"Ah, right!"
Tang Keke suddenly seemed to remember something. She rummaged through the desk drawers before bending down and crawling under the table—from Ye Shuang and Bai Yuyou's perspective, only the lower half of her body was visible, wriggling outside.
"Mmm... mmm... that's weird... Mom should've put it here... mmm... found it!" Just as Tang Keke let out an excited cry, a loud thud echoed from under the desk, followed by the girl's yelp of pain—clearly, she'd bumped her head.
"You okay?" Ye Shuang asked.
"I'm fine." Tang Keke tried to push herself out with her legs but realized she was stuck, likely due to the sudden jolt earlier.
"......"
"......"
After a brief silence, Tang Keke whispered timidly, "I'm stuck..."
"Huh?"
"Brother, I'm stuck!" Tang Keke repeated.
Stuck?
How could she get stuck here?
Ye Shuang bent down to look and saw that Tang Keke's chest was wedged against the desk's crossbar. She'd squeezed in too eagerly, and now, like a latch mechanism, she could go in but not come out.
Bai Yuyou, curious, knelt beside them and peered underneath. After a few seconds, she reached out and grabbed Tang Keke's thigh, instinctively giving it a little rub.
"Ahahaha! S-stop! Brother, don't tickle my thigh!" Tang Keke, extremely ticklish, clamped her knees together, her voice trembling.
Ye Shuang: "......"
Why do you assume it's me?
"Alright, Yuyou, stop teasing her. Keke's ticklish." Ye Shuang examined the situation and said, "Keke, arch your back up, and I'll pull you out."
"Okay," Keke replied.
A few seconds later, Ye Shuang clarified, "Arch your back, not your butt."
"Mmm..."
Once Keke arched properly, Ye Shuang gripped her waist and gently tugged, finally freeing her.
"Oww..." Tang Keke inhaled sharply, rubbing her chest. "Hurts hurts hurts hurts... I swear I'll chop these things in half one day."
That’s... harsh.
"You're all dusty. What were you looking for in there so suddenly?" Ye Shuang pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, poured a bit of water from a nearby cup onto it, and handed it to Keke. "Wipe your face first."
"Thanks."
Before her lay a wooden box. After cleaning up, Keke opened it to reveal a Polaroid camera and a stack of tiny photos, even smaller than a bank card.
"Ta-da! A Polaroid!" Tang Keke proudly held up the lilac-colored camera.
"Polaroid... what is that?" Bai Yuyou tilted her head.
"An instant camera. Lots of people played with these when I was a student," Ye Shuang explained with a smile. "Just like its name, it gives you a photo right after you take it—hence 'Polaroid.'"
Though the image quality paled compared to regular cameras or phones, the soft, dreamy blur gave it a unique charm, making it a favorite among young girls.
Ye Shuang noticed the box was filled with Polaroid selfies—Keke puckering at the lens, posing in cosplay outfits in front of a mirror, even some in swimwear.
"Hehe, don’t look at those!" Embarrassed, Tang Keke shut the box and raised the camera. "Come on, let’s take a picture together—all three of us!"
They huddled close. "Yuyou, when I count to one, say 'cheese,' okay?"
"Okay," Bai Yuyou nodded.
"3... 2... 1..."
"Cheese," Bai Yuyou murmured softly.
Keke pressed the shutter. A flash burst, and a photo slid out.
"Here."
"Nothing’s there..." Bai Yuyou stared at the blank photo, puzzled.
"Just wait a bit—it’ll develop."
Soon, under the girls' watchful eyes, the image slowly emerged, capturing the three of them gazing at the lens, as if freezing that moment of warmth forever.
"Magic..." Bai Yuyou cradled the photo like a treasure. "Like... a photo booth picture."
"Photo booths give instant photos too, so they’re similar," Ye Shuang chuckled, ruffling her hair. "Do you like it?"
"Mhm."
"Then let’s take more. Yuyou, strike a cute pose."
"Cheese..."
"Yuyou, look at the camera, not at brother..."
......
......
Time slipped by unnoticed. The sky deepened to indigo, the neon glow of skyscrapers washing out the stars, leaving the night less dark.
"It’s getting late. We should head back—thank you for your hospitality today." At the Tangs' doorstep, Ye Shuang bid farewell politely.
"No, no, we should thank you, Ye Shuang. Thanks to your cooking tips tonight, Keke might actually eat more of our home-cooked meals," Tang's mother replied warmly.
"Bai Yuyou," Tang's father turned to her.
"Yes."
"Please take care of Keke from now on. I hope you two get along well." His voice was earnest. "Distance means little between true friends... Even if life takes you apart someday, may your friendship endure."
"It will. Keke is my important... friend." Bai Yuyou nodded slowly, her words deliberate but brimming with sincerity.
Tang's father smiled, his expression softening. "Then I entrust my daughter to you."
"Dad, why does this sound like a deathbed request?!" Keke interjected.
"You brat, are you cursing your old man?"
"Of course not!"
After their goodbyes, Ye Shuang and Bai Yuyou left hand-in-hand, crossing the bustling plaza—
The entire way, Bai Yuyou kept her eyes glued to the photo in her hands.
"We can stick this on the fridge too," Ye Shuang suggested gently.
Suddenly, Bai Yuyou spoke up. "Ye Shuang..."
"What is it?"
She raised the photo high, murmuring, "I think... I understand what friends are now."
Ye Shuang paused mid-step, his gaze settling on her face.
"Will Keke and I... always be okay?" she asked.
Ye Shuang tousled her hair.
"You will."
"Then... let’s always be okay. You too, Ye Shuang."
He smiled, leading her forward again. "Deal."
Under the streetlights, their figures melted into the bright apartment entrance, the world around them shifting from shadows to light.
"Oh, let’s get you a Polaroid too," his voice carried into the distance.
"Okay... Can I use it in the bath?"
"No."
th】 【No prior gaming knowledge required】【The First Cultivation + Game Design Novel on the Platform】 In a world where the righteous path dominates and crushes the demonic sects, Lu Ze unlocks the "Son of the Demon Path" system. Killing righteous cultivators now grants him power-ups. Wait—deaths in illusions count too? As a former game designer, Lu Ze decides to give the cultivators of this world a little—no, a massive—shock... Sect Elders: "What is this 'Escape from the Demon Sect' game? Why have all our disciples abandoned cultivation to play it??" Elite Disciples: "You're saying... mastering 'Demon Slayer' can help us counter demonic schemes?" Reclusive Masters: "Why did I leave seclusion? Ask that backstabbing rat who ambushed me in 'Eternal Strife' yesterday!" Rogue Cultivators & Civilians: "'Immortal Abyss Action' is addictive! You can even earn spirit stones by loot-running..." Sect Prodigy: "My Dao heart is unshakable... except for that cursed black hammer." Royal Scions: "Can skins have stat boosts? I’ll pay 10,000 spirit stones for one!!" Sect Leader: "WHO IS CORRUPTING MY DISCIPLES?!!!"
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
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!"
