"I just grabbed some documents and stuff." Ye Shuang didn’t mention the specifics of the matter. He paused, then changed the subject with a smile, "The granddaughter of the old man upstairs came back from abroad. She seems really happy."
"Happy…"
"Yeah."
"I’m happy too when I’m with Ye Shuang." Bai Yuyou tugged at his sleeve as she spoke.
Ye Shuang looked at the girl beside him for a few seconds before asking with a smile, "Do you know what happiness is?"
"Being happy."
"Well, that’s not wrong." Ye Shuang replied.
"I’m happy when I’m with Ye Shuang. I like it when you touch me, when we kiss… when you hold me." Bai Yuyou said seriously.
Ye Shuang: "..."
"If someone we know hears this, it’ll be trouble." Ye Shuang said.
"Why?"
"No reason." Ye Shuang lightly tapped her head. "Just remember not to say things like that."
"Then kiss me… and I won’t say it."
Ye Shuang stopped in his tracks, wondering if he’d misheard. He looked at Bai Yuyou again, only to find the girl already standing on her tiptoes.
When did she learn this?
"No."
But Bai Yuyou didn’t budge, clearly determined to get her way. Over time, she’d picked up a few tricks to handle Ye Shuang.
She wasn’t as clueless as she seemed.
After a moment, Ye Shuang finally gave in, pressing a light kiss to her forehead. "Happy now?"
Bai Yuyou opened her eyes, touched her forehead, then tugged at her clothes. "More… touch me, Ye Shuang."
Ye Shuang said, "No."
"Was this Tang Keke’s idea?"
"No…" Bai Yuyou shook her head, then relented. "Fine… touch me when we get home…"
"Not even at home."
Bai Yuyou had definitely been corrupted by Tang Keke. Now, whenever they went out, she’d cling to his arm without hesitation, shamelessly pressing her softness and warmth against him.
The school festival day passed in a blink, filled with wandering, eating, and drinking like a mini vacation.
Near the end of the day, Ye Shuang returned to the infirmary to grab something, only to find a short-haired girl lying motionless on the bed.
"An Shiyu?" The girl lay there quietly, like a sleeping beauty.
He hadn’t seen An Shiyu all day and assumed she’d gone off to work some part-time job or hang out somewhere. He never expected her to be holed up in the infirmary.
And the door had been locked.
A thought crossed his mind, and he quickly walked over, reaching out to check her breathing. After a few seconds, he withdrew his hand and studied her for another moment.
"Tch, feels like some gross stare just licked me all over." A familiar voice suddenly spoke. An Shiyu opened her eyes, staring blankly at Ye Shuang. "What do you want?"
"No, I just—"
"I’m not dead yet, no need to worry." An Shiyu averted her gaze, as if understanding what he’d been doing. She closed her eyes again. "I’m going back to sleep. While this body’s still warm, do whatever you want."
Ye Shuang: "..."
He didn’t say anything else, just quietly pulled the blanket up and tucked her in.
Once done, he picked up what he came for and headed to the door. Before leaving, he glanced back at An Shiyu.
"Contact me if there’s an emergency."
An Shiyu didn’t respond, only rolling over to show her back. She lazily muttered, "So naggy… got it~"
With a soft click of the door closing, An Shiyu slowly rolled onto her back again.
She stared at the ceiling, then tugged the blanket down slightly.
Her shirt was crumpled and wrinkled over her chest.
---
As usual, Ye Shuang let Bai Yuyou and Tang Keke head home together while he stopped by the supermarket for groceries.
When he stepped out of the elevator, he spotted a small figure curled up in front of his apartment door.
Ye Shuang blinked, double-checking the floor number behind him before walking over.
The girl hugging her knees looked about ten years old, with long golden hair. She was hunched over, making her seem even smaller.
Her hair was damp, and she looked a little disheveled.
"Alice?" Ye Shuang immediately recognized her as the girl who’d dined with him and Aunt Xian a few days ago—Bai Yuyou’s half-sister, Alice.
"Mmm." Alice lifted her face, then buried it back into her knees, her voice muffled. "Nowhere to go."
Ye Shuang: "..."
"What happened?" Ye Shuang crouched down to meet her eye level, a gesture meant to ease tension and encourage conversation.
But deep down, he suspected Alice’s situation might be related to why Aunt Xian hadn’t come to the performance.
"We fought."
"I see…" Instead of scolding her or calling her unreasonable, Ye Shuang simply stood up and swiped his keycard to unlock the door.
When he didn’t press further, Alice peeked up again. The next second, she felt a hand pull her up by the arm, steadying her on her feet.
"Meow!" Yi Wan trotted over, immediately catching Alice’s attention.
"Kitty."
"Meow~" The affectionate long-haired orange tabby rubbed against Alice’s ankles, tickling her.
After petting the cat, Alice stood up—only to have a towel draped over her head.
She looked down at it, confused.
"Dry your hair first. It hasn’t rained in Haizhu today. Don’t tell me you came all the way from the harbor district?" Ye Shuang walked to the water dispenser to pour her a cup.
Noticing Alice still hesitating at the doorway, he asked, "Come in. You were bold enough to camp at my door, but now you’re shy?"
Alice glanced inside once more before settling onto the couch.
"Here, some warm water to heat you up."
"Mmm, thanks…" Alice cupped the mug, savoring the warmth.
"You’re much more well-behaved than last time."
"W-what’s that supposed to mean?!"
Ye Shuang chuckled, then pulled out his phone. "I should let Aunt Xian know you’re here. She’d worry otherwise."
"No!" Alice blurted.
Under his questioning look, she shrunk back, mumbling, "Just for a little while… I don’t want them to know I’m here."
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
saw a female celebrity tied up and stuffed in the trunk! Little did he know, countless cameras were aimed at him at this moment - this was a new type of reality show. The first randomly selected passerby was caught in less than an hour. But when Xu Moru was selected, things started to take an unexpected turn. "Damn, this isn't how the script goes. This Xu Moru is too bold, he's not following the rules at all." "Crap, is this guy taking it seriously?" "The female celebrity has been scared to tears!"
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
