She only wanted Shangguan Yunying to call her "Sister," to make clear who held the position of the rightful wife.
After that, she would treat Shangguan Yunying as one of her own.
This was not oppression; this was acceptance.
A satisfied smile spread across Lin Qingyan's face.
That smile was even more radiant than before, the curve at the corners of her eyes softer as well.
She reached out and once again wrapped her arm around Shangguan Yunying's waist.
This time, the gesture was far gentler than before—not a confining, oppressive hold.
Instead, it was intimate, like the way sisters lean into each other.
Lin Qingyan's arm slid around Shangguan Yunying's back once more, her palm settling on her side.
She drew her in lightly, pulling her closer.
Her other hand rose, fingertips hooking beneath Shangguan Yunying's chin.
Lin Qingyan's gaze swept over Shangguan Yunying's face—from brows to eyes, from nose to lips, from lips to jaw.
Then she said with a smile, "Don't worry, Sister Yunying, I still like you very much."
"After all, you're far less trouble than Zhao'er."
There was genuine relief in Lin Qingyan's tone as she spoke.
Luo Zhao might be firmly under Gu Chengyin's thumb now, but her temper and her airs were still there.
So Lin Qingyan always had to put in extra effort where she was concerned.
But Shangguan Yunying was different. She was gentle and sensible, knowing when to step forward and when to step back, never causing trouble for anyone.
Even in matters of great importance, Lin Qingyan would admit that she herself was no match for Shangguan Yunying.
Having someone like her by Gu Chengyin's side was the most reassuring thing.
Besides...
She genuinely did like Shangguan Yunying, after all.
If it weren't for Gu Chengyin, Lin Qingyan would never have discovered just how interesting this former chief female attendant truly was.
Lin Qingyan's fingertips began to move downward, tracing from Shangguan Yunying's chin along the line of her jaw.
Sliding down her slender neck, past her delicate collarbones, finally coming to rest on her collar.
The collar was pale green, perfectly complementing Shangguan Yunying's gentle temperament.
A few tiny pearl buttons were sewn at the neckline, holding the lapels neatly together.
Lin Qingyan's fingers pinched the first pearl button.
With a casual twist.
The button turned half a circle under her fingertip and slipped free from its loop.
The collar loosened, revealing a small patch of fair, jade-like skin beneath.
That skin gleamed with a soft luster in the gentle light, like the finest mutton-fat white jade, so fine that pores were almost invisible.
Shangguan Yunying blinked. Her gaze fell on Lin Qingyan's hand holding the pearl button, then shifted to her own collar.
She looked at the gap that had been opened, at the small expanse of skin revealed within.
Her lashes fluttered up and down several times, her mind filled with countless tiny voices all speaking at once, a clamor that drowned out all coherent thought.
A sense of foreboding rose in her heart, like a drop of ink falling into still water.
It spread rapidly, tinging her entire heart with a faint unease.
Shangguan Yunying instinctively raised her hand and grabbed Lin Qingyan's fingers where they still rested on her collar.
Her fingers pressed over the back of Lin Qingyan's hand, her palm faintly damp, her fingertips trembling with tension.
Then, hesitantly, she asked, "Ji... Sister Qingyan, what are you doing?"
Shangguan Yunying had almost called her "Lord Jingzhe" again, catching herself only at the last moment.
Her gaze searched Lin Qingyan's face, trying to read something from her expression.
Could it be that this Fairy Jingzhe was actually into women too?
But Lin Qingyan's face showed only amusement—a smile with both playfulness and sincerity.
"What am I doing?"
Lin Qingyan repeated, a hint of teasing in her tone.
Her hand had been caught by Shangguan Yunying, but she didn't pull it away. She let it rest there, held.
Her eyes met Shangguan Yunying's, the playfulness in them growing deeper.
Then Lin Qingyan leaned in slightly, bringing her lips close to Shangguan Yunying's ear.
Her breath brushed against Shangguan Yunying's ear, warm and soft, like a spring breeze sweeping past.
Her voice was low, so low that only the two of them could hear.
Each word seemed to float out softly from the depths of her throat, carrying a seductive, mesmerizing power.
"Of course, I'm teaching you how to take over. Otherwise, what if you get caught?"
Lin Qingyan paused, letting those words ferment in Shangguan Yunying's mind.
Then she continued, "Sister Yunying, you wouldn't want Chengcheng to reject you, would you?"
At those words, Shangguan Yunying froze.
Her hand still rested over Lin Qingyan's, but she no longer made any move to stop her.
Her gaze grew distant, drifting away from Lin Qingyan's face to fix on some invisible point in the air.
As if she were looking at a scene only she could see.
Would Gu Chengyin reject her?
In theory, no.
Shangguan Yunying knew Gu Chengyin well. On the surface, he seemed cold and hard, but in truth, he was soft-hearted.
As long as she made the first move, as long as she was willing, as long as she lowered her posture enough—
Gu Chengyin wouldn't turn her away.
But that was the theory.
In reality?
In reality, Gu Chengyin hadn't claimed her.
Not from the very first day that man appeared.
Not from the day Shangguan Yunying began to harbor those improper feelings for him.
How long had she waited for him?
How many times had she hinted at him?
How much had she done for him?
And what was the result?
The result was that Gu Chengyin always kept that distance—not too far, not too near.
Neither pushing her away nor drawing her close, leaving her suspended in between, unable to rise or fall.
So much so that Shangguan Yunying had considered resorting to underhanded methods.
She had thought about it, she truly had.
Since Lin Qingyan could have him, why couldn't she?
Those thoughts had flashed through her mind on countless sleepless nights.
Slipping him a potion, taking advantage of his drunkenness, manufacturing a situation where he'd have no choice but to take responsibility...
These were tricks Shangguan Yunying knew well, and she'd even had someone teach her directly.
Because Jiang Jianli had done exactly that to Shangguan Yuan.
And the proof was that the forcibly plucked melon had indeed turned out sweet.
Now, Lin Qingyan was offering her a different option.
Not some underhanded scheme, but taking over.
So Shangguan Yunying wasn't scheming against Gu Chengyin—she was simply helping Lin Qingyan out.
She wasn't setting a trap for Gu Chengyin—she was just practicing how not to be discovered.
None of the initiative was hers, none of the scheming was hers.
She was simply a well-behaved, obedient sister following her older sister's arrangements.
This proposal—there was no denying it—struck exactly the chord Shangguan Yunying had been longing to hear.
Her psychological defenses cracked in that moment.
The crack was thin and small, but it was enough to let a thought she had never seriously entertained slip through.
As long as she had him—even if mistaken for Lin Qingyan—that was still having him.
The method didn't matter; the result was what counted.
Once the rice was cooked, what happened afterward...
Well, that would no longer be up to Gu Chengyin.
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
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!
