At 2:30 AM
Wang Yulan, having exhausted herself after a bout of intense crying, had fallen into a deep sleep.
In the hospital corridor.
Apart from a few police officers on duty,
there were two figures leaning by the window, letting the cold breeze caress their faces.
Chen Yingyin handed Gu Yan the forensic report: "Gu Yan, the forensic report is out. The injuries were likely caused by a type of superheated steel pipe that doesn't exist on the market, piercing through the victim instantly."
"But... you and I both know this isn't an ordinary murder case."
She spoke with a serious tone, looking at Gu Yan, who seemed to have regained his composure: "This... is indeed a case of a martial artist committing murder."
"The murderer is that Xiao Lin."
At this, Chen Yingyin clenched the wall tightly, her voice filled with frustration: "I told you so! I knew that guy was a dangerous element. And now, it's proven true."
"I don't know what Bai Jun from the Bai Family was thinking, or what's going on with the Martial Arts Department."
"How could they let such a dangerous person run free?"
After reviewing the report, Gu Yan spoke with certainty: "It is indeed a martial artist's doing."
He turned to Chen Yingyin, asking earnestly: "Yingyin, although this question might be a bit abrupt, I have to ask... do you have any interest in joining the Martial Arts Department?"
"I believe that the Martial Arts Department needs someone like you, someone with a sense of justice, to bring those criminal martial artists to justice!"
Chen Yingyin, hearing Gu Yan's firm question, fell silent for a moment.
Memories of her conversation with her father surfaced in her mind.
["No way! I won't allow you to join the Martial Arts Department!"]
["Yingyin, listen to your father. I'm not trying to harm you. Think about it, even dealing with ordinary criminals has risks of casualties, let alone martial artists!"]
["Dad! Please!......"]
["No! Absolutely not!!"]
Chen Yingyin clenched her fists tightly, taking a deep breath as if making a decision.
She looked at Gu Yan and assured him: "I will join the Martial Arts Department. I will... change the current situation!"
Gu Yan smiled inwardly, then, in Chen Yingyin's slightly stunned gaze, he pulled out his phone: "In that case... let me call someone."
Ring ring~~
At the Bai Family residence.
Bai Jun, who was sleeping soundly, fumbled for his phone: "Hello... is this a mission?"
"Bai Jun, it's me. Are you asleep?"
Gu Yan?!
Bai Jun was startled. Since exchanging contact details at the last banquet, Gu Yan hadn't called him.
But now... he glanced at the time: 2:30 AM.
He chuckled wryly, asking: "Of course I'm asleep. What's the matter?"
He added, his tone hopeful: "Could it be that you're joining our Martial Arts Department?"
"Ah, it's somewhat related to joining the Martial Arts Department. I'm at Jianghai Hospital right now. Are you free?"
"Sure! Wait there! I'll be right over!"
Bai Jun excitedly ended the call.
With Gu Yan, a natural martial artist, joining, he felt more confident!
Twenty minutes later.
Jianghai Hospital.
Bai Jun rubbed his forehead, looking at the smiling Gu Yan and the calm Chen Yingyin: "So... you want me to recommend Chen Yingyin to join the Martial Arts Department?"
"Although I can do that with my position, but..."
Bai Jun hesitated, glancing at Chen Yingyin: "If she doesn't have the aptitude for cultivation and can't join..."
Chen Yingyin frowned: "I, Chen Yingyin, am no scoundrel. If I'm too weak to join, I won't make a fuss about it!"
Bai Jun nodded. Truthfully, recommending a friend to join was no big deal.
The main thing was that this was Gu Yan's request. He looked at Gu Yan: "You don't have any interest in joining us?"
Gu Yan chuckled wryly: "Can't. I'm getting married soon, so family comes first."
"What? You're getting married?"
Chen Yingyin was surprised, looking at Gu Yan: "Why didn't Uncle Gu mention it?"
"We haven't set the date yet."
"Don't worry, I'll definitely invite you to the engagement party."
Gu Yan joked.
Chen Yingyin thought of her father's earlier nagging about marriage, even suggesting she should consider Gu Yan.
She felt a mix of amusement and exasperation.
Her father's information was way behind the times.
Bai Jun, hearing Gu Yan's excuse again, slapped his back hard: "Gu Yan, how old are you? Getting married so young?"
"I haven't even tied the knot yet. Marriage is a graveyard, you know?"
Gu Yan laughed: "That's because you haven't met the right person. I've found someone I truly love."
As he said this, Gu Yan's expression softened.
Chen Yingyin observed, inwardly sighing. Gu Yan must really love his fiancée. However...
She hesitated, asking: "Does Wang Yulan know you're getting married soon?"
Chen Yingyin wasn't sure, but she felt Wang Yulan might have feelings for Gu Yan.
Gu Yan nodded: "Earlier, when a friend of Wang Yulan's came to visit her, she saw me and said she wanted to be my girlfriend."
He added, sounding slightly helpless: "So I explained that I'm already married. Well, not officially yet, but I do have a fiancée."
"So Wang Yulan should know about this."
Chen Yingyin simply replied with an "oh."
Bai Jun, after hearing Gu Yan out, understood that he was serious.
Though he hadn't heard Gu Yan mention his fiancée's name, Bai Jun had guessed during the banquet: "Is it the talented lady from the Leng Family?"
Gu Yan didn't deny it, nodding with a gentle voice: "Yes, Leng Qingqiu is my love."
Bai Jun sighed softly.
The Leng Family...
He looked at Gu Yan, wanting to say something but eventually kept silent.
He hesitated, unsure whether to reveal what had happened to the Leng Family in the past.
But ultimately, he sighed: "I wish you happiness."
After a few words, he left hurriedly.
What kind of tone was that? Gu Yan's mouth twitched.
Chen Yingyin was also surprised, patting Gu Yan: "Not bad, kid. You're dating Leng Qingqiu from the Leng Family?"
"However... I heard about the Leng Family..."
Before she could finish,
Gu Yan waved his hand, a happy smile on his face: "It doesn't matter. I love everything about Qingqiu."
Seeing this, Chen Yingyin remained silent, sighing: "That's youth for you!"
Why does everyone say that?
However...
Gu Yan leaned by the window, gazing into the distance.
What is Qingqiu doing now...
Is she studying or sleeping...
And has our relationship progressed further... after all... we've kissed...
"Ahhhh!!"
Gu Yan suddenly crouched down, screaming and twitching.
Chen Yingyin: "???"
"I want to kiss her so bad!!"
Chen Yingyin: "Are you a pervert? And stop disturbing the peace!"
......
......
At the Leng Family residence.
Leng Qingqiu tossed and turned in bed, feeling strange.
She clutched her chest, opening her eyes, her face flushing.
Why did she suddenly feel a surge of excitement?
Why was this happening? Gu Yan wasn't here tonight...
Was he visiting Wang Yulan?
Where was he now? What was he doing?
What was this sudden feeling in her heart?
Leng Qingqiu remembered Gu Yan saying he could sense her emotions.
Could it be...
Leng Qingqiu bit her lip, her expression shy. Gu Yan was...
Thinking of her?
That's why she felt so restless?
["Why did you wake up? You need to get enough sleep."]
["You wouldn't want that man to be scared off by your tired face, would you?"]
["That would be too detrimental to our plan..."]
"Mind your own business!"
“And why does kissing sound so strange when you describe it!”
“I have my own special way of handling Gu Yan; I don't need advice from an outsider like you!”
【Hehe... The other me, you've indeed grown a lot over the years】
【Alright, I'll keep a close eye on things】
The voice disappeared, and Leng Qingqiu finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She gently touched her lips, as if the lingering warmth of Gu Yan from earlier was still there.
Gu Yan... would he come tomorrow....
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!
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
] [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!"
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."
