14: 14.
What?
Do you think Hard-to-get girls are all bad at washing dishes?
14: 14.
What?
Do you think Hard-to-get girls are all bad at washing dishes?
The sound of Gu Yan’s casual yet emotional humming echoed through the kitchen.
At that moment, Leng Qingqiu’s heart trembled slightly.
She didn’t know why, but she could clearly feel the genuine joy Gu Yan felt as he sang this song.
Why?
Leng Qingqiu wasn’t a fool.
From the lyrics “Having you means having the whole world,” she could hear it clearly: this was obviously referring to her.
However, what she hadn’t expected was that Gu Yan actually believed that having her was equivalent to having the whole world.
She had never experienced this kind of intense devotion before, and it made her breathing quicken noticeably.
“It sounds so good…” Leng Ling’er murmured to herself.
Although it was just simple humming, the catchy melody and sweet lyrics conjured up a beautiful image in her mind of a loving, sweet couple.
The song felt like a perfect confession to someone you liked.
But who composed it?
She couldn’t recall ever hearing it before.
Just then, Leng Qingqiu moved her feet, slowly walking over to stand beside Gu Yan.
[ Ding!
The Pure Love Spouse’s heart was moved by the Host’s lyrics: +1 Point!
] “Darling, don’t be willful…” As Gu Yan was humming halfway through the melody, the sudden system prompt sounded in his mind.
He flinched slightly and was about to turn his head when he heard a cool voice and felt her tall figure standing right beside him.
Leng Qingqiu tilted her head slightly, her brows furrowed in mock disapproval.
Her tone sounded somewhat dissatisfied as she asked, “Who exactly are you saying is hard to pursue?” Leng Qingqiu didn’t even know why she had blurted out that question; perhaps she simply wanted an excuse to start a conversation with him.
Upon hearing this, Gu Yan reacted within a single breath.
He smiled gently, then reached out to tenderly tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
“Of course it’s our Qingqiu.
You were once the world-class prodigy in Jianghai City.
You were like a star in the night sky.
At that time, pursuing you was truly as difficult as ascending to heaven.” Leng Qingqiu felt the gentle brush of Gu Yan’s fingers, but she didn’t pull away this time.
Instead, she let out a light snort.
“I never heard that the young master of the Gu family had any intention of pursuing me back then.
Instead, in recent years, I’ve constantly heard that you were chasing the Shen family’s young miss.” She paused, her tone cooling slightly.
“This song…
it couldn’t be that you originally wrote it to sing for Shen Wan’er, could it?” As she said this, the warmth in her heart seemed to dissipate a little for some unknown reason.
After all, it wasn’t impossible.
What if this was a melody he had composed for his old flame?
Although it wasn’t really her business who he sang for, they were at least nominally engaged now.
She just didn’t want her fiancé to still be pining for an ex; otherwise, she wouldn’t even feel at ease using the Gu family’s backing for her plans.
Hearing her question, Gu Yan naturally knew exactly how to soothe her doubts.
He casually took Leng Qingqiu’s jade-like hand in his own and said with absolute sincerity, “Qingqiu, my love for you is like a river, flowing tirelessly through plains and hills.
It never fears hardships, coming toward you from afar.
‘Love Confession Balloon’ is an original song I wrote entirely for you years ago.
Perhaps it was destined, because we still ended up together now!
That’s why I couldn’t help but hum it today.” Oh…
Oh my, why does he have to say it so dramatically?
Listening to Gu Yan’s incredibly romantic, exaggerated words, Leng Qingqiu’s mood instantly improved, and the corners of her mouth curved up slightly.
“Smooth talker,” she murmured, quickly withdrawing her hand from his grasp to hide her racing pulse.
After turning her head away and taking a deep, stabilizing breath, she faced him again, curiosity getting the better of her.
“You said the song is called ‘Love Confession Balloon’?
And it’s your own original composition?
I didn’t know you possessed this kind of talent.” Hearing this, Gu Yan nodded proudly.
“Of course.
But it was also because of a sudden burst of inspiration back then.
My mind was so full of thoughts of you, Qingqiu—even fantasizing about doing this and that with you—that the melody just created itself.” “Tsk, what do you mean by ‘doing this and that’?
Don’t you know how to talk properly?” Leng Qingqiu clicked her tongue, her cheeks flushing slightly as she turned away and reached her hands toward the kitchen sink.
“Qingqiu, what are you doing?” Seeing her movement, Gu Yan immediately caught her small hand.
“This is the sink, it’s dirty.” Leng Qingqiu pulled her hand free from his palm, looking at him exasperatedly.
“This is my house, of course I know this is the sink.” “Then you…” “Hmph, what?
Do you think the girl you found so hard to pursue doesn’t even know how to wash dishes?” Leng Qingqiu rolled up her silk sleeves and skillfully turned on the faucet, beginning to rinse the plates.
Seeing this scene, Gu Yan was genuinely taken aback.
He had originally only approached Leng Qingqiu because of his inevitable death sentence and the system’s strict requirements.
Later, it was simply because she was exactly his type that he chose to be good to her.
In his view, a pampered genius raised in a wealthy family probably wouldn’t know how to handle basic cleaning or cooking.
But now…
looking at her helping with the dishes, a profound warmth spread through his chest.
As Leng Qingqiu washed, she could more or less guess what Gu Yan was thinking.
However, she refused to let him view her as a helpless invalid.
Even though she couldn’t see and faced many daily inconveniences, she didn’t want to appear weak in front of anyone.
Not to mention, Gu Yan had done so much for them today; she felt she should at least share some of the workload.
Heh, and he’s supposed to be a spoiled young master, Leng Qingqiu thought amusingly to herself.
Gu Yan was truly an exceptional exception among the rich second-generation heirs.
Splash, splash~ Gu Yan turned on the faucet on the other side of the double sink.
“Alright then, Qingqiu.
You wash that side, and I’ll take care of the heavy pots and bowls over here.” “Okay,” Leng Qingqiu said, then paused for a brief moment before casually adding, “So…
are you not going to finish singing ‘Love Confession Balloon’?” Gu Yan was stunned for a second, then a wide smile broke across his face.
“Of course I will.
Let me start from the beginning.” “It’s not like I really want to hear it,” she deflected quickly, her tone flattening.
“Sing or don’t sing, it’s entirely up to you.” “Alright, alright, I’ll begin then.” “Whatever you want.” Then, Gu Yan’s newly acquired [Godlike Singing Skills] resounded beautifully through the kitchen.
Because he was singing purely for Leng Qingqiu, the system had graciously moved the points cost to a massive discount.
However, what the two of them completely failed to notice was the young girl standing at the kitchen doorway, her expression growing increasingly stiff.
“Sister…
Sister…” Leng Ling’er looked at the two of them, who seemed to be surrounded by a warm, romantic aura, feeling completely petrified.
They were talking, laughing, singing, and washing dishes together like an old married couple.
This made her feel like she was just a third wheel…
a total outsider!
“Waaah!!
How did it turn out like this?!” Ling’er cried out silently, holding her head on the verge of tears.
— The sun had set, casting the entrance of the Leng Estate in a calm twilight.
“It’s getting late, I should head back now,” Gu Yan said softly, offering his farewell.
Behind him in the idling luxury car, Old Gao watched his young master’s wonderful transformation with immense satisfaction, his gaze toward Leng Qingqiu becoming incredibly warm and friendly.
Hearing this, Leng Qingqiu calmly nodded.
“If you’re going to cook an entire banquet every single time you visit, you might as well not bother coming.” “I know you’re just worried about your husband getting too exhausted from cooking, so I’ll make sure to prepare fewer dishes next time,” Gu Yan chuckled playfully.
“Heh, I didn’t say that at all.
I’m just concerned about the lifespan of my kitchen stove,” Leng Qingqiu paused, then turned slightly toward him.
“Drive safely on your way back.” Before Gu Yan could even react to her sudden sweetness, she turned and walked back into the house.
Coming to his senses, Gu Yan happily called out after her, “Qingqiu!
I’ll come visit you again tomorrow morning!” The response he received was a calm, echoing voice from the hallway: “Do as you please.” Boom.
The heavy main door swung closed.
However, in a place where Gu Yan could no longer see her, Leng Qingqiu’s steps slowed, and the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but curve upward into a genuine smile.
At that exact moment—Thump!
A small, chaotic figure rushed forward, crashing directly into Leng Qingqiu’s arms, followed by a dramatic wail: “Sis!!
You’ve changed!!” Hearing her sister’s outburst, Leng Qingqiu revealed a helpless, affectionate smile.
“What’s wrong, Ling’er?
How exactly has your sister changed?” Hearing her calm tone made Ling’er feel even more heartbroken.
“Sis!
You have changed!
Ever since that Gu Yan arrived, you’ve been totally different!
You only have eyes for him now!
What the heck!
It’s only been two days, and I’ve already become an outsider in my own family!” Realizing she must have accidentally neglected Ling’er due to her interactions with Gu Yan, Leng Qingqiu felt a pang of sisterly regret.
She really shouldn’t have caused her sister to feel left out.
Reaching out, she gently patted Ling’er’s back to soothe her.
“There, there.
Your sister hasn’t changed at all.” “It’s just that our Leng family desperately needs the Gu family’s financial resources and political influence to rise again.
I am merely forcing myself to interact with Gu Yan, despite how incredibly nauseating his sweet talk is.” Leng Qingqiu comforted her with a gentle white lie.
“Is that so?” Upon hearing this, Leng Ling’er looked up, her tear-stained face brightening with instant joy.
“That’s amazing, sis!
I really thought you had genuinely fallen for him!” She let out a massive sigh of relief.
“I’m so glad you haven’t!
That dog of a man might seem to have a lot going for him—he cooks incredibly well, sings decently, comes from a top-tier family, and is undeniably handsome—but still, I’m so relieved you don’t like him!
Otherwise, I wouldn’t even be able to stay in this house anymore!” The more Ling’er babbled, the more uneasy Leng Qingqiu felt internally.
Like…
how could she possibly fall for Gu Yan?
What a ridiculous joke.
She was a weapon forged for vengeance; she couldn’t experience what love felt like as a normal girl would, nor could she ever allow herself to fall for someone.
“Don’t overthink it, Ling’er.
How could I ever like Gu Yan, and how could I ever kick you out of our home?
Alright, go take a warm shower, watch some TV, and then head to bed.” Leng Ling’er nodded vigorously, happily pulling her sister deeper into the house.
“Sis, hearing you say that makes me feel so much better!” Leng Qingqiu smiled softly, though she wasn’t entirely sure of the reason behind her own amusement.
After a brief pause, she casually asked, “By the way…
how would you describe Gu Yan’s actual physical looks?” “Oh, him?
Although he’s a bit of a scoundrel, I can’t deny he’s incredibly good-looking!
I heard he goes to the gym every single day just to win Shen Wan’er’s favor, so he’s in peak physical shape.
Honestly, if he were to cosplay, he’d nail any character without a doubt!
It’s just a shame that his previous behavior as a desperate, love-sick puppy made everyone in our circle despise him.” Ling’er, completely reassured by her sister, chattered away disdainfully.
“They say he’s rejected hundreds of girls who confessed to him just for Shen Wan’er’s sake.
I even heard he hasn’t had a single actual girlfriend until now!” “Oh, I see,” Leng Qingqiu nodded slowly beside her, keeping whatever she was thinking deeply hidden in her heart.
“Sister, you absolutely must not fall for that guy.” “…” Leng Qingqiu fell silent for a long moment.
Then, she reached out and tapped her sister’s forehead.
“Ling’er, he is currently your brother-in-law in name.
You should show him some respect.” “Also, didn’t you mention you failed your advanced math test today?
Go take your shower, then report straight to the study.
I will personally tutor you tonight.” “Ah!
Sis!!!” Leng Ling’er was stunned, her jaw dropping.
What kind of sudden betrayal was this?!
— Meanwhile, on the dark avenue leading back to the Gu residence.
Old Gao navigated the luxury sedan smoothly through the city traffic.
Glancing through the rearview mirror, he caught sight of the bright, unshakeable smile plastered across Gu Yan’s face.
He couldn’t help but feel a wave of infectious happiness himself, cheerfully asking, “Young Master, it seems you truly care deeply for that young lady of the Leng family, don’t you?” Hearing his question, Gu Yan chuckled lightly, nodding without a single shred of denial.
“Yes, Old Gao.
I’ve genuinely decided to treat her well for the rest of my life.” As he spoke, Gu Yan suddenly paused, his eyes narrowing slightly as a thought occurred to him.
Looking up at the rearview mirror, he asked curiously, “By the way, Old Gao…
how powerful are you actually when it comes to martial arts?” — In the original novel, there were actually quite a few plot points revolving around Old Gao.
However, most of them were just minor scenes of him dealing with ordinary troublemakers.
The only truly serious, high-stakes segment involving him was burned into Gu Yan’s memory: [The young man’s fist whistled violently through the air, striking with vicious, lethal force directly toward Gu Yan.] [“Young Master!” Old Gao’s eyes turned blood-red as he let out a low, desperate growl and lunged forward.] [With a sickening, splattering sound of tearing flesh, Old Gao threw himself in front of Gu Yan, his head exploding into a shower of blood under the impact.] Yes, that was the only segment explicitly linking Old Gao to the world of hidden martial artists.
In the original plotline, the Male Lead had chosen to ambush and assassinate Gu Yan under the cover of night, simply because he had overheard Shen Wan’er complaining about how intensely annoyed she was by Gu Yan’s persistent presence.
The Male Lead had even delivered a classic, arrogant line: “You’re courting death.” Old Gao had died a brutal death protecting Gu Yan that night, and naturally, Gu Yan had followed him to the grave shortly after.
Tragic.
It was simply too tragic.
— Back in the present, inside the smoothly riding luxury car.
Old Gao heard Gu Yan’s sudden question about his strength.
A warm, fond smile crinkled the corners of his eyes, and he replied in a relaxed, joking tone, “Haha, well, I suppose I could probably take a bullet for you if it ever came down to it, Young Master.” Gu Yan shook his head and laughed softly, though his heart felt a bit heavy.
“Alright, Old Gao.
Since you put it that way, I guess it’s up to me to protect you from now on.” Old Gao was an unshakeably loyal pillar of the Gu family.
He had been guarding their household since Gu Yan’s father was nothing more than a small child, making his devotion absolute and deeply rooted.
His precise martial arts tier was never explicitly stated in the author’s original text, but based on his casual comment about being able to withstand a bullet…
he had to be at least at the Greatmaster level.
Greatmasters were considered top-tier, legendary experts in this urban landscape.
After all, throughout the entire run of the original novel, the highest tier of power ever described by the author was a Peak Truemaster.
But unfortunately for Old Gao…
in the original timeline, he had simply run face-first into the Male Lead’s plot armor.
Thinking of that overpowered Male Lead, a sharp hint of gravity flickered in Gu Yan’s eyes.
According to the pre-destined script, that person was the one fated to end his life.
As he was now, Gu Yan was nowhere near strong enough to match him in a direct confrontation, so he obviously wasn’t foolish enough to go looking for a fight.
However, even if he wasn’t going to actively pick a fight, he still desperately needed to track the man’s precise whereabouts.
With his Pure Love System backing him, he had access to plenty of unique resources to set up advanced safeguards and traps well ahead of schedule.
Gu Yan’s expression turned slightly cold.
In fact, a highly strategic counter-plan was already beginning to take shape in his mind.
If everything executed perfectly, even the original story’s main character wouldn’t pose a threat to his survival.
First, he needed to break down the timeline.
According to the original plot, the exact window for the Male Lead to conclude his hidden training and descent from his mountain retreat would trigger shortly after Gu Yan’s failed confession to Shen Wan’er.
Realizing they were standing right at the precipice of that exact window, a sharp, calculating look flashed across Gu Yan’s eyes.
He spoke calmly, “Old Gao, run a quiet background check on anyone named [Xiao Lin] who has recently surfaced or arrived within Jianghai City.” Hearing the order, although Old Gao had no inkling of who this random individual was, but he would never dream of questioning his young master’s directives.
“Understood, Young Master.
I will personally oversee the intelligence gathering and have a comprehensive file on your desk by tomorrow evening at the latest.” Receiving the reassuring response, Gu Yan leaned his head back against the leather headrest and closed his eyes, mentally mapping out Xiao Lin’s storyline.
— Xiao Lin—the Male Lead of the original novel.
He had spent his entire youth training in isolation on a secluded peak known as [Dragon King Mountain], learning under the tutelage of several eccentric, all-powerful old masters.
Character-wise, he was written as highly passionate, impulsive, and incredibly naive about the complexities of modern society.
His descent from the mountain had been orchestrated entirely by those old masters.
Before sending him off into the wealthy metropolis, they had gifted Xiao Lin a highly unique, intricately carved dragon-shaped jade pendant.
Ordinary citizens or low-level businessmen looking at the item would see nothing more than a pricey antique, but Gu Yan, possessing full omniscience of the script, knew exactly what that token represented.
The true, hidden significance of that jade pendant was the ultimate authority over a global powerhouse—it marked him as the Young Heir of the Dragon King Palace!
The Dragon King Palace was written as a massive, near-invincible underground organization in the mid-game arc of the novel.
But hilariously enough…
it was eventually dismantled and utterly destroyed single-handedly by none other than Leng Qingqiu.
Thinking of this twist, Gu Yan couldn’t help but let out a soft, amused smile.
As expected of our Qingqiu.
Although the original text had left it somewhat vague as to why Leng Qingqiu would aggressively wage war against the Dragon King Palace and persistently target the male lead’s inner circle, it was still phenomenal news for Gu Yan’s current survival strategy.
It served as concrete, undeniable proof of a massive power scaling reality: even the globally feared Dragon King Palace was ultimately no match for the tactical brilliance of his blind fiancée.
Thankfully, that massive organizational storyline wouldn’t even begin to manifest until the middle and later arcs of the novel.
He still possessed a luxurious amount of time.
Gu Yan felt completely confident that with the current buffer period, he had more than enough room to carefully lay down his counter-measures and rewrite his destiny.