Lin Yuan gazed at the screen, where Lu Chenyuan and Mo Qingli stood side by side in battle.
Another face, equally proud and resilient, surfaced in his mind.
Ren Qian.
Ever since that day at Cloud Peak Pavilion, when he had witnessed Qian Shanshan's betrayal firsthand and Ren Qian helped him cut through the chaos with swift decisiveness, they had naturally gravitated toward each other.
There had been no grand confession, no romantic ceremony.
It was like two soldiers who had fought side by side for years, reaching for each other’s hands in a rare moment of respite.
They knew each other too well.
So well that a single glance was enough to convey their thoughts.
They were also busy.
One commanded "Lianshan," carving a path through the jungle of global supply chains.
The other led "Hanqing," pioneering the uncharted territories of fundamental science.
They were the two most crucial wings of Lu Chenyuan’s grand plan.
And they had grown accustomed to this rhythm.
Leaving early, returning late, fighting their battles on separate fronts—only in the dead of night would they find a moment to meet, to exchange a few words.
They both thought this was enough.
They both believed they had plenty of time.
But when Lin Yuan saw Lu Chenyuan and Mo Qingli’s wedding, an unfamiliar panic seized his heart for the first time.
It was the fear of loss.
He suddenly realized how similar he and Ren Qian were to Lu Chenyuan and Mo Qingli before their union.
They shared the same mission, the same unshakable foundation of trust—yet neither had dared to pierce that final layer of hesitation.
What were they waiting for?
For "Lianshan" and "Hanqing" to become titans?
For them to reach the pinnacle of their careers?
For old age to claim them?
What if the unexpected arrived before tomorrow?
Lin Yuan couldn’t bear to dwell on it.
He stood from his chair and grabbed his coat from the backrest.
"Cancel all my afternoon meetings," he told his assistant as the man walked in.
"But President Lin, the video conference with the A-Continent Chip Alliance—"
"Cancel it."
Lin Yuan cut him off, his tone leaving no room for argument.
He strode out of the office.
Some things couldn’t wait.
He had to act now.
Immediately.
---
The headquarters of Hanqing Technologies exuded a stark, industrial futurism.
There was no clamor of commerce here—only hushed corridors and laboratories bearing the names of complex research projects.
The air itself seemed laced with the scent of code and equations.
Lin Yuan’s car came to a stop outside the building.
He didn’t go up. Instead, he sat in the driver’s seat, quietly watching the structure.
He knew Ren Qian was in a meeting right now.
Her work ethic was something he understood all too well.
Once she immersed herself in her tasks, she became an indefatigable machine of precision.
He didn’t want to disturb her.
He was willing to wait.
Just as he had waited all those years for her to turn her gaze away from her admiration of Lu Chenyuan and finally see him.
He pulled out his phone and skimmed through the wedding news once more.
There was Lu Chenyuan, under the eyes of the world, slipping that engraved silver ring onto Mo Qingli’s finger.
In that moment, his expression wasn’t that of a tech emperor or a business titan.
Just a husband—one terrified of losing his wife and willing to give everything to prevent it.
Lin Yuan closed the news page and opened his chat log with Ren Qian.
The most recent message was from that morning.
Ren Qian: "Don’t forget to eat breakfast."
His reply: "Got it. You too."
Simple. Understated. Like an old married couple.
But Lin Yuan knew it wasn’t enough.
Not nearly enough.
What he wanted to give her—what he wanted for himself—wasn’t just morning greetings and late-night companionship.
He wanted to give her a rightful place by his side.
A bond that would stand firm whether the future brought storms or serenity.
Time passed.
Eventually, people began trickling out of Hanqing’s main building.
The meeting must have ended.
Lin Yuan took a deep breath, pushed the car door open, and stepped inside.
The receptionist recognized him instantly and stood.
"President Lin, welcome. Should I inform President Ren of your arrival?"
"No need, thank you." Lin Yuan shook his head with a faint smile. "I’ll wait for her here."
He moved to the seating area and settled in.
He didn’t want his sudden appearance to feel like some kind of "surprise inspection."
This was his way of respecting her.
Another half hour slipped by before Ren Qian finally wrapped up her last task.
Rubbing her temples, she stepped out of the conference room.
She had been in meetings all day.
A high-energy particle collision simulation project had hit a snag in its core algorithm.
Ren Qian had spent the afternoon listening to scientists argue, mediating between them until her throat felt raw.
All she wanted now was to retreat to her office, drink some water, and collapse into her chair, mind blissfully blank.
She pushed the door open and closed it behind her—only to hear a familiar knock.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Soft. Polite.
"Come in," she said without turning.
The door opened.
"President Ren, the reports from this afternoon—" a subordinate began.
"Leave them for now," Ren Qian cut in.
She turned, about to say something else—then froze.
Lin Yuan stood at the doorway.
He was dressed in a crisp suit, car keys in hand, wearing the same gentle smile she knew so well.
But his eyes were different.
They held a tension she had never seen before—a quiet, desperate resolve.
Ren Qian blinked, then dismissed the subordinate with a wave.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, genuinely surprised.
At this hour, he should have been in Lianshan’s office, locked in verbal sparring with someone halfway across the globe.
Lin Yuan stepped inside and closed the door behind him.
He didn’t answer her question.
Instead, he walked toward her—slowly, deliberately—until he stood right before her.
The office was silent.
So silent she could hear their breathing.
Ren Qian studied him.
A premonition flickered in her chest—one that sent her pulse racing beyond her control.
"Senior," Lin Yuan finally spoke, his voice rougher than usual.
"Hm?" Ren Qian responded instinctively.
She watched his Adam’s apple bob slightly.
Senior.
That title, carried through so many years, was achingly familiar. Yet today, the way Lin Yuan said it carried something new.
Lin Yuan seemed nervous.
This man, who never flinched in billion-dollar negotiations, now looked like a teenager stepping onto a stage for the first time.
"I…"
He inhaled sharply, as if gathering every ounce of his strength.
"I watched Old Lu’s wedding."
Ren Qian’s heart plummeted.
Had something happened to Lu Chenyuan in Country J?
She assumed this was about business.
"Yeah, I saw it too," she nodded, forcing her voice to remain steady.
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.
e school belle recognized by the whole school, a genius girl from the kendo club. She also has a hidden identity, the youngest legendary demon hunter. Chen Shuo just transmigrated and found himself turned into a weak, helpless little vampire. He was caught by Su Xiyen and taken home at the very beginning. Since then, Chen Shuo's life creed only had two items. "First, classmate Su Xiyen is always right." "Second, if classmate Su Xiyen is wrong, please refer back to item one." Many years later, Chen Shuo, who had turned back into a human, led a pair of twins to appear in front of all the vampires to share the secret of how he turned back into a human. "It's simple, I tricked a female demon hunter into becoming my wife!"
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!
【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.)
