"Confess and leniency shall be granted; resist and severity shall follow."
Xu Mo wasn't afraid—because the person before him was his wife.
Xu Mo spoke up—because mutual trust was fundamental between spouses.
Xu Mo laid his cards on the table.
He spilled everything about the song.
Only the matter with Lin An'an remained unspoken.
How the hell could he bring that up?!
Unless the damn system guaranteed that in the next second,
it could teleport him away,
then he might consider it.
Well, if Zhou Qiaoqiao insisted on asking,
Xu Mo would still choose to answer truthfully.
"Hmm? That's it? Nothing else?"
Zhou Qiaoqiao asked with a teasing smile.
Xu Mo's neck stiffened as he wanted to nod, but in the end, he shook his head.
"There's more..."
"Go on, tell me."
"I don’t want to say it... I’m afraid you’ll get angry."
"What’s there that you can’t say? I promise I won’t get angry."
"No..."
"Ugh, stop being so wishy-washy! Xu Mo, you had the guts to do it but not the guts to admit it?"
"Pfft—you know?"
"Know what?"
"Fine, I’ll come clean..."
A real man
stands tall between heaven and earth.
This time, laying it all out,
Xu Mo recounted everything in detail.
Even the "stupid woman" was included.
He was mentally prepared for Zhou Qiaoqiao to slap him—maybe even multiple times.
After shedding the damn restrictions of the system and protagonist nonsense,
Xu Mo admitted
that deep down, he really wanted to cut loose.
All those female leads in novels—
having lived two lifetimes here, he’d had enough of swallowing his pride.
Taking back a little interest wasn’t too much to ask, was it?
But times had changed.
Xu Mo braced himself for the storm.
Yet, in the end, the she-devil burst into laughter.
Even Xu Mo was stunned.
Once Zhou Qiaoqiao finished clutching her stomach from laughter,
she shot him a dramatic eye-roll.
"I told you to say it, and you actually did? Weren’t you afraid I’d get mad?"
"I was..." Xu Mo answered honestly, then added, "But I was more afraid of lying to you. If you found out one day and walked away—even if you never did—my conscience wouldn’t let me rest."
Every word was true.
The she-devil waved her hand dismissively, then picked up a grape and popped it into her mouth. Between bites, she said, "The thing with Lin An’an doesn’t surprise me. Honestly, though, my husband turning out to be a songwriter—and one who can create a viral hit overnight—that was a shock."
"If Mom and Dad find out, they might question their entire lives..."
By the end,
Zhou Qiaoqiao arched her delicate brows, speaking in a playful tone.
She didn’t mention Xu Shi.
Because if Xu Shi knew,
her reaction wouldn’t be as stunned as their parents’.
After all, she was the female lead—
just like her, she’d eavesdropped on Xu Mo’s inner monologue before.
She’d already braced herself.
No fun in that.
"If you don’t tell, and I don’t tell, they’ll never know."
Xu Mo also ate a grape he’d peeled himself.
"You handled Shen Manni well," Zhou Qiaoqiao suddenly remarked.
Xu Mo choked.
He coughed violently,
his face twisting in discomfort.
The she-devil rolled her eyes, but the moment he started coughing, she was already by his side,
gently patting his back.
The worry and exasperation in her eyes were plain to see.
After a while,
Xu Mo recovered.
"Can’t even take a compliment now? So fragile?" Zhou Qiaoqiao returned to her seat.
She really had meant it as praise.
Thinking back to the past,
when Xu Mo had been head over heels for that woman,
it wasn’t like Zhou Qiaoqiao hadn’t felt jealous.
No woman wants the person she loves
to fall for someone else.
Even if it was an act.
And Xu Mo had kept up that act for a long time.
Until she could hear his thoughts—
that’s when the truth came out.
"No, it’s just... you’ve been dropping bombshells left and right lately," Xu Mo said, taking a sip of tea.
Zhou Qiaoqiao grinned. "Your tolerance is just too low. Didn’t I say before we got married? I don’t mind~"
Xu Mo refilled his cup and gulped down another mouthful. "I mind."
Zhou Qiaoqiao paused, warmth inexplicably flooding her chest.
The mood turned oddly tender—
as if she were the one at fault.
Xu Mo changed the subject. "I’ll be away for a while this time. When I come back, let’s have a child."
His expression was solemn,
his tone devoid of any jest.
This time,
Xu Mo had made up his mind.
While traveling to clear his head,
he’d see if the damn system had any more moves.
If not,
then so be it.
Even if the heavens themselves intervened,
he’d refuse to leave this world.
At the mention of a child,
the she-devil trembled, a thousand words swirling in her heart—but only one made it past her lips.
"Okay!"
They talked a while longer
before Xu Mo finally stood to leave.
Before he went,
the she-devil demanded a kiss.
"Uh... can I say something?"
Sensing something off, Xu Mo blinked.
Zhou Qiaoqiao smiled, her eyes curving like crescent moons. "Go ahead!"
Xu Mo swallowed hard before timidly offering, "You’ve... gained a little weight recently?"
Watching Xu Mo brace himself for a slap,
the she-devil laughed again. "Do you like it?"
"Yeah, yeah! Even if you turned into a little pig, I’d still love you. After all, you’d be my little pig," Xu Mo chuckled.
Seriously,
who cared about "perfect" figures?
A slightly plump girl was the real treasure.
Graceful curves,
unfading charm,
voluptuous allure—
that was the real forever.
"Ugh, so cheesy..."
The rare glimpse of girlish shyness from the she-devil
sent Xu Mo’s heart racing.
"Hey, hey, hey... no, no, no."
"Hmm? Why not?"
"Because... because... tsk tsk, my dear Xu Mo, you’re so forgetful!"
Zhou Qiaoqiao smiled, radiant as a blooming flower.
But Xu Mo only felt a chill down his spine.
True to his instincts,
Zhou Qiaoqiao proceeded to list her reasons—
what he’d been doing at this time last night,
plus the matter with the "stupid woman."
It was a full accounting of old and new grievances.
Xu Mo rubbed his temples, overwhelmed.
Ah, whatever.
"Do well. If you need money, come to me."
"Am I the kind of man who can’t even support himself?"
Xu Mo grinned, pinching the tip of her nose.
Zhou Qiaoqiao responded with another exaggerated eye-roll.
"That little company of yours isn’t even worth a hundred billion. Don’t come back until it is."
Xu Mo froze.
That... was a tall order.
"How about ten billion? Easier target. Unless... you don’t want to see me sooner?"
"Who wants to see you sooner, you jerk."
"Tsk tsk tsk, such a tsundere."
"Alright, alright, enough joking."
The she-devil, worried about disturbing the baby, quickly cut him off.
Xu Mo stole one last kiss
before leaving.
He still had much to do—
giving Jiang Jiajia, his assistant, a heads-up,
and writing letters to the other female leads to be mailed after his departure.
Why letters instead of texts?
Because letters had more class, of course.
One last issue circled back to the "Dragon Queen."
This time, Xu Mo was traveling alone—no dragon tail tagging along.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"

ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!

young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."

ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"