Gu Chengyin reached out and gently undid the latch on the inside of the window.
He then slowly pulled the window inward, opening a small crack.
As soon as the crack opened, a petite figure squeezed right through it with a swift whoosh.
Gu Chengyin subconsciously took a half-step back. When he focused his eyes, he was completely stunned.
The intruder was petite, sporting a neat ponytail, and had somehow gotten several streaks of ash on her face.
Yet, the dirt could not hide her delicate and lively features, especially those large eyes filled with nervousness and excitement.
Cui Zilu.
Brother Chengyin!
The moment Cui Zilu's feet hit the ground, before she could even steady herself, she immediately looked around nervously, as if some terrifying beast was hiding in the room.
When she spotted Gu Chengyin standing in front of her, her eyes lit up even more. She lunged forward and reached out both hands.
She grabbed one of Gu Chengyin's arms tightly, keeping her voice incredibly low:
Hurry! Come with me! I'm here to rescue you!!
As she spoke, she pulled Gu Chengyin with all her might, trying to drag him toward the window.
Gu Chengyin didn't know whether to laugh or cry at this rapid succession of actions and words.
He quickly steadied his stance, applied a little force to his arm, and with a backhand motion, pulled back the struggling Cui Zilu who was trying to uproot him.
Ah!
Cui Zilu hadn't expected Gu Chengyin to resist. With a soft cry, she lost her footing and bumped headlong into his chest.
Zilu, calm down.
Gu Chengyin looked at the little face before him, covered in ash and sweat, practically screaming that she was on a top-secret rescue mission.
Do I look... like I'm in prison?
He pointed to the rocking chair behind him, the half-eaten fruits and pastries on the table, and the incense burner and bonsai in the corner.
Then he pointed at his own clean and tidy casual clothes, saying:
I was invited here to cooperate with an investigation. At most, it's a temporary stay, not being locked up in a dungeon.
Those at the door are guards, not jailers.
Asked this by Gu Chengyin, Cui Zilu's grip on his arm involuntarily loosened.
She looked around, then looked Gu Chengyin up and down. The sense of mission in her eyes was gradually replaced by confusion.
Huh?
Cui Zilu blinked her large eyes, somewhat dazed. You aren't in prison? But this is how it always plays out in the operas!
The handsome male lead is framed by villains, locked away in a gloomy dungeon, and subjected to endless torture.
Then the beautiful, brave, and wise female lead tries every possible means to sneak into the dungeon and rescue him!
From then on, the two fly far away, hide their identities, stay together forever, and live happily ever after...
Towards the end, her voice unconsciously dropped, realizing she had just blurted out all those romantic plots from the playbooks she held in her heart.
Gu Chengyin reached out and gently rubbed the top of Cui Zilu's head, smudging the ash marks on her face a bit more, and said in a gentle tone:
Silly girl, operas are operas. They are made up for people to watch.
I'm fine, you don't need to break me out of prison. I'll be out of here in no time.
He paused, then said seriously, However, this is the Ministry of Personnel's office after all, not a place for play.
You sneaking in like this—if you get caught, not only will you fail to save me, but you'll also be in big trouble yourself.
Be a good girl, quickly go back the way you came, sneak out quietly, and pretend you were never here.
Listening to Gu Chengyin's words, a thoughtful expression appeared on Cui Zilu's face, finally realizing the recklessness and risk of her rescue operation.
She lowered her head in embarrassment, muttering softly, So that's how it is... I thought...
Cui Zilu looked up, saw that Gu Chengyin was indeed safe and sound, and looked at this temporary residence again. Most of the worry in her heart finally faded.
She nodded and said, Alright then, as long as you're okay, Brother Chengyin. I'll go back now.
With that, Cui Zilu turned and walked toward the window she had just entered through, her movements still light and brisk.
However, when she reached the window, grabbed the sill with both hands, and peeked outside, her body suddenly stiffened.
She maintained an awkward posture with her upper body leaning out the window and her lower body still inside the room, not moving for several seconds.
Gu Chengyin was about to step forward when he saw Cui Zilu suddenly shrink back, slowly turning around to face him.
What's wrong? Gu Chengyin asked in puzzlement. Is someone out there?
Cui Zilu's cheeks turned red at a visible rate. She fidgeted a bit before stammering:
Um... Brother Chengyin... I... I...
She took a deep breath, finally mustered up her courage, and quietly confessed:
I'm afraid of heights.
Gu Chengyin: ...
For a moment, he was utterly speechless, not knowing how to respond.
Afraid of heights?!
Seeing Cui Zilu's agile and vigorous movements when she climbed through the window earlier, he thought she was hiding profound skills.
And it turns out she's afraid of heights?!
Then how did she climb up from the outside just now?!
Seeing the question in Gu Chengyin's eyes, Cui Zilu felt even more embarrassed and explained with her head down:
I... I climbed up the branches of that big locust tree in the corner. The branches were very close to the window, so I held my breath and jumped in.
At the time, I was only thinking about saving you, so I didn't have time to be scared... Now... now that I have to go back...
Cui Zilu secretly glanced at the height outside the window and the swaying shadows of the tree, her voice growing weak again:
I... I don't dare to jump down, and... and there are no branches for me to climb back onto...
Gu Chengyin facepalmed.
It was only because the security was lax, with just a symbolic guard placed at the door, that Cui Zilu managed to slip in successfully.
After all, everyone knew that Gu Chengyin couldn't possibly run away; otherwise, he'd just be handing leverage to the Department of Civil Service Affairs.
Right at this moment, a voice suddenly came from outside the door:
Lord Chief.
Lord Chief? Shangguan Yunying?
Gu Chengyin raised his eyebrows slightly, several thoughts flashing through his mind in an instant.
Shangguan Yunying's visit must have been ordered by Luo Zhao to check on him and pass on a message.
However, compared to Gu Chengyin's calmness, Cui Zilu's reaction was completely different.
Her eyes widened sharply, and her little face instantly turned pale. She let out a low, panicked cry:
It's Sister Yunying!! Her voice was filled with undisguised terror and panic. She can't find out I'm here!
Cui Zilu was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. She spun around in circles, frantically scanning the room, desperately searching for a place to hide.
Just as she was fraught with anxiety, footsteps reached the door. The sound of Shangguan Yunying conversing with the guards could be clearly heard, evidently confirming her identity and purpose.
Time was running out!
Cui Zilu finally locked her eyes on the bed and its brocade quilt.
Without the slightest hesitation, she lunged onto the bed.
She spread the brocade quilt and dove under it, covering herself tightly from head to toe.
Leaving only a tiny slit at the edge.
Gu Chengyin looked at the small, bulging lump on the bed and was speechless.
Why was Cui Zilu acting like a mouse that had just seen a cat?
Weren't you two supposed to be the best of friends?
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
lity and could only live as an ordinary mortal. He only wished to live a peaceful life. Yet he didn't know— The dog he adopted, because it ate his food, became a legendary demon king. The kitchen knife he casually forged became a peerless divine weapon, causing numerous experts to fight desperately for it. The young disciple he took in became an immortal lord that led an era, due to cultivating the techniques Ye Feng taught him. Even the skeletons he looked down on the most were ominous demon kings that suppressed countless worlds. Many years later, looking at the void shattered with a punch, Ye Feng murmured to himself: It turns out the peerless kings were myself all along...
] [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!"
