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...
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
esick Sect? Well, at least it's considered a respectable orthodox sect. Wait a minute— What kind of vibe are you all giving off? Shouldn’t this be a love-struck, romance-obsessed sect? Why does everyone here sound more like demonic cultivators? "Master, today he’s getting married. This disciple wishes to descend the mountain and crash the wedding, then toy with him to death right in front of his wife..." "Elder, I only got into your sect through connections, so why won’t you teach me anything?" "Because I also became an elder through connections." Thankfully, Su Ji was just an outer sect labor disciple. Surely, nothing too crazy would— "Junior Brother, you’ve broken through to Qi Refining. Once you sever your useless spiritual root, you can officially become an outer sect disciple." "The Great Dao is merciless. Don’t let a worthless spiritual root waste your essence and spirit, hindering your cultivation." Is this really the Lovesick Sect? ... Three years later, Su Ji sat in the seat of the Lovesick Sect’s sect master, sighing with emotion. His rise to this position all started when his junior sister adamantly insisted on preserving his "spiritual root." "Mmm... Senior Brother, what’s our relationship now?" "Stop talking. Keep going." "By the way, that newly promoted top-tier sect—didn’t they come to buy our Love Beans?" "One top-grade spirit stone per Love Bean—is that really so expensive?" "I suspect they’ve eaten too many Love Beans." "Now they’re lovesick." Well, this really is the Lovesick Sect after all.
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
