The afternoon sun gradually lost its blinding intensity, turning into something resembling a cup of aged yellow wine, spilling its mellow and soft warmth over the entire antique-style garden.
Shortly after Su Bai finished teasing his personal little maid, Ke Yujia, the vermilion gates of the garden slowly opened once more.
Accompanied by the low, guttural roar of a supercar engine, Chen Yusheng and Zhou Jialu arrived as promised.
Today's photoshoot was the true main event of booking out this top-tier private garden.
Inside the dressing room, the makeup and styling team had long been standing by.
When Chen Yusheng and Zhou Jialu pushed past the folding screens and stepped out, even Su Bai, who was well accustomed to peerless beauties, could not help but set down his cup of green tea, his eyes erupting with intense admiration.
Big Bai goose, do I really not need to wear my glasses with this outfit?
Chen Yusheng tugged at her sleeves, looking a bit self-conscious. Today, she had completely subverted her usual image as a brilliant female scholar in the laboratory.
She wore a highly stylized, fairy-tale-esque silver-white wide-sleeved robe adorned with cloud patterns, layered over a pale green cross-collared long skirt. Around her waist was a wide sash fastened with a mutton-fat jade buckle.
This color palette was extremely demanding on the wearer and could easily look dull if one wasn't careful. But on Chen Yusheng, it pushed her cold, aloof, and extremely rational temperament to the absolute limit.
Without her signature gold-rimmed glasses, her bright, snow-clear eyes carried an otherworldly sense of detachment. Her long hair was pinned up with a simple white jade hairpin, leaving a few strands to rest against her delicate collarbones.
In this moment, she was no longer the scientific genius researching algorithms, but a cold and emotionless immortal master stepping straight out of a fantasy masterpiece.
Standing beside her, Zhou Jialu was on the complete opposite end of the spectrum.
If Chen Yusheng was the eternal snow at the peak of a high mountain, then Zhou Jialu was a raging wildfire deep in a valley, capable of burning everything in its path.
She had chosen a crimson, sheer gauze dress, its layers of skirts cascading like a blooming red spider lily. The neckline plunged daringly low, showcasing her breathtakingly full curves to the fullest, while a thin red string was tied around her slender neck.
Her makeup was the epitome of seduction, with a soul-stealing touch of dark red traced at the corners of her eyes. With every movement, her fox-like eyes seemed filled with tantalizing hooks.
Junior, look at your sister's outfit... do I look like the little vixen you've been dreaming of? Zhou Jialu covered her mouth and chuckled softly. She stood barefoot on the wooden floor, her jade-like feet adorned with silver ankle bells that jingled melodiously.
One immortal master, one fox demon. Su Bai stood up, holding a Hasselblad camera in his hands, his eyes burning with heat. Today's photoshoot is probably going to make every man in the world die of jealousy.
The photoshoot officially began.
Displaying master-level photography skills, Su Bai directed the two women to move through the different sceneries of the garden.
In the deep bamboo forest, Chen Yusheng stood sideways, holding a Longquan sword.
The cool sunlight pierced through the bamboo leaves, casting mottled shadows on her flawless face. Following Su Bai's instructions, she stared coldly into the lens. That unapproachable, majestic aura of a master, paired with her ethereal white robes, made one want to kneel at her feet and beg for her mercy.
Click!
Su Bai perfectly captured that fleeting moment of coldness and forbidden allure.
Then, the lens shifted to Zhou Jialu, who was leaning against a rockery by the pond.
Half-reclining on the Taihu stone, her fair, slender legs peeked through the crimson gauze skirt. Her delicate fingers held a flask of clear wine, allowing the amber liquid to slide down the corner of her lips and dampen a large patch of the fabric over her chest.
Her fox-like eyes gazed at Su Bai with a hazy, intoxicating look. That disastrously beautiful fox demon vibe made the very air turn hot and heavy.
Good, make your eyes a bit more hazy, pull your hand back slightly. Su Bai constantly shifted his angles, perfectly freezing these two drastically different charms within his lens.
This side-by-side contrast between the cold immortal master and the peerless fox demon created an almost explosive visual tension. One was ice, the other fire; one was order, the other chaos. And all of this belonged exclusively to Su Bai's viewfinder.
The shoot lasted for over two hours, continuing until the sun sank below the horizon and the entire garden was enveloped in a hazy twilight.
That's a wrap.
Su Bai put away his camera and waved at the two women. By now, the makeup and styling crew had already withdrawn at Zhou Jialu's signal. In the depths of the empty garden, only the three of them remained, accompanied by the murmuring sound of flowing water.
I'm exhausted... Chen Yusheng, after all, was not used to wearing such cumbersome traditional clothing. She let out a long sigh of relief, and the cold, aloof master persona she had maintained instantly crumbled before Su Bai, her eyes showing a hint of vulnerable fatigue.
Tired? Then let's find a good place to rest.
A wicked smile tugged at the corner of Su Bai's mouth. He took their warm, soft hands and led them through several winding corridors until they reached the most secluded spot in the garden—the Qinfang Pavilion.
This pavilion was hidden behind a dense forest of red maples, surrounded by water on three sides, and its location was extremely private.
Inside, the pavilion was lined with thick velvet cushions, and sheer, plain-colored silk curtains hung all around. As long as the curtains were lowered, the outside world wouldn't be able to see the slightest movement within.
Junior... you didn't bring us here just to rest, did you? Zhou Jialu's clever fox eyes had already seen through Su Bai's intentions. Not only was she not annoyed, but she proactively pressed herself against him, her crimson sheer dress rubbing against Su Bai and sending ripples of numbness through him.
Though Chen Yusheng felt shy, seeing Su Bai's aggressively predatory gaze, she could only blush and silently consent.
As the silk curtains were slowly lowered, this small pavilion nestled in the hidden scenery instantly transformed into the most private palace in the world.
Just now in the camera, one of you was a supreme immortal master, and the other was a fox demon who brings chaos to the masses.
Su Bai sat firmly on the soft cushions, looking down from above at the two peerless beauties before him, his voice deep and domineering. Now, it's time for you two enchantresses... to serve your young master together.
Chen Yusheng bit her lip. Her white master's robes looked exceptionally pure and holy in the dim light, yet she obediently knelt by Su Bai's knees, her slender jade hands slowly reaching toward her own ethereal long skirt... This extreme contrast brought Su Bai's desire for conquest an unprecedented level of satisfaction.
Meanwhile, Zhou Jialu acted like an agile water snake, utilizing her fox demon attire to push her seductiveness to the absolute limit.
The sound of silver bells chimed faintly in the quiet maple forest, accompanied by sticky, suppressed moans that filled the Qinfang Pavilion with the heavy atmosphere of spring.
The holiness of the immortal master and the coquettishness of the fox demon completely intertwined in this moment.
The two used every skill at their disposal, serving the man who had given them everything they enjoyed today with a humility and sincerity that would never be seen in a laboratory or a boardroom.
The night breeze brushed past, making the red maples rustle softly.
In this massively expensive private garden, Su Bai leaned back amidst the warm, fragrant beauties, closing his eyes in pure enjoyment.
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
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...
