Huangfu Chengshi finally mustered up the courage to speak.
His voice was very small.
It even carried a slight, almost imperceptible tremor.
"Thank you."
After uttering these three words, Huangfu Chengshi felt as if he had used up all his strength.
He felt his heart pounding wildly in his chest.
As if it wanted to break free from its confines and leap out.
He kept his head down, not daring to meet her eyes.
He was waiting for her judgment.
The air around them seemed to still for a moment.
Qin Ya was just about to get into the car.
She heard a faint, thin voice.
She stopped and turned her head.
Her gaze held a trace of puzzlement.
She saw the small, slender figure standing in the snow.
The little runt was wearing a somewhat comical, ill-fitting suit.
His hair was still a bit damp.
His face was pale from the cold.
He looked like an abandoned stray dog.
It took her a few seconds.
To connect the child before her with the one from the garden, the one whose eyes had been like a wolf's.
"Oh."
She seemed to realize.
"That little runt."
Her voice was casual.
Like seeing a somewhat familiar pebble on the road.
There was no emotion in her tone.
No condescension.
Not the slightest bit of regard.
It was the most complete indifference.
As if he, and his thanks offered with all his courage,
were as insignificant as the flowers and grass by the roadside.
"Let's go."
She only said these two words.
Then, she bent down and got into the warm car.
Without looking at him again.
"Thud."
The heavy car door closed.
Shutting out all the wind, snow, and outside gazes.
The red sedan started slowly, then sped away, leaving only dust.
Leaving behind two sets of tire tracks that were soon covered by fresh snow.
Huangfu Chengshi stood alone, rigidly in place.
The wind whipped the snow against his face.
It was very cold.
Colder than when he had been lying in the snow earlier.
That chill crept down his collar, into his skin, seeped into his very bones.
She had forgotten him.
No.
It should be said, she had never really remembered him in the first place.
His earth-shattering miracle.
In the eyes of the deity, it didn't even count as a tiny ripple.
An immense, indescribable sense of loss and humiliation wrapped around him tightly like a net.
Making it almost impossible for him to breathe.
He slowly raised his head, looking in the direction where the car had disappeared.
The night was as deep as ink, and soon nothing could be seen ahead.
He took out the handkerchief that was almost wrung dry from his grip.
He held it to the tip of his nose and sniffed it gently.
That faint, cool fragrance was still there, like a silent reminder.
Reminding him of that brief yet real touch.
He seemed to have made a decision.
She didn't remember him.
It didn't matter.
Then he would make her remember him.
Appear before her again and again.
Until she could no longer ignore him.
Until his name, his face, were branded into her mind like a searing mark.
From that day on, Huangfu Chengshi changed.
He was no longer the gloomy teenager who always shrank in the corner, rejecting all social activities.
He began attending those so-called high-society gatherings he had once sneered at.
Art exhibitions, cocktail parties, charity galas, family parties...
Any event with a name in the Jingzhou social circle.
Any occasion he could find an excuse to tag along to.
He missed none of them.
His father was surprised by this "prodigal son's return" transformation.
His stepmother acted indifferent.
Just like before, neither deliberately suppressing him nor offering any help.
Only Huangfu Chengshi himself knew that his purpose for attending these events had always been one and the same.
He was like the most devout believer, chasing after a divine sign.
Finally, at one gathering, Huangfu Chengshi saw Qin Ya again.
And when she saw Huangfu Chengshi, Qin Ya actually recognized the Huangfu family's little wolf cub at a glance.
At that moment, Qin Ya was surrounded by a few sisters from familiar families, listening to them discuss the latest handbags and jewelry.
A standard smile was plastered on her face, but an inescapable boredom lingered in her eyes.
Then, she felt that gaze.
That gaze, stubborn and focused, like a faint but inextinguishable beam of starlight.
Qin Ya followed the source of the gaze.
In the shadows of the corner, that child wearing a small white suit, looking somewhat out of place, was staring at her without blinking.
It was him, that little runt from the snow.
Well, this was a clean, even, somewhat excessively pretty little runt.
The corner of Qin Ya's mouth lifted into a playful curve.
She suddenly felt that this boring banquet was, perhaps, not so unbearable after all.
She casually brushed off the sisters beside her with a few words, picked up a glass of champagne, and actually walked towards that corner.
The few young socialites beside her were stunned.
Everyone saw that proud peacock of the Qin family walking towards a nobody whom no one recognized.
Huangfu Chengshi's heart instantly leapt into his throat.
She was coming. She was walking towards him.
He froze on the spot, his hands and feet at a loss, only able to watch helplessly as that flash of red drew closer and closer.
That familiar, cool fragrance enveloped him once again.
"What? Do you like these paintings too?"
Qin Ya stood before him, looking down.
Looking at this child who only came up to her chest, a hint of barely perceptible teasing in her tone.
Huangfu Chengshi opened his mouth, but not a single word came out.
Seeing his expression, like a frightened little animal, Qin Ya found it even more amusing.
She reached out and ruffled Huangfu Chengshi's hair, her movements casual, as if brushing dust from his hair.
His hair was fine and soft, the texture not bad.
Boom—
Huangfu Chengshi felt as if his world had exploded into a brilliant firework.
His heart was about to jump out of his chest.
A few suppressed gasps came from the surroundings.
Everyone stared dumbfounded at this scene.
That was Qin Ya!
The Qin Ya who never showed such intimacy even with her closest girlfriends!
She had actually, on her own initiative, patted a little boy's head!
Who was this little runt?
From the Huangfu family?
Which Huangfu family child had such face?
"Alright, don't just stand there dumbly."
Qin Ya withdrew her hand, as if she had only done a trivial thing.
She casually shoved the champagne glass in her hand into Huangfu Chengshi's grasp.
"Hold this for me. I'm going to the restroom."
After saying that, she turned and walked away gracefully on her high heels.
Huangfu Chengshi was left alone, foolishly holding the glass that still carried her residual warmth.
The cool, commanding touch of her fingertips seemed to linger on the skin of his head where she had touched him, not fading for a long time.
From then on, every time he stepped into that glittering world of perfume and glamour.
His eyes scanned the entire room, locking onto only one target.

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.”

rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!

young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."

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!"