Liu Feifei said, âHey, can someone explain who this Nangong Qingyan is? No oneâs going to say anything?â
Cao Zijing said, âBlack clothes, habitual short hair, likes wearing leather. What do you think comes to mind?â
Liu Feifei said, âIsnât that the boss of Moduâs underground world? Whatâs the big deal? Wait, thatâs not Nangong Qingyan, is it?â
Ye Ziyue said, âYes, and this woman is unpredictable. Her name sounds gentle, but sheâs extremely ruthless. The reason she became the head of the Nangong family is because of her power in the underground world. Otherwise, why do you think we say itâs tricky?â
Liu Feifei said, âThat doesnât add up. If sheâs that powerful, why is the Nangong family only ranked third?â
âNo idea. Thereâs no information to dig up on her. Number Seven, got any sources?â
Number Seven said, âNo chance. This woman gives no info at all. By the way, could she also like Ye Aotian?â
The group fell silent, but after checking the diary several times, there were no further updates. Could it be that this woman doesnât like Ye Aotianâor the villain?
Chen Fan finished writing the diary and happily claimed todayâs reward.
Nangong Qingyan. Chen Fan muttered this name, helplessly shaking his head.
The most profitable business for Nangong Qingyan was never the underground gambling tables but auctions.
If one were to pin down the inspiration for this womanâs character, Chen Fan vaguely felt it was probably Zi Nü (Purple Girl).
This woman was a ruthless oneâshe even had tattoos. Pretty intimidating. Her favorite things were fairly common: jade hairpins and money.
The Nangong family was the most stable among the ten major families. Youâll notice that no matter which storyline or âinstance,â they always show up. Pawnshops and auction housesâthese were the Nangong familyâs established strengths.
Sheâs had some interactions with the protagonist, but only to offer minor benefits, slightly closer than others.
The reason she didnât join the harem, Chen Fan figured, was probably because the author forgot about her. After all, in this storyline, the third female lead is the core, and the second female lead is just a sidekick.
As for her, she has another hobbyâdisguises.
Yes, thatâs her twisted sense of fun. And Qian Daode was one of the few who could see through her disguises. Naturally, he set up a trap for Chen Fan to jump into.
For now, though, the focus was on the movieâs promotional event. That plot happened in the evening, so there was still time.
After reading the diary, the female leads started preparing.
Cao Zijing and Liu Feifei received notifications from the director, got their makeup done, and headed out. But they had other preparations tooâthey secretly hired some extra security.
Liu Feifei thought,
Thereâs no way sheâd act like a fangirl. If she were to fangirl over anyone, itâd be Brother Chen Fan.
Once everyone left, the huge house felt a bit empty. Chen Fan happily turned on the TV.
He planned to watch for a bit.
Maybe catch the protagonist showing off?
âHey, ha!â
Chen Fan turned around, looking at the woman practicing boxing behind him, helplessly rubbing his forehead.
This damn womanâsheâd stop at nothing to improve herself.
Wu Meiniang said, âChen Fan, teach me, please, okay?â
âNo way. I donât know martial arts, nothing at all.â
âJust teach me a little, please? I really donât know how to improve my strength.â
Chen Fan still refused
Chen Fan seemed to realize something.
Itâs not entirely impossible. Her role was to be his final protective shield, meaning her strength was supposed to be sufficient until the very end.
Sheâs someone who can hold her own against many others. Otherwise, he wouldâve died halfway through the story.
The plot seems to have escalated now. While the main storyline hasnât changed, a lot of people have gotten stronger.
Chen Fan knew Zhu Yeqing had grown stronger, but the worldâs timeline correction would also make the protagonistâs side stronger.
In that case, Wu Meiniang, whoâs by his side, might not be strong enough anymore.
âI can teach you, but you have to promise me one thing: no matter what mistakes I make in the future, youâre not allowed to punish me.â
âI ⦠wouldnât dare. You hit hard.â
Zhu Yeqing, standing nearby, held back a laugh. She naturally understood what Chen Fan meant. Chen Fan hitting Cao Zijing was part of the plot.
Similarly, Wu Meiniang hitting Chen Fan was also part of the plot.
âFine, you wouldnât get it even if I explained. Come here.â
Wu Meiniang sat next to Chen Fan. Chen Fan thought for a moment, placed his hand on her shoulder, and gave her a quick check. He roughly figured out what was going on.
Interestingly, the internal energy in his body automatically started guiding Wu Meiniangâs internal energy, and they moved in sync, in the same direction.
What Chen Fan didnât know was that during this process, Wu Meiniangâs heart gradually began to hold an image of him.
It was like a seedâsimilar to a Taoist âDao Embryoâ or a Buddhist ârelic.â
But for this naturally dim-witted girl, she didnât understand these things at all. She just thought Chen Fan looked kind of goodâreally good, in a weirdly attractive way.
âHowâs it feel?â
âI feel something.â
âWhat kind of feeling?â
âI donât know, just a feeling. Like there was a door, and I punched it to pieces. Then a bridge appeared, and I jumped across it. But I canât see whatâs aheadâitâs all foggy, just mountains.â
âTry sparring with Zhu Yeqing. I donât get it either.â
In the living room, the two didnât hesitate and threw punches at each other.
This time, Zhu Yeqing was forced back a dozen steps. If Wu Meiniang hadnât held back, Zhu Yeqing mightâve been knocked out with one punch.
âYou ⦠how did you suddenly get so strong?â
âI donât know! I just feel like my strength increased, like Iâve become super strong.â
As she spoke, Wu Meiniang picked up a fruit knife and swiped it across the back of her hand.
The knifeâs edge curled.
Chen Fan was outright shocked. Wow, he hadnât expected that with all the techniques heâd accumulated, the people around him would gain similar effects. And it seemed her results were pretty impressive.
âHmm, youâre probably never getting married.â
What does that mean?
Wu Meiniang didnât get the joke, but Zhu Yeqing did.
She smiled without saying anything. Little girls wouldnât understandâthis was something for adults.