"Tomorrow evening, Yu You will have a stage performance. It's for the Light Music Club, a new club she just joined."
After returning from Alice's place, the atmosphere at the dinner table remained relatively relaxed. Bai Yuyou sat beside Ye Shuang, eating quietly in small bites. At this moment, Ye Shuang brought up the music performance, extending an invitation.
"Tomorrow evening?"
"Yeah." Ye Shuang nodded.
"Tomorrow evening…" Zhou's Mother said, "I should be free."
Since Ye Shuang had invited her to watch the performance, Zhou's Mother was determined to go—even if she had to make time for it. Coincidentally, she had an engagement scheduled for tomorrow, but she decided to find an excuse to cancel it.
"Alice, are you going?" Ye Shuang turned to the little girl.
"Mmm." Alice looked away, seemingly lost in thought and unwilling to meet Ye Shuang's gaze.
The girl was still pondering what Ye Shuang might ask of her, given that she had said he could make her do anything.
"Would he try to make me do something weird?" Alice thought, glancing at Ye Shuang with a strange expression.
Ye Shuang had no idea what was going through the girl's mind. Seeing that Alice remained silent, he didn’t press further.
Unexpectedly, Alice suddenly spoke up, "Fine, as part of the bet, I’ll go."
"Bet?" Ye Shuang quickly caught onto Alice’s little game. He merely smiled, choosing not to call her out—after all, it wasn’t worth making a fuss over.
She was just a grade-schooler. What could she possibly do for him?
The dinner conversation shifted to Bai Yuyou’s recent life and whether she would return to the harbor district with Zhou's Mother and the others. Unsurprisingly, Bai Yuyou refused every suggestion.
But this time, she didn’t shake her head with tears in her eyes or bury her face in Ye Shuang’s chest like before. Instead, she calmly and expressionlessly declined Zhou's Mother’s offers.
Zhou's Mother sighed inwardly, though she noticed that Bai Yuyou’s resistance toward her had lessened. If that was the case, all that remained was to let time do its work.
Meanwhile, Bai Yuyou’s two uncles adored her dearly. Back when she was little, they had loved carrying her around to show off the exquisitely beautiful child to their friends.
Though this wasn’t their first reunion, they still gave her a generous welcome gift—each presenting her with a red envelope containing a bank card loaded with a million yuan.
"I don’t need this…" Bai Yuyou initially refused, but seeing the warmth in her uncles’ eyes, she eventually accepted.
The girl had no extravagant expenses. To her, whether it was a million or ten million made no difference.
She’d just give it to Ye Shuang when they got home.
Time flew by, and it was almost nine o’clock. No matter what, it was time to head back and rest.
Zhou's Mother briefly considered asking Bai Yuyou to stay with her at a hotel for the night but ultimately dropped the idea.
"Be careful on your way back. I’ll come watch the performance tomorrow," Zhou's Mother said as she and the others stood by the car, bidding farewell to Ye Shuang and Bai Yuyou.
"Mm." Ye Shuang nodded, then gently patted Bai Yuyou’s head. The girl softly added,
"Goodbye… Good night…"
Zhou's Mother smiled. "Rest well, Sister Rou."
Ye Shuang also raised a hand toward Alice, who had been staring at him. "See ya."
Alice turned her head away but stuck out her tongue playfully.
"Pakeda."
"It means ‘goodbye,’" one of the uncles explained with a laugh.
Ye Shuang chuckled as well before leaving with Bai Yuyou.
Zhou's Mother watched their figures until they got into their car, then reluctantly returned to her own vehicle.
Just then, her phone rang. Glancing at the screen, she saw it was Zhou's Father calling.
"Hello?"
"A-Xian, you took Alice with you?" Zhou's Father’s voice sounded strained, as if holding back some emotion.
"Yeah, what’s up?"
"…" The line fell silent for a moment.
For some reason, he suddenly hung up. Zhou's Mother looked at her phone but didn’t dwell on it.
……
"What did Aunt Xian talk to you about?" Ye Shuang asked the girl in the passenger seat as he drove.
Bai Yuyou replied, "She asked… about how I’ve been."
"And… wanted me to go back."
Ye Shuang kept his eyes on the road and didn’t press further. But then, he felt a weight against his arm—Bai Yuyou had rested her cheek against him.
"I won’t leave Ye Shuang…"
"I only want Ye Shuang…" The words seemed more like a reassurance to herself.
Ye Shuang reached over and gently patted her head.
……
The next day.
Yinshan Academy was as lively as ever. After selling some lemon tea in the morning, the rest of the day was spent rehearsing and preparing for the Light Music Club’s performance.
Since everyone was practicing in the gym’s backstage area, they didn’t run into members of other clubs.
After finishing a piece, Zhixia called for a break. "Alright, let’s rest for a bit."
During the break, they had some unexpected "guests."
Two students with middle-parted hair walked over and grinned at Zhixia. "Hey, working hard, huh?"
"What do you two want?" Zhixia didn’t seem thrilled by their presence, but she kept her annoyance in check. "Don’t you guys from the LoveKun Music Club have anything better to do than bother us?"
One of the students shrugged. "Just heard the Light Music Club was about to disband, and now you’re putting on a show. Had to come check it out."
"Huang Zhao, if you’ve got nothing important to say, please leave. Don’t disrupt our rehearsal," Linlin interjected.
Huang Zhao smirked. "Linlin, no need to be so cold. We used to be in the same club, remember?"
"Once you left the Light Music Club, you stopped being one of us."
"Ouch, that’s harsh. I didn’t do anything wrong. Music is more fun with more people. If the club keeps ranking last every year and can’t even recruit new members, what’s the point?"
"Mind your own business." Zhixia tugged Linlin’s sleeve. "Ignore him."
Linlin added, "Just go away. You’re bothering us."
"Such a buzzkill." Before Huang Zhao could finish, a hand suddenly landed on his shoulder.
Ye Shuang appeared between Huang Zhao and the other boy, grinning as he slung an arm around each of their necks. "What’s the fun discussion about?"
Huang Zhao stiffened, quickly stepping back. The other boy was equally startled.
"W-Who are you?"
"Me? Just the Light Music Club’s supervising teacher. Are you two here to help move equipment?" Ye Shuang pointed at an electronic keyboard nearby. "That thing’s pretty heavy. We could use some extra hands."
g Yu was preparing for retirement when her organization decided to eliminate her. She transmigrated to a zombie apocalypse world. However, a tiny unexpected situation occurred: She somehow transformed into an adorable little girl?!
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!
tions: attribute allocation, analysis, proficiency, and simulation. Specializing in mechanical alchemy, from crafting sorcerous battle armor to handcrafting mechanical maidens, his mechanical legion conquers endless realms... Relying on his wits, he begins with a student-teacher romance, wins over a female director, enslaves a female assassin and a underworld queen, becoming the husband of a Grand Duchess... He enslaves the Goddess of Magic from the divine realm, developing his power simultaneously in both the Wizard World and the Realm of Gods...
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."
