Time passed.
Gu Yan and his group drove away from the bustling city center and arrived at a picturesque lakeside campsite. The lake's surface was as smooth as a mirror, surrounded by rolling mountains.
"Wow! It's so beautiful!"
"Brother-in-law, are we camping here today?"
Leng Ling'er stepped out of the car and took a deep breath of the fresh natural air.
Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Gu Yan.
This—a self-drive camping trip! She had always dreamed of something like this!
And now, her brother-in-law was making it happen for her?!
"Yeah, I figured since there are so many of us this time, we might as well go all out with an outdoor barbecue."
"This place is pretty remote—most people wouldn't even find it."
As he spoke, Gu Yan walked to the back of the car, opened the trunk, and pulled out a pile of camping gear.
"Old Gao, help me set up the grill by the lake."
"Right away, Young Master."
Gu Yan then took out a few fishing rods and a folded tent. "Ling'er, come help set up the tent. Old Gao and I will go catch some fish."
"Got it!"
Leng Ling'er nodded eagerly, her eyes shining, but then she seemed to remember something.
She grabbed Gu Yingying, who had been standing idly by. "You're helping too."
?
Gu Yingying slowly formed a question mark in her mind. Since when had she, a genius girl, ever done such manual labor?
And helping you? Me, help—hey, hey, don’t pull so hard!
Do you believe I could unleash my Third-Rate Martial Artist strength and knock you out right now?!
Gu Yingying grumbled internally, but her body obediently started helping.
Oh, so this is what a tent is?
Honestly, the novelty of the experience was kind of fun.
Meanwhile, Gu Yan set up the fishing rods and placed a few camping chairs on the ground. He then turned to Leng Qingqiu and Gu Yunrou with a smile. "You two ladies can take a break."
Gu Yingying, who was struggling with the tent, twitched her lips and shot Gu Yan a glare.
Men!
Gu Yunrou didn’t respond, merely smiling at Leng Qingqiu. "What do you think, Miss Leng?"
Leng Qingqiu shook her head gently, declining Gu Yan's offer. A faint smile graced her lips as she replied softly, "No need."
Then, she turned to Gu Yunrou with a knowing look. The latter was taken aback, about to say something when—
"Ling'er and the others are setting up the tent, you and Old Gao are fishing, so Yunrou-jie and I will go into the woods to see if we can gather some fruit."
"Ah, Qingqiu, you really think of everything!" Gu Yan gave her an enthusiastic thumbs-up.
"Let’s go, Yunrou-jie."
"Alright."
Gu Yunrou was surprised, but this worked out perfectly.
There were some things she wanted to discuss with Leng Qingqiu in private.
......
......
Entering the woods, Gu Yunrou and Leng Qingqiu walked side by side along a narrow path, carrying a basket.
They seemed to be getting along well.
"Yunrou-jie, if you have questions, just ask."
Leng Qingqiu spoke first, her gentle voice reaching Gu Yunrou’s ears.
The latter froze, turning to see Leng Qingqiu’s expression—one that seemed to see right through her.
She sighed inwardly. As expected of a genius.
Gu Yunrou decided not to hold back and cut straight to the point. "Miss Leng... do you truly like Gu Yan?"
After their brief interactions, Gu Yunrou had realized that Gu Yan genuinely cared for Leng Qingqiu.
But how did Leng Qingqiu feel about him? Was it real affection? Or... something else?
"I do."
Leng Qingqiu answered without hesitation.
"Really? But you must have heard about Gu Yan’s past reputation."
"Someone as outstanding as you—why would you fall for my brother?"
"I don’t mean to be rude, but... I truly can’t understand why a genius like you would..."
As Gu Yunrou spoke, she noticed an enigmatic smile forming on Leng Qingqiu’s face.
The next moment—
"Yunrou-jie."
Leng Qingqiu stopped walking and opened her eyes, revealing her dull gray irises.
She stared straight at Gu Yunrou.
The latter suddenly felt tense, as if Leng Qingqiu could actually see her.
Leng Qingqiu reached out and lightly tapped Gu Yunrou’s chest.
"If Gu Yan is truly as worthless as you say..."
"Then... Yunrou-jie, why did you like him?"
Thud!
Gu Yunrou’s heart skipped a beat, her face flushing with embarrassment. "You noticed... but..."
Before she could explain, Leng Qingqiu interrupted again.
"But now you don’t anymore?"
"Do you even believe that yourself?"
Leng Qingqiu leaned closer. Despite her sightless eyes, Gu Yunrou felt an invisible pressure bearing down on her.
"Because of Gu Yan’s past behavior, you and Gu Yingying took some... irrational actions against him."
"Let me guess the reason—were you trying to make him repent and change his ways?"
"Or did you plan to take over as family heads and use the family rules to control him?"
"You arrived in Jianghai much earlier than usual."
"Let me guess again..."
Leng Qingqiu’s smile remained, but her words made Gu Yunrou break out in a cold sweat.
It was as if every secret had been laid bare before her.
A breeze brushed past, lifting strands of hair, and Gu Yunrou heard Leng Qingqiu’s next words—ones that struck right at the heart of her thoughts.
"The real reason you came so early... was because of me, wasn’t it?"
"Because Gu Yan is truly with me now."
Swish!
A drop of sweat rolled down Gu Yunrou’s face. She took two steps back, clutching her chest.
Her eyes widened in shock as she stared at the woman before her—gentle yet undeniably sharp.
Hiss—
She took a deep breath, a bitter smile forming on her lips. "Miss Leng, you’ve hit the mark on everything."
"How did you figure all this out?"
Leng Qingqiu smiled faintly, the earlier intensity gone. "I calculated it based on historical data and patterns."
"C-calculated?!"
Gu Yunrou was stunned.
This was Leng Qingqiu?!
"Also, I apologize, Yunrou-jie."
Leng Qingqiu stepped forward, her expression sincere. "I had my own suspicions."
"I thought you and Gu Yingying might mean Gu Yan harm."
"But after our conversation, I’m certain—you would never hurt him."
"Yunrou-jie, forgive my earlier rudeness."
The tension dissipated.
Gu Yunrou’s face burned with embarrassment. Oh god, stop!
This woman was too perfect! Even now, she was still thinking of Gu Yan.
Meanwhile, she herself—ugh, she felt utterly ashamed!
"Gu Yan! If you don’t treat her right, I swear I won’t let you off!" she vowed inwardly.
Aloud, she simply said, "It’s fine!"
"Um... I have one more request. I don’t know if you’d agree to it."
Gu Yunrou looked at Leng Qingqiu, asking somewhat sheepishly.
"Of course, go ahead," Leng Qingqiu replied with a smile. The matter was settled.
She no longer had to worry about Gu Yan being in danger, nor did she need to fear that Gu Yunrou would continue to have feelings for him.
After all, even if she did, it wouldn’t matter. Why?
Because... Gu Yan was hers now.
After a brief silence—
Whoosh!
Gu Yunrou pulled out a pen. "Actually! I’ve been a huge fan of yours for ages, Professor Leng!! Could I please get your autograph?!"
"Your textbook-perfect maneuvers in the financial world—I still study them every single day!"
"Please!! Could you sign my clothes?! This is my greatest wish in life!!"
Gu Yunrou clasped her hands together and bowed pleadingly.
Everything she’d told Gu Yan about only having "heard a little" about Leng Qingqiu had been a lie.
In truth, she’d memorized every detail about Leng Qingqiu from the moment she first appeared in the public eye.
Perhaps one of the reasons she’d come to Jianghai early was also tied to this private longing of hers.
Pr... Professor Leng?
Leng Qingqiu: "........?"
Are... all the members of the Gu Family a little... odd?
lities. One day, Qi Yuan was buying groceries when he unfortunately came face-to-face with a monster. Just when he thought he was going to die on the spot, he suddenly heard the monster's thoughts... "This aura, he's definitely not an ordinary master!" "So terrifying, so terrifying." "A fight with my back against the wall, I can't take it anymore." Qi Yuan: Ah, no one told me that my awakened ability isn't telepathy, but rather the stronger my enemies imagine me to be, the stronger I truly become. PS: Zhou Hai in the first chapter is not the protagonist.
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
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."
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
