Looking into Cui Zilu's crystal-clear eyes, the worry in Shangguan Yunying's heart did not dissipate.
She understood all too well the unique charm Gu Chengyin possessed, woven from his sheer intellect and boldness.
And she knew exactly how intensely a young girl like Cui Zilu, trapped in a gilded cage, would yearn for someone like him.
This seemingly innocent and romantic affection actually harbored much deeper risks.
Not only for Cui Zilu, but potentially for Gu Chengyin as well, and it might even impact His Highness's grand plan.
Taking a deep breath, she decided to change her approach.
"Zilu."
Shangguan Yunying held Cui Zilu's hands, her tone solemn. "Listen to me. I understand how you feel, I truly do."
"I am not trying to stop you, nor am I saying you are wrong."
Cui Zilu blinked, quieting down as she looked at her earnestly.
"Gu Chengyin is incredible, isn't he? Even more so than the great heroes in the operas."
Shangguan Yunying spoke slowly. "He can do many things others cannot, and he can show you a world you have never seen before."
"But, Zilu, it is precisely because he is so formidable and the things he does are so extraordinary, that he is also... very dangerous."
The excitement on Cui Zilu's face faded slightly, her brows furrowing.
"Do you want your Brother Chengyin to get hurt because of you?" Shangguan Yunying looked straight into her eyes, asking bluntly.
Cui Zilu immediately shook her head vigorously, her voice resolute. "No! Absolutely not!"
"Exactly."
Shangguan Yunying gently patted the back of her hand, her voice soft and guiding. "Liking someone, admiring someone, doesn't necessarily mean you must possess them, or stick by their side every waking moment."
"Sometimes, liking someone can mean wishing them safety and success, and supporting them in doing what they must do."
"It can even mean reining in your own emotions, or finding a safer way to express your affection, so that he can better face those dangers and challenges."
Watching Cui Zilu's thoughtful expression, she continued. "Others might treat you like an ignorant child."
"But I know you are not. You are smart, very, very smart. Smarter than most people realize."
"So you should be able to understand what I mean by these words."
The light in Cui Zilu's eyes flickered. She did indeed understand.
Shangguan Yunying wasn't telling her she couldn't like him; she was telling her that this affection might become his burden, or even his weakness.
Through her mind flashed the various events of recent days: the hushed, secret discussions between her father and brothers in the study, Gu Chengyin's sudden appearance, and her father's instructions to her.
Growing up in such an environment, coupled with her innate sensitivity, made her acutely aware of why Gu Chengyin had come to the Cui Manor, and why her father had arranged for her to accompany him.
It wasn't because she was pretty, nor because she was lively and cute.
It was because she was the Eldest Miss of the Cui family.
The person appearing by Gu Chengyin's side didn't have to be Cui Zilu.
But it had to be the Eldest Miss of the Cui family.
Yet, even after figuring this out, no sadness or disappointment appeared on Cui Zilu's face.
Instead, she revealed an exceptionally pure smile, as clean as a mountain spring, untainted by the slightest gloom.
"Sister Yunying, just relax!"
She squeezed Shangguan Yunying's hands back, her voice crisp. "Zilu knows all of this!"
Tilting her head, Cui Zilu continued in a matter-of-fact tone. "Actually, I think you've misunderstood, Sister Yunying."
"My liking for Brother Chengyin is just like my liking for those pretty butterflies in the manor!"
"I also like reading interesting play scripts, I like my father and mother, and I like the little fish swimming around in the lake!"
"There are so many things I like! As long as it's fresh, fun, and interesting, I like it!"
Her eyes curved into crescents, her tone joyful. "And Brother Chengyin is more fun and interesting than all of those combined!"
"So, isn't it perfectly normal for me to like him?"
"Whenever Brother Chengyin stops being fun and loses his novelty, I naturally won't like him anymore!"
These words were spoken with innocent candor and bold righteousness, entirely attributing her affection to fun and amusement.
It was as if Gu Chengyin was merely an exceptionally novel, oversized toy that could provide endless entertainment.
Shangguan Yunying was stunned. She carefully scrutinized Cui Zilu's expression.
Those large eyes brimmed with sincerity, showing not the slightest trace of deceit. Her face held nothing but pure, childish excitement and a sense of absolute certainty.
Could she really have been overthinking it?
Was Cui Zilu's feeling for Gu Chengyin truly just an intense interest in something fresh and exciting?
Rather than the blossoming romance of a young girl?
Shangguan Yunying asked suspiciously to confirm, "Really? Zilu, do you truly just think he's fun?"
Hearing this, Cui Zilu immediately pouted, looking angry at being misunderstood, and huffed.
"Sister Yunying! What are you thinking! You didn't actually think I liked him in a romantic way, did you?"
"Of course not!"
She shook her head like a rattle drum. "To me, Brother Chengyin is just a super, super fun, and super, super amazing big playmate!"
"That's why I said he's different! You didn't misunderstand me just because he's a man, did you? Hmph!"
She turned her face away, feigning anger, but out of the corner of her eye, she quietly observed Shangguan Yunying's reaction.
Seeing Cui Zilu's vivid and natural reaction, along with the seemingly genuine grievance and anger in those clear eyes...
...the doubts in Shangguan Yunying's heart gradually faded.
She secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed her concern had indeed clouded her judgment, making her overcomplicate things.
After all, Cui Zilu was still young and her temperament was unfixed. Her feelings for Gu Chengyin were perhaps more akin to a yearning for freedom.
A gentle smile appeared on her face as she reached out to rub Cui Zilu's head. "So that's how it is. I'm sorry, Zilu. I was the one who misunderstood."
Only then did Cui Zilu's anger turn to joy. She hugged Shangguan Yunying's arm, rubbing against it affectionately, and said dismissively, "It's fine! After all, you're my absolute best Sister Yunying! I know you just care about me!"
The last shred of worry in Shangguan Yunying's heart was finally set down. She instructed, "Then when you follow Marquis Gu around, play all you want, but you must pay attention to your safety."
Cui Zilu immediately put her hands on her hips, puffed out her little chest, and put on a fierce look.
"Don't worry, Sister Yunying! If anyone dares to bully me, I'll have my father slaughter them all!"
Shangguan Yunying was amused by her, but she also understood the reality.
The combination of Gu Chengyin and Cui Zilu was equivalent to the Crown Prince's Palace standing together with the Cui Clan.
Anyone who dared to touch these two would have to weigh the consequences of offending both sides simultaneously.
"Alright, our Zilu is the fiercest."
Shangguan Yunying nodded with a smile. "I still have orders from His Highness to attend to, so I will head back now. I'll see you later, Zilu."
"Goodbye, Sister Yunying!" Cui Zilu waved vigorously, a brilliant smile on her face.
Even after Shangguan Yunying's figure disappeared from sight, she remained standing in the same spot, motionless for a long time.
Outside the palace gates, an occasional breeze drifted by, gently stirring the loose strands of hair across Cui Zilu's forehead.
The light in her eyes dimmed bit by bit, ultimately fading into a profound darkness that belied her young age.
She lowered her gaze slightly. Her thick eyelashes cast a faint shadow over her cheeks, veiling all the true emotions hidden in the depths of her eyes.
"I knew it. Brother Chengyin is so incredible, I couldn't possibly be the only one who likes him."
Cui Zilu lifted her eyes to gaze at the towering walls of the Crown Prince's Palace, as if her sight could pierce through the stone and brick to see the aloof, breathtakingly beautiful figure within.
"But, Sister Yunying..."
Her voice dropped to a mere whisper, laced with an unnervingly resolute possessiveness:
"You will definitely step aside for Zilu, won't you?"
Cui Zilu thought back to the past. No matter how exquisite a pearl hairpin was, or how amusing a toy seemed.
As long as she showed a particular fondness for it, Shangguan Yunying would always smile gently and yield it to her in the end.
"Just like..."
"Before."
e, Immortal Body, Transmigration, System, Progression Fantasy, Academy Setting, Third-Person Perspective. Alternate Title: Transmigrating into a High Martial World and Reading Live Comments. Bad news: I transmigrated. This is a terrifying high-martial world, and my original, pathetically weak body fell into a coma and never woke up. Good news: I got a Popularity Points system upon arrival. I can see live comments and even create an unkillable alternate identity. Starting out, the alternate identity has all stats at 1. The system tells me that to grow stronger, I must participate in the plot, gain popularity points to allocate stats and grow stronger, and ultimately awaken my original body. And so, carrying my original body on my back, I officially entered Huaqing Academy, where the story's protagonist resides. From that moment on, Chen Guan kicked the original plot to pieces. Live Comments: [Doesn't anyone find this mysterious coffin guy creepy? He can summon indescribable grey misty hands.] [Is this guy a hero or a villain? What kind of onion became a spirit?] [By the way, does anyone know who's in the coffin? Shouldn't the debt for saving his life be repaid by now?] [According to unofficial histories, the person in the coffin was Chen Guan's first love. Their love was once passionate and earth-shattering, but they were separated by life and death due to worldly circumstances. What a star-crossed pair.] ... Years later, the world knew of a demon god born from a coffin, shrouded in grey mist, impossible to gaze upon directly. His foremost divine emissary often wielded a scythe, reaping lives like the god of death. As war approached, facing former friends and a boundless sea of enemies, Chen Guan merely raised his scythe. "Would you like to dance as well?"
't think I'm that capable, I'm just trying my best to stay alive. I've been kind all my life, never did anything bad, yet worldly suffering spared me not one bit. The human world is a nice place, but I won't come back in my next life. A kind young man, who wanted to just get by singing, but through repeated deceits and betrayals, has gone down an irredeemable path.
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
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!
