Two hours earlier—
In the room, several girls were huddled together, wearing loose pajamas and giggling among themselves.
"Zhixia, do you have a crush on anyone?" Conversations among girls always circled back to romance, and Tang Keke immediately raised her hand curiously.
Zhixia seemed a little shy as she smiled. "Hmm… not really, for now."
"What's your ideal type then?"
Zhixia thought for a moment before finally saying, "I like tall, slender guys who smell like apples."
"Apple scent…" Tang Keke found the description quite unique, even a little abstract.
An Shiyu lazily propped her cheek on one hand. "Well, I get it. Maybe even their bathroom breaks smell like apples."
Tang Keke: "…"
Surely that’s not what she meant?
"For some reason, I feel like outstanding guys always have a faint apple scent," Zhixia said.
The description was so abstract that the other girls couldn’t quite relate.
"I do know Linlin’s type, though," Zhixia suddenly turned to the tall girl beside her with a grin. Hearing this, Linlin widened her eyes in surprise.
"Hey, what’s the big idea? Why drag me into this?"
"I wasn’t planning to join this conversation!"
Seeing Linlin about to grab her, Zhixia quickly added, "Linlin actually has a crush on a guy in our class recently, and it seems like he’s interested in her too."
"Wow?!" Tang Keke’s eyes instantly lit up, her gossip radar fully activated.
"Spill the details!"
"Ugh, stupid Zhixia! It’s not like that! We just happened to eat together in the cafeteria, that’s all!"
"Just a coincidence? I saw you feeding him food, though."
"Eek!"
After another round of noisy chatter, Linlin seemed too embarrassed to continue and simply flopped onto the bed in defeat. "Your turn now! Keke, what about you? Your ideal guy!"
Tang Keke wasn’t surprised the topic shifted to her, but she didn’t have a clear type in mind either.
"Not really, for now. Most guys who confess to me just seem interested in my figure, and I don’t like that."
"Maybe you’ll meet someone you like when we choose our majors," the other girls suggested.
"Well…" Tang Keke swayed her head cutely and just smiled.
"Next up…" Zhixia glanced at Bai Yuyou but ultimately skipped her, turning to An Shiyu instead. "Shiyu, what about you?"
An Shiyu was sprawled on the bed playing a mobile game when the topic suddenly landed on her. She tilted her chin toward Bai Yuyou. "You skipped one."
"Oh, we don’t need to ask Yuyou," Zhixia and the others said.
"?" Bai Yuyou blinked her beautiful eyes in confusion. She was sitting on the bed in a duck-like posture, hands resting politely in front of her, seemingly not understanding the implication.
"…" An Shiyu, finding the topic uninteresting, waved a hand dismissively. "Men aren’t fun. No interest."
"Ehh—"
The girls weren’t too surprised by her response, though, since An Shiyu had always been a bit of a free spirit.
"Wanna play Ludo now?" Tang Keke asked as the conversation wound down.
"Let’s do it!"
Since no one seemed sleepy yet, they pulled out their phones and played Ludo for over an hour before finally feeling drowsy.
"Lights out, everyone?" Zhixia stretched and yawned.
"Okay~"
The room darkened as they bid each other goodnight, and soon, all the girls settled in to sleep.
"…"
"Hmm…"
About half an hour later, An Shiyu suddenly opened her eyes. She turned her head expressionlessly to the side—Tang Keke was sprawled out in a starfish position, taking up most of the bed.
Even An Shiyu’s thigh was pinned under Tang Keke’s leg, making her feel uncomfortably restrained.
"…" An Shiyu’s eyes turned into dots. She regretted coming.
Not fun at all.
At least the food was good, way better than takeout.
She glanced at Bai Yuyou, who had curled into a tiny ball, fitting snugly into the small space left by Tang Keke’s sprawl.
"Hehehe." Suddenly, Tang Keke rolled over, her arm smacking An Shiyu in the face as she giggled in her sleep.
An Shiyu pushed the arm away and sat up, rubbing her temples in mild frustration.
She stared at Tang Keke as if thinking, "I should just pop your balloons."
"This bed is way too small for three people." An Shiyu scanned the cramped space before her gaze drifted toward the door.
Ye Shuang had a whole bed to himself. That wasn’t fair.
"Unacceptable. I’ll make him sleep on the couch downstairs." An Shiyu stood up, nimbly stepping over the sleeping girls in the dim room.
When she reached Ye Shuang’s room, however, she found him already fast asleep.
"Press F to choke… just kidding." An Shiyu muttered under her breath, her gaze lingering on Ye Shuang. Moonlight spilled through the window, casting a cool glow over his sleeping face. After a moment, she quietly climbed onto the bed.
"Much better. I’ll just wake up early." Satisfied, An Shiyu stretched and slipped under the covers—only for a strong arm to suddenly wrap around her waist in the darkness.
"?!" An Shiyu’s eyes widened as she was effortlessly pulled into a warm embrace.
"Sleep… but remember to go back later," Ye Shuang murmured in a soothing, almost doting tone. The gentle pat on her head instantly stilled her struggles.
An Shiyu: "…"
She stopped resisting and let herself be held.
The warmth of his chest carried a steady heartbeat and a faint, familiar scent—like ripe apples.
"Apples… seriously?" An Shiyu tilted her head slightly and grumbled under her breath.
The room was silent, save for the soft rhythm of breathing. Under the silver moonlight, the tips of her ears burned red.
Her heart pounded so hard it almost hurt.
An Shiyu clenched her fist over her chest, biting her lip for a few seconds before finally resting her forehead against Ye Shuang’s chest.
"Even if time’s running out… just for a little while… this should be okay, right?"
ose... to cooperate with the protagonist! Shen Yuan: I have a system! Protagonist: What? System: Holy crap, you're just spilling it out like that? Shen Yuan: Let's team up, we'll split the system rewards! Protagonist: Fifty-fifty split? Shen Yuan: No way! Protagonist: What!? I'm the one getting beaten up, and I don't get half? Shen Yuan: Forty-sixty split, I get forty, you get sixty! Protagonist: Deal! Big brother, come on, hit me! As long as it doesn't kill me, beat me like you mean it! Shen Yuan: Don't worry... I will definitely protect all of you! No one but me can lay a finger on you! Guard our Heaven's Chosen Ones! I'm the only one allowed to bully them!
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)
villain is the number one simp for the book's leading female protagonist, Shen Wan'er. As expected, he later becomes a tool for the main character to show off and slap faces, ultimately meeting a tragic end with his family ruined and his life in shambles. Fortunately, he awakens the [Universal Pure Love System], which allows him to earn points by performing acts of pure love. To change his fate, Gu Yan makes a decisive choice to seek warmth and companionship with the book's biggest villain—Cold Qingqiu. ........... My name is Leng Qingqiu. To find the murderer who killed my parents years ago, I deliberately blinded myself so that everyone would lower their guard around me. Just as I was secretly accumulating power and capital according to my initial plan, a man walked into my world. "Lengleng, Qingqing, Qiuqiu, which nickname do you prefer?" I don't like any of them. You'd better leave quickly! "Why aren't you saying anything? How about I call you my baby wife?" Leng Qingqiu thinks to herself, this man is truly annoying! (Stubborn pure love warrior + single female lead + true pure love + 1v1)
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?
