The second day of the Gu Family gathering came to an end.
Guests exchanged farewells as they departed the banquet venue.
At the entrance.
"Goodbye, Young Master Linyi."
"Mhm."
"Ugh, Young Master Linyi is so adorable!"
Gu Linyi responded to each greeting with a polite smile and nod.
Yet, once everyone had left,
his smile gradually faded, replaced by an overwhelming irritation.
He took a deep breath, his eyes filled with unmistakable disgust. "A swarm of flies buzzing around me nonstop."
"Disgusting."
Behind him, his bodyguard Qiu Feng hesitated, glancing around before whispering cautiously, "Young... Young Master... we're still on the Manor grounds..."
Gu Linyi scoffed. "I know. And also—"
He turned his head, shooting her an exasperated look. "Didn’t you say my brother Gu Yan and that Leng Family’s eldest daughter already had a kid old enough to run errands?"
"Uh... haha... well, that’s just what I heard..."
Qiu Feng laughed awkwardly. But the mention of Gu Yan and Leng Qingqiu piqued her interest.
As a nearly 30-year-old single woman who’d never been in a relationship, she couldn’t help but gush. "But Young Master Gu Yan seems so much more mature now compared to before! He’s got this whole new charm! And Leng Qingqiu—wow, she really lives up to her reputation as the 'Goddess' back in the day. So stunning!"
"Ughhh—even my fellow bodyguard sisters have partners now. When will it be my turn to get married...?"
Her excitement quickly devolved into self-pity.
Gu Linyi sighed. "Hey, open the door for me."
"Huh? Young Master, you’re going again? But this is Jianghai..."
"Just do your job and don’t ask questions."
"...Fine."
Qiu Feng didn’t dare disobey. She knew all too well how quickly her young master’s mood could shift.
She approached a section of the wall, placing both hands against it.
A low hum resonated as her qi surged.
"Open!"
With a soft thud, a wooden door materialized seamlessly within the wall.
Gu Linyi stepped through. "Come back for me in an hour."
"Got it."
......
The Jianghai Festival, spanning over ten days, was in full swing.
By night, most streets transformed into bustling markets lined with food stalls and vendors.
Gu Linyi wandered through the crowds, his expression bored and indifferent.
So dull.
Jianghai was always like this—utterly lifeless.
It wasn’t always this way, though...
His mind drifted to the past.
It all started during a gathering at the Gu Family Manor.
Back then, his parents had drilled into him the importance of being the perfect, obedient child—always smiling, always polite, always charming.
Every gesture, every word had to be calculated to please.
Unsurprisingly, he became his grandparents’ favorite.
His father pushed him to leverage that favor to secure the family’s leadership.
But...
He wasn’t happy. He refused to let his life be dictated like this.
The mounting pressure festered inside him, breeding an unshakable rage.
He needed an outlet—a way to vent just to maintain his flawless facade.
Then, one day, Gu Yan approached him.
He extended a hand and asked if he was tired from the gathering.
"Do you want to sneak out with me?"
For reasons he couldn’t explain, Gu Linyi agreed.
That day, he experienced something new—happiness.
He thought things would stay that way.
But as they grew older, rumors spread—Gu Yan had become someone’s lapdog.
The betrayal shattered him.
Now, walking the same streets from his childhood, Gu Linyi felt nothing.
Because the Gu Yan he once knew was gone.
Thud!
"Tch! You brat, are you blind?!"
Snapped back to reality, Gu Linyi realized he’d bumped into someone.
He looked up to see a group of men, one of whom was glaring at him furiously.
Not in the mood for conflict today, Gu Linyi offered a polite apology. "Sorry, I was lost in thought. My apologies, sir."
"Hah? You think a half-assed sorry cuts it?"
"You have any idea how much time you just wasted for me?"
Gu Linyi kept his smile intact. "How much would that be? Should I compensate you?"
The man exchanged glances with his companions before grinning. "Hey, this kid’s loaded."
"Give us 100k, and we’ll let it slide."
"100k? I have it, but..."
Gu Linyi tilted his head innocently. "People like you don’t seem worth that much."
The man’s face twisted in fury. "You little—!"
His fist swung toward Gu Linyi.
So slow...
Gu Linyi watched the punch crawl toward him, unimpressed.
Adults are always like this—only daring to raise their fists against the weaker ones.
What a hassle... Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to show a little strength here.
Just as the thought crossed his mind—
"Hey."
Bang!
A cold voice cut through the air.
At the same time,
a hand firmly caught the incoming fist.
Gu Linyi froze.
He looked up at the sound.
Instantly, his eyes widened in shock.
There,
standing behind him, were Gu Yan and Leng Qingqiu, the former wearing his mask tilted slightly to the side.
Gu Yan’s icy gaze fixed on the group before him, an invisible pressure radiating from him as he spoke in a chilling tone, "What do you think you’re doing to my little brother?"
"Uh—!"
"Let’s get out of here! This guy looks dangerous!"
"You’ll regret this!"
The group scattered in a panic.
Gu Yan’s lips twitched in exasperation. Why did he have to deal with such cliché villain dialogue?
Leng Qingqiu handed him the takoyaki she was holding. "Here."
Taking it, Gu Yan looked down at Gu Linyi, placing a hand on the boy’s head before skewering a piece of the snack and offering it to him. "Hey, kid. Shouldn’t you be at the Gu Family Manor? What are you doing sneaking out?"
Gu Linyi didn’t resist his brother’s gesture. He glanced up at Gu Yan, then at Leng Qingqiu.
With a deadpan expression, he replied, "You’re one to talk, sneaking out with Sister Qingqiu for a date."
"Cough. The gathering was boring. Don’t tell Grandmother or the others."
"Same here..."
Gu Linyi met Gu Yan’s eyes seriously. "Then don’t tell Grandfather or Grandmother I ran off either."
"Fine, fine. Consider it a deal between us."
"Okay."
With those brief words, Gu Linyi took the takoyaki, glancing once more between Gu Yan and Leng Qingqiu.
Finally, a faint smile touched his lips. "Brother, I’ll head back now. You two enjoy your time."
"Can you manage alone?"
"I’m not a child anymore."
"Oh, good. That means your sister-in-law and I can finally have some alone time."
Leng Qingqiu’s face flushed, and she tugged at his sleeve.
Gu Linyi sighed. "Brother, do you have to say things like that in front of the person involved...?"
......
......
Watching the two walk away,
Gu Linyi’s expression softened with relief.
As long as his brother was truly happy, that was enough.
He took a bite of the takoyaki and turned toward the Gu Family Manor.
Well, he felt a little better now. Time to go back.
With the small incident over,
Leng Qingqiu suddenly spoke up as they strolled down the path. "Gu Yan, you seem to get along well with your siblings."
"It’s nothing like the rumors say about your family being divided."
"Really?"
"Yes... Never mind. Men are so oblivious."
"?"
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?!
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
tions: attribute allocation, analysis, proficiency, and simulation. Specializing in mechanical alchemy, from crafting sorcerous battle armor to handcrafting mechanical maidens, his mechanical legion conquers endless realms... Relying on his wits, he begins with a student-teacher romance, wins over a female director, enslaves a female assassin and a underworld queen, becoming the husband of a Grand Duchess... He enslaves the Goddess of Magic from the divine realm, developing his power simultaneously in both the Wizard World and the Realm of Gods...
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."
