"Boss~~ I'd like a stir-fried rice noodle," Aunt Li said with a playful grin to the bald man behind the counter. "To go, please~"
The boss, who was busy tossing the noodles in the wok, shuddered slightly before replying, "Sure, how spicy?"
"Mmm, what do you think?"
"Uh… mild spice, beautiful?"
"Fine."
The boss swallowed hard and glanced up at Aunt Li and Bai Yuyou standing before him. The two women formed such a stark contrast—one like a demon, the other like an angel.
"Come, child, have a seat." Aunt Li led Bai Yuyou to a table. Staring at the girl's expressionless yet delicate face, she hummed and said, "Little Shuang is almost at the age for marriage."
Bai Yuyou lifted her beautiful eyes and murmured, "Mhm."
"Didn’t you say… you two were married?" Aunt Li covered her mouth, giggling.
Bai Yuyou immediately nodded. "We are married…"
"Ye Shuang said so…"
But then she hesitated, whispering, "But… a marriage is only for two."
"Chen Qin likes Ye Shuang… I also like Ye Shuang…"
"I don’t understand these things, but I want to stay with Ye Shuang forever…"
"I only want Ye Shuang…"
Aunt Li propped her chin on her hand, studying Bai Yuyou. Suddenly, she remembered a girl from years ago who had drunkenly mumbled those same words—I only want Ye Shuang—her face flushed red.
[Ugh, so annoying! What’s so great about that Zhao Mengyao? Why does Ye Shuang treat her like that, rushing to pick her up even when he had a fever? She acts like a princess without even being one…]
[If it were me, I’d never treat him like that. My precious, I wouldn’t let anyone else trample over him…]
[What does love even matter? I’m prettier and better anyway. Even if none of that counts, I just want Ye Shuang…]
[If I had one chance, I’d never let go…]
Looking at Bai Yuyou now, Aunt Li felt she understood Ye Shuang’s thoughts a little better. She spoke softly, "Baby Yuyou, you know, marriage isn’t just about liking someone."
"It involves love, responsibility, loyalty, and more." Aunt Li wiggled her slender fingers, painted with purple nail polish. "Right now, you don’t understand any of this. If Ye Shuang ever has to make a choice, you might not even be able to stand beside Chen Qin."
Bai Yuyou frowned. "Responsibility…"
"Exactly. And because of that responsibility, Ye Shuang can’t—and won’t—choose you while you’re still so naive." Aunt Li pinched Bai Yuyou’s cheek gently, smiling.
"Because you don’t understand, but he does."
"Be a good girl and listen to Auntie. You need to grow up quickly, learn what love really is. Otherwise, Ye Shuang might leave one day."
The moment she heard that Ye Shuang might leave, Bai Yuyou blurted out, "I… don’t want Ye Shuang to leave."
"Here’s your stir-fried noodles, beautiful. That’ll be 30," the boss called out. Aunt Li stood up, scanned the payment code, then winked at Bai Yuyou. "Let’s go, baby Yuyou."
"Okay…"
Following Aunt Li, who strode ahead in her stockings and high heels, Bai Yuyou quietly digested everything she had just heard.
……
"What took you so long?" Chen Hai grumbled when Aunt Li returned.
She sat down and placed the noodles on the table. "Ugh, then don’t eat it."
"Tch."
Just then, the burly boss—whose arms were tattooed with Hello Kitty—brought out a plate of skewers and added, "And a dozen oysters coming up."
"Got it."
Chen Hai poured Ye Shuang a cup of tea. "Alright, let’s start with some tea before the drinking begins. Tonight’s the real deal!"
Ye Shuang took the cup and sipped.
A few seconds later, he set it down, deadpan, then picked up a lighter from the table. With a whoosh, the entire cup burst into flames.
"What kind of flammable tea is this?!" Ye Shuang snapped.
"Hahahaha!"
As they ate skewers and shook dice cups, the group chatted casually about old times. With the alcohol loosening his tongue, Ye Shuang shared quite a bit—though the moment Zhao Mengyao’s name came up, he clammed up and changed the subject. Chen Hai and the others understood, smoothly moving past it.
They all knew—Zhao Mengyao had gone from being Ye Shuang’s white moonlight to his black moonlight, a forbidden topic, something he refused to speak of.
Ye Shuang couldn’t move on. He blamed himself for not realizing sooner, for not leaving Zhao Mengyao earlier, for not preventing his parents’ tragedy. He was that kind of man—one who shouldered all the blame, who always turned the fault inward.
If time could rewind, maybe Ye Shuang wouldn’t have pursued Zhao Mengyao at all. But there were no second chances. Regret had no antidote, and neither did lingering sorrow.
The only remedy was to steel oneself, brace for the worst, and act with no regrets.
After several rounds, Ye Shuang’s face was flushed red. Chen Hai, also tipsy, slurred, "Got any water?"
"Here." Ye Shuang handed him a clear glass.
Chen Hai took a big gulp—only to recoil, his face twisting as the liquid burned his throat. He flicked his lighter, and the "water" ignited into flames.
"Holy hell, is this pure alcohol?!"
"Hahaha!" Ye Shuang laughed heartily, satisfied with his revenge.
Among them, only Chen Hai’s wife and Aunt Li remained sober—not because they drank less, but because their tolerance was formidable. Especially Chen Hai’s wife, petite as she was, was a legendary drinker who had once outlasted an entire table.
The night deepened.
The open-air eatery buzzed with noise, the scent of charcoal and oil blending into the air, making the sky feel less dark.
It was about time to head home.
Aunt Li hailed a cab, while Chen Hai and the others called a designated driver to drop Ye Shuang and Bai Yuyou off.
Worried about their safety, Chen Hai even escorted them all the way to the apartment’s underground garage, right to the elevator.
"Little Bai, hold onto Ye Shuang tight. Don’t let him fall."
"Okay…"
Once out of the car, Bai Yuyou wrapped her arms around Ye Shuang’s waist to steady him. She didn’t know what being drunk felt like, but she knew he needed her help now.
Back in the apartment, she guided him to the couch, where he collapsed without another word, only murmuring, "I’m sorry…"
Bai Yuyou didn’t know who the apology was for. She climbed onto the couch beside him, resting her head on his chest. The scent of alcohol filled her nose as she recalled Aunt Li’s words.
"Learn to love…"
"So… we’re not married…"
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
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."
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
