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.
……
……
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.
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
