"Old Ao had something come up today, so he couldn't make it."
"We, the Dynamic Duo, are here to protect you!" Li Longlong joked, trying to cheer up Huang Fei.
"Hah!" Huang Fei scoffed.
Though he laughed, it wasn’t quite the reaction Li Longlong had expected...
Seeing Huang Fei like this, Xu Shuai and Li Longlong wondered if he was disappointed that Old Ao hadn’t shown up.
They quickly explained, "Actually, Old Ao cares about you the most. He just had something urgent today."
"Yeah, when we left, he kept telling us to keep you company, knowing you’d be feeling down..."
Listening to their excuses, Huang Fei found it all laughable.
For his own good?
Sure, sure. Long Aotian had played his part well—kind to him, to Xu Shuai, to Li Longlong.
He couldn’t deny that. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have trusted Long Aotian like a brother, baring his soul to him.
But his kindness was just a cover for his twisted desires, wasn’t it?
Long Aotian knew full well that Huang Fei had feelings for Shen Mengjie. Yet, while pretending to be a good brother, he’d whispered that Shen Mengjie wasn’t right for him—all while sneaking around with her behind his back.
How perfect. He’d hidden it so well. Just perfect.
If it had been anyone else, Huang Fei might not have been this furious. Failing to win Shen Mengjie’s heart would’ve been his own fault—no shame in that.
But this? This was his so-called brother. Huang Fei felt like he’d wasted his sincerity on the wrong person. The whole thing made him sick to his stomach.
How could Long Aotian do something so disgusting?
Did it give him some sick sense of conquest?
But why drag him into this mess?
Today, news broke that Shen Mengjie was pregnant and expelled. And where was Long Aotian? Nowhere to be found.
Was he afraid of slipping up? Afraid Shen Mengjie would cling to him? Or just too cowardly to face him?
"Dude, what’s wrong with you? Old Ao just had something to deal with today," Xu Shuai said, noticing Huang Fei’s dark expression and trying to defend Long Aotian.
He understood Old Ao—everyone had their own life. Long Aotian had already done plenty for them before.
And honestly, even if Long Aotian had come today, what difference would it have made?
Was Huang Fei being too fixated on this?
The anger Huang Fei had been bottling up finally exploded when he heard Xu Shuai still making excuses for Long Aotian. He grabbed Xu Shuai by the collar and snarled, "You don’t know a damn thing!"
The sudden move caught everyone off guard—even Li Longlong was stunned.
Snapping back to reality, Li Longlong rushed to pull Huang Fei away. "Huang, what the hell are you doing?"
Xu Shuai stared at Huang Fei in disbelief. He never expected Huang Fei would lay hands on him.
"We all know you’re hurting, but don’t take it out on Xu Shuai! Let him go!"
Under Li Longlong’s words, Huang Fei slowly regained his composure. Deep down, he knew this wasn’t Xu Shuai’s fault. He’d lost control.
Releasing Xu Shuai, Huang Fei pressed a hand to his forehead, breathing heavily, his voice shaking. "Sorry... I just—I lost it for a second."
Xu Shuai stayed silent. He knew Huang Fei was upset, but attacking him? That stung.
......
In the hospital room.
Shen Mengjie listened to Wang Lijuan and Han Xiaojing’s careful words, but felt nothing.
Seeing her like this, the two girls didn’t know what else to say.
They knew Shen Mengjie was ruined—and the man responsible still hadn’t shown his face...
Wang Lijuan couldn’t take the suffocating atmosphere anymore. "Mengjie, just tell us who it is. He has to take responsibility."
Han Xiaojing nodded. Things had gone too far. Shen Mengjie shouldn’t bear this alone—the man had to step up.
If you can’t find the book by title, try searching the author—maybe it was renamed!
Faced with their concern and urgency, Shen Mengjie only shook her head, her expression blank.
If she’d wanted to drag him down, she would’ve done it long ago.
Seeing her still protecting the man, Wang Lijuan and Han Xiaojing felt a headache coming on.
Shen Mengjie used to be the type who never let anyone take advantage of her. How had she ended up like this?
Just then—
Li Longlong’s frantic voice echoed from outside.
At first, they thought Huang Fei had found out about Shen Mengjie’s situation and was struggling to accept it.
But the more they listened, the stranger it sounded.
Stepping out, they saw Xu Shuai’s collar rumpled from being grabbed, Huang Fei crouched against the wall, his voice thick with regret.
On one side, Shen Mengjie’s stubborn silence. On the other, her boyfriend getting manhandled.
Wang Lijuan’s mood soured further. She marched over and dragged Xu Shuai away without a word.
Watching them leave, Li Longlong turned back to Huang Fei, still hunched in the corner.
For some reason, he felt like something was breaking apart—something that could never be fixed.
"Huang, if you wanted Old Ao here, you didn’t have to go this far. We could’ve just called him."
"Old Ao’s solid. If we asked, he’d come."
"But you gotta cut him some slack. If he wasn’t busy, he’d have beaten us here..."
Huang Fei lifted his head, took a deep breath, and said, "Don’t bother. I wasn’t thinking straight earlier. I’ll apologize to Xu Shuai tomorrow."
"And don’t tell Long Aotian about this."
He wanted to see—would Long Aotian dare to show up? And when?
......
Under the cover of night.
Everyone had left.
Shen Mengjie’s phone buzzed once.
A glance confirmed it—her expulsion notice.
She closed her eyes, about to exit the screen, but accidentally swiped into her social feed.
The first post was two photos.
The first: Hu Yuying, Li Qingxue, and Lin Wanning posing together. The second: Long Aotian, looking exasperated but undeniably fond.
In that instant, every ounce of strength, every shield she’d built, crumbled.
Tears spilled uncontrollably, streaking down her cheeks in cold, wet trails.
Her phone vibrated again.
This time, a message from Ye Liangchen.
Another photo—Shen Xiu, grinning obsequiously as she counted money.
"Mom already approved of us. ‘Wife’—maybe it’s too soon to call you that, but it feels just right."
Disgust rose like a foul stench, an indescribable revulsion.
Delete. Block. Power off.
She knew she was lying to herself. But only this self-deception offered a fleeting peace.
She knew her life was over—ruined by her own hands.
Like a cage with no escape.
How could she ever break free?
......
If you can’t find the book by title, try searching the author—maybe it was renamed!
tions: attribute allocation, analysis, proficiency, and simulation. Specializing in mechanical alchemy, from crafting sorcerous battle armor to handcrafting mechanical maidens, his mechanical legion conquers endless realms... Relying on his wits, he begins with a student-teacher romance, wins over a female director, enslaves a female assassin and a underworld queen, becoming the husband of a Grand Duchess... He enslaves the Goddess of Magic from the divine realm, developing his power simultaneously in both the Wizard World and the Realm of Gods...
invincible power, Gu Changge transmigrates into a fantasy world, bound to a sign-in system that grants him cultivation rewards and various peerless treasures daily. While others struggle desperately to break through their cultivation realms, he has long since reached the pinnacle of the Great Dao, becoming a reclusive Emperor whose true strength even he himself cannot fathom. Originally planning to lie low and retire peacefully on Purple Bamboo Peak, the system suddenly issues a new task — take on disciples. With no other choice, Gu Changge casually picks up a few disciples: The eldest disciple, born with a War God Constitution, is thrown a copy of "War God Stratagems" by him, and ends up conquering the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, becoming a peerless War God who sweeps across the cosmos. The second disciple, possessing a Chaos Sword Body, can break all techniques with a single sword, his swordsmanship unmatched throughout history. He points his sword at the heavens: "My master said, the sword and the man stand together. If the sword perishes... my master will give me another one." The third disciple, a reborn Empress who returns to her throne, her elegance and grace overshadowing all beings. And without anyone noticing, his own sect, the Qingxuan Sect, has become the number one sect on the continent. Looking at these unbelievably formidable disciples, Gu Changge, holding the "Primordial Purple Qi" he just signed in for, falls into deep thought: — Wasn't this supposed to be a peaceful retirement? How did I become the ultimate master?!
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
or! A blessing for those who struggle with love, a guidebook for dating novices. Quickly match with your dream goddess! Complete walkthroughs earn rewards, and perfect walkthroughs unlock limited achievements!】 Shen Yi, an ordinary office worker, accidentally downloads a mini-game called Dating Simulator. The mini-game is simple: randomly search for dating targets, simulate dates, and receive rewards upon successful confession. Rewards include but are not limited to money, attributes, and skills. The higher the evaluation, the better the rewards, with perfect ratings unlocking mysterious achievements. Shen Yi plans to use this mysterious mini-game to continuously pursue targets and improve himself, making his life better and better. ...... However, after several successful walkthroughs, Shen Yi suddenly notices something strange - the targets he previously simulated dating seem to be searching for him in real life?
