Several candles had been replaced in the hall, and the flame was a little brighter than before.
Luo Zhao sat on the edge of the bed, flanked by Shangguan Yunying on her right and Gu Xiaoli on her left.
Gu Xiaoli sat on her left, Shangguan Yunying on her right.
Neither of them spoke, but their posture made it clear they were guarding Luo Zhao.
When Lin Qingyan and Gu Chengyin returned, the three women's gazes swept over them in unison.
Luo Zhao's complexion had already improved significantly.
The emotions from earlier had completely faded, and the bloodstains on her face had been wiped clean by Shangguan Yunying.
Her dress had been rearranged, and she looked much calmer overall.
Though her eyes were still a little red, her expression had regained its usual composure.
During the time Gu Chengyin and Lin Qingyan had stepped out, Shangguan Yunying had already relayed the outcome of their discussion to Luo Zhao.
Since Gu Chengyin had lifted the hypnosis, there was no need to re-hypnotize her.
This was the consensus among the three of them—Lin Qingyan, Shangguan Yunying, and Gu Xiaoli—a unanimous decision.
In exchange, Luo Zhao could no longer target Gu Chengyin.
No covert maneuvers. No imperial decrees or oral commands. No stabbing him in the back.
Luo Zhao wasn't surprised by this.
From the very first words Shangguan Yunying spoke, she had known this would be the outcome.
What else could those three women have decided?
Having her back was already more than she could ask for. Did she really expect them to help her go against Gu Chengyin?
So Luo Zhao didn't object. She simply nodded and said, "Fine."
But in her heart, she was thinking of something else.
It was a question that had surfaced after she had calmed down.
Why had Gu Chengyin lifted the hypnosis on her in front of those three women?
This didn't align with her understanding of him.
In Luo Zhao's view, Gu Chengyin was the kind of man who never did anything meaningless.
He never cared about people who didn't matter.
Every move he made, every word he spoke, every chess piece he played had a purpose.
Lifting the hypnosis in front of Lin Qingyan, Shangguan Yunying, and Gu Xiaoli.
That itself was an act, one that shouldn't have come from him.
Gu Chengyin could have done it in private. He could have made sure no one knew.
But he deliberately did it in front of them, deliberately made sure everyone saw.
Why?
Where did Gu Chengyin get the confidence to be so certain the three women would side with him?
Just because he was clever? Handsome? Charismatic? Good with words? Knew how to charm?
Luo Zhao couldn't figure it out until she saw.
Saw Lin Qingyan and Gu Chengyin return together.
Saw Lin Qingyan's slightly reddened lips. Saw the lingering hint of spring in her eyes.
Then Luo Zhao suddenly understood.
She understood why Gu Chengyin had done what he did.
Luo Zhao's gaze lingered on Lin Qingyan's face for a moment before shifting to Gu Chengyin.
She spoke softly, with unwavering certainty: "Even if they hadn't reached a conclusion, you wouldn't have hypnotized me again, would you?"
Luo Zhao's voice was as calm as if she were talking about something unrelated to herself.
Hearing this, the other three were stunned.
Shangguan Yunying turned her head, staring at Luo Zhao in surprise.
Gu Xiaoli blinked her big, dark eyes, her face full of confusion.
Lin Qingyan frowned slightly, baffled as to why Luo Zhao would suddenly say such a thing.
Only Gu Chengyin remained unperturbed.
He looked at Luo Zhao, his gaze as calm as still water, betraying no emotion.
"Oh? And why would Your Highness think that?"
Luo Zhao gazed steadily at Gu Chengyin, still confident. "Because you don't care about me."
"So you wouldn't waste something so important on me."
As she spoke, she glanced at Lin Qingyan before continuing. "Actually, I never quite understood."
"Why you suddenly lifted the hypnosis on me, and why you did it in front of them."
"Logic says that's not like you."
"You never do anything without purpose, and you never do anything that works against you in front of others."
"But you did exactly that."
Luo Zhao paused, her gaze shifting from Lin Qingyan back to Gu Chengyin's face.
"But now I understand. The reason you did this..."
"Is so that you could use both hypnosis attempts on Aunt."
"You want to completely control Aunt."
The moment she finished, the room fell into dead silence.
Everyone's expression changed.
Shangguan Yunying whirled her head toward Gu Chengyin, disbelief written all over her face.
She had considered many possibilities—that Gu Chengyin might re-hypnotize Luo Zhao to force a confrontation, to use this opportunity to seize control of the Crown Prince's faction once and for all. But she had never imagined this.
He lifted the hypnosis on Luo Zhao not to spare her, but to use both hypnosis slots on Lin Qingyan?
Gu Xiaoli's big, dark eyes were wide with astonishment.
She looked at Gu Chengyin, then at Lin Qingyan, her small mouth parting as if to say something but stopping herself.
As for Lin Qingyan.
Her face changed.
That face, which had been flushed with color just moments before, was now slowly paling.
She looked at Gu Chengyin, her eyes filled with disbelief and a touch of hurt.
Lifting the hypnosis on Luo Zhao in front of everyone...- Was it all so he could completely control her?
"Chengcheng... you..."
Lin Qingyan's voice trembled slightly, as if she wanted to confirm something, or as if she were seeking proof.
Under Luo Zhao's reminder, she finally snapped back to her senses.
She remembered the scene in the corridor earlier, when Gu Chengyin had pinned her against the wall.
They had kissed for a long time, and had stared into each other's eyes for a long time.
At the time, she thought it was a gaze of deep affection, that it was his tenderness.
But now she wondered.
Had it really just been a gaze?
Could Gu Chengyin have been trying to hypnotize her?
Lin Qingyan's heart tightened painfully.
She looked at Gu Chengyin's ever-composed face and suddenly felt a sense of estrangement.
Could it be that Gu Chengyin still wanted to control her again?
Could it be that Gu Chengyin still wanted to have complete power over her?
Even after she had realized her mistakes?
Even after she...
Loved him so much.
Lin Qingyan's eyes began to redden, but she didn't let the tears fall.
She simply looked at Gu Chengyin, waiting for his answer.
Gu Chengyin stood in the moonlight, taking in the reactions of all four women.
Luo Zhao's calmness, Shangguan Yunying's shock, Gu Xiaoli's confusion, Lin Qingyan's hurt.
But his gaze finally settled on Luo Zhao.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he stared straight at her, his look carrying scrutiny, danger, and a hint of appreciation.
This Crown Prince's threat level to him had just been upgraded—from a piece of pond scum to a stray dog on the street.
Gu Chengyin didn't look away, and Luo Zhao didn't flinch either.
She met his gaze without fear.
Her back was straight, her chin slightly raised, like a chess player who had finally seen through the game.
No matter how dire the situation, she would place her final piece exactly where it needed to be.
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.
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)
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!
] [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!"
