When Gu Yan and Leng Qingqiu returned, it was already very late.
"Brother-in-law! You and sis actually ditched me to go on a date alone!"
"How awful!"
Leng Ling'er blocked Gu Yan's path, pouting angrily as she questioned him.
Gu Yan replied nonchalantly, "Of course we had to ditch you. You'd just be a third wheel if you came along."
Leng Qingqiu, standing nearby, looked puzzled. "What does 'third wheel' mean?"
"It means Ling'er would just stand there staring at us while we're making out."
Leng Qingqiu's face flushed red at his words.
Now that he put it that way, it did sound pretty embarrassing.
Leng Ling'er huffed indignantly. "Brother-in-law, you're the worst! I’d just be watching, not doing anything! You’re so stingy!"
"Heh."
"Ling'er, stop fooling around."
Only after her older sister spoke up did Leng Ling'er finally settle down.
Seeing this, Gu Yan couldn’t resist teasing her further. "Hear that, little sis? Your sister’s orders—no butting into our relationship."
"Gu Yan, you should talk less too."
Leng Qingqiu frowned.
"Oh..."
Watching Gu Yan get scolded lifted Leng Ling'er's spirits. She giggled. "Serves you right, loser Gu."
Gu Yan rolled his eyes. "Hah, like you have any right to talk."
Then, as if remembering something, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a key, dangling it in front of Leng Ling'er. He sighed dramatically.
"I was actually planning to give this to you."
"But with that attitude of yours... guess not~"
"Huh? What is it?"
Leng Ling'er leaned in to examine the object in Gu Yan’s hand. As she looked, her eyes widened with excitement, her whole body trembling.
"!!! A motorcycle key!"
"Yep. A custom-made bike, just for you. You won’t find this model on the market."
Gu Yan feigned regret. "I figured since you’re turning 18 soon and can get your license, I’d prepare your coming-of-age gift in advance."
"But now, seeing how you are..."
Thud!
Leng Ling'er immediately dropped to the floor, clinging to Gu Yan’s leg, her dyed blonde hair shaking as she pleaded. "Brother-in-law~ my dearest brother-in-law~"
"Hey... where’s your dignity?"
"Brother-in-law, I was wrong! I’ll never oppose you again!!"
"I swear—"
Before she could finish...
"Ling'er, stop this nonsense!"
Leng Qingqiu, red-faced with embarrassment, dragged her sister up from the floor.
This is so humiliating. Is this really my sister?
Is this how someone raised by the Leng Family behaves?
Holding Leng Ling'er firmly, she suppressed her frustration and said sternly, "Ling'er, didn’t we agree you’d only get a motorcycle after getting into university?"
"Even if your brother-in-law bought it early, I’ll keep the keys until then."
She then turned to Gu Yan, her voice icy. "Hand it over."
"...Okay."
Sensing the murderous aura, Gu Yan shivered and obediently passed the key.
He cleared his throat and added to Leng Ling'er, who looked utterly crestfallen, "Well, Ling'er, your sister’s right."
"You’re still too young. You can’t handle this bike yet."
"Let your sister hold onto it until you get into uni."
With her last hope dashed, Leng Ling'er looked on the verge of tears.
Ugh! Brother-in-law, you’re so spineless!
...
...
The next day would mark the final day of the Gu Family’s three-day gathering—the most critical moment determining whether Gu Yan would become the family’s next head.
That night.
Creak... creak...
The sound of floorboards groaning underfoot echoed softly.
Gu Yan tossed and turned in bed, frowning.
Hmm... why does it feel like something’s about to happen again...
The next second.
"Vessel."
!!
A cold voice whispered in his ear.
Gu Yan’s eyes snapped open.
??
He turned to see a figure standing beside his bed.
She had changed into casual clothes and was staring at him calmly.
"Xiao Leng? What do you want?"
Gu Yan checked the time—[2:33]—and grimaced before burrowing back under the covers. "Just so you know, I’m exhausted. I want to sleep."
"......"
Time passed silently.
Whoosh!
Gu Yan threw off the blanket and sighed at Xiao Leng, who still hadn’t left. "What do you want?"
Finally, she spoke. "I want to experience the festival atmosphere."
"???"
"Then go experience it. Why wake me up?"
Gu Yan just wanted to go back to sleep.
"Fine."
Xiao Leng gave him a blank look, then turned and left.
??
Gu Yan blinked in confusion. Hey, hey! You’re using my wife’s body!
Damn it, I really am just a slave now.
...
...
Half an hour later.
Jianghai City’s festivities never slept.
Even at this late hour, the food streets were still brightly lit.
At a cotton candy stall:
"Boss, two sticks, please."
"Coming right up! You and your girlfriend... huh? Weren’t you two here earlier tonight?"
The vendor stared at Gu Yan and Xiao Leng in confusion.
Strangely, the woman seemed different from the one he’d seen earlier.
"Never mind that..."
Gu Yan grabbed the cotton candy and quickly pulled Xiao Leng away.
As they wandered, snacking and exploring, Xiao Leng suddenly noticed something.
She tugged Gu Yan away from the crowd.
The two sat on a public bench.
Xiao Leng nibbled at her cotton candy, then glanced at Gu Yan’s resigned expression.
A strange, unfamiliar feeling stirred in her chest.
Since they were here anyway, Gu Yan took a bite of his own treat and asked, "Why bring me here?"
"You’ll see soon... Ah, it’s starting."
Xiao Leng suddenly focused on the sky.
Gu Yan followed her gaze.
The next moment—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Gu Yan’s heart jolted.
The night sky erupted in dazzling fireworks, their brilliant explosions painting the darkness with light.
Streaks of radiance burst forth, illuminating the heavens like daylight.
Gu Yan’s pupils contracted as the blasts reverberated in his ears—no, deeper, as if detonating in his very soul.
Each firework’s glow reflected on his face, etching his expression with intricate emotions.
The cotton candy melted on his tongue, its sweetness mingling with the visual spectacle.
"Every year at this time, there’s a fireworks display like this."
Xiao Leng’s voice broke the brief silence.
"It’s a tradition of the Gu Family and Jianghai City—a celebration of peace and prosperity."
How do you know all this?? Even I, a Gu Family member, didn’t know.
Gu Yan nodded, snapping out of his daze.
Seemingly sensing what Gu Yan was about to say, Leng Qingqiu leisurely explained, "Want to ask how I knew?"
"Because I saw the poster on the street."
"And..."
She leaned slightly toward Gu Yan and reached out her hand.
Gu Yan flinched. "Wait—"
But contrary to his expectations,
Leng Qingqiu merely plucked a stray leaf from his hair.
As the final firework burst into a grand display across the night sky, the entire horizon seemed to ignite.
And in that moment, Gu Yan watched as Leng Qingqiu slowly parted her lips, wearing a smile—whether feigned or genuine, he couldn’t tell—and said, "And... I wanted you to see this beautiful fireworks show too."
"Just you and me."
"........"
Hiss...
The sound reached his ears almost simultaneously.
Gu Yan couldn’t help but avert his gaze.
This was... way too much.
[Pure Love Target’s Trust Level Increased to 96%!! New Memory Fragment Unlocked~~ Please Check~~]
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!"
iaobai: "Councilor Dad, front me some funds. I want to hire ten thousand professional miners for a project!" [Five-Star Mission Issued: Capture the leader of the Blood Heaven Pirate Gang, who is on the run in the Radiant Star Sector. It is said the gang has over a hundred members. Proceed with caution.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, lend me the family's hundred-thousand-strong Lu Army!" [Seven-Star Mission Issued: Subdue a juvenile Void Dragon Beast.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, I'm taking your tamed Void Dragon Beast King out for a family reunion!" I said, System, don't you have any slightly more challenging missions? You're just not up to par! [Nine-Star Mission Issued: Become the Human Councilor.] Lu Xiaobai: "Dad, there's a small matter I'd like to discuss with you..."
lan, the Luo family, tracked him down - along with the babies in their arms. Mo Xuan stared pensively at the paternity test results from over a dozen top institutions, both domestic and international, showing a 99.99% match between himself and the two baby girls. At 23, Mo Xuan, a doctoral student, had become the father of two three-year-old children. The kicker? The mothers weren't even the same person! He gradually realized he was being lured step by step into an elaborate trap designed by these two yandere sisters. "Be good, little Xuan. Sister's life belongs to you entirely." "Brother, if you try to run away, I'll have no choice but to tie you up." Mo Xuan: "Do whatever you want, ladies. I give up."
