"I didn't mean it that way..."
"So, you're saying I can stay here?"
Xie Yuyan seized the opportunity to speak up as soon as Ye Feng expressed his stance. It was clear from her eager tone that she really wanted to stay in Ye Feng's place.
"Well..."
Although Ye Feng wanted Xie Yuyan to find a safer place, considering how close this location was to where he had rescued her, he had to think about the tasks that lay ahead for Xie Yuyan. What if another emergency like that rescue mission occurred and he couldn't be there in time? That would be disastrous.
"I don't mind you staying here, but don't you care about the quality of life here? Besides, I'm a man, don't you think some awkward situations might arise?"
"Oh?"
Xie Yuyan raised an eyebrow and smiled mischievously.
"Like what?"
"Like... well, situations where we might end up being too close for comfort. Don't you feel uncomfortable about that?"
Xie Yuyan was about to immediately say she didn't feel uncomfortable, but after thinking it over, she decided not to act rashly. She still didn't know how Ye Feng really felt about her.
"There's no other way, is there? Maybe... I could find a job after I recover from my injuries?"
"That won't work. You're probably already the top target for the authorities. There are definitely many eyes watching you. If you show even the slightest sign of weakness, all your previous efforts will be in vain."
"Then what should I do? I can't keep burdening you like this."
Xie Yuyan bowed her head in shame, appearing to apologize for the trouble she had caused Ye Feng, but deep down, she had other thoughts.
Ye Feng, since you say that our meeting was fate, does that mean we won't be separated? It's like we're characters in a scripted story, already connected by destiny.
"Don't worry, there will always be a way."
"Alright then... okay~"
"Alright, I'll go to the mall later and get you some proper clothes. It's not right for you to keep wearing mine."
"I actually find them quite comfortable."
"You may be comfortable, but when I need to wear them, they'll be all stretched out. Do you think I can still fit into them? They're getting... stretched because of you."
"( ̄▼ ̄)"
Xie Yuyan's lips curled into a mischievous smile, but she finally relented.
"Alright, fine. But consider this shirt a gift from you to me~"
"Sure, I have plenty of t-shirts anyway."
"Oh, Ye Feng, there's something I want to ask you."
"Later, I'll prepare breakfast first. Go wash up; I've already prepared all the necessities for you."
"Okay."
Xie Yuyan sat on the sofa, watching Ye Feng head to the kitchen. This, she thought, was the life she wanted. Maybe for her, this was her home.
......
"Miss, look at this data. Shouldn't we apply the previous formula? Miss?"
"Ah! I'm sorry, teacher, what did you just say?"
"Sigh."
The middle-aged woman wearing glasses shook her head helplessly at Li Mucheng's absent-minded state.
"Miss, your mind isn't here with me. I think it's getting late, so I'll come back another time."
"I'm sorry, teacher, I was spacing out."
Li Mucheng spoke sheepishly. She didn't know why, but every time she had a moment to herself, she would think about Ye Feng. Those beautiful memories felt like a looping movie, constantly replaying in her mind.
"Miss, you weren't just spacing out. Your attention was never on me. I admit you're very smart, but we still need to get through the lessons."
"I'm sorry, teacher."
"I'll take my leave now, Miss. I hope you won't be like this next time."
After the teacher left, Li Mucheng sighed in embarrassment. Ever since she returned from the hospital, her heart had been in turmoil, as if something was blocking her chest and she couldn't breathe.
Why is this happening? What is Ye Feng doing right now! No... I need to see him!
Feeling increasingly uneasy, Li Mucheng was about to call Ah Fu to take her to Ye Feng when she unexpectedly found Su Yuxin standing outside her room when she opened the door.
"Yuxin? Why are you here?"
"Mucheng, we're best friends, right?"
"Of course, why do you ask?"
Li Mucheng sensed something was off from Su Yuxin's expression and happily wrapped her arm around her best friend's.
"It's rare we have time today, why don't we go shopping together?"
"Actually, Mucheng, I need to talk to you about something."
Su Yuxin pulled away from Li Mucheng's grasp, and her smile froze. She led Su Yuxin into the room, closed the door, and sat down to look at her. After a while, she spoke softly, "What is it, Yuxin? What do you want to talk about?"
"Mucheng, why did you lie to me?"
Su Yuxin came straight to the point, not wanting to beat around the bush, as that would only hinder her from getting the answers she wanted.
"What? Yuxin, don't overthink things. When have I ever lied to you? We're best friends, aren't we?"
"You're still lying to me now!"
Seeing Li Mucheng's attitude, Su Yuxin felt even more hurt and shouted out loud.
"You promised you wouldn't hide anything from me, but you've changed! You've changed so much! You're not the same Mucheng as before!"
Li Mucheng, feeling unjustly accused by Su Yuxin, was naturally upset. Her temper wasn't the best to begin with, and if it weren't for the fact that the person in front of her was Su Yuxin, she would have already ordered someone to escort her out.
"Yuxin, don't be unreasonable. I'm still me!"
"No, you're not! The old Mucheng wouldn't lie to me. Now, I feel like you're deliberately keeping your distance from me! You weren't like this before."
Su Yuxin stared deeply into Li Mucheng's eyes, tears welling up, as if trying to bring her best friend back.
"Yuxin, stop talking nonsense. I'm still me, the same as before, now and always. If you're here to talk about this, then I'm sorry, but I can't stay."
Li Mucheng also got angry and stared back defiantly.
"You're still hiding things from me... then I'll just be blunt, and don't blame me for ruining our friendship!"
Su Yuxin stood with her hands on her hips, wearing a Western-style dress, looking at Li Mucheng.
"First, explain who that tutor is? Why haven't I ever heard about them?"
"Tutor?"
Li Mucheng immediately realized who Su Yuxin was referring to and her eyes sharpened.
Could it be that the reason I've been feeling uneasy is because of this?
"Who told you about it?"

s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."

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.

【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)

e vast world of cultivation, where he becomes the master of the Heavenly Ruins Sacred Hall, a dying old man with barely a tenth of his former cultivation remaining. He is immediately confronted with a deadly crisis: his subordinates have rebelled, and his protectors are forcing him to abdicate. At the critical moment, the system descends from the heavens: [Ding! The host has been detected facing a life-or-death crisis. The system is now officially activated!] [As a gift, you have received the Supreme Beginner’s Pack and awakened the ultimate cheat: ten thousand years of pure cultivation essence every second!] Yin Tianjue: “Wait… ten thousand years of cultivation every second? That’s six hundred thousand years a minute, and in one day… I can’t even calculate it. Either way, I’m already invincible!” You’re a peerless prodigy rarely seen in ten thousand years? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re an undying ancestor who has guarded a sacred land for countless ages? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re the strongest chosen one, blessed with heaven-defying destiny? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. From this day forth, I have only one thing to say: “I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. Now, how exactly are you supposed to deal with that?”