The floor was ice-cold, and the pool water was chilly. Fu Nanzhi's body was damp with sweat, and when the gentle breeze blew across her delicate skin, it raised goosebumps.
The cold kept creeping into her body.
"I can't stay on the floor any longer," Fu Nanzhi thought to herself.
Otherwise, she'd not only be injured but catch a cold as well.
Looking at the entrance hall not far away, Fu Nanzhi thought it would be better to slowly inch her way there.
But her body was currently facing the swimming pool, so she needed to turn her body first, letting the uninjured side touch the ground.
Carefully adjusting her posture, Fu Nanzhi tried her best not to put any pressure on her injured parts.
Just then, the doorbell rang, followed by Shen Yi's voice coming through the main gate outside.
"Fu Nanzhi! Fu Nanzhi!! Open the door!"
Fu Nanzhi froze upon hearing this. Having been so focused on moving, she had completely forgotten that Shen Yi was coming.
She hurriedly called out, "Wait... wait, I can't come to the door right now."
But her voice wasn't nearly as loud as Shen Yi's, and being so far away, she wasn't sure if he had heard her.
Fu Nanzhi had only turned halfway when she heard Shen Yi banging on the door outside.
With no time to wonder how Shen Yi had gotten into the community, Fu Nanzhi looked down at her swimsuit in panic. It wasn't much better than underwear, and the exposure was already beyond her comfort zone.
In her anxiety, she ignored the pain and forcefully twisted her body to try to get up.
But her ankle couldn't bear any weight. She only managed a scream before falling backward into the pool.
"Ah!"
The endless pool water rushed into her nose and mouth, choking Fu Nanzhi until her mind went blank.
Fortunately, her instincts remained, and she unconsciously kicked her legs in the water, but the pain didn't disappear just because she was underwater.
The intense pain made her swallow a mouthful of water, and this choking made her limbs go weak, unable to exert any strength. Gradually, her struggles became weaker.
In the last moment before losing consciousness, what crossed Fu Nanzhi's mind wasn't survival, but rather the thought that she hoped Shen Yi wouldn't see her in such a sorry state.
...
The security guard who had received Shen Yi stared at the shattered access card reader on the ground, finding the situation utterly absurd.
'If you had an emergency, you could have just said so. This isn't a border checkpoint or a DUI stop, what's the point of forcing your way in? Are we filming a movie?'
In this high-end residential area, there had been people who tried to force their way in before, but none as blatant as this one today.
Before he could think further, the intercom buzzed, and the security team quickly sprang into action upon receiving the message.
Setting aside the situation at the entrance, Shen Yi, consumed with anxiety, rushed straight in, counting house numbers as he sprinted along.
After three consecutive turns, house number 114 was right before his eyes.
Shen Yi barely had time to turn off the engine, hastily parked, unbuckled his seatbelt, and rushed to the door, alternating between pounding on it and ringing the doorbell.
"Fu Nanzhi! Fu Nanzhi!! Open the door!"
After shouting and hearing no response from inside, Shen Yi immediately wanted to break down the door.
But seeing how thick the security door was, Shen Yi didn't even hesitate before abandoning that idea and turning his attention to the courtyard wall.
Fortunately, Peaceful Lake Residence was designed with privacy in mind, and the courtyard walls weren't particularly high.
Shen Yi took a few steps back, got a running start, and vaulted over.
Thanks to the system's recent reward of 1 point in strength, the boost was quite noticeable, and he made it into the small garden almost effortlessly.
Going around the garden to the front hall, Shen Yi called out Fu Nanzhi's name while rushing inside.
The small villa didn't look big but felt like a maze, and Shen Yi could only follow the lights inside.
Shen Yi reached the living room and saw the TV was on, but the couch opposite was empty.
"Fu Nanzhi! Fu Nanzhi!"
He turned and ran upstairs to the master bedroom, continuing to call out while heading toward the bathroom.
After knocking on the door with no response, Shen Yi mentally prepared himself before pushing it open, worried about what he might find.
The good news was that it was empty; the bad news was also that it was empty.
Without wasting time, Shen Yi saw no one and rushed back downstairs - besides the bathtub, the only place with water would be the swimming pool.
Leaving the living room and entering the backyard, as soon as he went in, he saw a figure floating in the pool.
In the square swimming pool, long hair spread out in the water like a black whirlpool, creating an indescribable fear as it combined with the dark night.
Seeing this, Shen Yi took one powerful stride and jumped into the pool, embracing the figure in the water and pushing her toward the edge.
Since she was already close to the pool's edge, it didn't take much effort for Shen Yi to drag her ashore.
The bare body lay in Shen Yi's arms, and whether it was from being in the water or the moonlight's reflection, it cast a deathly pale glow on the ground.
Holding her cold, delicate hand that gave no warmth, Shen Yi felt as if a piece of his heart had been hollowed out. At this moment, looking at Fu Nanzhi's tightly closed eyes in his arms, he really couldn't treat this as just a game, just a false simulation.
Laying Fu Nanzhi flat on the floor, Shen Yi recalled the basic first aid he had learned during college military training, and with trembling hands, began performing chest compressions.
He remembered it should be 30 compressions, but couldn't recall if it was two or three rescue breaths.
Shen Yi counted in his head as he pressed, deciding to go with the higher number since he couldn't remember exactly.
Her lips felt like ice, with only her chest retaining a slight warmth. Shen Yi pushed aside any extraneous emotions and mechanically alternated between compressions and breaths.
Perhaps because she hadn't been underwater for long, or maybe because Shen Yi's amateur first aid was working.
"Cough... cough..."
A stream of water came out along with Fu Nanzhi's coughs.
...
Swimming could be counted as one of the few hobbies in Fu Nanzhi's life.
Sometimes she would think that if she had to die, dying in water probably wouldn't be too uncomfortable.
It would be just like falling asleep.
Reality proved otherwise, as Fu Nanzhi painfully coughed up a mouthful of clear water, slowly regaining consciousness.
Opening her eyes in a daze, Fu Nanzhi saw someone kneeling on the ground facing her, hands interlocked, continuously pressing down.
"What is he doing?"
Fu Nanzhi stared blankly at that person, her consciousness seemed waterlogged, unable to focus, as if she were dreaming.
Before Fu Nanzhi could think further, she saw that person suddenly lean down and move his face closer to hers.
Almost instantly, Fu Nanzhi's pupils focused, and she unconsciously raised her weak, sore arm to block him.
The force was barely stronger than a caress.
"This... this is forced molestation... I'm... I'm a lawyer..."
Her voice was weak and barely audible. If Shen Yi hadn't been preparing to alternate with rescue breaths, he might not have noticed she was awake.
Hearing her voice, Shen Yi's worried heart finally settled.
But what followed was more confusion and anger. Here he was taking care of her, yet her current attitude was truly disappointing.
Hearing her words, Shen Yi contained his anger and said coldly:
"Counselor Fu seems to be in good spirits. I wasn't aware you had a hobby of diving in your home pool."
At the sound of this familiar voice, Fu Nanzhi immediately came to full consciousness.
"Shen Yi!"
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
] [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!"
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!
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.
