"Qian Ran, who are you thinking about? Ugh, you're hugging me but thinking about someone else!" Meng Hongchen pouted as she noticed Qian Ran spacing out, feeling utterly wronged. Had she been too good at pleasing him just now?
She had tried her best—wasn't this effort enough for a first-time girl? Just how "competitive" were the women before her, that even this wasn't enough to capture Qian Ran's favor?
Meng Hongchen's first encounter with this kind of rivalry was when she moved to Xuan Ziwen's lab and became roommates with Juzi and Keke. Seeing their alluring, endlessly feminine outfits, she felt compelled to up her game. She couldn't even face Qian Ran without dressing a little provocatively; the bar was just that high.
Since moving into that lab, Meng Hongchen started waking up 30 minutes earlier every day, just to have enough time to groom and style herself.
And now, she was doubting her entire existence.
To appear as an obedient and sensible girl in front of Qian Ran, she had meticulously prepared for days. She had even struck an unfair deal with Keke in private to gain her technical assistance.
And the result?
This?!
The women surrounding Qian Ran were simply too many. The ones at Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy were just the tip of the iceberg. Their looks and talents rivaled, or even surpassed hers. They were probably pulling out all the stops for him too. Whatever she could do, they could likely do better.
"I was just thinking about something important; that's why I seemed distracted," Qian Ran said, stroking Meng Hongchen's hair gently.
Meng Hongchen pouted even more, glancing downward. If he were just thinking, how could there be such a physical reaction?
Still, Meng Hongchen wasn't one to act out of pique. She tucked her stray locks behind her ear, revealing her delicate earlobes, and lowered herself further down.
Hiss!
Qian Ran narrowed his eyes.
He had to admit—when women were competitive, they truly brought something to the table.
As long as they weren't competing in palace intrigue, channeling their competitiveness into the right areas was a good thing.
Qian Ran recalled watching clips of Empresses in the Palace in his past life. If women resorted to palace intrigue, the smart and cunning women around him wouldn't be easily fooled. He would have an endless headache, no matter how capable he was.
But if they focused their rivalry on pleasing him, honing their skills to ever more refined levels... who knew? It might even extend to dancing, singing, or performing arts. Maybe one day, they'd form little groups—turning into a girl band just to outshine each other.
Qian Ran couldn't even imagine how euphoric that would make him.
My god.
Being an emperor wouldn't compare to this level of indulgence.
Qian Ran snapped out of his reverie. The moment he saw even a hint of palace intrigue among the girls, he'd crack down on it immediately. Why imitate such toxic feudal practices? They were an absolute no-go for his household.
Meng Hongchen noticed Qian Ran staring at her intently. She coquettishly rolled her eyes at him, then leaned in to kiss him again.
Kiss marks were scattered all over Qian Ran's body—his arms, neck, and chest were covered in them, not to mention his legs, which bore evidence of Meng Hongchen's enthusiastic handiwork.
On the surface, it looked like he was the lustful one. But wasn't it the women who coveted him more?
Qian Ran glanced down at his own body and concluded: women, they're too good at pretending.
It was only because society's prevailing norms were unfriendly to openly bold women that Meng Hongchen and the others felt embarrassed and restrained themselves. But Qian Ran distinctly remembered that when he fell asleep last night, he hadn't had so many marks.
Clearly, Meng Hongchen had gone for round two while he was asleep.
Given her frail physique, Qian Ran had been careful not to tire her out last night, keeping his movements gentle and letting her take the lead. So, Meng Hongchen didn't feel particularly worn out afterward.
"Alright. I'm going to take a shower."
Meng Hongchen mumbled through her slightly swollen lips. After ensuring Qian Ran noticed her effort, she resolutely swallowed her pride.
She knew Qian Ran softened at tenderness, not toughness. To make him cherish her more, she had to let him see the effort she put in.
"I'll join you," Qian Ran said, guilt flickering in his eyes as he followed her into the bathroom.
When the two finally emerged from the room, Jing Hongchen, who had been waiting nearby, couldn't help but sigh at the sight of them.
Just from Meng Hongchen's subtle changes in expression, he could tell that their relationship had deepened into something irreversible.
Jing Hongchen wasn't sure if he had made the right choice. Ever since Meng Hongchen started dating Qian Ran, her aura had transformed significantly, and her overall strength was improving by leaps and bounds.
But someone like Qian Ran was destined to become an enemy of the Empire—a key figure under his surveillance.
Now that Meng Hongchen was so deeply involved, how devastated would she be if Qian Ran died one day?
And what then?
"Maybe this is a good thing," Jing Hongchen muttered. "The deeper Meng Hongchen falls, the easier it'll be for her to let go and immerse herself in cultivation after Qian Ran's eventual death. Perhaps her future achievements will be even greater this way."
"But still, to think my precious granddaughter has been so easily charmed by that scoundrel… It's maddening!" Jing Hongchen, who had been frowning moments ago, suddenly changed his tone.
The thought of his cherished granddaughter falling for Qian Ran so willingly—taking the initiative, even—filled him with regret. He had always believed in spoiling her, raising her lavishly. How had things turned out like this?
"What's so great about that flirtatious brat?" No matter how hard Jing Hongchen tried, he couldn't see what made Qian Ran so irresistibly charming. The boy had been at the academy for just a few days, and the girls were already head over heels for him.
"Hall Master."
"The test results for those pills are out. They contain many rare herbs, which makes their efficacy significantly better than the pills developed by Mingde Hall. Plus, they have almost no side effects and are nearly impossible to replicate," Lin Jiayi reported solemnly as he approached Jing Hongchen.
"I see. In that case, there's no need to meddle further. If Qian Ran is generous enough to distribute pills, it's his business," Jing Hongchen waved dismissively.
Qian Ran had gifted many of these pills to the women around him. Naturally, some of them had been sold to Mingde Hall at exorbitant prices. Anything Qian Ran produced piqued their interest.
Unfortunately, the pills offered little to learn from. Their efficacy stemmed purely from the high quality of the ingredients.
Qian Ran had planted many mid-tier rare herbs in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. These herbs grew at astonishing speeds and were of a far superior quality compared to their counterparts grown elsewhere. The pills he casually handed out were all crafted from these precious ingredients.
"That kid is ridiculously wealthy. I should remind Meng Meng to milk him for all he's worth."
Qian Ran's wealth exceeded Jing Hongchen's imagination. Just the items he had given away in the past few days were worth thousands of gold soul coins. Jing Hongchen estimated that Keke, Nana, and Juzi each had received resources worth at least tens of millions of gold soul coins. Naturally, he couldn't let his granddaughter come out of this empty-handed.
(End of Chapter)