"Mm, good." Seeing Bai Yuyou finish the entire box of salad, Ye Shuang finally showed a satisfied expression. "How do the cherry tomatoes taste?"
Bai Yuyou's gaze drifted slightly, her eyes slowly shifting away, but she still whispered, "Delicious."
Ye Shuang smiled.
Lunchtime was over, and it was about time to move on to other activities.
There were many amusement facilities here, and since Bai Yuyou was leading Ye Shuang around, they had quite a bit of fun after going through a round of rides.
"Shall we check out the souvenir shop?" Ye Shuang asked.
"Dolphin..."
"There aren’t any dolphins here," Ye Shuang said. After all, this was a collaboration with Pokémon, so the souvenir shop likely sold only Pokémon-themed merchandise.
Leading the girl inside, Bai Yuyou immediately spotted a cushion she liked.
Spheal Cushion – ¥99
"This… I want it…" Bai Yuyou tugged lightly at Ye Shuang’s sleeve.
"This one?" Ye Shuang picked up the cushion.
"Mm."
Ye Shuang nodded. "Alright."
Then, as if remembering something, he added, "I’ll deposit that money into the card your mother gave you."
Previously, worried that Bai Yuyou might be naive and easily scammed—and lacking a bank card—Ye Shuang had kept the money in his own account. But now that she had the card from Aunt Xian, even if a large sum suddenly appeared, it shouldn’t raise any red flags.
Besides, Bai Yuyou wasn’t so easily fooled anymore.
"Deposit it into the card?" Bai Yuyou looked up at Ye Shuang.
"Yeah, that’s right."
"Ye Shuang… are you leaving?" Bai Yuyou asked.
"Why do you ask?" Ye Shuang was taken aback.
"I don’t know…" The girl lowered her eyes. "I don’t want this money… Ye Shuang, just spending on me is enough."
"Ye Shuang… don’t leave, okay? You can have all the money."
Ye Shuang hadn’t expected his words to touch on the girl’s sensitive side. He reached out and gently pinched her soft cheek. "Alright, I won’t leave. Didn’t I already say it?"
"I’ll wait for you to grow up."
Bai Yuyou wrapped her arms around Ye Shuang, burying her face against him without moving.
Ye Shuang patted the back of her head gently. By now, quite a few visitors had glanced their way, but they were likely just seen as an affectionate couple. In a place like an amusement park, where couples took selfies and even made out openly, such displays were hardly unusual.
But as Ye Shuang held the girl, his wandering gaze suddenly caught a strange figure—a man in his twenties, dressed heavily in layers, wearing a cap pulled low over his face.
Perhaps because he stared a moment too long, the system’s interface popped up.
[Character: Xu Huan
Hot-tempered, petty, and prone to violence since childhood. Currently plotting revenge after being cheated on. Seems to be carrying something dangerous—stay away!!!]
Dangerous item…
Ye Shuang’s eyes flicked over and noticed the man staring intently at a couple not far ahead, his hand slipping inside his coat as if searching for something.
Frowning slightly, Ye Shuang seemed to realize what was happening.
But the next second, the girl in the couple turned her head as if by chance, locking eyes with Xu Huan—
"Xu Huan?! Why are you here?!" the girl exclaimed in shock.
"You damn bitch, why do you think?!" Xu Huan, realizing he’d been spotted, yanked a gleaming watermelon knife from his coat and lunged, stabbing the boy beside her straight in the abdomen!
"AHHHHHHHH!!!" The girl’s scream instantly threw the souvenir shop into chaos. Many who saw the scene panicked, scrambling toward the exit!
Xu Huan yanked the knife free and slashed at the girl. "How dare you cheat on me?!"
"Bitch, I cheated on you once, and you think you can do it back?! Who the hell do you think you are?!"
After several frenzied stabs, the girl’s screams faded. The shop was in pandemonium, with people still packed at the exit, unable to get out.
Xu Huan stood up, turning his bloodshot eyes toward the crowd. Brandishing the knife, he charged like a madman. "You couples deserve to die too! I bet you’ve all cheated on someone!"
Seeing the man charging straight at him with the knife, Ye Shuang felt his blood run cold.
What kind of lunatic is this?!
But there was no way Ye Shuang would let Bai Yuyou get hurt. He immediately grabbed a Pokémon-themed ceramic jar from a nearby shelf and hurled it at the man!
One struck Xu Huan square in the forehead!
"ARGH!" The man clutched his head in pain.
"Are you all just going to stand there?! A single knife has you all frozen?!" Ye Shuang shouted at the crowd bottlenecked at the exit. He and Bai Yuyou were trapped in a corner with no way out, especially with the only exit jammed.
But the sight of Xu Huan’s bloodied knife kept the onlookers at bay. The man was tall and burly—one slash to a vital spot could be fatal.
Some, however, pulled out their phones to record the scene for social media.
By now, Xu Huan had recovered. Ye Shuang’s attack had only fueled his rage.
"I’ll kill you!"
Seeing the man’s murderous intent, Ye Shuang quickly pushed Bai Yuyou aside and grabbed a nearby umbrella stand to block Xu Huan’s wrist.
As the two struggled, Bai Yuyou mimicked Ye Shuang’s earlier move—grabbing random items from the shelf and hurling them at Xu Huan’s head. "Ye Shuang—"
"AH!"
The moment Xu Huan flinched, Ye Shuang kicked him hard between the legs.
With a howl of pain, Xu Huan staggered back and collapsed.
Ye Shuang rushed forward, kicking the dropped knife away. A streak of blood painted the floor as the blade skidded across the tiles.
"Everyone, help!" Now that the knife was out of reach, the crowd surged forward, pinning Xu Huan to the ground.
Ye Shuang exhaled in relief and turned back to Bai Yuyou—but then someone shrieked, "He’s got another knife!"
Xu Huan had hidden a dagger in his sleeve. He slashed wildly, forcing those holding him to let go in fear of getting cut.
Seizing the chance, Xu Huan scrambled up like a rabid dog, swinging the dagger indiscriminately and wounding several who couldn’t dodge in time.
In his frenzy, his eyes locked onto Ye Shuang again. "DIE!"
At that moment, Ye Shuang was slightly bent over, checking if Bai Yuyou was okay—unintentionally exposing his back.
With no shelves or objects nearby to shield them, and no time to react, Ye Shuang could only shield Bai Yuyou with his own body as her face paled in horror.
"Ye Shuang!"
But the expected pain never came.
Ye Shuang turned his head—
A furry yellow Pikachu suddenly clamped onto Xu Huan's arm.
"P-Pikachu?" Distracted by the sight of someone in a Pikachu mascot suit gripping his wrist, Xu Huan barely had time to react before his vision blurred—he was violently hurled through the air in a brutal judo throw!
"Crash!" His body slammed into a shelf, sending a cascade of souvenirs clattering down onto him.

iemie, male, Race: Moon. Hobby: Collecting anomalies. At first, he thought he possessed two systems: the Crimson Rainbow Moon and the Clear Cold Frost Moon. One day, he discovered that he himself could also become a system for others, holding the chessboard of fate. The Eighth Epoch, also known as the Eternal Moon Epoch. Humans, witches, elves, bloodline descendants, specters, demons, and spirits together compose a new history. Walking the path on behalf of the moon, before he knew it, Chen Miemie's footsteps were followed by all manner of strange and wondrous anomalies. As time passed, many titles circulated about him—The King in Yellow, Lord of Anomalies, Heart of the Eternal Moon, and more. "Me? I'm just a traveler who enjoys collecting interesting creatures," Chen Miemie said.

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."

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!

d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!