Shangguan Yunying stood by the bed, her head bowed and her eyelashes slightly lowered.
Moonlight flowed past her side, outlining her silhouette into a slender yet perfectly straight contour.
She appeared entirely indifferent to what was about to happen, seemingly handing Her Highness over on a silver platter.
But in reality, all of her attention was focused entirely on Luo Zhao.
She was waiting.
Waiting with great anticipation.
Waiting to see exactly what Her Highness would do.
Would she jump out and expose everything, tearing apart this hypocritical illusion of hypnosis, and then furiously condemn her betrayal?
Or would she continue to endure it, allowing Gu Chengyin to have his way with her, and personally bear the brunt of this test?
If it were the latter...
The corners of Shangguan Yunying's lips curved up in an almost imperceptible smile.
Then, as the Head Court Lady, it wouldn't be appropriate for her to step forward and stop him.
After all, Her Highness was completely conscious, willing, and tacitly permitting Gu Chengyin's actions.
And the reason the situation had developed to this point was entirely because she had made some slight adjustments to the overall plan.
Shangguan Yunying did not want things to continue like this; she no longer wanted to be caught in the middle in a constant dilemma.
She did not want to watch Luo Zhao and Gu Chengyin scheme against each other, test each other, and hurt each other anymore.
Even less did she want to face a day in the future where she had to choose between killing Gu Chengyin or betraying Luo Zhao.
So, she adjusted the plan.
She changed the target of this bullying from herself to Luo Zhao.
It was crazy.
But it didn't matter.
As long as Luo Zhao was unwilling, she could put an end to all of this at any moment.
She could instantly switch out from behind her consciousness puppet and slap Gu Chengyin across the face.
She could harshly reprimand his offense and severely punish her, the traitor.
But compared to the dilemma she might face in the future, Shangguan Yunying felt that...
A severe punishment would be much easier to bear.
At least she wouldn't have to kill Gu Chengyin with her own hands, nor would she have to betray Luo Zhao.
Furthermore, Shangguan Yunying was certain, based on her understanding of Luo Zhao.
Luo Zhao definitely had feelings for Gu Chengyin.
This point was made abundantly clear just from the extent of her endurance.
It was just that her affection was masked by endless hatred, so much so that even Luo Zhao herself might not have realized it.
If it were anyone else who dared to scheme against her like this, dared to control her like this, dared to offend her time and time again.
They would have been sliced into a thousand pieces long ago, and the kind where each slice cost a hundred taels of gold.
But what about Gu Chengyin?
Not only did Luo Zhao not kill him, but she also cooperated with him, protected him, and even allowed his transgressions.
This could no longer be explained as simple exploitation.
Clearly, as long as they revealed their true feelings to each other, everyone could be happy, or at least it would reduce a lot of pointless testing and hurting.
Yet these two, one more capable of enduring than the other, one a better actor than the other.
They simply had to let things evolve into this current situation.
Then, as Luo Zhao's Head Court Lady and the person closest to Gu Chengyin.
She naturally couldn't just sit by and watch, so she took action.
The final outcome would be nothing more than one of two possibilities.
First, Luo Zhao endures it, and after tonight, everything goes back to normal.
Second, which was also the outcome Shangguan Yunying anticipated the most.
Luo Zhao drops the act, Gu Chengyin goes on the run, and then she personally leads people to hunt him down.
But in reality, there would only be a hunt, not a kill.
Because what Shangguan Yunying truly wanted was to lock Gu Chengyin away in a place where no one could find him.
Then, he would belong only to her forever.
Gu Chengyin had already walked to the edge of the bed.
He stopped three feet away from the bedstead, his gaze first falling on Luo Zhao.
The Crown Princess still sat on the bed, the brocade quilt having slipped down to her waist, her thin nightgown outlining her slender curves.
Her expression was hollow, her eyes blank; everything perfectly portrayed the state of someone who had been hypnotized.
It was too perfect.
He looked at Luo Zhao for a moment, and then turned his head to look at Shangguan Yunying standing by the bed.
Her eyelashes were still lowered, as if giving tacit approval, or as if she didn't care at all.
Gu Chengyin still felt this situation was incredibly bizarre.
The dignified Crown Princess waiting in bed, the Head Court Lady watching from the side, and him standing in the middle...
What was this?
But Gu Chengyin quickly let it go.
After all, he had come tonight intending to do some beastly things.
To force Luo Zhao to expose a flaw using the most excessive methods.
Now that Shangguan Yunying had actively stepped aside and given him this opportunity.
If he did nothing, wouldn't that make him worse than a beast?
Therefore, Gu Chengyin felt that as a person, it was better to be a bit beastly.
At least it would give him peace of mind.
However, Shangguan Yunying had still made a request: he could not cross the final bottom line.
This was something Gu Chengyin could accept.
This kind of thing wasn't limited to just one aspect anyway.
If he couldn't go below, there was still above.
Gu Chengyin reached out his hand and gently lifted Luo Zhao's chin.
This movement was done very slowly, the force of his fingertips extremely light, as if touching a fragile piece of porcelain.
Moonlight shone in from the window, illuminating Luo Zhao's breathtakingly beautiful face clearly.
Eyelashes, eyebrows, the bridge of her nose, her lips...
Every single detail was thrillingly beautiful.
Gu Chengyin's gaze ultimately settled on her lips.
The delicate, bright red lips shimmered with a moist luster under the moonlight.
The shape of her lips was exquisite, the corners naturally curving upward, carrying an inherent noble arc even without any expression.
Meanwhile, Luo Zhao, who was currently hiding behind her consciousness puppet.
Found her mind completely blank.
Through the vision of the consciousness puppet, she clearly saw Gu Chengyin walk up to her.
Clearly saw his hand reach out, and clearly felt his fingertips touch her chin.
The temperature of those fingertips was like a bolt of electricity, instantly surging through her entire body.
She could even clearly see the look in Gu Chengyin's eyes.
In those deep eyes, there was no tenderness, no lust, nor any lewd gaze.
There was only a cold, scrutinizing, observant calmness.
He was observing her.
Using those sharp eyes to scrutinize her inch by inch.
As if analyzing an object, dissecting a prey, or verifying a hypothesis.
This was a rational gaze.
Luo Zhao breathed a slight sigh of relief.
At least, Gu Chengyin was still rational right now.
He probably wouldn't do anything too out of line, right?
But just as this thought arose...
His very next action instantly made Luo Zhao lose all her rationality.
Gu Chengyin.
He was actually undressing?
Luo Zhao watched helplessly as Gu Chengyin raised his other hand and rested it on his own collar.
His long, slender fingers hooked the edge of his collar, and then, unhurriedly, he began to undo the top frog button.
One.
Two.
His garments gradually opened with his movements, revealing the white inner robes beneath, and further in, his faintly visible collarbones and chest.
This action was done very slowly.
Slow enough for Luo Zhao to see every detail clearly.
Slow enough to make her heartbeat completely lose control in this instant.
This bastard...
What was he trying to do?!
Was he really going to violate her?!
Didn't Shangguan Yunying say he couldn't cross the final bottom line!
No.
Luo Zhao suddenly remembered Gu Chengyin's action just a moment ago.
He had lifted her chin and focused his gaze on her lips.
A terrifying thought slowly surfaced from the depths of her heart.
Could it be that Gu Chengyin wanted to...
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!
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.
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."
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
