I raised stunning young ladies, but they all wanted to possess me.

"My name is Hua Heng! Hua as in magnificent, Heng as in balanced! I'm a senior in high school!"

The boy took the notebook as if it were a treasure, carefully held it in his arms, and immediately stood up straight upon hearing the words, replying in a clear and crisp voice.

Huaheng.

Gu Yan's smile froze instantly.

The fingers gripping the suitcase handle tightened almost imperceptibly, the knuckles turning slightly white.

He slowly raised his eyes and looked again at the handsome boy in front of him, who had a bright smile, clear eyes, and wore an ordinary school uniform.

Huaheng...

This name...

Isn't she the first character to appear in the first book of that female-oriented novel, the one who appears earliest, is involved in the main plot, and ultimately ends up with the female lead who appears earliest in the book...?

The first male lead?!

Lin Yan, that green tea guy, is also considered the male lead of the second part, and he was redeemed later on.

Hua Heng is the true male lead of the first part!

Gu Yan's eyes unconsciously darkened.

If Lin Yan, that hypocritical green tea guy, only disgusted Gu Yan and made her think he was a scoundrel.

The Hua Heng before him evoked a deeper sense of disgust in him.

The book clearly states that he is a martial arts genius with considerable strength.

He had many opportunities; if only he had been a little braver, he could have stood up, said something, or done something.

That would protect the girl and prevent her from suffering many harms later, including being gang-raped...

Those were the most terrifying encounters.

But he didn't.

Beneath the glamorous exterior lies a deep-seated cowardice and hesitation.

Must we wait until everything is beyond repair, until we are utterly desperate, before we finally wake up?

Forget it.

Gu Yan suppressed the surging emotions in her heart.

What does this have to do with him?

Everyone has their own path and their own destiny.

If he has to manage everything, how can Gu Yan survive?

He himself only has four and a half years left to live.

No, Cecilia hasn't had any treatment in four and a half years.

"Master Gu Yan? What's wrong? You don't look well."

Seeing that Gu Yan remained silent and her expression changed, Hua Heng cautiously asked.

"It's nothing. I'm just a little tired."

"I've heard... your swordsmanship is amazing? Could you demonstrate it for me?"

Gu Yan snapped out of her daze, shook her head, and forced a smile.

Hua Heng's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this!

It's a great honor to be asked to perform by your idol!

"Yes! Of course!"

He nodded excitedly and quickly pulled out a seemingly ordinary but foldable short knife from the side pocket of his backpack.

"Master Gu, please take a good look!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Hua Heng's demeanor suddenly changed!

The shy, refined student from before was gone; he was now like a drawn blade, with sharp eyes and an upright posture.

With a flick of his wrist, the folding knife snapped open with a "whoosh," a flash of cold light!

Immediately afterwards, the blade began to dance in his hands!

They chopped, hacked, jabbed, or stabbed, their movements so fast they almost left afterimages.

The blade sliced ​​through the air with a whooshing sound, the moves flowing smoothly and seamlessly, possessing a sharp and beautiful quality.

He clearly wanted to perform well in front of his idol, so he put in extra effort and acted with great flair.

Gu Yan watched quietly.

In this world, martial artists cultivate ancient martial arts. The first realm is the Acquired Realm, which is divided into three smaller stages: Body Tempering, Qi Accumulation, and Meridian Opening, roughly corresponding to the F, E, and D levels of superhumans.

Next is the Innate Realm, with ordinary Innate Realm corresponding to Rank C and peak Innate Realm corresponding to Rank B.

Above that are the Grandmaster Realm (A-level), Great Grandmaster Realm (S-level), Celestial Realm (SS-level), and the legendary SSS-level.

Generally speaking, among people of the same level, those with various extraordinary abilities are stronger in actual combat.

The Hua Heng in front of us is only seventeen years old and has already reached the Innate Realm.

Among ordinary people, he is absolutely a genius, one in ten thousand!

She can't compare to those born freaks like Cecilia, Pei Yuran, and Lin Jinyu, but compared to someone as weak as herself...

He could easily take on a hundred of himself.

Soon, a set of knife techniques was demonstrated.

Hua Heng sheathed his sword and stood still, his breathing steady, though a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.

He looked at Gu Yan with a mixture of anticipation and nervousness, waiting for his idol's evaluation.

Gu Yan let out a soft breath, suppressing the complex emotions in her heart caused by the original work.

He looked at Hua Heng, at this young man whose eyes were still clear and full of hope for the future, and slowly spoke:

"Huaheng, could you...promise me something?"

Hua Heng immediately stood up straight, his expression serious: "Master Gu, please speak! As long as it's within my power!"

Gu Yan's gaze fell on the short knife in his hand, its cold gleam still gleaming. She remained silent for a few seconds, then looked up and met Hua Heng's eyes.

"Hua Heng, remember this."

"This knife of yours, no matter what happens in the future."

"Is it a formidable enemy, a predicament, a choice that makes you tremble with fear, or a seemingly insurmountable despair?"

"Don't let it become just a tool for you to show off your talent."

"Use its sharp blade to protect the people and things you believe are right."

"Power itself is neither right nor wrong."

"But what gives meaning to power is the courage of the person who uses it."

"Don't let your knife wait too long for you to realize your mistake."

"Some people and things can't wait."

After saying that, Gu Yan stopped looking at Hua Heng's stunned expression, picked up her suitcase, and turned to walk towards her apartment building.

Perhaps because she had just recalled some unpleasant plot points from the novel, Gu Yan did speak more to Hua Heng than usual.

But that's all he could say.

Looking at Hua Heng's slightly evasive gaze at the end, Gu Yan didn't know how much effect her words would have.

However, he has said everything he needed to say, and he has a clear conscience.

He shook his head, trying to stop thinking about it.

Following the navigation on his phone, he had already arrived at the building Chen Sinian had mentioned.

This is an old-style six-story residential building without an elevator.

Gu Yan carried her suitcase and climbed the stairs step by step.

As he reached the corner on the third floor, he was still pondering his next move and wasn't paying much attention to what was ahead—

"Bang!"

I bumped right into a figure coming down from above!

"oops!"

The other party let out a short gasp.

Gu Yan was physically weak and staggered backward from the impact, causing her suitcase to slip from her hands and fall to the ground with a thud.

As the other person leaned forward, in a panic, they instinctively reached out and grabbed Gu Yan's wrist!

The grab was quite strong. Gu Yan was already unsteady, and with that pull, she lost her balance and fell forward with a scream!

"Hmm!"

The two fell to the ground together. Gu Yan was on top, with the person he had knocked down underneath him.

Upon touching it... it was incredibly soft.

His hand, which he used to brace himself in his panic, seemed to...

It landed right on a soft object that was ridiculously large and incredibly elastic.

Due to the momentum of the fall, the palm involuntarily...

I gripped it tightly.

"what!"

A cry of extreme embarrassment came from beneath her, the voice soft and delicate, tinged with a sob.