In an official conference hall somewhere in Magic City.
"Thanks to President Su's meticulous efforts over the years, our Magic City Beauty Industry has fully expanded beyond Magic City and is now reaching nationwide. Let us give a warm round of applause to welcome our Magic City Beauty Association President, Su Qianmo!"
"Nervous?"
Backstage, Gu Chenan leaned on the wall, watching Su Qianmo adjust her attire.
"Why would I be nervous? I've attended many of these meetings over the past few years."
As she spoke, a burst of applause erupted from the audience.
"I'm going out," Su Qianmo said.
"Mhm."
Gu Chenan nodded, watching Su Qianmo walk from the backstage to the podium in the conference hall. He then stuffed his hands into his pockets and strolled into the restroom.
Sitting on the sofa in the restroom, Gu Chenan wiped his face and closed his eyes, pretending to rest.
Suddenly, his phone rang.
"Hey, Yu Tian, what's up?"
On the other end of the line came a gentle, ladylike voice: "Chenan, could you pick up some things for me when you come back? I'll send you the list later."
"Sure."
"Oh, and Kannon asked me to check with you about the trip to Sakura Country you promised her a few days ago. When are we going?"
As she spoke, Kannon's voice came through the phone: "It's okay, Chenan. Focus on your work first. I'm not in a hurry. If you're too busy, I can skip the trip. It's fine."
Gu Chenan was momentarily stunned and quickly replied: "End of the month. We'll go by the end of the month."
"No need to rush. I really don't mind. You should prioritize your work," Kannon insisted.
"End of the month it is!" Gu Chenan's voice suddenly grew louder.
Hearing this, Kannon immediately replied: "Alright, I understand. End of the month it is."
After hanging up, Gu Chenan placed his phone aside and closed his eyes once more.
"Have you thought it through?"
At that moment, the system's voice echoed in his mind.
"Thought what through?"
Gu Chenan opened his eyes, puzzled.
"Earlier, you asked me if the novel world could be activated. I said we could try, but before that, I need to ask you—now that all the female leads are by your side, why do you still yearn for that novel world?" the system inquired.
"This..."
Gu Chenan reached into his pocket, pulled out a pack of cigarettes, lit one, and said, "Don't you think this world is too boring?"
"Every day, it's either sending Qianmo off to work or helping Mingrui in the kitchen at home. The kids are growing up, and the female leads and I are gradually getting older. Although it's only been five years since we came here, you should be able to sense the changes over these five years."
"Like what?" the system asked.
"Like..."
Gu Chenan took a drag from his cigarette and said, "Yu Tian, in my mind, she should always be an innocent and lovely little girl, but now she's becoming more mature, her actions and demeanor have turned into that of a gentle older sister."
"And Kannon, in my mind, she should always be a sensitive, needy, mischievous little girl, but now she's also becoming more and more gentle and understanding."
"And Yuanyuan, she no longer likes gaming or cosplay..."
"Isn't that good?" the system asked.
"Is... is that good?"
Gu Chenan extinguished his cigarette and said, "Yes, it's true. From a secular perspective, Yu Tian, Kannon, Yuanyuan—they've all improved. But... are they still themselves?"
"Isn't this, in a way, being polished by time, losing their edges?"
"So, what do you like—the characters from the novel, or who they are in reality?" the system posed a sharp question.
Without hesitation, Gu Chenan replied, "I like them for who they are, but they should be the way they were in the novel. Just like how I love tigers and lions; I wouldn't want them to become domesticated, docile pets. I love them for their ability to roam freely across the plains or forests."
"Do you understand what I mean?"
The system fell silent for a moment before slowly saying, "So, you want to return to that world again?"
"No."
Gu Chenan shook his head firmly: "I don't want to return to that world. I just want to see them as they were back then."
With a hint of pleading, Gu Chenan added, "Can you do that?"
"It's not easy," the system said, sounding troubled.
"Ah."
Gu Chenan raised an eyebrow: "So, there's a way?"
"I'll try, but no guarantees."
"Thank you. Really, thank you so much."
"Uh... we don't need to say thanks between us, do we?" The system's tone carried a hint of shyness.
Instantly, Gu Chenan became intrigued.
He straightened up slightly and said, "Speaking of which, it's been years. Shouldn't we meet in person? Are you really afraid I'll go wild and push you down?"
"N-no, it's not that!" the system hesitated. "I was originally the system that brought you into the novel world. By rights, I should have disappeared when you returned to reality, but you brought me along..."
"...In short, after coming to the real world, I've been a wandering consciousness in the void, only recently managing to manifest a human body."
With a tone of pride, the system continued, "Also, don't think I'm just some innocent little system. You should remember, I've always been in your mind, so every time you and the female leads... you know... I've seen everything clearly!"
"Huh?"
Gu Chenan was taken aback, his eyebrow raised: "So, how was I? Am I any good? Was it a decent length of time?"
"You..."
The system was momentarily flustered, shy yet reproachful: "You haven't changed at all! You were a lecher in the novel world, and you still are now!"
"Haha."
Gu Chenan chuckled and said, "Well, now that you have a human body, how about coming out to meet me? Oh, and dress up nicely when you do. You know my taste."
"If you keep talking like that, we won't meet at all!" the system girl immediately got angry.
"Alright, alright."
Gu Chenan quickly backed down: "When should we meet then?"
"Let me first figure out how to reactivate the novel world. We'll meet sometime later."
"Don't wait."
Gu Chenan quickly said, "We can totally meet first, and then you can work on reactivating the novel world."
"Emmmm"
The system girl thought for a long time before saying, "You're right."
Hearing this, Gu Chenan got excited: "So, when should we meet?"
"Later tonight. I need to prepare first," the system girl said.
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?
nto another world, I bought a slave for the first time, never expecting the silver wolf girl to be so cute... Lin Feng: I know it's cold, but you don't have to sneak into my bed! Yuna: Just sharing body warmth, if you dare do anything naughty, I'll definitely...
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."
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.
