"Brother Long." Hu Yuying called softly.
"Mhm."
"Close your eyes."
Watching Long Aotian tightly shut his eyes, Hu Yuying leaned forward, gradually drawing closer.
The moment their lips met in a tender touch, her lashes fluttered faintly—she hadn't closed her eyes.
Too shy, she even lightly covered Long Aotian's eyes with her hand.
Slowly withdrawing her palm, her bright eyes studied his brow with earnest focus.
A rosy blush spread across her delicate face, her heartbeat seeming just a little faster than usual.
[Next stop, Haiwan Station arriving shortly. Please...]
The announcement echoed in her ears.
Hu Yuying pulled back, hands covering her now-warm cheeks, stealing a glance at Long Aotian, who still had his eyes closed but couldn't suppress a smile. "O-okay, that's enough," she whispered.
He opened his eyes. "Now it's my turn."
"Yuying, close your eyes."
"No." She pressed her lips together and shook her head.
They were about to arrive, and this insatiable man would surely leave her dazed with kisses again—getting off the train like that would be mortifying. No more kisses for Brother Long!
Her coy, charming demeanor made him ache to kiss her senseless, if only it were appropriate.
The train pulled into the station.
Few passengers were headed all the way to Haiwan Station, so Long Aotian and Hu Yuying exited the platform smoothly.
"It's snowing!"
The train had passed through many cities—some blanketed in white, others without a trace of snow.
Haiwan City, however, was getting a heavy snowfall, thick flakes visible to the naked eye.
Nestled near the Haiwan River, the air here was damp, making it feel much colder than Capital City.
Hu Yuying's cheeks and nose were already tinged pink from the chill.
"Brother Long, come buy the bus tickets with me?"
"Sure, take it slow." Watching her excitement, Long Aotian couldn't help but smile.
After purchasing the tickets, Long Aotian stowed Hu Yuying's luggage and fetched some warm food from a nearby breakfast stall.
"Eat something warm, drink something hot, get home safely, and message me..."
Hu Yuying suddenly giggled, gazing fondly at him. His nagging habit always kicked in when they parted, as if she were some clueless child.
Maybe in his eyes, she was still that timid, easily bullied girl from before.
Yet she loved hearing him fuss over her.
She'd remember every word, because his care for her was something she felt deeply.
"What’s so funny? Did you even listen to me?" He pinched her frost-reddened nose in mock annoyance.
"Got it! Your little follower will remember every word." She even saluted playfully.
Amused by her antics, he sighed and pulled her into a light hug. "Get on the bus, it's cold out here."
"Just a little longer." Her voice was barely a whisper. "Hold me a little longer."
Unlike Capital Station, Haiwan Station wasn't crowded at this hour.
As departure time neared, Hu Yuying finally let go and boarded the bus. Through the window, she said, "Brother Long, go home now."
"Okay."
He always said "okay," but his feet never moved.
Just like countless times before, she knew he'd still be there if she looked back.
As the bus pulled away, Long Aotian gradually shrank from view until he disappeared entirely.
Then her phone chimed—a unique tone reserved for one contact at the top of her list.
[Wait for me.]
Two simple words dissolved her melancholy into a quiet, happy smile.
Once the bus was out of sight, Long Aotian wheeled his suitcase toward the exit.
Stepping outside the station—
"Son!" A familiar voice rang in his ears.
Turning, he saw an old man grinning from ear to ear on a tricycle.
"Son, I’m here to take you home."
Long Aotian walked over, noticing the layer of snow on the old man’s shoulders. His eyes softened with emotion.
Brushing off the snow, he didn’t ask how long his father had waited—the evidence was plain to see.
Standing at the back of the tricycle, the cold wind and snowflakes couldn’t dampen the warmth in his heart.
They soon arrived home.
The house was spotless, with no trace of the liquor bottles that once littered the place.
"That little teacher... she went home?" the old man ventured cautiously.
During video calls, he’d always seen her with his son but never dared to ask. Now, alone, he couldn’t hold back.
"Yeah, she went home."
"And you two...?"
"We’re together..."
The old man burst into laughter, repeating "good" over and over.
Since Long Aotian’s arrival in this world had mended their strained relationship, his father had visibly regained his youthful spirit.
Checking his phone, the old man said, "I’ve cleaned your room. There’s money on the table—buy whatever you need. I’ve got to get back to the market."
Business was booming, especially as the Lunar New Year approached.
"I’ll come help later."
"No need. Take a break and enjoy your vacation."
After his father left, Long Aotian felt an emptiness gnaw at him. He pulled out his phone and video-called Yuying.
She picked up immediately.
"Brother Long, you’re home?"
He panned the camera around. "Yeah, just got back."
"Didn’t know what to do, so I thought I’d call you."
In Capital City, aside from school, his life revolved around three people.
Li Qingxue was still traveling with her parents.
Lin Wanning was at home in Capital City, preparing for the second round of her competition.
Only Yuying remained on her journey home.
"And... Uncle?" Hu Yuying asked softly, blushing even through the screen.
"Just left. You doing okay?"
She smiled. "Brother Long, I’ve grown up. I’m a capable woman now. I’ve taken this route countless times—I’ll get home safe."
Haiwan City wasn’t far from her hometown; the bus ride took just over an hour.
"Brother Long, my phone’s about to die. I’ll message you when I’m home."
"Okay."
After hanging up, Long Aotian changed clothes and headed out toward the nearby market...
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."
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
