"Meh?"
"Are you free next Sunday?" Ye Shuang asked Chen Qin after the call connected.
"Of course!" Chen Qin's voice on the other end was cheerful.
Ye Shuang then recounted how Aunt Xian had called Bai Yuyou, especially sharing his own concerns. Upon hearing this, Chen Qin let out a drawn-out "Hmm."
Seated in her office, still busy with company matters, Chen Qin twirled a pen between her slender fingers. "Got it. You're worried Yuyou might get eaten up."
"Not exactly," Ye Shuang replied with a faint smile.
Going back was inevitable, but timing mattered. If the Zhou family tried to force Bai Yuyou to stay, it might only make the girl resistant, leading to an unpleasant situation for everyone.
"I think," Chen Qin said, "just politely decline Aunt Xian. You already said it's not the right time."
"How about we grab a meal together this weekend instead?"
"If you do decide to go, just let me know. I’ll come with you," Chen Qin added. "We can have some boat congee and iced milk tea first."
Ye Shuang smiled. "Alright."
After hanging up, the conversation with Chen Qin eased Ye Shuang's hesitation. If things would only get complicated, it was better to hold off for now.
"Hmm… I’ll just say I’m busy." Ye Shuang picked up Bai Yuyou’s phone and sent Aunt Xian a message, explaining that they had other plans for Sunday but would visit another time.
Soon, Aunt Xian replied with a sad-looking sticker but didn’t press further.
"Maybe I’m overthinking it?" Ye Shuang mused, staring at the sticker. In the end, he decided not to dwell on it.
"Let’s skip this week. It’s not the right time yet," he told Bai Yuyou.
The girl nodded obediently.
With that little episode behind them, the two resumed their activities. Ye Shuang watched some educational videos before switching to lighter content. Noticing the noise from his phone, he glanced up at Bai Yuyou.
The girl had returned to her earlier posture—leaning against the armrest of the sofa, practicing her guitar with her legs stretched out.
Sensing his gaze, she tilted her head slightly.
"Nothing, keep practicing," Ye Shuang said.
Bai Yuyou lowered her head and continued playing. Ye Shuang stopped watching videos and simply listened to the notes she strummed. Though not particularly melodious, the sound brought an unexpected sense of calm.
Night deepened.
"Time to brush your teeth," Ye Shuang said, checking the time.
"Ye Shuang…"
"Make a baby." The girl tugged at his sleeve.
Ye Shuang: "…"
"Not now. Go brush your teeth," he said flatly.
Bai Yuyou obediently closed her mouth and went to the bathroom. But when she returned, she slipped him a note—
【(´,,•ω•,,)♡ Ye Shuang, make a baby~】
Ye Shuang: "…"
"Are we really doing this?"
At that moment, he wanted to smack both this clueless girl’s bottom and Keke’s for putting such ideas in her head.
……
The night passed without further incident. The next morning, after updating his novel, Ye Shuang headed to the school clinic.
No sooner had he sat down than his phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Teacher Bai, are you busy?" The caller was another faculty member. Ye Shuang found the voice unfamiliar. "Not really…"
"How did you get my number?"
"I asked in the group chat if any teachers were free for second period, and someone from HR sent me your contact," the voice explained. "Teacher Bai, could you cover a math class for Class A?"
HR?
Ye Shuang was baffled. He was just a school nurse—HR should know that. Why would they give out his number?
"Which HR person?" he asked.
"New hire, I think. Their nickname in the group is ‘Little Fish.’ Do you know them?"
Ye Shuang: "…"
"What’s their profile picture?"
"Let me check… A black-and-white ninja shuriken."
Ye Shuang fell silent again.
"Teacher Bai, do you have time?" the caller pressed. Ye Shuang had only spoken to this teacher a few times before, mostly to gather intel on Bai Yuyou’s school life.
Normally, class substitutions weren’t arranged so hastily—they required advance notice and approval. This had to be an emergency, like last time with Teacher Chen. He wondered if her fracture had healed.
"Class A—which grade?"
"Third year, of course. Teacher Bai, you’re such a joker."
So, Bai Yuyou’s class. Intrigued, Ye Shuang agreed. "Send me the lesson materials."
"Great! It’s just going over a test—nothing complicated."
"Fine."
After hanging up, Ye Shuang scrolled through his contacts until he found the ninja shuriken avatar—An Shiyu.
Of course it was her.
Now posing as HR? She really had too much free time.
Ye Shuang didn’t know where to begin with this troublemaker. An Shiyu was just here for the chaos.
"Could be interesting to see how they behave in class."
He didn’t mind. Soon, the other teacher delivered the test papers, complete with answer keys. Ye Shuang skimmed through the solutions, ensuring he could explain them smoothly.
"Almost time. Let’s go."
Checking the clock, he grabbed the materials and headed to Class A.
If the students asked, he’d just say he was a passing school nurse. And what’s so strange about a nurse substituting, anyway?
……
Class A.
"What? No luck?" During break, Tang Keke asked about last night’s events. When she learned Ye Shuang hadn’t budged, she looked utterly bewildered.
"This face!" She pointed at Bai Yuyou’s delicate features.
"This figure!" She gestured at the girl’s ample chest.
"Bro’s willpower is insane?!" Tang Keke didn’t get it, but she was impressed.
Finally, she reached a conclusion. "Yuyou, do you think Brother might be…"
She crooked her index finger suggestively.
Bai Yuyou, however, slowly looked up and murmured, "Ye Shuang…"
"Yeah, I’m talking about him," Tang Keke said, then noticed Bai Yuyou’s gaze was oddly fixed—on something behind her.
She turned around and froze.
Standing right there was Ye Shuang.
Tang Keke: OvO...
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
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."
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!"
