Just when Leng Qingqiu thought Gu Yan would blush at her actions,
Gu Yan stepped back a few paces and gave a polite smile: "Sister, please maintain your dignity. I only love Qingqiu."
"Since I know Qingqiu isn't here, I'll take my leave. My sister-in-law must be getting anxious."
Before Leng Qingqiu could react, Gu Yan quickly walked away.
"Mis... Mistress, are you alright?"
Seeing Leng Qingqiu frozen in place, Mei Xue didn't know what to say.
"I'm fine."
"He passed my test of him quite well."
After a brief moment of rigidity, Leng Qingqiu returned to normal and spoke calmly.
Mei Xue was startled, then showed admiration in her eyes.
So that's what it was! The mistress was testing Gu Yan's loyalty! That's why she used this method - it both sent Gu Yan away and tested his faithfulness!
As expected of the mistress!
However, in reality, Leng Qingqiu was feeling incredibly embarrassed, depressed, and unwilling inside.
Damn it, even though I was playing a character I made up, why do I feel so disappointed hearing Gu Yan reject me?
No, no, no, it wouldn't have been right if Gu Yan had agreed either, but... but he actually rejected me.
Wait, that's not right!
This is like I'm playing another person to make myself a third wheel! This is too ridiculous!
Leng Qingqiu felt extremely frustrated inside. Damn it, this is all Gu Yan's fault, why did he have to see through them and come over!
Speaking of being seen through.
"Mei Xue."
Hearing this gentle voice, Mei Xue trembled: "Yes!"
"Why did your ability fail? And why didn't you conceal yourself?"
"Ah, well..."
Mei Xue was on the verge of tears. Damn you, Gu Yan, you've gotten me in trouble, even though I saved your life in front of the mistress before.
Meanwhile, back to Leng Ling'er's side.
Gu Yan was dazedly clutching his chest.
The previous scene was still lingering in his mind.
His eyes showed extreme conflict.
For some reason, although he directly rejected Leng Bingning at the time, his heart was in incredible pain.
But if he had agreed, he definitely wouldn't have forgiven himself either.
"Sigh."
What exactly was going on?
Gu Yan let out a light sigh. This felt like the kind of frustration you'd get from roleplaying as character A and successfully confessing to someone you like.
But he didn't know why he had that feeling.
However, what's done is done...
He glanced at the person who had been glaring at him since earlier: "What's wrong now, you little brat?"
Leng Ling'er immediately protested indignantly: "Who are you calling a brat! Fish-brain Gu, where did you go?"
"Qiong Lan and that Glasses Man were dragged away by a crowd of people, I was so bored!"
Not calling me brother-in-law anymore?
Gu Yan's mouth twitched, realizing she only called him brother-in-law in front of his friends.
He thought for a moment and decided not to mention the fact that Leng Ling'er actually had an elder sister named Leng Bingning, instead saying: "Bathroom."
"? You took that long in the bathroom?"
Leng Ling'er expressed her doubt, but still cheerfully picked up a plate of cream puffs and handed it to Gu Yan: "Here, this is the last batch. Some ignorant fish tried to fight me for it, but I scared them off right away."
As she said this, Leng Ling'er's cheeks showed some embarrassment. Seeing Gu Yan's surprised expression, she hurriedly called out: "Hey! That's not what I meant! It's just that you bought some cream puffs last time, right!"
"I remember sister likes these too, so I thought you could take them back for her. These adults at the banquet barely eat this stuff anyway, better we take it home than let it go to waste."
Hearing this, Gu Yan smiled gently: "No, I was just thinking that you're actually quite nice, you little brat."
Leng Ling'er frowned upon hearing this, dissatisfied: "? Why do I feel like you're mocking me? But whatever, I'll let it slide since you helped me before."
As she said this, Leng Ling'er seemed to notice something, her eyes brightening.
She suddenly stood up, looking at the stage with sparkling eyes: "It's... it's Lan Zizhen!!"
Lan Zizhen?
Gu Yan quickly ran through the name in his mind, confirming that he wasn't part of the protagonist's group or any major character.
He followed Leng Ling'er's gaze.
On stage stood a handsome man in a suit, holding a microphone.
He held the microphone and smiled: "Hello everyone, I'm Lan Zizhen."
This statement triggered cheers from many women below.
Leng Ling'er was among them, pulling Gu Yan's hand: "Fish! Fish-brain Gu! Quick! Let's go to the front to watch!"
Having confirmed that the man wasn't part of the protagonist's group or any important character from the original story, he lost interest.
In the original story, this person was just a minor character used to make the protagonist look good and increase the female lead's favorability. To be honest, he had no impact on advancing the plot.
But unable to resist Leng Ling'er's constant tugging, he reluctantly nodded to Leng Xing'an, who had just recovered from Leng Ling'er's verbal abuse.
"Uncle Leng, I'll accompany Ling'er to take a look."
"Oh! No problem, go ahead, don't mind me."
Leng Xing'an nodded in response.
"Hurry up, fish-brain Gu."
"Alright, alright."
Gu Yan had no choice but to be dragged along.
Meanwhile.
In the dim banquet hall.
Several figures moved swiftly through the shadows.
Some were waiters, some were bodyguards, and some wore formal attire.
But they all shared one characteristic - no one could detect their presence.
They all made their way toward the exit of the banquet hall.
Leng Qingqiu glanced in the direction of Gu Yan and Leng Ling'er, then disappeared from the scene with Mei Xue.
The Night Organization's first full-scale operation had begun.

] [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!"

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.”

rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!

close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"