"It's quite rare for you to hang out with us today, old Ao," Huang Fei joked half-heartedly.
"Yeah, usually after your workout, you disappear. We thought you weren’t coming back today. Spill it—did your girl kick you out after a fight?" Li Longlong chimed in with a laugh.
"I bet that’s it. Otherwise, you wouldn’t look so down," Xu Shuai punched Long Aotian’s arm playfully. "Cheer up! You’ve still got us!"
Long Aotian sighed. He had been about to head home when he got a message from his girl, and now the three of them had roped him into staying out.
They’d only just gotten together, and already he was living the "no going home" life. Long Aotian couldn’t help but feel helpless.
"You promised to introduce us to your girl ages ago. Did you forget?" Huang Fei glanced at the restaurant in front of them. "Let’s just eat here. It’ll do."
"Give it some time. I’ll have her cook for you guys," Long Aotian replied without looking up, typing a quick response to his girl.
The moment he said that, Huang Fei and the others perked up instantly. "What? Your girl can cook?"
Long Aotian suppressed a smirk, feigning nonchalance. "What’s the big deal? She’s just decent at it—like, barely passable."
"Honestly, it’s just slightly delicious. No need to make a fuss."
Then, glancing at Xu Shuai and Li Longlong, he raised an eyebrow mockingly. "Wait… don’t tell me you’ve never had a homemade meal from your girlfriends?"
Xu Shuai froze for a second before forcing a laugh. "Of course I have! Hahaha, good joke..."
Li Longlong cleared his throat awkwardly. "You know how busy my senior is. I always want her to rest when she has time..."
"Oh!" Long Aotian nodded sagely. "No worries. When the time comes, I’ll let you taste your sister-in-law’s cooking. Just slightly amazing."
Seeing Long Aotian’s smug face, the three immediately ganged up on him.
Laughing and shoving each other, the four of them walked into the restaurant.
......
Shen Mengjie glanced up as the four men passed by the café.
With a mocking smile, she turned to Ye Liangchen and Xue Shaohua, who were hiding under the table. "They’re gone."
Only then did the two cautiously peek out from beneath the table, confirming that the group had indeed left before finally relaxing. They straightened their clothes and sat back down as if nothing had happened.
Shen Mengjie watched them with amusement. "Are you two really that scared of Long Aotian?"
Ye Liangchen slowly closed his eyes.
Xue Shaohua, however, answered bluntly, "Old Ye had a little… disagreement with Long Aotian not long ago."
As Xue Shaohua finished speaking, Ye Liangchen reopened his eyes and looked at Shen Mengjie. "Just a minor misunderstanding. Nothing to worry about!"
Curious, Shen Mengjie pressed further. "What was the disagreement about?"
Ye Liangchen wiped his face with a hand, his expression tinged with disdain. "I met up with a friend I’ve known for nine years. Apparently, that made someone feel threatened. Pathetic."
He took a deep breath. "He couldn’t handle my presence, so he attacked me out of nowhere. Caught me off guard—just a single punch, no big deal."
"But he didn’t walk away unscathed either." Ye Liangchen smirked. If he’d stayed down for two more seconds, Long Aotian would’ve lost his mind!
Shen Mengjie rolled her eyes. They were clearly terrified of Long Aotian, yet they kept making excuses to cover up their cowardice. How ridiculous.
"Wasn’t the plan for you two to stay away unless I contacted you? So why are you here today?" Shen Mengjie rested her chin on her hand, blinking coquettishly.
The gesture, coming from her, was deliberately provocative.
"Change of plans," Ye Liangchen said darkly. "The original setup stays, but after you get Long Aotian drunk and take the photos, we’ll handle the rest."
Originally, the plan was for Shen Mengjie to get Long Aotian drunk, take compromising photos, and then stage a scene where she’d pretend he had taken advantage of her—complete with the classic line, "No girl would joke about her own innocence." That way, he’d have no choice but to admit guilt.
But now, they had a new idea. Shen Mengjie would just take the photos as backup, and they would personally ensure Long Aotian was "ruined" before taking more incriminating shots. Double the leverage!
The thought of Long Aotian’s smug face when he punched him made Ye Liangchen burn with the urge to retaliate—to prove once and for all who was truly weak.
Beside him, Xue Shaohua’s lips curled into a sinister grin.
Shen Mengjie suddenly felt like the two men before her had changed.
They usually reacted very differently to her charms. She knew how to use her beauty to her advantage, yet just now, neither had even blinked at her teasing. Strange.
Not long ago, they’d been so infatuated they’d probably call even her farts fragrant...
Had something happened recently that she didn’t know about?
Then, she noticed something odd—Ye Liangchen’s hand brushed against Xue Shaohua’s, and both jerked away as if electrocuted.
Why were they blushing?
"Mind explaining why? The original plan was solid. If we mess this up now, all our effort goes to waste," Shen Mengjie pressed.
Ye Liangchen and Xue Shaohua exchanged confident smiles.
They weren’t worried about failure.
If a girl’s innocence was compromised—even if forced—the gossip alone could drown a person.
That was why Hu Yuying had stayed with Long Aotian without resistance.
And the same logic applied to men. If word got out that Long Aotian had been "deflowered," the humiliation would be unbearable—especially for someone as prideful as him. It’d be worse than death!
At that thought, Ye Liangchen decided he should call Gao Quan and invite him to the capital for a visit.
If Long Aotian snapped and tried to kill someone, Gao Quan could take the hit for him.
Not only would he avoid repaying the 200 yuan he owed Gao Quan, but he’d also have proof of Long Aotian’s crime. From then on, Long Aotian would be under his thumb—forever.
The plan was flawless. One misstep from Long Aotian, and he’d be doomed.
Then, they’d force Long Aotian to call Hu Yuying to a hotel. Lights off—Ye Liangchen would make his grand entrance.
He couldn’t wait to see the look on Hu Yuying’s face when she realized it was him.
And Long Aotian? Forced to watch from the sidelines, even helping—what kind of expression would he make?
Just the thought of it made Ye Liangchen laugh out loud in excitement.
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
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?”
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."
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
