"I used to think there was still plenty of time," Lin Yuan said, his eyes filled with complex emotions as he looked at her.
"We still have so much to do, so many battles to fight."
"I always believed that once the battles were over, there would still be time to think about us."
Ren Qian remained silent.
She knew this had been her own mindset as well.
"But today, I realized I was wrong."
Lin Yuan's gaze grew intensely serious.
"Terribly wrong."
"Senior, I don’t want to wait anymore."
"I don’t want to end up like Old Lu—regretting only when I’m on the brink of losing everything."
He took a step forward and grasped Ren Qian’s hand.
His palm was sweaty, yet his grip was firm, almost desperate.
As if letting go would make her vanish.
Ren Qian’s heart burned at his words, at the warmth of his hand.
She studied the man before her.
The depth of emotion in his eyes, the cautious worry of rejection.
This man, once as dense as a block of wood when it came to love.
Turns out, he understood everything.
He had just been loving her in his own clumsy way.
"Ren Qian."
Finally, he spoke her name.
Then, in the simplest, most direct words, he stated his purpose.
"Let’s get married."
No kneeling, no flowers or diamond rings.
Just a plain, unadorned request.
Yet it struck Ren Qian’s heart more powerfully than any grand declaration.
She looked at him, at the nervous anticipation in his eyes.
Her heart, hardened by years of battles, softened completely in that moment.
She didn’t hesitate.
Not even for a second.
A sudden smile broke across her face.
Like winter sunlight, it instantly melted the office’s cold exhaustion.
"Alright," she said.
Her voice was clear, decisive.
Carrying her signature queenly straightforwardness.
Lin Yuan froze.
He stared at her, as if he hadn’t heard right.
"Wh-what did you say?"
"I said, alright." Ren Qian repeated with a laugh, tightening her grip on his hand.
"I have my ID on me. If we go now, we’ll make it in time."
The next second.
Lin Yuan pulled her into a crushing embrace.
He held her so tightly it almost hurt, as if trying to fuse her into his very bones.
As if only this could convince him it wasn’t a dream.
Ren Qian rested her head against his chest, listening to his pounding heartbeat.
She closed her eyes, her lips curving uncontrollably.
So this was the feeling—letting go of stubbornness and running toward the one who’d been waiting all along.
Solid. Warm.
......
Gedu, Royal Grand Hotel.
Presidential Suite, top floor.
The setting sun’s glow spilled through the floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing the living room in gold.
Lu Chenyuan sat on the sofa, clumsily maneuvering an eyebrow pencil over Mo Qingli’s brow.
"Hold still." His tone was unprecedentedly focused.
As if he weren’t shaping his wife’s eyebrow but calibrating a nanometer-precision chip lithography project.
Mo Qingli leaned against him, suppressing a laugh.
"President Lu, are you sure you’re not trying to draw a lightning bolt on me?"
"First time. No experience." His voice was calm, but a faint blush crept up his ears.
Since their wedding, they’d lived in near-isolation.
The J-country authorities treated them with obsequious politeness while weaving an invisible net around them.
Reporters and spies lurked outside the hotel around the clock.
They were the city’s most privileged—and least free—prisoners.
Yet it didn’t seem to dampen their spirits.
Lu Chenyuan had set aside all work, learning for the first time to care for his wife like an ordinary husband.
Cooking, laundry, cleaning.
Even studying how to apply her makeup.
Mo Qingli, in turn, reveled in this stolen tranquility.
Leaning against Lu Chenyuan, watching his concentrated profile, her heart was utterly at peace.
Let the world outside rage.
With him here, this was the safest harbor.
Just then, Lu Chenyuan’s private phone rang.
The sound cut sharply through the suite’s quiet.
Lu Chenyuan frowned.
Only a handful of trusted contacts had this number.
He set down the pencil and picked up the phone.
Seeing "Lin Yuan" flash on the screen, his frown deepened.
Lin Yuan knew his rules.
Unless the sky was falling, he’d never call at this hour.
Had something happened to "Lianshan" or "Hanqing"?
His pulse quickened.
"Speak," he answered, voice steady but grave.
Mo Qingli sensed the shift, her smile fading as she watched him with concern.
But the voice on the line wasn’t delivering an urgent report.
Instead, it was breathless, barely contained exhilaration—almost incoherent.
"Old Lu! Old Lu! I—I did it!"
Lu Chenyuan blinked.
Did what?
A breakthrough in some critical tech? A major deal secured?
"Get to the point," he said tersely.
"I proposed to Ren Qian! She said yes! We’re heading to the registry now!" Lin Yuan sounded like a child brandishing a perfect test score.
Lu Chenyuan gripped the phone, stunned.
He even glanced at the screen to confirm he’d heard right.
A full five seconds passed.
The stern "Dragon Emperor" mask slowly dissolved.
Until a genuine, warm smile emerged.
"Understood."
Just three words.
But they carried a brotherly mix of amusement and pride.
Mo Qingli, reading his expression, guessed the news and grinned.
"Go on then," Lu Chenyuan said into the phone. "Don’t keep the registry office waiting."
"And when you’re back, you’re drinking double at the celebration."
Hanging up, his smile lingered.
He looked down at Mo Qingli, feeling lighter than ever.
"Lin Yuan and Ren Qian are getting married."
"I heard." Mo Qingli laughed. "Seems our wedding had some positive influence."
"Mn." Lu Chenyuan nodded, then added drily,
"That brat’s not completely hopeless."
"At least he knows to follow a good example."
Mo Qingli burst out laughing at his gruff tone.
She looped her arms around his neck.
"Should I praise you too, then?"
"President Lu, you’re learning well."
Lu Chenyuan gazed at her teasing eyes, so close, and felt a surge of tenderness.
He didn’t pick up the eyebrow pencil again.
Instead, he lowered his head and kissed her.
Outside, Gedu’s nightscape glittered with countless lights.
Brilliant, bustling, yet icy cold.
And at the very pinnacle of this gilded cage, the breath of spring lingers.
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?"
orn and Humiliation】【Forced Love】 In his past life, Lin Ran was betrayed and murdered by his girlfriend and family, while the yandere female aristocrat, who had treated him as a mere plaything, avenged him by doing in his enemies. Upon seeing the yandere female aristocrat lying in the same coffin, ready to die with him, Lin Ran realized how profoundly mistaken he had been. Reborn, he abandoned the fickle campus beauty and wholeheartedly embraced the yandere female aristocrat's arms. "Ran! If I dig out your eyes and turn them into a specimen, you'll only be able to look at me!" Lin Ran: "Darling, kiss me!" "Ran! If I break your legs, you won't run away anymore, right?" Lin Ran: "Love, hold me tight!" "Ran! If..." Lin Ran: "Hush now! Love me more!" Luo Yao: ... Seeing his scumbag dad: "Take him out!" Seeing his stepmother: "Get rid of her!" Seeing his brother: "Eliminate him!" Seeing his white moonlight: "Send that to Southeast Asia!"
] [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!"
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.
