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!"
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
and couldn't return to the real world. Finally, I gave up and decided to go with the flow, only to discover that writing a diary could make me stronger. Since no one could read it, Su Luo wrote freely, daring to pen anything and everything. Female Lead #1: "Not bad. This diary helped me steal all the protagonist's opportunities. I just want to get stronger." Female Lead #2: "I don’t care about reaching the peak of the cultivation world. Right now, I just want to enjoy the chaos." Female Lead #3: "What? Everyone around me is a spy? I’m the Joker Demon Lord?" ... It’s so strange. Why is the plot completely off track, yet the ending remains the same? Are you all just messing with me?!
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.
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."
