The next moment, she saw that Long Aotian was completely unharmed, grinning at her with a triumphant smirk.
At this point, she understood everything—he had tricked her again, the absolute rascal.
Long Aotian’s eyes curved with amusement as he gently stroked her cheek. "You do care about me. Instinctive concern can’t be hidden."
"I do not care about you!" she protested.
He pulled Hu Yuying into his arms, burying his face in the crook of her neck, his voice thick with emotion, as if choked up like a girl on the verge of tears. "Ah-Ying..."
For a moment, Hu Yuying stopped resisting and let him hold her, feeling his warm breath against her skin.
The heavy exhales against her neck sent tingles down her spine.
She lifted a hand and rested it lightly on the back of his head. "I just want you to always put me first."
"You always have been. From now on, you’re my only priority."
"Long Aotian, you’re such a fool... a complete fool..."
"Yes, I am. This fool keeps making my little girl angry, keeps making her cry."
"But this fool will always put you first. I hope my little girl can forgive this fool."
Sniffling, she cupped his face. "If you promise to treat me well—always, always well—then I’ll forgive you."
"Good. I, Long Aotian, swear to protect Hu Yuying and cherish her forever."
He patted her back gently, and before long, she was asleep against his arm, her breathing steady.
Carefully shifting, he turned to face her, watching her peaceful expression. His fingertip lightly tapped the tip of her nose.
His thumb brushed tenderly over her still slightly reddened eyelids.
He had promised to protect her as his little follower, to shield her from harm—yet he was the one who kept making her cry.
His touch must have disturbed her, because she nuzzled against his palm like a kitten.
Smiling silently, he stiffly adjusted his position, pressing close against her. He placed her hand over his heart and, listening to her soft breaths, drifted off to sleep.
Morning sunlight spilled into the room through the window.
Hu Yuying stretched lazily, the cool air against her exposed skin jolting her awake.
She blinked, then froze.
Last night, she was certain she hadn’t undressed.
Pulling back the covers, she looked down—and realized she’d been stripped bare, save for her underwear.
"Awake?" Long Aotian propped his head up, grinning smugly at her sleepy daze. "You kept kicking the blankets last night. I figured you were too hot because of your clothes."
"So you took them off for me?"
He chuckled. "Don’t mention it. Just a small favor."
Casually, his hand found its way to her chest. "All part of the service."
Hu Yuying rolled her eyes. "Shameless, taking advantage like this."
But since she was already his, she didn’t mind his wandering hands.
She sat up, searching for her discarded clothes.
Long Aotian got up too, wrapping the blanket around her before handing her the clothes. "I’ll grab breakfast. You boil some water and freshen up."
"Wait." Hu Yuying called out softly as he turned to leave.
"What is it?"
She bit her lip, then took a deep breath and let the blanket fall, baring her youthful, delicate figure before him.
Her face flushed crimson, and she quickly turned her back to him. "Help me fasten this."
Long Aotian swallowed hard. Her skin was smooth as silk, her waist slender, her curves enticing. He stepped closer, suddenly thinking breakfast could wait.
"Long Aotian~" she murmured, her cheeks burning. "I said fasten it, not take it off..."
"Ah, sorry. Saw an ant. Had to deal with it first!"
She shot him an exasperated look. Couldn’t he at least come up with a better excuse?
On their first day back together, he was already obsessed with her body.
The little rabbit struggled, but the big bad wolf pounced, and soon, soft whimpers filled the air as he got his way...
......
By the time they finally got moving, over an hour had passed.
This time, she managed to dress properly—though not without stepping on his foot in annoyance.
Long Aotian, thoroughly satisfied, wore the expression of a man who couldn’t care less. Stomp all you want—he was content.
Seeing him like this, Hu Yuying felt both flustered and annoyed. The dignified big brother image she’d once held of him was crumbling.
He used to claim he was the most proper guy around. Now? He was the least proper of them all.
The utterly improper man sighed in bliss. "I think I’ve been poisoned by you, little girl. You’re my only antidote."
Her face reddened again. "Shameless Long Aotian."
At that, Long Aotian straightened up, slipping on his jacket and smoothing out his clothes—and his hair—with practiced ease. "Better now?"
She blinked. "Huh?"
"Do I look more proper now?"
Hu Yuying covered her mouth, her eyes crinkling into crescents of laughter. "Yes, yes. Very proper."
He pulled her into his arms. "You’re so beautiful when you smile."
"Let’s go eat. I’m starving." She said it lightly, but her heart was soaring.
The streets of Beijing never seemed to sleep.
No matter the hour, hurried pedestrians filled the sidewalks.
But if you looked closely, you could see the exhaustion lingering in their eyes.
Only after stepping out of campus and into society did they truly understand how relentless the pace of life in the capital was.
"Long Aotian, will we stay in Beijing for work in the future?" Hu Yuying asked softly.
They’d already bought a home here. It seemed this would be their life from now on.
Long Aotian sensed her hesitation. "We’ll bring your grandparents and my parents here too."
"And if we ever get tired of the city, we’ll go back to the countryside."
"You’ll cook, I’ll grow vegetables, and we’ll sell them at the market."
The image of that peaceful, rustic life made her nod happily.
"We’ll plant fruit trees in the yard too. You sell veggies, I’ll sell fruit."
"But don’t price the fruit too high. Folks in town won’t buy if it’s expensive."
At that, they exchanged a smile.
Together, they dreamed of the future—bright, hopeful, and full of promise...
[Support if you enjoyed~]

lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...

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!

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?!

for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?