Five years later.
In the conference room of Xinchuang Investment Co., Ltd.
She stood at the forefront, her elegant and composed demeanor paired with delicate features making her the center of attention.
Exquisitely beautiful, confident, poised, and transcendent—she was the object of admiration and reverence for all.
A venture capital queen who drew people in yet kept them at a safe distance with her cool, unapproachable aura.
But today, for the first time in front of everyone, she smiled upon receiving a phone call.
Not a cold smirk, but a pure, sincere smile, like that of a young girl.
Her smile was breathtaking, as if all the beauty in the world had gathered around her in that moment.
The meeting was abruptly interrupted, and all eyes instinctively turned to her.
Her usual aloofness seemed to melt away under an invisible warmth, replaced by a playful, almost shy girlish charm.
She left, her steps light and hurried, even a little nervous...
......
At the concert venue of the rising generation's top star.
Under the stage lights, bathed in hues reminiscent of a sunset, her graceful figure stood out, long hair cascading lazily down her back. The smooth, jade-like skin of her back peeked through the strands, alluring yet elusive.
Her lips curled into a faint, almost imperceptible smile, effortless yet captivating—every movement carried an extraordinary charm that etched itself into the memories of those who saw her, unforgettable.
She seemed endlessly happy, her fans rarely ever seeing her in low spirits.
Through her songs, she conveyed emotions, stripping away the noise and restlessness of the soul, guiding it to a place of serenity where it could heal and find peace.
What truly moved people wasn’t just the lyrics, but the stories behind them, the life woven into every word.
Suddenly, the singing stopped, replaced by the ringing of a phone.
The entire venue, filled with fans waving red glow sticks, transformed into a mesmerizing sea of crimson.
Hearing the ringtone, she removed her in-ear monitors and answered the call right there, in front of thousands.
No one could hear the conversation.
But they saw it—the fleeting look of grievance on her ethereal face, followed by an irrepressible joy.
"The concert ends here. I have to go home and cook. Don’t forget to refund the tickets..."
A concert, one still in progress, came to an abrupt, almost careless end.
Just to go home and cook?
Wasn’t this a bit too reckless?
......
At an internationally renowned internet company.
Their boss was never late.
But today, it was almost noon, and she still hadn’t shown up.
Employees who relied on glimpsing her divine beauty for motivation spent the day listless and uninspired.
Two luxury cars drove one after another down the newly widened avenue.
Over the years, they had renovated the area—the old narrow alleyways were now broad roads.
The small gate had been replaced with an automated mechanical entrance.
The cars rolled in.
Two lush fruit trees cast a canopy of shade beneath the sun.
Under the trees stood their elder sister.
Today, she wore a simple yet elegant qipao, its slit revealing glimpses of her long, fair, and perfectly proportioned legs.
Her hair cascaded like a waterfall, resting lightly on her slender shoulders—a blend of innocence and allure that defied description...
A breeze stirred, making the qipao’s hem sway, as if she had stepped out of a painting.
Seeing the newcomers in the courtyard, the corners of her eyes lifted with a natural charm, radiating an indescribable, breathtaking beauty...
"Sister, is what you said on the phone true?"
The two women gazed at her eagerly.
Though they had each reached the pinnacle of their respective fields, in her presence, they still carried a hint of youthful impetuosity.
Seeing the hope in their eyes, she gave a slight nod.
Her hands clenched tightly, her heart pounding uncontrollably—far from as calm as she appeared...
"Wonderful, just wonderful! Eight years, a full eight years! I knew it, I just knew it—my man isn’t someone so easily broken..."
"I only received a possible lead. It’s not confirmed."
"That’s enough. That’s more than enough. We’ve searched for so long—what we feared wasn’t the search itself, but the absence of any leads. Now that we have one, it’s enough, it’s enough..."
They had never given up. Four years ago, when they started their ventures...
At a time when they desperately needed funding...
An elderly man who called himself Manager Qian arrived with a million-dollar investment, laying a solid foundation for the company.
When unfair treatment and contractual traps threatened to crush them, the company tore up the contracts the next day and set them free.
From that moment, they knew—it was him, helping them once again.
Just like when they first met, he had protected them...
He had always been there, silently watching over them.
And now, they were going to find him...
On the road, the three held each other’s hands tightly. No one could say who was the first to tear up.
They switched to a rental car midway.
As the navigation’s prompts grew closer, their hearts raced inexplicably.
A certainty surged within them: "He’s here. He must be here, he must..."
In an unfamiliar city, an unfamiliar environment, their hearts recognized him before their eyes did.
When the tears finally fell, she couldn’t remember the last time she had cried—but this time, there was none of the helplessness from before...
The navigation’s voice cut off here.
They had arrived at a small coastal town.
The salty air clung to their skin, and their presence drew countless curious glances.
The locals, weathered by years under the sun, bore tanned, rough complexions.
Their fair, delicate skin and stunning beauty stood out like a mesmerizing dream in this place.
They asked around town, they searched—yet found nothing. But they refused to give up.
Their hearts told them he was here. He had to be!
If not this town, then the next. They would keep going until they found him.
They had never stopped searching.
After a brief rest, the three exchanged smiles—it had been so long since they’d felt this way.
Village after village, they inquired, they looked.
Disappointment after disappointment, but they pressed on, arriving at the most remote settlement yet.
Here, life revolved entirely around fishing, isolated from the outside world.
Once more, they asked with hopeful hearts.
Once more, the answer was no.
Then, suddenly, a thought struck her: "Is there someone here called Xiao Tian?"
......
They broke into a run, not caring about appearances, even kicking off their shoes to move faster.
In the distance, a figure sat on a reclining chair, a wide-brimmed hat shading his face as he fished off a platform.
It was him—the face that had haunted their dreams, the presence that had lingered in their thoughts countless times.
Tears blurred their vision.
All three cried out at once: "Long Aotian!"
Hearing that name, Long Aotian stiffened for a moment before turning to look...
His nose suddenly stung with emotion. In that instant, their faces seemed to revert to their eighteen-year-old selves—that age of unparalleled beauty, the very dawn of his own brightest days...
...

] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"

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...

transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”

【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)