"Is it really that exciting?"
As they continued browsing the classroom-themed stalls, Ye Shuang noticed that ever since Chen Qin got her hands on that little bear plushie, her eyes had been curved into crescents, her face glowing with an unstoppable sweetness.
"I'm happy," Chen Qin said, lifting the bear plushie. "Look, isn't it adorable?"
"Hmm…" Ye Shuang rubbed his chin, not particularly convinced that a cheap 9.9-yuan bear from Pinduoduo could be considered cute. "Maybe."
"Yeah, yeah."
Chen Qin knew the bear might not be worth much.
But Ye Shuang had gotten it for her—and to Chen Qin, that made it priceless.
"It's a gift from A-Shuang," Chen Qin murmured, almost like a sigh.
Having a crush is a kind of courtesy—quietly building a castle in your heart.
For Chen Qin, her unspoken feelings for Ye Shuang had always been a battlefield within her own mind, while Ye Shuang, oblivious, remained as calm as still water.
She turned to look at his profile, wondering silently—if she had mustered the courage to take that step earlier, would A-Shuang have never been hurt by that woman? Would his parents still be here?
But if the world really had a pill for regret, Ye Shuang would surely be the one who wanted it most.
So, the best thing now was to cherish the present and not let anything slip away again.
"What's wrong?" Ye Shuang asked, noticing her dazed expression.
"Nothing."
Hugging the plushie, Chen Qin knew—this was her reward for finally finding the courage to take that step.
Ding—
Just then, Ye Shuang’s phone rang.
"Huh?"
He pulled it out and saw an unfamiliar number.
Normally, he wouldn’t answer calls from unknown out-of-town numbers—most were just scams. But since this was a local number, and considering the old flip phone he needed to repair, he wondered if it might be the repair shop calling. He answered.
"Hello?"
"......"
"Hello?" There was no response on the other end. Frowning, Ye Shuang checked the volume. "Excuse me… who is this?"
Finally, a voice came through. "Ye Shuang, I… I’m not feeling well. I’m drunk."
That voice—he knew it all too well. His expression darkened. "What does that have to do with me?"
"P-Please don’t hang up…"
"I was wrong… Ye Shuang… Can you come get me?" Zhao Mengyao’s weak voice pleaded.
Ye Shuang was silent for a few seconds before replying, "Send me the address. I’ll come."
"Really?!"
"Yeah."
"Okay…"
After hanging up, Ye Shuang immediately blocked the new number in his anti-spam list.
"Who was it?" Chen Qin asked.
"Zhao Mengyao."
Chen Qin let out an "oh" and didn’t press further.
"Not going to ask more?" Ye Shuang chuckled.
"You just said you were going to pick her up…" Chen Qin lowered her head, her mood visibly dimming. But she had no right to object, so she just hugged the bear plushie a little tighter, feeling lonely.
"I was lying to her." Ye Shuang reached out and flicked her forehead. "Already blocked."
Chen Qin’s eyes lit up. "Really?"
"Of course. Her original number was already blacklisted—no idea why she called from a new one."
"The Zhao family’s company seems to be in trouble. I heard a lot of shareholders are dumping their stocks," Chen Qin said with a grin.
Ye Shuang wasn’t surprised.
Many of the company’s core employees had stayed out of loyalty to him—he had personally recruited them, and their skills were in high demand elsewhere. Once he was forced out, those who actually got things done had jumped ship to bigger firms.
With the real workers gone, the freeloaders left behind couldn’t keep the company running. Even if they desperately tried hiring now, no competent person would touch that mess.
Zhao Mengyao had never understood this. She thought Ye Shuang’s success was solely due to the company’s resources and even believed Tang Hao could do better.
But she wasn’t completely foolish—she’d made Tang Hao shadow Ye Shuang for a while, and Tang Hao had probably assured her he could handle it.
Now that the company was collapsing, Zhao Mengyao was likely under immense pressure from her family—especially her father.
"Her father doesn’t even have the face to come begging, yet she still has the nerve," Chen Qin said, wrinkling her nose cutely.
"Let’s not dwell on it." Ye Shuang had fully moved on and didn’t want to waste energy on that woman.
Before they knew it, it was almost 4 PM. They had even caught a student theater performance in the meantime.
"What’s the plan for later?" Chen Qin asked as they left the classroom.
"Taking Yuyou to a piano store. We’re buying one for her," Ye Shuang said. The girl wanted to practice, and if it was just a hobby, he was happy to support her exploring different interests.
Poor Yiwan, though.
Not that the cat would complain.
"My family actually has a spare Steinway," Chen Qin offered.
"No need. Yuyou isn’t short on money." Ye Shuang shook his head, thinking about how Bai Yuyou had handed him the million-yuan red envelope from her uncle.
That money should be spent on her—it was the Zhou family’s way of making up for all the years they’d missed.
"Hmm…" Then he remembered the car situation. His sports car only seated two, which wasn’t always practical.
"What’s on your mind?" Chen Qin waved a hand in front of his face before pinching his cheek. "Hey?"
"Huh?"
"You were spacing out."
"Thinking about buying a car." He explained the issue, though buying a whole new one seemed a bit extravagant.
Chen Qin grinned. "Then buy one! I’ve got a little fund set aside for you."
"Just a passing thought. Forget it."
"If it’s just for commuting, our company has plenty of spare cars." Chen Qin suddenly brightened. "Chen Hai’s Maserati’s been sitting around forever—why not use that?"
Ye Shuang knew. He’d borrowed it once to pick her up.
"Better to just buy one. I’ve been eyeing some electric cars—decent ones go for around 80,000."
"You’ve got five or six million on hand now. No need to settle for that tier," Chen Qin teased. "You used to be a boss, remember?"
"That’s Yuyou’s money." Ye Shuang smiled. "Right now, I’m just a school doctor."
His tone was light, completely unbothered.
"Fine, I’ll support you either way." Seeing he truly didn’t mind, Chen Qin linked arms with him, laughing.
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
pression Bureau] Transported to a fantasy world overrun by demons and monsters, Gu Qingfeng becomes a jailer in the Demon Suppression Prison of the Great Yan Dynasty's Demon Suppression Bureau. From this point on, bizarre cases frequently occur in the Demon Suppression Prison, once known as hell on earth and infamous for its gloomy, terrifying atmosphere! Why do the demons and monsters in the prison wail miserably every night? Why has the corpse demon, capable of transforming into various beauties, donned black stockings and switched careers to become a foot massage therapist? Why has the eye demon, expert in soul-snatching and illusions, turned into a VR headset? Why is the fox spirit performing otaku dances? Are all these occurrences a twisted expression of demonic nature, or a descent into moral depravity? After peeling away layer upon layer of mystery, all clues ultimately point to a jailer named Gu Qingfeng. Gu Qingfeng: "Hehehe... My dear demons and monsters, whose card shall we flip today?"
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?
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!"
