Looking at the smile on Hu Yuying's face, Long Aotian lazily stretched his limbs.
In truth, she had simply received too little kindness in life, but the world was never short of people with good intentions.
Perhaps it was a life scripted by fate, or perhaps something else.
In any case, seeing Hu Yuying integrate into the group brought Long Aotian joy.
This was just the beginning. In the days to come, he would do his best to help Hu Yuying change.
She had already suffered enough in the first half of her life.
From now on, he hoped she could follow the path laid out in books—finding her other half and spending the rest of her days in carefree happiness.
Pulling the curtains open slightly, sunlight streamed through the window, bathing Long Aotian in its glow.
Warm and comfortable.
Hu Yuying could feel the kindness radiating from everyone around her.
It stirred up an indescribable feeling in her heart.
Her gaze inadvertently drifted to the back row.
Her eyes flickered slightly...
Bathed in sunlight, Long Aotian, with his lazy demeanor, seemed to emanate a sacred glow.
Like a light in the darkness.
Wherever he was, the shadows seemed to disperse.
"Hu Yuying, what are you daydreaming about?" A female classmate waved her hand in front of Hu Yuying's face, snapping her out of her thoughts.
Hu Yuying looked at the girl in front of her and smiled softly. "It's nothing."
But someone else followed her gaze.
Long Aotian, in terms of looks alone, could definitely be described as ruggedly handsome, especially when he smiled—that mischievous grin was unforgettable.
But he fought, he cursed, he skipped class, he damaged the class's reputation, and he was the one no one in the class dared to provoke.
After a moment of hesitation, the girl whispered a warning to Hu Yuying, advising her to stay away from Long Aotian.
Hu Yuying would listen to such advice, but she wouldn't act on it.
She knew these people meant well.
She couldn't argue.
Just like how she believed Long Aotian was a kind person, but no one else seemed to agree.
It didn't matter.
As long as she knew that Long Aotian was a good, kind-hearted person, that was enough.
It seemed as though the world had slapped invisible labels on everyone.
Long Aotian was trying to help her peel off the label of timidity.
She, too, wanted to find a way to remove the negative labels attached to him.
Even if she couldn't do it now, it didn't mean she wouldn't be able to in the future.
She would make sure everyone knew that Long Aotian was a good person—a very, very good person. He wasn't a troublemaker.
In the hallway by the stairs, Li Qingxue passed by Class 7 on her way to the restroom and happened to glance inside.
She spotted Long Aotian sitting by the trash can, leaning against the wall, basking in the sunlight.
For a moment, she was stunned, then she chuckled softly. "He really does love sunbathing."
"Qingxue, what are you talking about?" her deskmate Wang Rui asked.
Following Li Qingxue's gaze, Wang Rui quickly pulled her a few steps forward, away from Class 7's area. "That guy is Long Aotian, the top troublemaker in our senior year. He's not easy to get along with."
Li Qingxue raised an eyebrow. "Top troublemaker? Long Aotian?"
Wang Rui, seeing Li Qingxue's curious expression, laughed. "It's understandable you wouldn't know."
Li Qingxue was a top student, consistently ranking in the top three of her grade. Naturally, she wouldn't have any interactions with the "bad" students.
"He has a terrible temper. One of my roommates is in Class 7, and she told me that once, Long Aotian punched a classmate so hard that his head started bleeding. It was brutal!"
"My classmate also said that you should never provoke Long Aotian."
"If you provoke someone else, they might just curse at you, but if you provoke Long Aotian, he'll actually hit you."
Li Qingxue looked at Wang Rui in disbelief. For a moment, she wondered if they were talking about the same person.
That boy who loved sunbathing and spoke so politely—how could he be the same person Wang Rui was describing?
So she asked, "Are you sure you're not mistaken? I was talking about the boy sitting in the back row, near the trash can."
"No mistake, that's him. That's Long Aotian. Haven't you heard the saying? 'Back row by the window, the king's domain; trash can by his side, royal bloodline; wall at his back, sleeps like a rock...'"
"Long Aotian is the only one in our entire senior year who checks all those boxes!" Wang Rui said with absolute certainty.
Li Qingxue still couldn't believe it. After all, nothing was more convincing than firsthand experience.
The boy she had encountered was nothing like the person Wang Rui was describing.
Especially in terms of temperament and attitude.
The boy she had met was completely different!
After using the restroom, Li Qingxue passed by Class 7 again and took another look.
There he was, sitting in the back row, leaning against the wall, with a trash can beside him—everything Wang Rui had said matched. They were definitely talking about the same person.
So why was there such a stark contrast in their perceptions?
Long Aotian tilted his head slightly and caught sight of Li Qingxue through the back door. He raised his hand and waved at her.
"Strange, do I look that scary?"
Long Aotian touched his face, puzzled.
Wang Rui grabbed Li Qingxue's arm and hurried her back to their classroom. "Oh no, oh no, Li Qingxue, you're in trouble! Did you see that? Long Aotian waved at you. That means he's interested in you!"
Li Qingxue couldn't help but laugh at Wang Rui's words. "He was just saying hi. It's not as dramatic as you're making it out to be."
Now Li Qingxue was certain—they were indeed talking about the same person!
"Qingxue, you have no idea. Once you get involved with a bad boy like Long Aotian, they stick to you like glue. They'll pester you, wanting to date you. And if you refuse, they'll bully you!"
"I've seen it happen so many times. If it's Long Aotian, I'm afraid if you reject him, he might even hit you."
Li Qingxue stared at Wang Rui in disbelief. "You're getting more and more ridiculous."
"She's right!"
A voice suddenly chimed in from the hallway.
It was Ye Liangchen.
Originally, Ye Liangchen was just passing by and hadn't meant to eavesdrop.
But out of a sense of "friendship," he felt it was necessary to give Li Qingxue a heads-up.
After all, she was his unattainable crush.
"Long Aotian is no good. You'd better stay away from him!"
With that, Ye Liangchen walked back to his seat without another word, maintaining his aloof demeanor the entire time.
As he sat down, he could still feel Li Qingxue's gaze on him.
Facing her stare, Ye Liangchen turned to look out the window, pursing his lips to accentuate his sharp jawline.
It was the mark of a mature man.
And a testament to his confidence in his side profile...
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."
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...
