“So, you want to teach them a lesson?”
Gu Chengyin had already given Lin Qingyan a general account of the farce that had just unfolded.
His description had been concise. He hadn’t embellished anything or glossed over any details. He had simply recounted everything plainly from beginning to end.
What Shangguan Yunying had said, what Luo Zhao had said, what he himself had done—
And that final scene, so absurd that it was impossible to know how to evaluate it.
After listening, Lin Qingyan didn’t speak at once.
First, she turned to glance at the bed, where Luo Zhao and Shangguan Yunying were huddled beneath the covers, pretending they didn’t exist.
Then Lin Qingyan looked back and asked the question she had just posed.
Gu Chengyin nodded.
Upon receiving confirmation, Lin Qingyan couldn’t help letting out a soft laugh.
“I thought you’d finally seen the light and were ready to really go all out.”
Her tone was openly teasing.
Gu Chengyin raised an eyebrow.
The old him would probably have brushed off such a remark.
Or he might have changed the subject and said something else. In any case, he would never have responded to it directly.
But that had been then, and this was now.
His relationship with Lin Qingyan was no longer in that ambiguous state it had once occupied.
There was no longer any need to confirm it or test the waters.
It simply existed as naturally as the sun rising in the east and setting in the west.
So, in the context of their current relationship, what difference was there between Lin Qingyan’s teasing and flirting?
None at all.
Gu Chengyin reached out and wrapped an arm around Lin Qingyan’s waist without the slightest hesitation.
The instant his arm tightened, her body was pulled sharply against him.
Her entire body stiffened.
Not because she was afraid, but because they were simply too close.
Gu Chengyin tilted his head slightly and pressed his lips to the shell of Lin Qingyan’s ear.
His breath was warm and even, brushing against her again and again like a spring breeze skimming across a lake and sending ripples spreading outward.
Those ripples began at Lin Qingyan’s ear and radiated in every direction.
They passed over her cheeks, down her neck and shoulders, then continued lower, spreading through every limb and bone until her skin prickled with fine shivers.
“Little Aunt makes a good point. Since it’s getting late anyway, why don’t we go all out?”
Lin Qingyan’s eyes widened.
She had never expected Gu Chengyin to be so forward.
That shameless man had never taken the initiative when it came to romance. He had always been the passive one.
She had always been the one who had to tease and provoke him for ages before receiving even the slightest response.
This was too unreal.
But Gu Chengyin’s body heat was real.
His arm was real.
The warm breath from his lips against her ear was real.
The sudden intimacy left Lin Qingyan’s body feeling weak.
It was as though someone had pulled the bones from her body, leaving her soft and limp as she leaned into Gu Chengyin’s embrace.
She no longer even had the strength to support herself.
Lin Qingyan still raised a hand and tried to push Gu Chengyin away.
As for the force she used—how should one put it?
It was about as effective as a kitten pawing at someone.
She didn’t truly want to push him away. She was merely putting on an act.
Then Lin Qingyan secretly glanced toward the bed.
“Zhao’er is still here.”
The implication was obvious: it wasn’t that she refused—it was just embarrassing.
As long as Luo Zhao wasn’t around, they could go all out.
But Gu Chengyin showed no intention of letting Lin Qingyan off. Instead, he pressed his advantage.
“Then how about letting Her Highness push from behind?”
Lin Qingyan lifted her eyes and shot Gu Chengyin a coquettish, annoyed glare.
The meaning was perfectly clear: In your dreams.
At the same time, her hand accurately found its way to Gu Chengyin’s waist.
With just the right amount of pressure, she pinched a small fold of soft flesh.
But she quickly let go without actually digging in.
Not because she couldn’t bear to.
All right, fine. It was precisely because she couldn’t bear to.
“Chengcheng, didn’t you say before that you only respected Zhao’er? Then why does she call you Master?”
The jealousy in Lin Qingyan’s voice practically overflowed.
From the moment she had learned of it, this matter had been like a thorn lodged in her heart. It didn’t hurt, exactly, but it was impossible to ignore.
Luo Zhao could call Gu Chengyin anything she wanted—but why did it have to be Master?
Lin Qingyan had imagined countless possibilities, countless explanations, and countless ways of handling the situation.
Yet none of them held up. Every one of them left her feeling that something was wrong.
The only thing she could be certain of was that Luo Zhao had not been hypnotized.
That was also what troubled Lin Qingyan most.
If Luo Zhao had been hypnotized, the matter would have been simple.
The hypnosis could be undone, and everything would return to normal.
But Luo Zhao had not been hypnotized.
She was conscious. She was willing. She sincerely called Gu Chengyin Master.
What did that mean?
It meant that the title wasn’t the result of a moment’s confusion, nor was she being controlled by anyone.
It was an acknowledgment that came from the depths of her heart.
And precisely because she hadn’t been hypnotized, the whole thing was even more outrageous.
The Crown Prince, the future empress, calling her own Royal Tutor Master—
And doing so without any coercion whatsoever.
For a time, Lin Qingyan hadn’t even known whether she should ask Gu Chengyin about it.
But in the end, she had asked anyway.
Because Lin Qingyan was not the sort of person who would torment herself in silence.
Whether she was displeased or jealous, whether there was a question or a misunderstanding, she was accustomed to speaking directly, asking directly, and putting everything out in the open to resolve it.
She never hid things, never gave him the silent treatment, and never made Gu Chengyin guess what was on her mind.
Much less did she keep a secret ledger in her heart, waiting for some future day to dredge up old grievances.
She only knew that whatever was in her heart had to be spoken aloud.
Once she said it, Gu Chengyin would know.
And as long as Gu Chengyin knew, he would certainly give her the best possible answer.
No matter what the matter was or what they were facing, Gu Chengyin could resolve it.
That was Lin Qingyan’s trust in Gu Chengyin—and what she liked most about him.
In front of this man, even if the heavens collapsed, it didn’t matter.
Because he would catch them.
So, just as expected, Lin Qingyan saw not the slightest trace of guilt on Gu Chengyin’s face.
That face remained as calm and composed as ever, and his eyes were still clear and open.
It was as though Luo Zhao calling him Master had in no way violated any moral or ethical principles.
Gu Chengyin first turned to glance at Luo Zhao and Shangguan Yunying on the bed.
Then he withdrew his gaze and looked at Lin Qingyan.
He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he gestured toward the stairs.
Lin Qingyan was slightly startled.
Did he want to go downstairs to talk? Was he afraid Luo Zhao would hear them?
Could there be some hidden circumstances behind all this?
But since the matter concerned Luo Zhao, Lin Qingyan didn’t dare take it lightly.
She turned and walked away at once, with Gu Chengyin following behind her. The two of them proceeded toward the staircase, one after the other.
Once they reached the second floor, Lin Qingyan turned back to face Gu Chengyin.
The coquettish, jealous expression she had worn moments ago was gone.
In its place was an expression of utmost seriousness, tinged with a hint of tension.
“I’ve separated the two floors.”
Lin Qingyan’s voice had returned to its usual cool composure. “Zhao’er can’t hear us.”
Gu Chengyin nodded. Looking into Lin Qingyan’s eyes, he began:
“Little Aunt, I think…”
“Her Highness has a heart demon just like yours.”
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.
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.
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!
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
