"En... Engagement..."
"You're getting married?"
Shen Wan'er asked somewhat blankly.
For some reason, when she heard Gu Yan announce his impending engagement in that tone, her heart felt an intense pain.
She didn't think she liked Gu Yan, so why did she feel so upset when hearing that he was moving on and about to start a new chapter in his life?
Gu Yan nodded, a gentle smile appearing in his eyes: "That's right, she's a good girl."
"I see..."
Shen Wan'er fell silent for a moment. She looked at the wine glass in her hand, seeing her own sorrowful face reflected in the red wine.
She gripped the glass tightly and raised her head, forcing a smile: "I wish you happiness."
As Shen Wan'er said this, she could feel her heart twisting in pain.
Why, why was it like this? She didn't like Gu Yan.
So why did she feel such agony, such sadness?
Why was she so heartbroken?
"Mm."
Gu Yan clinked glasses with her: "I hope you find your true love too."
He took a small sip.
Shen Wan'er gave a bitter internal laugh at his words, then raised her glass and drank it all in one go.
What Shen Wan'er didn't notice was that when she downed her drink, a strange look flashed in Gu Yan's eyes.
Shen Wan'er didn't usually drink, but now due to the lingering troubles in her heart, she had emptied the glass of red wine in one gulp.
Her face immediately flushed red. She steadied herself, then took a deep breath.
The things before her eyes became blurry, and she started crying again.
She lowered her head and began sobbing quietly: "I'm sorry... I was wrong before..."
She looked at Gu Yan through her tears and asked chokingly: "Can we go back to how things were..."
Gu Yan didn't say anything, he just smiled.
Not getting the response she wanted, the light in Shen Wan'er's eyes dimmed completely.
At this moment, she realized it wasn't that Gu Yan couldn't let her go, but that she couldn't let go of Gu Yan.
She regretted it so much, truly regretted it.
She put down her wine glass, wiped away her tears, took a deep breath, and forced a smile onto her face: "Alright, I understand."
However, beneath that smile, Shen Wan'er's heart was surging with regret and loss.
She had really made a mistake.
Shen Wan'er left the Gu residence with a heavy heart.
"Gu Yan..."
Her eyes were red-rimmed, and everything before her was blurry.
The alcohol was starting to affect her, making her steps unsteady.
Shen Wan'er staggered towards her Porsche.
At the same time.
A black car made of special materials drove up from a distance.
"You're Xiao Lin, right? I'm Bai Jun. If I'm not mistaken, your strength should be at the level of an early-stage Grandmaster?"
Bai Jun sat in the back, smiling as he looked at the silent, gloomy-faced Xiao Lin.
At the same time, he felt somewhat puzzled.
Was this dejected man really the next heir of the Dragon King Palace?
Though his strength wasn't bad, could someone with this temperament really go far?
Before coming to pick up Xiao Lin, Bai Jun had already investigated the whole situation.
When he learned that Xiao Lin had been arrested due to a love rivalry, he felt extremely disappointed.
After all, he greatly admired the old Palace Master of the Dragon King Palace, so he had high expectations for the successor chosen by that legendary figure.
Who would have thought that this person's performance would be so underwhelming?
Xiao Lin heard the words of the man beside him, but he didn't understand why this man wanted to take him away.
He only knew that he wasn't in the mood to deal with any of that right now.
Xiao Lin clenched his fists tightly, his expression becoming extremely pained.
His mind kept replaying what Gu Yan had said to him.
[Someone like you...]
Someone like me...
Xiao Lin closed his eyes. Your strength isn't meant to hurt others...
He felt incredibly guilty. If he could, he would go to the hospital right now to visit Wang Yulan.
Suddenly.
He seemed to sense something, and abruptly raised his head to look out the window.
He saw an unexpected figure leaning against the car, their shaking shoulders suggesting they were crying.
Shen Wan'er?!
Xiao Lin's heart skipped a beat. He hurriedly called out: "Stop the car!"
Bai Jun frowned. Stop the car?
"What are you saying, Xiao Lin? I'm about to take you to..."
Before he could finish speaking.
Xiao Lin looked at him with pleading eyes: "Please... I've seen someone very important to me. After I deal with this, I'll cooperate with whatever you want."
"..."
Bai Jun fell silent. He pushed up his glasses, glanced at the beautiful figure outside the window, and smiled: "Alright."
Meanwhile, with Shen Wan'er.
Due to the effects of alcohol, coupled with the depression and sorrow in her heart.
She had started sobbing right there by the car's hood.
And at this moment.
"Boss... Boss?"
"Are you alright?"
A familiar voice reached Shen Wan'er's ears.
She started, turning her head to see the security guard she had hired standing behind her.
He was looking at her with concern in his eyes.
At this moment, a warmth welled up in her heart. She wiped her tears and shook her head: "It's nothing. Why are you here?"
This was also the first time Xiao Lin had seen Shen Wan'er like this. Her face was flushed from drinking.
Her voice even carried a hint of coquettishness, making him stammer: "I, I was released without charge. Boss, what are you doing here?"
Hearing this, Shen Wan'er's mind flashed back to what Gu Yan had said.
Looking at the nervous Xiao Lin, Shen Wan'er shook her head and smiled: "Can you drive?"
Xiao Lin nodded repeatedly: "Yes! I learned on the mountain!"
"The mountain? What kind of strange place is that?"
"A place called Dragon King Mountain..."
"Alright, here, take me back to the company."
Shen Wan'er cut off Xiao Lin's words and handed him the car keys.
As he took the keys, his hand briefly touched Shen Wan'er's, immediately making his face flush red.
"O-Okay! Sure!"
Xiao Lin agreed without a second thought.
Meanwhile, with Bai Jun.
As he watched the interaction between Xiao Lin and that woman, his glasses began to reflect light.
"Let's go, we're leaving."
Bai Jun's tone was somewhat cold.
"Yes, sir."
Vroom!
The car started up.
Bai Jun took a deep breath, his mind replaying the interaction between Xiao Lin and that woman.
He sneered internally.
So this was the young master of the current Dragon King Palace? How disappointing.
Father must be confused, actually wanting his little sister to marry him.
As her brother, there was no way he would allow his little sister to marry a man like this.
Oh right... speaking of his sister, she had mentioned being bullied by someone recently.
He asked the man in front: "Have you found out who bullied my little sister?"
"Yes, they were just a group of small-time thugs. Their leader is called Shen Tian."
"He's the younger brother of the Shen family's young miss, Shen Wan'er. He used to have many financial dealings with the Gu family's young master."
"But according to our investigation, Gu Yan has already fallen out with Shen Wan'er. It was actually Gu Yan who saved the young miss at that time."
Hearing this.
A murderous glint appeared in Bai Jun's eyes.
Shen Tian... the Shen family...
Unfortunately, as a martial artist, he wasn't allowed to interfere in matters of the secular world.
And then there was the Gu family's young master.
He had heard some rumors before, apparently saying he was the Shen family's young miss's devoted admirer.
However, since he had saved his little sister, that made him Bai Jun's friend.
He would repay this debt of gratitude to Gu Yan.
It seemed he would need to find time to meet this Gu Yan in person.
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
s + Rent Collection Wealth】 At the start, he inherited a rundown house in the urban village from his grandfather. The house had no tenants, but the moment he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, a self-proclaimed empress from the Tianxuan Continent arrived as his first tenant. Ye Chuan soon discovered that with every new tenant moving in, not only did he receive massive daily payments, but he also obtained unique items related to their backgrounds. 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Tiger Strength Pill—dramatically enhances physical power!】 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Deer Blood Pill—significantly boosts vitality!】 …… From that day on, all sorts of bizarre tenants began appearing in the house: the empress from Tianxuan Continent, an apocalyptic sorceress from the Magic Realm, a mysterious scientific girl who fell through a spacetime rift… Every single day, he received strange, powerful items and endless money. Then one day, he suddenly realized—he had become invincible. Enough, enough! Stop giving me more!
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
