought.
"What’s on your mind?"
"N-nothing." Hu Yuying shook her head lightly.
She’d just randomly remembered a cheesy detail...
"Let’s get out of here first. We shouldn’t come back to bathe here again," Li Qingxue suggested.
Hu Yuying and Lin Wanning nodded, even glancing back to make sure no one was following them.
On the subway, the trio looked at the clothes they’d bought.
"What do you think Brother Long’s doing right now?"
Li Qingxue pondered. "Sunbathing." That guy loved soaking up the sun, especially on a nice day like this. He was probably lounging on a chair, basking lazily.
"Making clay figures." Hu Yuying wasn’t guessing—last time she video-called Long Aotian, he’d been kneading mud into a blocky shape with two gecko tails stuck on top, insisting it was the Bull Demon King...
It had nearly scared her to death, and then he’d laughed at her for being a scaredy-cat...
Hearing this, Li Qingxue and Lin Wanning could only conclude that Long Aotian had some seriously weird hobbies.
But it also confirmed how special Hu Yuying was to him.
At least, he’d never acted that way around them.
Soon, they reached the alley.
"Strange. Brother Long isn’t here today?" Hu Yuying eyed the tightly shut gate, puzzled.
"Maybe the workers are off today too."
Hu Yuying stepped forward and tried the gate. "It’s unlocked." She walked in.
Splash—
Hearing the sound, she called out, "Brother Long?"
Long Aotian turned at the sound.
Their eyes met.
Long Aotian froze, staring at Hu Yuying’s face, which instantly flushed crimson. The basin in his hands clattered to the ground.
Hu Yuying stiffened, fingers curling slightly as her gaze drifted downward.
Her pupils shrank. She held her breath—she’d never seen a naked man before. Her cheeks burned uncontrollably.
Only when Long Aotian shakily covered himself did she snap out of it, inhaling shakily, her limbs numb with nerves.
"Yuying, why are you just standing there? Why not go in?"
At Li Qingxue’s voice, Hu Yuying spun around, biting her lip. "I—I—I—there’s no water at home. Let’s go buy some!"
She blocked Li Qingxue’s view, forcing a laugh as she dragged her and Lin Wanning back out.
"Yuying, why’s your face so red?"
Hu Yuying touched her cheeks. "R-red? M-must be the heat. Come on, let’s get water."
As Hu Yuying led the others away, Long Aotian staggered, bracing himself against the water tank. "My youth... has been exposed..."
At the store:
"Yuying, why are you so distracted?" Li Qingxue placed water bottles on the counter and nudged her.
Startled, Hu Yuying blinked. "Huh? What?"
"It’s you who’s out of it. You’ve been spacing out since earlier."
"Yeah, look at the shopping bag—you’re about to rip it," Lin Wanning teased after paying.
Back at the alley, Hu Yuying eyed the nearing gate and hurried ahead. "I’ll open it!"
Just as she reached the door, it swung open from inside.
Long Aotian’s tall frame stood before her.
Their eyes locked again—Hu Yuying’s face flamed anew.
Her gaze flicked downward.
Long Aotian cleared his throat awkwardly, tapping her forehead. "Still not done looking?"
Hu Yuying instinctively shook her head.
"Hmm?"
Realizing her mistake, she hastily nodded.
Long Aotian couldn’t help but laugh. "I always said you were greedy and a perv, but you kept denying it!"
He then turned smoothly to Li Qingxue and Lin Wanning. "You should’ve called before coming."
Unaware of the tension, the two grinned. "We brought you a gift! Guess what it is!"
Long Aotian glanced at Hu Yuying, whose face was now practically steaming.
"Uh, come in first." He stepped aside, eyeing Hu Yuying, who was fidgeting with her sleeves. "You too. Get inside."
"O-okay." Hu Yuying kept her head down, scurrying past him into the courtyard, uncharacteristically meek.
Once the others entered, Long Aotian rubbed his face hard, composing himself before following.
......
......
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!
th】 【No prior gaming knowledge required】【The First Cultivation + Game Design Novel on the Platform】 In a world where the righteous path dominates and crushes the demonic sects, Lu Ze unlocks the "Son of the Demon Path" system. Killing righteous cultivators now grants him power-ups. Wait—deaths in illusions count too? As a former game designer, Lu Ze decides to give the cultivators of this world a little—no, a massive—shock... Sect Elders: "What is this 'Escape from the Demon Sect' game? Why have all our disciples abandoned cultivation to play it??" Elite Disciples: "You're saying... mastering 'Demon Slayer' can help us counter demonic schemes?" Reclusive Masters: "Why did I leave seclusion? Ask that backstabbing rat who ambushed me in 'Eternal Strife' yesterday!" Rogue Cultivators & Civilians: "'Immortal Abyss Action' is addictive! You can even earn spirit stones by loot-running..." Sect Prodigy: "My Dao heart is unshakable... except for that cursed black hammer." Royal Scions: "Can skins have stat boosts? I’ll pay 10,000 spirit stones for one!!" Sect Leader: "WHO IS CORRUPTING MY DISCIPLES?!!!"
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?"
+【Epic Battles!】 "Your Highness, they say Linxi Temple is miraculous. Won’t you make a wish?" "A wish? It should be making wishes to me." "That may be so, but since you’re already here..." "..." "Fine. Then grant this princess a consort to play with." "He must be obedient, devoted, and utterly infatuated with my body—so much so that he’d kneel and kiss my feet." "Your Highness, that’s not a consort. That’s a dog." "Then add clever, witty, heroic, ambitious yet pragmatic..." "Hmm, that’s enough for now. I’ll add more later." After tossing out these words half in jest, Princess Anle departed the temple—only to catch a fleeting glimpse of the Bodhisattva statue smiling at her. Meanwhile, Yang An, fresh out of university, was having a very bad day. Good news: He’d transmigrated into another world with a cheat granting tenfold combat power. Bad news: He’d immediately fallen into the clutches of a certain villainess. Good news: Said villainess possessed peerless beauty and royal status. Bad news: She was absolutely monstrous!!! In the frozen wilderness, Yang An knelt beneath Qin Guo’er’s feet, drenched in sweat despite the cold. Desperately clutching her porcelain-perfect foot—the very one poised to crush his throat—he could only think: How do I survive this?! Need answers NOW!
