So Luo Zhao chose to remain silent.
Lin Qingyan watched Luo Zhao's evasive gaze and let out another cold snort.
She knew it.
She knew Luo Zhao had always had her eyes on Gu Chengyin, had never once let go.
Even though Gu Chengyin's status was now her uncle by marriage, even though Gu Chengyin already had her, Lin Qingyan.
Luo Zhao still hadn't given up. She didn't care about any of that.
Those words that spilled out impulsively, those emotions laid bare without restraint, those true thoughts hidden beneath that cold, proud mask.
Just now, all of it had been exposed without reservation.
Because Luo Zhao was desperate.
The Imperial Consort selection had originally been a perfect opportunity.
The Emperor Luo had personally made a move, personally made her play. Luo Zhao finally had backing to go after Gu Chengyin.
As long as Gu Chengyin became the Imperial Consort, it would be legitimate, it would be aboveboard, no more sneaking around.
Of course Luo Zhao wanted this chance. Of course she wanted Gu Chengyin to become her Imperial Consort.
Not because of some court balance, not because of some political marriage.
But because she wanted Gu Chengyin.
Whether from the angle of hatred, or from the angle of love.
She wanted Gu Chengyin.
This, Lin Qingyan saw with absolute clarity.
But Gu Chengyin had turned the Imperial Consort selection right around and dissolved it, bring Luo Zhao's carefully laid plans crashing down.
But did that mean Luo Zhao had given up?
No.
Luo Zhao was never someone who gave up.
She would continue to endure, continue to wait, continue to look for the next opportunity.
And when that next opportunity appeared, she would pounce on it without hesitation and clutch it tightly in her hands.
As for why Lin Qingyan wanted to teach Luo Zhao a lesson?
It wasn't because Luo Zhao had designs on him, but because her attitude was unacceptable.
Perhaps it was also because she had given up on herself and let herself go completely.
But Lin Qingyan wouldn't accept that.
She wouldn't accept Luo Zhao's attitude toward Gu Chengyin.
So she was angry.
"Zhao'er."
Lin Qingyan spoke, her voice still carrying that gentle tone that made Luo Zhao's skin crawl.
Luo Zhao's shoulders trembled. She didn't look up.
"Actually, the Imperial Consort can still be summoned."
Hearing this, Luo Zhao's head snapped up.
Her phoenix eyes were filled with shock and disbelief. Her pupils dilated, her lips parted, her entire body frozen in place.
She didn't understand what Lin Qingyan meant.
Hadn't the Imperial Consort selection already been dissolved?
Hadn't Gu Chengyin already become ineligible?
Once the news of Shangguan Yunying resigning as Chief Palace Lady spread, wouldn't the imperial edict become impossible to issue?
Wasn't this already set in stone?
How could it still be summoned?
Luo Zhao's mind raced, chewing over Lin Qingyan's words again and again.
The Imperial Consort can still be summoned...
Can still be summoned...
Still be summoned...
No.
Suddenly, Luo Zhao thought of something.
Just because Gu Chengyin couldn't be the Imperial Consort didn't mean no one else could!
Who said the Imperial Consort had to be Gu Chengyin?
When the Emperor Luo summoned an Imperial Consort, it didn't have to be Gu Chengyin. It could be anyone who met the criteria.
Someone could be chosen from the aristocratic families, from talented scholars of humble origins, from the nephews of powerful ministers...
Could it be that her aunt was planning to personally push this forward?!
This wasn't impossible!
Luo Zhao's pupils contracted sharply.
She looked at the gentle yet dangerous smile on Lin Qingyan's face, looked at the surging light swirling in those cold, clear eyes, and felt a chill run down her spine.
Seeing the panic in Luo Zhao's eyes, Lin Qingyan knew she had figured it out.
She curved her lips slightly, a smile as gentle as the spring breeze of March.
But in Luo Zhao's eyes, it was colder than the frost of deep winter.
"Zhao'er, you don't want someone else to take this Imperial Consort position, do you?"
Every word of this sentence was like a knife, striking precisely into Luo Zhao's heart.
Luo Zhao's fingers began to tremble uncontrollably.
Of course she didn't want that.
She absolutely didn't want someone else to become the Imperial Consort!
What she wanted was Gu Chengyin. It had always only been Gu Chengyin.
Other men, she wouldn't even spare a single glance.
Those aristocratic sons, those scholars of humble origins, those nephews of powerful ministers.
Were they worthy of her?
Were they fit to stand by her side?
No.
Not a single one.
But if Gu Chengyin couldn't become the Imperial Consort, and someone had to fill the role...
Luo Zhao didn't dare think further.
Her face turned pale. The panic in her phoenix eyes grew thicker. Her fingers trembled more violently.
She wanted to say something, but it was as if something was lodged in her throat. Not a single word came out.
Just then, Lin Qingyan suddenly raised her hand, her slender fingers landing on her own collar.
Then she pulled the collar open slightly.
More "strawberries" were revealed, falling into Luo Zhao's line of sight.
Then Lin Qingyan spoke, her voice soft and honeyed.
Like a zither melody echoing in the dead of night—lingering, suffused with longing, causing the heartstrings to quiver.
"Then you be a good girl and behave."
"Only then will Chengcheng reward you~"
"Just like your aunt~"
Luo Zhao's breathing completely fell into chaos.
She stared at the "strawberries" on Lin Qingyan's neck, her mind going completely blank.
Reward?
Just like her aunt?
These "strawberries" were a reward?
If there were this many on her neck alone, then what about other places?
Luo Zhao's ears instantly flushed crimson. The red spread from her ears to her cheeks, from her cheeks to her neck.
Her entire face was like a boiled shrimp, so red it seemed ready to drip blood.
Her heart pounded like a war drum, thumping furiously against her chest, almost leaping out of her throat.
Luo Zhao didn't dare look at Lin Qingyan's neck anymore.
She lowered her head, biting her lower lip, her fingers twisted tightly together within her sleeves.
Lin Qingyan watched Luo Zhao in this state and nodded with satisfaction inwardly.
Zhao'er, Zhao'er, you're still too naive after all.
Just a little scare and you're already crumbling.
She withdrew her hand, taking a step back. Her moon-white dress swayed gently.
The expression on her face returned to that cold, aloof demeanor.
"So, what is Gu Chengyin to you?"
Luo Zhao bit her lower lip, silent for a moment.
Then she spoke, her voice small and soft.
Carrying a hint of unwillingness, a hint of humiliation, and a hint of resigned acceptance:
"Royal Tutor..."
Lin Qingyan raised an eyebrow.
"Hm?"
The tone rose at the end, carrying displeasure and undisguised threat.
As if to say: Are you sure that's the answer?
Luo Zhao's lashes trembled. Her bitten lower lip was nearly broken.
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, as if she had made some kind of resolution.
Then she spoke again, her voice even smaller and softer than before.
Carrying a meek obedience that even she couldn't believe:
"...Uncle."
The corners of Lin Qingyan's lips finally curled up in satisfaction.
What she wanted wasn't just the answer, but the attitude.
As long as the attitude was correct, she couldn't be bothered to care what Luo Zhao did next.
] [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!"
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?!
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...
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!
