Two days later, at the Royal Hotel in Gedo.
When Lu Qianqian and Ji Wushuang arrived at the suite door, travel-worn and weary, Mo Qingli, along with the recently arrived Lou Mengling and Lin Shuhan, froze in disbelief.
"Qianqian?"
Mo Qingli could hardly believe her eyes.
Lu Qianqian stared at Mo Qingli.
At the simple, elegant loungewear she wore, and at the shackle around her ankle—more glaring in person than it had appeared in the news.
Her face, which had always managed to smile through war and hardship, instantly crumpled.
Tears fell like broken strings of pearls, streaming down uncontrollably.
She rushed forward, throwing her arms around Mo Qingli, sobbing like a child who had suffered unbearable injustice.
"Qingli-jie… How could they do this to you… Wuwuwu…"
"How dare they!"
All her strength, all her pretense, collapsed the moment she saw her loved one.
Mo Qingli held her, gently patting her back, her own eyes glistening with tears.
Lou Mengling and Lin Shuhan, both mothers now, turned away, discreetly wiping their eyes.
Lu Chenyuan walked over and ruffled his sister’s hair.
"Alright, no more crying."
"Your brother isn’t dead yet."
Lu Qianqian looked up at him, her face wet with tears, then punched him hard, laughing and crying at the same time.
"Brother! You too! You scared me to death!"
The family was finally reunited—in this foreign "cage," of all places.
The scene was absurd, yet undeniably warm.
……
The wedding was scheduled for the next day.
The venue: the Xia Embassy in Country J.
Here, on Xia soil—sacred and inviolable.
There were no elaborate ceremonies, no hundreds of guests.
Not even a white wedding gown.
Mo Qingli simply wore a traditional red silk dress that Lin Shuhan had brought from Xia.
The crimson fabric made her skin glow like snow, her beauty breathtaking.
Lu Chenyuan wore a simple red modern-style mandarin-collar suit, his posture as straight as an unsheathed sword.
The witnesses were few:
The two mothers, Lou Mengling and Lin Shuhan.
Lu Qianqian and Ji Wushuang.
And Ambassador Li Wenbo, who officiated.
The embassy’s small hall was decorated simply yet solemnly, with only a bright national flag hanging at the center.
Ambassador Li Wenbo stood beneath it, looking at the couple before him with solemn emotion.
He had presided over countless events, witnessed many historic moments—but none had stirred him like this.
This was no ordinary wedding.
This was a vow made under the world’s gaze, amid the enemy’s fire.
The bravest, most romantic, and most tragic resistance of two of Xia’s finest.
"Lu Chenyuan, do you take Mo Qingli to be your wife, to love and cherish her, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, for better or worse, till death do you part?"
Lu Chenyuan turned to Mo Qingli.
His gaze was as gentle as an ocean.
"I, Lu Chenyuan, take you, Mo Qingli, as my only wife."
His voice was steady and clear.
"From this day forward, your shackles are mine."
"Your freedom is the rest of my life."
"I will stay here until we go home—together."
He didn’t say "I do."
His vow was a promise sealed with his very being.
Mo Qingli’s tears welled up but never fell.
She simply smiled at him.
Ambassador Li turned to her.
"Mo Qingli, do you take Lu Chenyuan to be your husband, to love and cherish him, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, for better or worse, till death do you part?"
"I, Mo Qingli, take you, Lu Chenyuan, as my only husband."
Her voice was just as firm.
"The eye of the storm is my harbor."
"Where you are, that is home."
"I trust you. I stand with you."
Then came the exchange of rings.
Still the same tin-thread ring Lu Chenyuan had crafted himself.
As he slid it onto her finger, the electronic shackle around her ankle seemed a ludicrous irony.
It could bind her steps, but not her heart—nor her love.
"I now pronounce you husband and wife."
Ambassador Li’s voice trembled slightly.
"May you live happily together till old age."
Sparse yet heartfelt applause filled the hall.
The two mothers and Lu Qianqian were already weeping.
Lu Chenyuan embraced his wife—a restrained hug that spoke volumes.
There was no champagne, no cake.
At the wedding’s conclusion, Lu Chenyuan released a statement to the world through the embassy.
It contained just one line:
"I, Lu Chenyuan, will remain in Gedo to accompany my wife, Mo Qingli, until Country J’s judiciary clears her name."
The world erupted once more. Everyone was stunned by Lu Chenyuan’s decision.
He hadn’t come to negotiate.
He hadn’t come to pressure.
He had made himself the hottest potato in Country J—and even Country A’s—hands.
A hostage they dared neither touch nor release.
With his own freedom, he had built an unbreakable wall around his wife.
And bought Xia’s tech war the most precious breathing room.
…………
Jingzhou, Lianshan Tech Headquarters.
In the CEO’s office on the top floor, a massive holographic screen replayed the news.
Before the Xia flag at the embassy in Country J, Lu Chenyuan and Mo Qingli stood side by side.
No grand spectacle, no clamoring crowd.
Just a handful of loved ones—and the lenses of the global media.
Along with Lu Chenyuan’s earth-shattering declaration.
Lin Yuan muted the sound.
He simply watched in silence.
Watched the man he had followed for over a decade, his mentor and friend, place himself at the storm’s center with unshakable resolve.
Lin Yuan remembered years ago, in university, how he had pledged himself to Lu Chenyuan after the latter covered his mother’s medical bills without hesitation.
Later, upholding Lu Chenyuan’s vision, he founded Yuanlong Tech, forging ahead against all odds.
And now, leading Lianshan’s independence from Yuanlong, charting his own course.
At first, Lin Yuan’s loyalty had been purely personal—a debt of life.
But over time, he and Ren Qian had embraced Lu Chenyuan’s dream as their own, pouring every waking hour into their work.
Personal feelings, family life—all were deferred to "when there’s time."
That notion had ruled them like an invisible curse for too long.
For years, Lu Chenyuan had let time slip by, sharing a roof with Mo Qingli yet never seizing the moment—until cold, electronic shackles delivered the wake-up call.
Some things couldn’t wait.
What about myself, then?
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?"
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
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...
