"Yes, truly."
Chu Yi nodded firmly, his eyes lingering on An Ran's wary expression.
Though desire stirred once more within him as he looked at her, he could not bring himself to trouble her again.
No—something felt amiss.
He realized suddenly that such yearning had never surged so fiercely within him before.
Even when tempted, he had always mastered his impulses.
Why now… why this sudden, overwhelming urge?
A strange glint flickered in Chu Yi's eyes as he turned inward, querying the system in his mind.
"System, what's happening to me?"
"Why has my desire grown so uncontrollable?"
"Ding. Host, recall what transpired when Ye Fan consumed that elixir. What did he become?"
What did he become?
Chu Yi began to ponder.
If memory served, once Ye Fan swallowed the elixir in the novel, he turned into nothing short of a lust-driven machine.
His days alternated between seeking women… and bedding them.
Every three chapters, a woman was conquered.
Every five, two were taken to bed.
Later, the number of heroines became uncountable—
At least a hundred.
Could it be… that he too had absorbed this side effect from the same pill?
A flicker of unease rose in Chu Yi's eyes.
"That's right," the system affirmed.
"By consuming the elixir, you've inherited its residual effects, though not as extreme."
"You may not devolve into a beast who loses all reason and throws himself at women like Ye Fan… but from now on, you will never be free of them."
"Is there no way to undo this?"
Chu Yi's voice grew low and solemn.
"Why undo it?"
"This so-called side effect is quite the blessing."
"Have you not noticed? Your true qi—has grown."
"A method of growing stronger simply by lying with women—isn't that ideal?"
"True qi… has increased?"
"Becoming stronger through intimacy?"
Chu Yi found it absurd, yet he could not resist testing the truth.
His awareness sank into his dantian—
And sure enough, the tendrils of true qi had multiplied.
He had possessed merely thirteen strands before—
Now there were fifteen.
A modest increase, but tangible.
It offered proof—he was indeed growing stronger.
"Must I too walk the same path… become a hammer pounding endlessly for power?"
Staring into the heart of his dantian, Chu Yi felt a deep, lingering doubt.
Just then, a soft, timid voice broke the silence.
"Chu Yi… what is it that you wanted to say to me?"
The question, of course, came from An Ran.
She now sat quietly at the edge of the bed, her gaze lowered in a mixture of fear and anticipation.
She had seen too clearly the force Chu Yi wielded moments ago.
"I want to ask… would you consider returning to school?"
He chose not to stall, laying the matter bare.
"School? Am I… even allowed to go back?"
At the mention of returning to her studies, An Ran's eyes revealed both longing—and fear.
"Of course you are. If you wish to go, I can make the arrangements at once,"
Chu Yi replied calmly.
He had his reasons.
First, he was soon to enter Modu No.5 High School, and might not have time to care for her.
His battle with Ye Fan demanded focus.
Second, he didn't wish for the woman beside him to be merely ornamental.
If not born into a prestigious family—at least bring something of value.
An Ran, sadly, had neither.
At his words, An Ran's breath quickened.
For her, schooling had once been a distant, unreachable dream.
Now, it was within reach.
All she needed to do… was nod.
She yearned to say yes—
But the moment she tried, her mind returned to the image of her violent, alcoholic father.
If she accepted…
From the corner of his eye, Chu Yi watched her hesitate, and smiled faintly.
Her heart was already swaying.
All she needed now… was a final push.
Leaning close, his voice brushed against her ear like heat.
"You know, don't you, that I come from an extraordinary family?"
"I am fated to inherit a vast empire."
"And the women by my side… you will not be the only one."
"If you possess no skill to assist me in my endeavors… then you will remain merely a gilded bird in a cage."
With those words, Chu Yi turned and began to walk away.
He had handed her the choice.
Whether to stand by his side as a partner—
Or remain a delicate ornament.
One step.
Two.
Three.
The sound of his wooden soles echoed crisply across the floor.
Yet still, An Ran gave no answer.
Had she chosen to stay behind?
Chu Yi frowned, but did not turn back.
If she desired comfort and idleness, he would let her have it.
After all, he could afford it.
Just as he reached the doorway—
"I agree. I'll go to school,"
An Ran's voice rang out, clear yet trembling.
"I don't want to watch other women steal you away.
I want a place in your heart."
Though firm in tone, her voice quivered—
Reflecting the storm inside her.
She had accepted.
A glimmer of surprise flashed in Chu Yi's eyes.
He withdrew the foot he had just lifted across the threshold, and turned.
There she stood—her chin lifted in determination, yet her legs trembled faintly beneath her.
He understood in an instant.
For her to make such a choice…
She must have braved an immense inner struggle.
After all, her drunken father would never approve.
He wished only for his daughter to labor endlessly, to feed his own vice and laziness.
Night fell.
Only now did the city of Modu come alive.
The streets buzzed with vendors and sizzling skewers.
Bars and KTV lounges pulsed with light and laughter.
In a shadowed, filthy alleyway—
Song Sheng stumbled out, holding his waist.
He hadn't expected that mysterious pill—
A supposedly enhanced version of Viagra—
Would be so potent it would trap him in an unholy entanglement with a pack of feral dogs.
Some female… some not.
"Damn you, Chu Yi. You'll pay for this,"
Song Sheng's eyes burned with rage.
This humiliation was beyond endurance.
Even his dignity had been sacrificed—
All thanks to Chu Yi.
But Chu Yi's bodyguard… was far too strong.
What could he do?
Wait—An Ran!
She had a drunken father, didn't she?
If he stirred up the man, perhaps he'd come demanding his daughter back from Chu Yi.
Unless… what if the drunk saw Chu Yi as a golden goose and tried to cling to him instead?
Song Sheng paced back and forth.
Then suddenly, a sinister grin spread across his face—
A wicked plan had dawned.
From the depths of the alley came his low, eerie chuckle, sending shivers through passing pedestrians.
Morning came.
The sun had barely risen—
Yet Chu Yi was already up, shirtless, rinsing off.
It was his first day at Modu No.5 High School.
And before that, he would escort An Ran to her new middle school.
Amusing, really—
Though she was nearly eighteen, she hadn't even completed junior high.
Chu Yi had no choice but to send her back to the class she had left behind.
A Ferrari worth over three million yuan waited quietly outside the building.
He needed a vehicle befitting his status—
A Lamborghini might attract too much attention.
A BMW worth a mere million would be far too modest.
After all, Modu No.5 High School, though nestled in the chaotic north district, was no ordinary school.
Even among its unruly students, many hailed from families worth tens of billions.
This Ferrari—was the perfect balance.
"An Ran, get in the car."
Chu Yi called from the driver's seat to the timid girl lingering by the entrance.
"O-okay, Chu Yi."
She scrambled in, heart pounding.
The car was simply too beautiful—so radiant she had hesitated to even touch it.
"You really don't know the simplest things… silly girl,"
Chu Yi chuckled, watching her fumble with the seatbelt.
Not impatient—merely amused.
Leaning over, he buckled it for her with gentle hands.
"Chu Yi… you look really handsome today,"
An Ran whispered, her long lashes fluttering.
Her cheeks flushed crimson, breath filled with his warm, woody scent.
"Oh? Do I?"
"Well then, I must say—
Today, you look especially stunning too."
He pulled back, eyes scanning her.
And indeed, she looked exquisite.
Her skin, once dull, now gleamed like jade—
Translucent, delicate, like that of a celestial maiden.
Yesterday, she was merely a "ninety" in beauty—
Now, she had soared to a "ninety-six," rivaling even Lin Yunhan.
Her flowing white gown—specially bought by Chu Yi's manservant—
Matched her snow-like skin perfectly.
With her gentle, fragile air—
She stirred a primal hunger in him.
If not for the need to keep her pristine for her first day of school,
He would have already claimed her in the backseat.
"W-What are you doing?"
An Ran's voice trembled, catching the glint in his eye.
"N-Nothing."
Chu Yi forced himself to look away—
Cursing the elixir under his breath—
And slammed the accelerator.
The car sped off like a silver ghost, leaving only a trail of dust in its wake.
On the highway—
Gasps followed them.
"Damn, Qiangzi, look! That's a Ferrari!"
A boy in Modu No.5's school uniform shook his friend awake.
"Where?! Let me see!"
Qiangzi's eyes popped open, seeking the dream car.
"There, quick! Before it's gone!"
"That speed's insane… unlike our damn bus crawling like a slug."
Qiangzi finally saw it—
And was dumbstruck.
It was magnificent.
The body. The roar. The sheer presence.
"If I had a car like that…"
He murmured.
"Xiao Fang from Class 3 would fall for me in an instant…"
Elsewhere on the bus—
A girl watched the Ferrari vanish and sighed with reluctance.
But her thoughts were interrupted—
"Yunhan, what's wrong?"
Her friend's voice was soft.
"Still thinking about your father's illness?"
"No… just some thoughts, that's all."
Lin Yunhan's face was pale.
She could've sworn—
She'd just seen Chu Yi inside that car.
And beside him, a girl as beautiful as herself.
Her heart twisted with pain.
She had waited all this time, hoping he would return for her.
But now—
She saw him, intimately close with another.
She wanted to cry.
Meanwhile, in the car, Chu Yi knew none of her grief.
Click.
At last, after the exhilarating rush, he arrived.
Chengbei No.1 High School—
The crown jewel of the northern district, and the primary feeder into Modu No.5.
Each year, eighty percent of Modu's top students came from this very place.
Chu Yi parked the Ferrari...