Editor and proofreader: Oceanblue

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Ye Qingyun strongly disagreed with Gu Shenyuan’s words.

“Are you crazy? You said it yourself, he’s almost invincible!” Ye Qingyun frowned and mocked, “If you want to die, you can find a more comfortable way. Do you think being hung up and beaten makes you look cool? It’s so embarrassing!”

Gu Shenyuan, unfazed by the mockery, simply replied, “I won’t.”

He wouldn’t let Ye Qingyun be embarrassed.

Faced with Gu Shenyuan’s confident gaze, Ye Qingyun hesitated again.

The person rumored to be very powerful was just a nameless cannon fodder in the original story. On the other hand, Gu Shenyuan was undoubtedly the main character, having countless times turned peril into safety and defeated all foes in the plot.

‘Could a piece of cannon fodder defeat Gu Shenyuan?’

Ye Qingyun pondered for a moment but decided to stand up and leave.

‘Forget it, safety first. Gu Shenyuan wasn’t like him; he couldn’t be reborn. If he died, it would be the end.’

However, before Ye Qingyun could take a step, he saw Gu Shenyuan’s face revealing an expression of helplessness as if the strongest person in the world was being underestimated and could not prove his strength. There was also a hint of grievance from not being believed.

Ye Qingyun paused and sat back down.

‘This was so annoying!’ He would reluctantly trust Gu Shenyuan this time!

——————

With Gu Shenyuan’s strength, he won the first few matches decisively. If one were to point out a hiccup, it would be the audience’s astonishment at his looks when he first took the stage.

“You’ve got the wrong person, right? He should be the one cheering from the sidelines!”

“Looking this good and still coming up to fight? Tsk, tsk, I don’t think they need to cut to his partner, or everyone’s expectations will plummet.”

“Pfft, what a pretentious act! He must be a kept pretty boy, just up here playing around.”

However, when the camera shifted to Ye Qingyun, those who had just mocked him fell silent.

Many, with their partners beside them, had to bite their tongues to suppress their praise, their eyes still darting toward Ye Qingyun.

After watching Ye Qingyun, their feelings about Gu Shenyuan on the competition stage changed entirely.

If the best beauty is paired with the strongest, everyone can only admire them. But if the beauty is paired with someone who has looks but no strength, the inevitable response is to take it away.

It seemed unlikely that this couple would continue together.

——————

Gu Shenyuan was extremely sensitive to others’ thoughts and easily guessed what everyone was thinking. Thus, he acted decisively, making the audience gasp in surprise.

After several rounds of matches, those with average skills were all eliminated, leaving only those with true strength.

In this round, Gu Shenyuan’s opponent was the Third Prince’s partner.
Although the crowd had changed their perception of Gu Shenyuan’s strength and no longer considered him a weakling, they still didn’t think he could defeat the Third Prince’s partner. They believed Gu Shenyuan was just lucky and would be eliminated soon.

Before the match began, the host interviewed Ye Qingyun and the Third Prince, asking if they had anything to say.

“Nothing much,” the Third Prince said, resting his chin on his left hand, the tattoo on the back of his hand prominently displayed. “I hope he takes it easy and doesn’t accidentally kill someone.”

The host chuckled and then moved on to interview Ye Qingyun.

Hearing the Third Prince’s taunts, Ye Qingyun swallowed the words “safety first” and replaced it with a worried expression. “I also hope he takes it easy, but his opponent might not be able to handle even a light blow. It’s concerning.”

“You!” The Third Prince glared at Ye Qingyun, then sneered, “A dead duck that won’t admit it.”

Ye Qingyun was indeed being stubborn, knowing he might soon be proven wrong. But at this moment, he had to put on a brave face for Gu Shenyuan.

Ye Qingyun secretly glanced at Gu Shenyuan on the stage, only to find Gu Shenyuan looking back at him. Their eyes met, and Ye Qingyun immediately put on a fierce expression, silently urging Gu Shenyuan not to embarrass him.

A hint of amusement flashed in Gu Shenyuan’s eyes as he turned to face his opponent.

The match officially began, and everyone held their breath.

The legendary invincible black-haired youth struck first, condensing his metal abilities into sharp blades in the air, launching them at Gu Shenyuan.

Gu Shenyuan did not retaliate immediately. Instead, he leisurely dodged the blades, avoiding any injury, while thoughtfully observing the person impersonating him.

Some people focused on the match, while others had their eyes set on the audience below.

As Ye Qingyun watched, he suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder—someone had placed a hand on him.

He turned to see a burly man leering at him with a suggestive grin. “If he loses, you might as well come with me. Even if I can’t get first place, getting second is still no problem.”

Ye Qingyun scoffed, “Bullshit, you’re the one who’s going to lose!”

The burly man didn’t care about Ye Qingyun’s retort. He leaned closer, looking at Ye Qingyun’s porcelain-white skin that was now reddening under his hand. “Someone like him can’t satisfy you, right? Come with me, and I’ll show you what a real man is like. I guarantee you’ll want more and won’t be able to—”

Before he could finish, the burly man’s eyes widened, and he collapsed straight to the ground.

The presence of high-level abilities filled the air, making it hard for anyone to breathe.

The surroundings fell silent as Ye Qingyun instinctively looked up at Gu Shenyuan, who was also looking back at him, his opponent already knocked out.

Gu Shenyuan stepped off the stage and returned to Ye Qingyun’s side, his gaze sweeping over Ye Qingyun’s slightly reddened shoulder. The air around them became even more oppressive.

Gu Shenyuan said nothing, but everyone understood his silent warning.

Anyone who dared to have ill intentions toward Ye Qingyun would find themselves facing this suffocating power.

Ye Qingyun was also in shock. He glanced at the man lying unconscious on the stage, the so-called invincible warrior, and then at the unharmed Gu Shenyuan, deeply realizing the truth.

All powerful enemies are just paper tigers in front of the protagonist.

Indeed, the protagonist’s halo was the strongest!

The unconscious man was taken away by the shouting Third Prince, and Gu Shenyuan continued with the match.

The outcome of the competition was never in doubt; Gu Shenyuan claimed first place.

Ye Qingyun thought he could just collect the prize and leave, but unexpectedly, something unusual happened during the award ceremony.

The presenter held the Stone of love, while the host cheerfully said, “The Stone of love, awarded to lovers, blesses them to stay together forever! Now let’s have the champion couple embrace and kiss each other!”

The audience erupted in applause, mixed with shouts like “Kiss him!”

Ye Qingyun was dumbfounded. “…?”

Gu Shenyuan was also taken aback.

Seeing that Ye Qingyun didn’t respond, the host intensified the encouragement. “He fought through challenges and dangers for you, risking it all to win this Stone of love. Aren’t you moved?”

Ye Qingyun replied, “…I’m moved.”

The host continued to push, “Then why don’t you hug him? Why not kiss him? Give him a passionate deep kiss; I believe our champion is looking forward to it!”

Ye Qingyun thought, ‘….No, Gu Shenyuan is not looking forward to that, thank you.’

Feeling awkward, Ye Qingyun’s scalp tingled as he froze to the side, his gaze drifting.

Gu Shenyuan silently watched Ye Qingyun. Ye Qingyun’s ears were already flushed, his earlobes turning red as if they could bleed.

…The host was right; he was indeed looking forward to it.

But Ye Qingyun didn’t want to kiss him; it was just a delusion.

Gu Shenyuan didn’t let Ye Qingyun feel awkward for long and spoke up to diffuse the situation. “He’s just shy and doesn’t want to do this in front of everyone.”

“Ah—” The host elongated his voice regretfully. “But according to the rules, we only award the prize after the kiss. Are you two going to break the rules?”

Gu Shenyuan fell silent again.

He had never cared about the so-called rules. If the host wouldn’t give it, he could just take it. But…

Though he wanted to be more optimistic, this might be his only chance to kiss Ye Qingyun while Ye Qingyun didn’t resist.

Gu Shenyuan felt as if he was being torn in two. The darker side of him urged him to kiss deeply, to taste Ye Qingyun’s flavor and make him carry his scent all over.

But the remaining rational side reminded him that doing so would undoubtedly push Ye Qingyun even further away.

Caught between these two voices, Gu Shenyuan took a step forward and grasped Ye Qingyun’s hand.

Seeing the concealed shock in Ye Qingyun’s eyes, Gu Shenyuan whispered, “I know you don’t want to, but we can’t break the rules.”
Ye Qingyun, indeed, did not struggle.

Gu Shenyuan’s gaze swept over Ye Qingyun’s warm-colored eyes, his straight nose, and his lightly tinted lips.

He wanted to have these, but they weren’t something he could have right now.

He didn’t just want the present; he also wanted the future.

In the end, Gu Shenyuan gently placed a kiss on the side of Ye Qingyun’s face, brushing against his reddened earlobe.

It was warmer and softer than he had imagined.

This was their first kiss, one he would remember for a lifetime.