The next day.
Though it was the heart of winter, the sunlight today was unusually warm, its bright rays piercing through the thin clouds and spilling across the vast land.
A gentle breeze carried away the biting chill, filling the air with a leisurely atmosphere.
In short, it was perfect weather for a date.
The Leng Family residence.
Leng Qingqiu stood at the door, her expression calm.
For this "meet-the-family" date, she had deliberately woken up early and asked Leng Ling'er to help her get ready.
Beside her, Leng Ling'er was overthinking things as she exclaimed, "Sis, whatever you do, don’t let those two sisters outshine you in presence!"
"They’re so eager to meet you—they must be planning to make things difficult!"
Leng Qingqiu didn’t respond, but she already had her own thoughts on the matter.
Moments later.
A seven-seater car slowly pulled up and stopped in front of Leng Qingqiu.
She understood that Gu Yan’s sisters would be joining them.
Her task was simple: handle it naturally.
Of course, Gu Yan would surely tone it down in front of others—she knew that much.
Gu Yunrou and Gu Yingying were also candidates for the Gu Family’s successor position.
They were both closely watching for any missteps from Gu Yan. If he showed even the slightest behavior unbecoming of a family head, he might face trouble at this year’s annual gathering.
With this in mind, Leng Qingqiu knew this outing wouldn’t be just a simple date.
But then—
As the car door opened—
"Qingqiu, I’m here~~ ||ヽ(￣▽￣)ノミ!!"
Gu Yan practically leaped out of the car, unable to contain his excitement.
Yay, a rare date with Qingqiu! He’d barely slept last night.
"Come on, Qingqiu, let me help you in."
"......"
"Huh? Wait, Qingqiu, you smell so nice..."
"......"
"Hey! Qingqiu, did you... put on makeup today?!"
"......"
Gu Yan seemed to have noticed something.
He was instantly mesmerized. Today, Leng Qingqiu wore a light, delicate layer of makeup.
Her look was understated yet meticulously refined.
The sheer foundation enhanced her already porcelain-like complexion, making it appear flawless.
A soft coral lip tint added a touch of warmth and vitality.
She wore a cream-colored high-neck knit sweater paired with dark blue straight-leg jeans.
Over it, she draped a beige long wool coat, its hem swaying gently in the breeze, exuding a subtle artistic charm.
Her footwear consisted of simple brown leather boots, and her hair cascaded effortlessly over her shoulders, with a few strands of bangs framing her forehead, adding a soft elegance.
As for that faint, alluring fragrance—it wasn’t overpowering perfume, but rather the natural, soothing scent of shampoo or fabric softener, comforting and inviting.
Her entire aura carried both the gentle grace of a scholar and the untouchable allure of a high-altitude flower.
It was rare for these two contrasting qualities to coexist in one person.
Leng Ling'er, seeing this, smirked proudly. "What’s wrong, brother-in-law? Stunned speechless? I did her makeup."
"Big Sis was already gorgeous, so just a light touch was enough!"
Leng Ling'er admitted that even as a beauty influencer, she found it hard to improve on her sister’s natural looks.
After all! Her sister’s bare face was already the prettiest in the world!
Even she, as a sister, couldn’t help stealing glances—so Gu Yan’s dazed reaction was hardly surprising.
"Quit staring, dummy."
"Your family’s waiting in the car, aren’t they?"
Leng Qingqiu sighed slightly, reaching out to pat Gu Yan’s cheek.
I’m such a fool for thinking he’d act even slightly restrained.
Does this idiot really have no other thoughts in his head?
"Oh, right, right! It’s just that you look especially amazing today, hehe."
Gu Yan snapped out of it, taking Leng Qingqiu’s hand as he opened the car door.
"Hmph... So I wasn’t good-looking before?"
Leng Qingqiu let out a light scoff.
"You’ve always been beautiful! You’re just even more stunning today!"
Hehe, good answer.
Leng Qingqiu smiled inwardly. Though she couldn’t see herself right now, as long as Gu Yan liked it, that was enough.
Of course, while Gu Yan lacked any real cunning, his sisters were another matter.
One was a finance industry elite, the other a prodigy.
Both possessed extraordinary talent and maturity beyond their years—and they were also Gu Yan’s competitors.
If Gu Yan couldn’t see their intentions, then she’d have to keep an eye out for him.
Inside the car.
Gu Yunrou and Gu Yingying were seeing Leng Qingqiu up close for the first time.
And the moment they laid eyes on her—
Both froze.
Gu Yunrou had dressed maturely and elegantly today, with a simple goal in mind.
She knew Leng Qingqiu—or rather, was all too familiar with her—and understood just how dazzling this woman was.
Back in the finance world, Leng Qingqiu had been a monster who overshadowed everyone.
So, Gu Yunrou thought, even if I can’t compete elsewhere, surely I can hold my own in looks?
But... upon seeing her in person—
She was stunned.
To her, Leng Qingqiu was like an untouchable saintess radiating light.
Even with her eyes closed, softening that brilliance—
Still...
Gu Yunrou realized how laughable her earlier assumptions had been.
She’d been completely outclassed in every way...
She sighed inwardly.
"Hello, Sister Yunrou, Sister Yingying."
"I’m Gu Yan’s girlfriend, Leng Qingqiu."
A faint smile graced Leng Qingqiu’s lips as she spoke with effortless confidence.
Her presence alone was radiant.
Gu Yunrou instinctively straightened her posture, her words coming out slightly stiff. "Hello."
Gu Yingying, too, was seeing Leng Qingqiu in person for the first time. She’d always believed she’d long surpassed the "has-been" Leng Qingqiu.
But... now that they’d met, she realized just how far behind she was.
Especially when—
She watched Gu Yan gaze at Leng Qingqiu with undisguised affection, her fists clenching.
I’ve... lost by a mile.
Her eyes dimmed as she lowered her head and muttered, "Hello."
Leng Ling'er had already met Gu Yunrou and Gu Yingying the day before.
Being the social butterfly she was, she immediately squeezed in beside Gu Yingying, throwing an arm around her shoulders.
"Morning, Gu Yingying."
"Ugh..."
Gu Yingying’s melancholy instantly shattered, replaced by irritation as she tugged at Leng Ling'er’s arm.
This brute of a girl...
"Morning, Ling'er."
Gu Yunrou smiled at Leng Ling'er.
"Morning, Sister Yunrou! Wow, you look amazing today!"
"Giggle, thank you."
Gu Yunrou chuckled in response, though she found it odd.
These two sisters had such contrasting personalities.
Could it be... because of what happened back then?
Gu Yunrou sighed softly in her heart—how fickle fate could be.
"......"
After a brief exchange of greetings, Leng Qingqiu seemed to sense something.
Hmm?
This wasn’t what she had expected.
The two sisters didn’t seem to harbor any ill will toward her or Gu Yan.
She felt a pang of helplessness—so rumors were just rumors, after all.
Before this, she’d heard that Gu Yunrou and Gu Yingying had been locked in a covert struggle with Gu Yan over the position of family head.
But... now that she saw them, it didn’t seem that way at all.
Though Leng Qingqiu’s eyes couldn’t perceive appearances, she could see the essence of a person’s life force.
By observing the color of their life essence, she could gauge how much malice they held toward her.
Yet, Gu Yunrou and Gu Yingying showed very little hostility toward her. In fact, Gu Yunrou even radiated a strong sense of goodwill.
Oh... Had she been overthinking things?
Was the Gu family actually... quite united?
Probably not—these two sisters were likely exceptions.
After all...
Leng Qingqiu could somewhat sense that these two seemed to have feelings for Gu Yan.
But... you’re his sister and cousin—is that really appropriate?
Though many romantic comedies she’d seen lately featured similar plotlines, she absolutely didn’t approve!
Leng Qingqiu had already decided: if her younger sister ever got into a relationship,
and that partner turned out to be a two-timing womanizer,
she would never let that scoundrel who dared to hurt her sister off the hook!
As she lost herself in these thoughts...
"Qingqiu, you smell so nice~"
Tch... If only this infuriating man could behave himself.
Couldn’t he at least try not to make her break character in front of others?
g Yu was preparing for retirement when her organization decided to eliminate her. She transmigrated to a zombie apocalypse world. However, a tiny unexpected situation occurred: She somehow transformed into an adorable little girl?!
ress Kneels to Admit Wrong] [Dealing with Love-Struck Fools] [Forced to the Throne] Ren Tianye transmigrated into a female-oriented novel world, only to find everyone in it was utterly insane. He risked his life to save a young girl from barbarians, but was accused of arriving too late and branded the real murderer. He held a knife to a military officer's neck, demanding the troop tally, but the officer only cared about questioning his wife: "Do you not love me anymore? All these years of affection and time together, they were all a mistake, a mistake!" After seizing Yunji City, the original defending general, to save face with the Empress, knelt on the ground: "You must give Yunji City back to me, or I'll hang myself at the city gate and let everyone know you're a villain!" The young lord of the Duke's mansion, to please a woman, directly ordered a merchant: "The menstrual pads you buy for her must be studded with diamonds. Loving her means giving her the best." Having become a great general, he was about to marry a merchant's daughter, who set a pre-nuptial rule: "I can divorce you anytime. When that happens, you must give me half of your troops and soldiers!" Even the Empress was a severe love-struck fool, who ordered the execution of 70,000 elite troops simply because they stood in the way of her romance. Ren Tianye was speechless. He was done. Let it all burn! This deranged female-oriented novel world! ...
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!"
