Watching the taillights gradually fade into the distance, Ye Shuang stood still for a moment, then touched his lips again. Staring at the traces of lipstick on his fingertips, he couldn’t help but wonder—perhaps this was his final destination?
He wasn’t young anymore, and it was about time he got married… If nothing unexpected happened, he would probably end up marrying Chen Qin.
After all, they knew each other inside out, their families were close, and Chen Qin’s recent actions and determination made it seem like there was no better choice for marriage.
But the bond between them had always been more like familial affection, the kind shared between childhood friends. Ye Shuang couldn’t quite cross that line just yet, nor could he muster the courage to face her feelings.
Lost in thought, his mind suddenly drifted to Bai Yuyou.
Why did he think of her?
Ye Shuang knew full well that Bai Yuyou wasn’t the right fit for him—or rather, he wasn’t the right fit for her.
And yet…
Compared to before, his resolve now seemed to waver slightly, even giving rise to thoughts like [maybe age isn’t really an issue]. But upon reflection, it was all rather laughable.
Besides, once she truly understood what love meant, things might be completely different.
"Let’s go back." Smiling self-deprecatingly, Ye Shuang turned and stepped into the elevator.
When he returned to the apartment, he found Bai Yuyou sitting on the sofa, holding Yīwàn in her arms. Seeing him, the girl hugged the kitten and walked over. "Ye Shuang, you’re back."
"Yeah." He glanced at her. "Why haven’t you showered yet?"
"I wanted to shower with you…"
"No."
"Why?"
"No reason." Ye Shuang took Yīwàn from her arms and set the kitten down on the floor.
Bai Yuyou said, "Ye Shuang… my phone says married couples can shower together."
"We’re not married." He pinched her cheek lightly, amused.
The girl tilted her head. "Then when can we?"
"When you’re older." His answer was deliberately vague.
"When I’m like… Chen Qin-jie." Bai Yuyou murmured, "Right, Ye Shuang?"
"Yeah."
"Then… are you and Chen Qin-jie married?" she pressed.
"No."
"Why…?"
Ye Shuang found it odd that she was asking so much, but he still replied, "There are a lot of factors… How should I put it? You’ll understand when you’re older."
Bai Yuyou suddenly asked, "Ye Shuang… will you and Chen Qin-jie be married in the future?"
Ye Shuang fell silent. Studying the girl beside him, he walked over and sat on the sofa. "Did Keke teach you to ask this?"
Bai Yuyou shook her head.
He gave her a long look before asking, "If Chen Qin and I were married, how would you feel?"
"How would I feel…?" The girl replied calmly, "Then when I grow up, I’ll be married too."
Thump. Ye Shuang flicked her forehead, half-amused, half-exasperated. "Silly, that’s not how it works. There’s only one married couple, understand?"
Bai Yuyou seemed to grasp something. "Only one."
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"No reason."
She thought for a moment, looking lost. "I don’t get it…"
"That’s why I said you’ll understand later." Ye Shuang knew Bai Yuyou’s mind wasn’t wired to untangle such complexities. Patting her head, he got up to fetch his clothes.
"Ye Shuang…"
"Hm?"
"If you and Chen Qin-jie are married… then what about us?" Her question made him freeze mid-step.
He turned back, meeting her questioning gaze, but couldn’t bring himself to give an answer.
"Us… we probably won’t be married." After a long pause, he finally spoke.
Bai Yuyou’s expression dimmed instantly, her eyes losing their light.
Ye Shuang’s heart inexplicably clenched. He sat back down beside her, watching her despondent face, and sighed. "I said probably…"
"Probably?"
"Yeah. No one knows what the future holds."
"Oh."
"Yuyou, do you really know what being married means?"
She pondered. "Being married means staying together forever."
"Yeah, but it’s more than that."
Bai Yuyou whispered, "I don’t understand all that… I just want to stay with you forever… as long as it’s you, Ye Shuang… that’s enough."
Only then did Ye Shuang realize—Bai Yuyou didn’t care about marriage at all. She didn’t even grasp its meaning. To her, marriage was simply a way to stay together forever, and all she wanted was to stay by his side.
"Ye Shuang, you promised… you’d wait for me." Bai Yuyou said.
Memories of that rainy day surfaced—the girl watching a snail and asking him the same question. Ye Shuang nodded. "Yeah, I’ll wait for you."
"Then can we shower together now?"
Ye Shuang: "…"
"All that just to ask this?" He blinked in disbelief.
Bai Yuyou tilted her head, expression blank. "Mm."
He exhaled, suddenly feeling powerless against her peculiar logic. "Fine. Let’s go take a bath."
"Okay." Instantly reinvigorated, she perked up.
The apartment’s bathroom was different from the one in the old neighborhood—it had a proper bathtub, fully temperature-controlled. Ye Shuang rarely got to enjoy a soak and wanted to relax properly.
After filling the tub, he rinsed off quickly and sank into the warm water, stretching out as every cell in his body seemed to sigh in relief.
Bai Yuyou stepped in shortly after, though at Ye Shuang’s insistence, she wore a white two-piece swimsuit (one he’d bought for her).
Ye Shuang himself had on a pair of swim trunks.
"Ye Shuang, this is tight." She tugged at the swimsuit’s front.
"It’s fine. The size should be right." Though he had to admit, he might’ve underestimated the measurements—the fabric strained against her curves.
Once she settled into the tub, Bai Yuyou sat right in front of him and leaned back against his chest.
At this point, Ye Shuang had no stray thoughts. He treated it like taking her to a hot spring, resting his chin atop her head as his arms draped over the tub’s edges, eyes closed in relaxation.
Bai Yuyou, however, found the bow tied behind her back bothersome. Glancing at Ye Shuang to confirm his eyes were shut, she reached back and undid it.
As the swimsuit floated away in the water, Ye Shuang’s eyes snapped open.
"Huh?"
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
villain is the number one simp for the book's leading female protagonist, Shen Wan'er. As expected, he later becomes a tool for the main character to show off and slap faces, ultimately meeting a tragic end with his family ruined and his life in shambles. Fortunately, he awakens the [Universal Pure Love System], which allows him to earn points by performing acts of pure love. To change his fate, Gu Yan makes a decisive choice to seek warmth and companionship with the book's biggest villain—Cold Qingqiu. ........... My name is Leng Qingqiu. To find the murderer who killed my parents years ago, I deliberately blinded myself so that everyone would lower their guard around me. Just as I was secretly accumulating power and capital according to my initial plan, a man walked into my world. "Lengleng, Qingqing, Qiuqiu, which nickname do you prefer?" I don't like any of them. You'd better leave quickly! "Why aren't you saying anything? How about I call you my baby wife?" Leng Qingqiu thinks to herself, this man is truly annoying! (Stubborn pure love warrior + single female lead + true pure love + 1v1)
ey change clothes. Li Chuan contributed all his possessions, only to find that things were not as they seemed. Almost a year after joining, he hadn’t managed to get a single Daoist consort. Thinking he had been deceived, he was approached by a stunning senior fellow disciple who asked if he would like to form a spiritual bond. For those who don’t practice cultivation, they might not know what “forming a spiritual bond” is. Let me put it this way: A long-term relationship is called a “Daoist consort,” while a short-term relationship is known as “forming a spiritual bond.” From then on, Li Chuan discovered the true way to interact with the Yin-Yang Sect’s Daoist consorts. As long as he had enough spirit stones, he could form a spiritual bond with anyone, Whether it’s Senior Sisters, aunts, Daoist consorts of aunts, female elders, Daoist consorts of elders, or even the Daoist consort of the sect leader, anyone can form a spiritual bond as long as there are enough spirit stones.” I've already joined the Yin-Yang Sect, and you're telling me to focus on cultivation? Do you even know what the Yin-Yang Sect is all about?
