Time flew by, and it was already the next morning.
Su Ling was dressed in sweet, girly attire, cooking steak in the kitchen. The steak was a specially ordered M5 wagyu from the Sam's Club membership store. Although Japan prefers to categorize beef quality using the A1-A5 grading system, Su Ling found the Australian classification, M1-M9, more intuitive.
The steak she had carefully selected for her brother was just the right level, with a bright red color and a delightful aroma. She had opted not to choose a higher grade above M5 because, although they were of higher quality and more expensive, their excessive fat content would result in too much oil secretion, making the taste less ideal than expected. So, Su Ling decided it wasn't necessary.
Her brother only needed enough protein intake to maintain his physique.
"I need to control my brother's nutrition to keep him in shape," Su Ling thought with a smile.
Meanwhile, her hands never stopped moving. She turned the stove to low heat and melted butter in the pan, adding rosemary. Using a spoon, she continuously drizzled the melted butter over the steak, ensuring both sides were evenly coated. Then, she sautéed mushrooms and garlic in the oil, poured in red wine sauce and other seasonings, plated the dish, and let it cool on absorbent paper.
This entire process was so skillful that even Lu Qing, who prided himself on being a great chef, would have been impressed.
The room was filled with an aroma that made one's mouth water.
【Ding Dong】
Just as Su Ling was about to serve the steak on the dining table, the doorbell rang.
"Brother?"
"Yeah, I'll get it."
In the bedroom, Lu Qing, typing at an octopus-like speed, responded. His train of thought was interrupted, and he pulled a painful expression, removing his hands from the keyboard. He stood up stiffly, looking unhappy as he walked toward the door.
For a top-tier author, being disturbed during work meant spending an additional tens of minutes to several hours to regain focus, not simply picking up where they left off, as one might when copying homework.
Click.
The door opened.
A tall, thin man in black work attire stood there, shouldering a rectangular box. After Lu Qing reached out, the man carefully handed over the package.
"Hello, sir. Headwind Express."
He said politely.
"Hmm. What is this?"
"It's a musical instrument, sir. It's insured. Please sign here."
"Oh! Alright, alright."
Hearing this, Lu Qing immediately realized this was the "holy instrument" he had ordered the night before!
He didn't expect it to arrive so quickly, just a day later.
He took the black pen, signed the form, and asked, "Is this from Guangzhou?"
"Yes, sir. Special rush delivery, by air. That's why it's fast."
The Headwind Express deliveryman was very patient and added, "You can open the box here to check if the item is damaged. If there's any issue with the delivery, you can refuse to accept it, and I'll take it back for a return."
"…Sure."
After all, it was a 30,000 RMB guitar. Checking it on the spot wasn't a bad idea.
He asked Su Ling to bring scissors and personally opened the box at the door.
No one knew.
Each snip of the scissors tugged at his heartstrings.
—TS Guitars.
Prestige.
"Midnight Limited."
2024 Edition.
High-end handmade guitar.
Sigh…
Sigh…
Of course, he wouldn't show it.
He kept a straight face, as if nothing had happened,
slowly,
unveiling the "bride's veil."
…
"What the…"
Inside the box was another box.
Because a high-quality guitar wouldn't be shipped in just a cardboard box; it would come with a dedicated case.
In the guitar sales world, guitars above a few thousand RMB come with a guitar bag (a cloth or cotton bag worth a hundred or two), while those above ten thousand might deserve a dedicated case (worth around four to five hundred, similar to a black rectangular box for a sniper rifle).
But a TS guitar comes with a top-tier case,
one that perfectly fits the guitar's shape, with precisely carved spaces, lined with thick cotton, ensuring safety and warmth,
for the "holy instrument" to rest in.
So, when Lu Qing opened the inner case—
"!!!!!!!!!!!"
Ah!!!!
He showed an unprecedented, bizarre expression.
The black gradient midnight finish, the ancient fretboard texture, the holy light shimmering from the headstock logo, the "flying bird"-like body shape, the silver, exorbitantly priced dual-coil pickups…
"Black Cat."
A black cat in the night.
"It's perfect."
"Absolutely perfect."
Just a glance,
and his body couldn't help but lean forward, his neck slightly raised, as if he had inhaled too much of something, his mouth open, trying to slowly activate his obstructed respiratory function.
This isn't good.
He was so mesmerized by its beauty that it made him uncomfortable.
Am I going to "somatize" from this?
Oh god, it's just too beautiful, too beautiful.
How can anyone withstand this?
Ah… I really want to touch its surface…
No, no, Su Ling is still here. I have to hold back.
Lu Qing did his best to maintain his fragile sanity.
"……"
At this moment, Su Ling was closely observing her brother.
Of course, the deliveryman was also confused.
"Uh, sir?"
"Are you okay?"
He couldn't understand why this customer was reacting this way to a beautiful guitar.
The guitar was insured, obviously expensive, and rare.
But was it really that intense?
This…
It's a bit scary.
"Yeah… you can go. It's fine, definitely fine."
Without needing to test the sound, Lu Qing could tell at a glance that Ryo hadn't lied to him.
This "Midnight Limited" was indeed tuned by a master and quality-checked before shipping.
From the perfect string height, he could tell,
its playability would be two levels above the soft, delicate Fender.
Thinking this, Lu Qing couldn't help but slightly bend down,
kneel on the ground, lean over,
bring his face close to the guitar's surface,
hovering above the 12th fret,
gently,
inhaling.
"Mmm…!!!"
Su Ling: "……"
"Goodbye, sir."
The Headwind Express deliveryman opened his mouth, then turned and fled.
Now, Su Ling had fully understood,
who her brother's true love really was.
She had never seen him show such a perverted expression.
Never, ever.
Even on the first day she barged into his room, even when she intentionally slid her dress strap down to her upper arm,
even when she deliberately adjusted her sitting position during meals to make him blush and heartbeat,
he remained as steady as a pine tree.
But now…
a guitar…
just…
"……"
Su Ling was troubled.
Extremely troubled.
Although she didn't want to admit it,
she had to face the fact,
she seemed to have been "defeated."
And it was a complete defeat.
A devastating defeat.
"Brother?"
She closed the door, crouched down beside him.
"Hmm? Beautiful, isn't it, Su Ling? Hmm? Isn't this Midnight Limited gorgeous?"
Lu Qing didn't even look at her, his gaze still fixed on the black-gray holy instrument in the case.
The long-lost, sick expression on his face,
the wide, almost maniacal grin,
the intense, focused gaze that saw only "her,"
immediately made Su Ling feel that her brother was a bit scary.
"Has he… already reached this level of illness?"
Su Ling felt utterly stumped.
What should she do?
Her brother's condition seemed more severe than she had anticipated…
"Yeah, it's beautiful."
She steeled herself inwardly but could only go along with him for now, trying to stabilize his emotions.
Clearly,
a switch in Lu Qing's mind had been triggered by this sudden "holy instrument."
He was on the verge of "unlocking," dangerously close to the edge.
Su Ling knew she had "gone too far" this time.
She had only wanted to pull her brother out of his numb, spiritless state,
but instead,
he, captivated by the "holy instrument,"
seemed to be the true demon…
"Looks like."
"I'll have to put in 1200% effort to master this guitar."
Su Ling thought with grievance.
……
……
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.
't think I'm that capable, I'm just trying my best to stay alive. I've been kind all my life, never did anything bad, yet worldly suffering spared me not one bit. The human world is a nice place, but I won't come back in my next life. A kind young man, who wanted to just get by singing, but through repeated deceits and betrayals, has gone down an irredeemable path.
] [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 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."
