A forty-minute class was easy for Ye Shuang to pass by idly scrolling through his phone. During that time, a patrolling teacher glanced in but left upon seeing another teacher at the podium.
As the bell rang, signaling the end of class, Ye Shuang stretched and got up to leave the classroom.
"I wonder how Bai Yuyou is doing." Thirsty, he headed straight for the vending machine on the first floor.
After scanning the QR code to pay, Ye Shuang pressed the button for a cola.
"Huh?"
Three or four seconds passed, but aside from the screen displaying "Dispensing in progress," the machine seemed frozen.
"Don’t waste your time. That machine’s broken." A voice came from behind. Ye Shuang turned and saw a familiar face.
Mobile Phone · Steamed Buns · Stationery · Schoolgirl.
Quite the list of nicknames.
Seeing An Shiyu behind him didn’t surprise Ye Shuang—he’d already spotted her in Class B earlier. Though they’d crossed paths a few times, he pretended not to notice her.
"You’re not a teacher at Yinshan Academy, are you?" An Shiyu’s opening words caught him off guard.
"Why do you say that?" Ye Shuang asked. "If I weren’t a teacher, why would I be subbing for your class?"
"Simple. My memory is excellent—I never forget a face," An Shiyu replied.
"That kind of talk… reeks of arrogance." Ye Shuang studied her, and soon, her information surfaced in his mind—
[Character: An Shiyu
Hyperthymesia patient. You could kiss her and she’d remember it for life.]
After a few seconds, Ye Shuang chuckled. "But I’m a new hire."
"Yinshan Academy only recruited one teacher this year, and she’s a woman. Besides, a quick check with HR would confirm it." An Shiyu remained expressionless. "Mister, you wouldn’t want anyone finding out you’re impersonating a teacher, would you?"
Ye Shuang gave her a long look but didn’t bother arguing. Instead, he cut to the chase.
"What do you want from me?"
"Pay me hush money." An Shiyu held out her palm.
"Is this a robbery?" Ye Shuang found it absurd that this pretty girl was extorting him—it almost felt like some bizarre roleplay.
"Think of it as cooperation." An Shiyu suddenly smiled. "I can help you maintain your cover."
Ye Shuang didn’t refuse. He instinctively reached for a cigarette in his pocket but found it empty. "Name your price, if it’s reasonable."
"Fifty."
"…That’s it?" Ye Shuang gave her a strange look.
"How much money can someone with a cheap phone even have?" An Shiyu sounded almost disdainful.
"Then why extort me?!"
"For fun."
Ye Shuang couldn’t fathom what went through the minds of young girls these days. Was this really just for amusement?
"If you won’t pay, then accompany me somewhere," An Shiyu said.
"Where?"
"An internet café."
"Uh… isn’t it class time right now?"
"Just skip class." An Shiyu stuffed her hands into her pockets. "What’s the big deal? The next few periods are large lectures—the teacher’s half-blind and won’t take attendance."
Ye Shuang: "…"
Whatever. He couldn’t be bothered to argue. After agreeing, he watched as the girl expertly led him to the fence behind the cafeteria and pointed. "Squeeze through here."
Ye Shuang complied, though his back ached from the tight fit. The next moment, An Shiyu vaulted over the fence with agile ease—though her landing was so abrupt, she nearly sat on his face.
"Perfect ten." She dusted off her pleated skirt and the nonexistent dirt on her leggings, then stretched.
Noticing Ye Shuang’s gaze, she lifted her skirt slightly. "Want a look?"
Ye Shuang twitched his lips. "No. And if you can climb the fence, why make me crawl through?!"
"Could your old bones even handle climbing?" An Shiyu shot back, her eyes brimming with pity for the elderly.
"I’m not even thirty yet!"
"Even so, take care of your back." She spoke with mock solemnity.
Ye Shuang seriously considered sewing her mouth shut.
He led An Shiyu to the parking lot, stopping at a sleek black motorcycle.
"Get on."
An Shiyu eyed the bike and remarked, "This thing…"
"Would be a pain to steal."
Ye Shuang wordlessly pressed the key fob, and the bike’s lights flashed to life. Swinging a leg over, he handed her a helmet. "Hop on."
"You ride a bike worth tens of thousands but use a cheap phone?" An Shiyu seemed genuinely curious.
"Just don’t worry about it."
Once she was seated, Ye Shuang took off without another word, soon arriving at a nearby internet café.
"So slow," An Shiyu said the moment they dismounted.
"Safety first, ever heard of it?" Ye Shuang removed his helmet, exasperated.
Inside, the receptionist greeted them. "Need terminals?"
"Yeah, two."
"ID cards. How much credit? Top up 100, get 100 free."
"Thirty for both." Ye Shuang didn’t plan to stay long. He glanced at An Shiyu, who was scanning the place like a first-timer, completely uninterested in their conversation.
"ID," Ye Shuang nudged her when she made no move to produce hers.
"You need ID to go online?"
"Obviously. Is this your first time?" Ye Shuang frowned.
An Shiyu turned to the receptionist. "What if I don’t have my ID?"
"Facial recognition with your digital ID works too."
"Got it."
Once they were seated side by side, Ye Shuang expected her to dive into gaming like a typical addict. Instead, An Shiyu shattered his assumptions.
After booting up the terminal, she didn’t launch a single game—instead, she studied the expressions of everyone around them.
"What are you doing?"
"Mister, why do people come to internet cafés?" An Shiyu suddenly asked.
"Shouldn’t you be asking yourself that?"
"I came here because I don’t know."
Ye Shuang glanced at the other patrons and shrugged.
"For the high-end setups."
"You could build a better PC at home."
"Not for some people. For them, friends are the ultimate hardware." He pointed at a group playing games together, then at a lone figure sleeping in the corner.
"And for others, this place is a refuge. These setups… aren’t something you can just replicate at home."
esick Sect? Well, at least it's considered a respectable orthodox sect. Wait a minute— What kind of vibe are you all giving off? Shouldn’t this be a love-struck, romance-obsessed sect? Why does everyone here sound more like demonic cultivators? "Master, today he’s getting married. This disciple wishes to descend the mountain and crash the wedding, then toy with him to death right in front of his wife..." "Elder, I only got into your sect through connections, so why won’t you teach me anything?" "Because I also became an elder through connections." Thankfully, Su Ji was just an outer sect labor disciple. Surely, nothing too crazy would— "Junior Brother, you’ve broken through to Qi Refining. Once you sever your useless spiritual root, you can officially become an outer sect disciple." "The Great Dao is merciless. Don’t let a worthless spiritual root waste your essence and spirit, hindering your cultivation." Is this really the Lovesick Sect? ... Three years later, Su Ji sat in the seat of the Lovesick Sect’s sect master, sighing with emotion. His rise to this position all started when his junior sister adamantly insisted on preserving his "spiritual root." "Mmm... Senior Brother, what’s our relationship now?" "Stop talking. Keep going." "By the way, that newly promoted top-tier sect—didn’t they come to buy our Love Beans?" "One top-grade spirit stone per Love Bean—is that really so expensive?" "I suspect they’ve eaten too many Love Beans." "Now they’re lovesick." Well, this really is the Lovesick Sect after all.
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
nto another world, I bought a slave for the first time, never expecting the silver wolf girl to be so cute... Lin Feng: I know it's cold, but you don't have to sneak into my bed! Yuna: Just sharing body warmth, if you dare do anything naughty, I'll definitely...
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?
