These past couple of days haven’t been easy for Long Aotian either.
Just after waking up, he saw Old Han sitting in the living room.
The old man had been watching TV, but the moment Long Aotian appeared, he started sighing heavily.
"Alright, I already told you the little teacher will come over another day. Look at you—turning into a resentful father!"
This was partly his own fault. Back then, he had confidently assured Old Han that the girl would come home with him.
The old man had even prepared a whole table of dishes that day...
But plans don’t always work out.
Ever since the divorce, everything Old Han did now was for Long Aotian’s sake.
A parent’s greatest wish is probably to see their child find a good wife.
He thought the little teacher was a great match. The first time he saw her with his son, he had a feeling—if the two could become a couple, his biggest wish would be fulfilled.
His son’s initial changes had started because of her.
No one understood Long Aotian’s temper better than his old father.
The little teacher could keep him in check, and Long Aotian was willing to change for her. How perfect!
Now that they were officially dating, and the brat had even visited her family, it was a good start. He was just being too impatient.
Thinking this, Old Han stood up and headed outside.
"Where are you going?"
"To have a drink with Old Zhu."
Long Aotian was about to tell him to take it easy when his phone suddenly rang.
Glancing at the caller ID, he retreated to his room.
He answered the call but hesitated, unsure what to say.
After all, he didn’t think his relationship with Shen Mengjie was close enough for New Year’s greetings over the phone.
"Help me."
Amid the silence, it was Shen Mengjie who spoke first.
"What do you mean?" Long Aotian frowned instinctively at the sound of her voice, strained from holding back sobs.
"Please... help me..."
The hoarse, choked voice was hard to associate with Shen Mengjie.
But it was undeniably her, and right now, she was asking him for help.
"What happened? Don’t panic, just tell me slowly," Long Aotian said in a calming tone. "Where are you?"
"I’m in Pingchang."
Long Aotian knew the place—about twenty kilometers from his college.
He didn’t ask why she hadn’t gone home for winter break. Instead, he asked, "What do you need me to do?"
"A place to stay... I need somewhere to stay..." Despite her efforts to suppress it, her voice cracked under the weight of emotion.
"I’m sorry, I can’t explain right now. Can you help me?"
"I’m not in Capital City..."
Before he could finish, he heard her sniffle on the other end. "Never mind... sorry."
Then she hung up.
Staring at the disconnected call, Long Aotian was baffled. He dialed back. "I just meant I’m not in Capital City right now, but there’s someone at my place. You can go there directly."
As soon as she picked up, he spoke in one breath.
"Thank you."
Her voice was soft but audible.
He shared the location with her via QQ, then called Lin Wanning.
The call connected quickly.
"What’s up? Did you finally remember me, brother?"
Long Aotian explained how Shen Mengjie had reached out for help and that she might need to stay at their place for a few days.
On the other end, Lin Wanning froze for a moment upon hearing this.
She had met Shen Mengjie before and knew about her.
After the photo incident, she hadn’t held back from criticizing the girl in front of Qingxue.
And now she was coming to stay?
Just as she was about to say something, Long Aotian continued, "I think she’s in real trouble—probably desperate if she called me for help. Just see what’s going on when she arrives and let me know."
Put that way...
If a girl was alone with no other options, she must be in dire straits.
With that in mind, Lin Wanning agreed.
After hanging up, Long Aotian sent Shen Mengjie a message.
Her reply was just two words: "Thank you." Then the chat fell silent.
Long Aotian didn’t know what had happened to her or how to comfort her. Maybe all she needed right now was a warm place to calm down.
He turned off his phone and lay on the bed, bored out of his mind.
That’s how holidays were—exciting at first, then devolving into laziness.
His gaze fell on the ring on his finger.
Rolling over, he grabbed his phone from the nightstand, thinking of video-calling his little sweetheart to see what she was up to today.
But the call showed she was already on another line...
Great. Now he was even more bored.
Two hours later, just as he was dozing off, a video call woke him.
"Wanning? Did Shen Mengjie arrive?"
This call could only mean one thing.
"Brother, do you know what happened to Shen Mengjie?" Lin Wanning whispered.
"No, why? What’s wrong?"
"It looks like someone beat her up. Her lip is bleeding, and there are bruises all over her face and body. It’s awful!"
Lin Wanning had planned to throw some shade at Shen Mengjie when she arrived.
But seeing her injuries, all those prepared words died in her throat.
When she asked if she should call the police, Shen Mengjie just gave a bitter smile and said, "It’s no use."
She had only stepped out to buy food while Shen Mengjie changed clothes, seizing the chance to call her brother and ask what was going on.
Hearing this, Long Aotian was stunned. He’d guessed she was desperate, but he never imagined she’d been assaulted.
From Wanning’s description, it sounded serious.
"Keep her inside for now. I’ll come back early in a couple of days, and we’ll figure it out then."
The holiday was almost over anyway. He’d return ahead of schedule to get to the bottom of it.
"Alright, I’ll let you go. I’m heading back with food—she probably hasn’t eaten."
Lin Wanning hung up.
Holding the takeout, she sighed and walked toward the courtyard house.
As much as she disliked Shen Mengjie, seeing her in such a state stirred a pang of sympathy...
ng to die together with you." Lin Xuan is dead, his body thrown into the river by his scumbag lover and her accomplice. She, the president of the Su Group, is decisive, ruthless, and ice-cold. For three days and three nights, she had his body fished out of the river, and without hesitation, she kissed the bloated corpse of Lin Xuan. She laid down beside him in a cold coffin, their fingers intertwined, a smile lingering on her lips as she closed her eyes. The noble and cold-hearted woman, only bending for one man—Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan, with his golden finger, is reborn and returns to the day of his wedding to the treacherous woman. Su Qiang comes to steal the bride. Lin Xuan's eyes light up, eager to pledge his loyalty on the spot, but instead, her kiss transfers a glass of drugged wine into his mouth, causing him to pass out... 【Male Protagonist with Single Female Lead】【Yandere Tycoon】【Action-Packed】【True vs. Fake Heir】
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!
pression Bureau] Transported to a fantasy world overrun by demons and monsters, Gu Qingfeng becomes a jailer in the Demon Suppression Prison of the Great Yan Dynasty's Demon Suppression Bureau. From this point on, bizarre cases frequently occur in the Demon Suppression Prison, once known as hell on earth and infamous for its gloomy, terrifying atmosphere! Why do the demons and monsters in the prison wail miserably every night? Why has the corpse demon, capable of transforming into various beauties, donned black stockings and switched careers to become a foot massage therapist? Why has the eye demon, expert in soul-snatching and illusions, turned into a VR headset? Why is the fox spirit performing otaku dances? Are all these occurrences a twisted expression of demonic nature, or a descent into moral depravity? After peeling away layer upon layer of mystery, all clues ultimately point to a jailer named Gu Qingfeng. Gu Qingfeng: "Hehehe... My dear demons and monsters, whose card shall we flip today?"
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
