Before long, hurried footsteps echoed from behind.
Long Aotian glanced back and casually waved at the approaching figures.
The first to arrive was Huang Fei.
His expression was grim, clearly agitated, and his inner turmoil was unmistakable.
Equally flustered was Han Xiaojing, who jogged over, slightly out of breath. "Shen Mengjie."
"I'm fine," Shen Mengjie replied, shooting Long Aotian a sidelong glance as she noticed Han Xiaojing and the others searching for her.
If there was ever proof that a woman’s mood could shift faster than flipping a page, this was it.
One moment she had been meek and seeking guidance, and now—nothing but an eye-roll.
Han Xiaojing first nodded at Long Aotian in gratitude before turning to Shen Mengjie, her voice tinged with hurt and reproach. "You didn’t even answer my calls."
Shen Mengjie swayed slightly as she stood. "Sorry, I just... needed some quiet time alone today. Didn’t mean to worry you."
Han Xiaojing, along with Wang Lijuan and Zhang Mengmeng, who had just caught up, quickly moved to steady her.
The three exchanged glances—they knew exactly what had darkened her mood.
"Thanks," Shen Mengjie murmured as she passed Long Aotian.
Han Xiaojing finally mustered the courage to speak to him directly.
Long Aotian waved it off with a grin. "Just happened to run into her."
His breath, heavy with the scent of alcohol, brushed against her face, and Han Xiaojing felt her skin warm where it touched. She lowered her gaze, suddenly too flustered to meet his eyes.
Huang Fei studied Shen Mengjie, her usually sharp, alluring eyes now clouded and unfocused from drink, her fair cheeks flushed. He’d never seen her like this before.
The Shen Mengjie he knew was always confident, vibrant, radiant.
Now, she seemed more like a rose on the verge of wilting...
When Huang Fei had first seen those posts and screenshots on the school forum, his resolve had wavered.
But now, faced with this version of her, something in him tightened. The hesitation vanished, replaced by an urge to shield her—to stand firm.
At the end of the day, it all came back to one thing: he still cared. He couldn’t let go, not so easily...
He stepped forward softly. "I was really worried about you."
"You’re such a fool. A sweet one, though," Shen Mengjie chuckled.
"She’s had a bit too much—don’t take it to heart. We should get going," Wang Lijuan said apologetically to Huang Fei.
They’d all seen how frantic he’d been when Shen Mengjie went missing. For her to call him foolish now—was she trying to break his heart?
"Take care on your way back," Xu Shuai said, glancing between Long Aotian and the four girls before adding gently, "Text me when you’re home."
"Will do. You guys head back soon too."
Once the four had left, Huang Fei and Xu Shuai approached Long Aotian, voices hushed.
"Hold on."
Long Aotian tossed Huang Fei a beer from his pocket, then walked off to relieve himself under the cover of darkness. "Another minute, and my bladder would’ve exploded."
Finished, he felt instantly lighter.
Without waiting for questions, Long Aotian recounted everything.
"I was almost back at the dorm when I overheard some people talking. From what Shen Mengjie said, I thought she blamed me, so I rushed over..."
Huang Fei kicked an empty can across the ground. "Damn it! I can’t stand spineless cowards!"
"If I ever find out who that bastard is, I’ll make him regret it!"
"Hiding behind anonymity, smearing a girl to save his own skin—disgusting!"
Long Aotian met Huang Fei’s gaze solemnly. "Loving someone like Shen Mengjie won’t be easy."
He didn’t know her past, but from their earlier conversation, it was clear her personality was shaped by her upbringing.
After everything that had happened—last time and now—it was obvious how much Huang Fei cared for her. He’d said enough.
Huang Fei stared at the beer can in his hand, silent for a moment before popping it open. "I know. I know all of it. But I can’t help myself..."
"When I saw those things on the forum, when I couldn’t find her, I kept thinking—once I did, maybe then I could finally stop loving her..."
"But when I actually found her and saw her drunk from heartbreak with my own eyes, my heart kept telling me, over and over, that I should protect her, that I shouldn’t let her get hurt again..."
At this point, Huang Fei took a big gulp of beer and forced a bitter smile. "How pathetic. And here I was, calling myself the top of the 'Four Great Love Kings of 147'—turns out I’m the biggest joke of them all..."
Long Aotian and Xu Shuai patted his shoulder.
For a moment, neither of them knew what to say.
"Where’s Li Longlong?" Long Aotian changed the subject—this one was too heavy.
Xu Shuai seized the opportunity. "That guy’s been getting cozy with his senior lately. They went to see a movie today."
Long Aotian frowned slightly.
Xu Shuai immediately regretted his words and smacked his own mouth in frustration.
The two coughed awkwardly and glanced at Huang Fei.
They saw him, with a twisted expression—half-smile, half-sob—down the entire can of beer in one go.
"Come on, Ah Fei, let’s head back first."
"Yeah, the weather’s really turned. It’s getting chilly at night."
Not long after they returned to the dorm, Li Longlong barged in, phone in hand.
He took one look at Huang Fei smoking on his bed, then at Xu Shuai and Long Aotian.
Li Longlong swallowed hard. Even someone as oblivious as him could sense the tension in the room.
Whatever he’d been about to say was abruptly swallowed back.
He sidled up to Long Aotian and Xu Shuai and whispered, "What’s the situation here?"
"For now, it’s fine," Xu Shuai muttered back. "Old Huang’s taking it hard today. Don’t say anything, don’t ask anything."
Li Longlong nodded silently and unlocked his phone.
"What are you doing? Not in the mood for gaming tonight."
"Just checking if my senior has any single, high-quality friends..."
"Damn, you’ve got the right idea!" Long Aotian couldn’t help but give him a thumbs-up.
"Just doing my part... Though I’m nowhere near as dedicated as our dear readers, who power up the vultures every night..."
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
or! A blessing for those who struggle with love, a guidebook for dating novices. Quickly match with your dream goddess! Complete walkthroughs earn rewards, and perfect walkthroughs unlock limited achievements!】 Shen Yi, an ordinary office worker, accidentally downloads a mini-game called Dating Simulator. The mini-game is simple: randomly search for dating targets, simulate dates, and receive rewards upon successful confession. Rewards include but are not limited to money, attributes, and skills. The higher the evaluation, the better the rewards, with perfect ratings unlocking mysterious achievements. Shen Yi plans to use this mysterious mini-game to continuously pursue targets and improve himself, making his life better and better. ...... However, after several successful walkthroughs, Shen Yi suddenly notices something strange - the targets he previously simulated dating seem to be searching for him in real life?
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
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!
