In ancient times, people strolled down streets; today, they stroll down gravel paths.
Gu Yan and Leng Qingqiu walked side by side, hand in hand, along the lakeside trail.
The scenery here was picturesque, the air pristine—perfect for a leisurely stroll like this.
Of course, it would be even better if Gu Yan weren’t so unrestrained.
"Hah~ hah~ Qingqiu, my Qingqiu~~ I missed you so much!! This...! This is the power of your charm, isn’t it?!"
"Even someone as strong as me can’t resist it! Hiss!!"
Gu Yan’s theatrics were practically a daily occurrence.
Leng Qingqiu was almost used to it, though her heart still fluttered uncontrollably. She loved it when Gu Yan clung to her like this—it made her feel incredibly secure.
But there was one thing that bothered her.
"Hmph. Can’t resist, huh..."
Leng Qingqiu let out a cold snort and pressed a hand against Gu Yan’s forehead, stopping his overenthusiastic antics.
Her voice took on a faintly resentful tone. "We agreed... this was supposed to be a date for just the two of us."
"!!"
Gu Yan panicked instantly, activating his passive skill: "Qingqiu, I’m sorry! I messed up!"
"This was sudden, and I could’ve refused, but I ended up letting them come along."
"I’m sorry, Qingqiu! Next time, I swear this won’t happen again!"
"If it does, you can step on me, trample me, even curse me out—I won’t complain at all!!"
Leng Qingqiu was taken aback by how extreme his words were. "There’s no need for that... I wouldn’t do something so harsh."
Stepping on him, trampling him, cursing him out? She would never be that cruel.
"It’s fine, Qingqiu. It’s your right! In fact, if you’re up for it, we can rehearse tonight!"
Gu Yan said this with complete seriousness.
"...?"
Leng Qingqiu paused, sensing something off.
Her mind flashed back to a long time ago when Gu Yan had confessed all sorts of... unconventional desires to her.
So...
Was this another one of those?
But... surely not.
No one would actually want to be stepped on and berated—even Gu Yan wouldn’t.
After all, she had done it to him before, and he’d always screamed in agony.
So, Leng Qingqiu shook her head and threatened, "I’ll let it slide today. But if you disobey me again, I might just have to consider this punishment~"
"!!!"
"Uh, I was just joking, Qingqiu! Please don’t actually do that..."
Gu Yan spoke cautiously. As everyone knew, he hated being stepped on by Leng Qingqiu.
After all, he was a born powerhouse.
"Hmph. Then behave."
Leng Qingqiu smirked, convinced she’d found his weakness. "Let’s head back."
"Right, right."
By the time they returned to the campsite, Old Gao had already finished grilling the items that required longer cooking times.
"Young Master, the rest is up to you."
Old Gao smiled, looking forward to Gu Yan’s culinary skills.
"Fine, I’ll show off a little today."
"You’re all in for a treat."
Gu Yan rolled up his sleeves and grabbed the prepared skewers of meat and vegetables, about to place them on the grill—
"Wait."
Leng Qingqiu walked over and tied an apron around him from behind. "There. Now you’re ready. I’m looking forward to your cooking."
Gu Yan’s lips curled into a grin. "Then prepare to be amazed, Qingqiu."
"Alright. I’ll make a salad."
"A salad? Qingqiu, you’re not fat."
"... I never said I was."
Leng Qingqiu gave him a very friendly pinch on the waist. "Are you saying I’ve gotten fat?"
"Ack! No, no, no...!"
Gu Yan insisted she wasn’t—Leng Qingqiu’s Night King physique made it impossible for her to gain weight.
But if she was feeling self-conscious, it was probably because...
Little Cold had been sneaking sweets at midnight again.
Gu Yunrou and Gu Yingying watched the scene unfold, nodding in satisfaction.
Mhm, mhm. So sweet...
"Hehe, Brother-in-law and Big Sis..."
Leng Ling'er giggled nearby, her earlier frustration over failing to catch any fish completely forgotten.
Soon, the tantalizing aroma of grilled food filled the air.
"Done! Let’s eat!"
Leng Qingqiu’s salad was also ready—vibrant, fragrant, and beautifully presented.
The group sat on the picnic blanket, the serene surroundings making the meal even more enjoyable.
Gu Yingying and Gu Yunrou finally got to taste Gu Yan’s cooking.
They were stunned.
"Wait, where did you learn to cook like this?!"
"Self-taught."
"No way! You’re this good? That can’t be real."
"I’ve always been this good."
"Huh! So you’re not completely useless."
"Hey, hey..."
The lake shimmered emerald green under the hazy mountain backdrop—a rare, perfect day.
After eating their fill, Gu Yan strung up a suspended swing between two large trees.
Leng Qingqiu sat on it, fingers tracing the pages of a braille book.
She still loved reading so much.
Gu Yan sighed fondly—then suddenly had an idea.
He quickly exchanged for a camera in the system shop, pretending to retrieve it from the car.
He positioned himself at Leng Qingqiu’s side, wanting to capture her serene, focused expression. Her profile was breathtakingly soft and beautiful in the frame.
But before he could press the shutter—
A pair of slender legs clad in white thigh-high socks stepped into view.
"Aha! Brother-in-law, you’re sneaking photos of Big Sis!"
Leng Ling'er’s voice rang in his ears.
Gu Yan looked up, exasperated, at the smug little gremlin grinning down at him.
"Could you move? You’re ruining the moment."
"Hehe, no way! I want in too—with Big Sis!"
Leng Ling'er giggled and skipped over to Leng Qingqiu.
"Sis, Brother-in-law says you look so pretty reading that he wants to take a picture."
Leng Qingqiu froze, then hurriedly closed her book—because it was a romance novel.
Gu Yan’s eye twitched.
This damn brat...
Then—
"Hm? Photos? Sounds fun!"
Gu Yunrou noticed and immediately scurried over to her idol’s side, waving at Gu Yan.
"Little Brother, make sure you get our good sides!"
"Yingying, you too."
"Ugh. Fine."
Gu Yingying ["reluctantly"] shuffled next to Leng Ling'er.
Gu Yan: "???"
With a sigh, he retrieved a tripod from the car and set it up in front of the group.
Then, to Old Gao: "Old Gao, join in."
"Of course, Young Master."
Old Gao straightened his posture and stepped into frame.
Gu Yan adjusted the settings, gesturing to everyone.
"Alright, everyone, get ready..."
He set the timer and immediately dashed to Leng Qingqiu’s side, crouching slightly as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"Countdown together—5...!"
"4...!"
"3!"
Each voice joined in, faces alight with joy.
Leng Qingqiu felt a tremor in her heart as the voice beside her reached her ears. This sensation...
It was so warm...
"Two!"
Lovers, friends—such carefree and leisurely moments were rare and deeply comforting.
"One!"
In the past, she had been trapped in endless darkness, never daring to hope for or indulge in a life like this.
Revenge had once been her entire existence.
But now...
The person who had made it possible for her to enjoy all of this... was right by her side.
Leng Qingqiu pursed her lips lightly, then slowly turned her head, gazing intently at the radiant life force beside her.
Gu Yan...
She made a bold decision.
Then, just as the shutter was about to click with the countdown—
Everyone shouted in unison, "Cheese!"
Click! The shutter fell.
Unlike the others,
Leng Qingqiu pressed a fleeting, butterfly-like kiss onto Gu Yan's cheek.
And so, a breathtaking photograph... was born.
spital. Good news: I've bound a system. Bad news: I'm still a baby. "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, do not bully the middle-aged for being poor — Divorce Comeback System." "Your marriage may have failed, but your luck in love has never run dry. Your childhood sweetheart, out of contact for twenty years, reappears. Her beauty remains, yet her eyes are brimming with tears." [Listen to the childhood sweetheart's sorrowful story.] Chen Zhi looked down at the diaper he was wearing, then at the little childhood sweetheart crying her heart out beside him, and fell into deep thought. Can anyone relate? I'm having a midlife crisis at an age where even rolling over is a struggle.
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)
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
] [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!"
