Ye Shuang slowly exhaled, then reached out to restrain the other’s restless, snake-like waist. "Stop fooling around."
"She’s not like you."
"So what do you plan to do? Keep taking care of that girl forever?" Chen Qin’s tone was faintly melancholic as she leaned forward, slipping her fingers between Ye Shuang’s and gently interlacing them. "I want your care too."
Seeing Ye Shuang remain silent, Chen Qin realized she had overstepped. She released his hand and slid off him, letting out a soft huff.
"Maybe I shouldn’t say this, but I really can’t let go of that kid," Ye Shuang admitted.
"What’s your next move, then? And why didn’t you reach out to us when something that big happened?"
"I’m lost," Ye Shuang shook his head. "I used to think I could handle anything, but reality showed me… I’m just an ordinary person."
"I don’t know how to keep living in this city—no goals, just drifting through each day, repeating the same motions. I used to believe work was everything, so losing it felt like losing my whole life."
He chuckled. "But these past few days made me realize something different."
"Turns out, life isn’t just about grinding for success. I’ve been shackled by that idea for too long. Living simply, peacefully… it’s not so bad."
"Back then, even a full night’s sleep was a luxury. Now, waking up naturally every day feels like a blessing."
"Until that girl grows up, I don’t have any other plans."
Chen Qin fell quiet for a moment before suddenly remarking,
"First time I’ve heard someone describe mooching off someone else so poetically."
"Right? Even I’m surprised," Ye Shuang laughed.
Chen Qin sighed, patting her ample chest before shooting Ye Shuang a reproachful glance.
Still, she knew him well—despite his calm exterior, he needed time to heal.
"You’re not falling for that girl, are you?" Chen Qin wrinkled her nose, her tone laced with playful suspicion.
"What do you think?"
Chen Qin propped her chin on one hand, her dark brown hair framing her strikingly alluring face. A teasing smile curled her crimson lips.
"You couldn’t even appreciate someone as gorgeous as me. Who knows if you’d actually go for a younger girl?"
"Am I that old?"
"Who can say? Your birthday’s next week," Chen Qin pointed out.
Birthday?
Ye Shuang froze, then instinctively checked his phone. Sure enough, the date was approaching.
"Can’t even remember your own birthday, but you never forgot hers," Chen Qin muttered under her breath.
"That’s all in the past," Ye Shuang mused. Was he really turning 27?
How had time flown so fast?
"I’ve got a business trip abroad tomorrow," Chen Qin said, retrieving a small box from the nearby table. "This is your birthday gift—early, since I won’t be back in time."
Ye Shuang took the box, surprised by how light it was.
It had been years since he’d last received a birthday gift from Chen Qin. Ever since he’d started dating that other woman, Chen Qin had kept her distance.
"What’s inside?"
"Open it and find out."
Ye Shuang unwrapped it to find a car key.
"I only covered the down payment. You’ll need to handle the monthly installments—eight thousand," Chen Qin said.
"Isn’t that a bit much?"
"Just kidding. I heard you borrowed Chen Hai’s precious motorcycle. If you scratch it, he’d lose his mind," Chen Qin smirked.
"Relax, it’s just a basic Toyota for getting around. Take it."
Ye Shuang examined the key. "Who gives a car as a birthday gift? Next year, are you gonna hand me a house?"
Chen Qin’s cheeks flushed pink. "Sure. The house, the company—even myself. All yours."
Ye Shuang grimaced. "A car’s already too much. I can’t accept it."
"Ugh, it’s just a cheap car! Since when did you become so fussy?" Chen Qin glared. "Fine, consider it borrowed! I just don’t want you wrecking that fatso Chen Hai’s ride!"
"Now that sounds more like you," Ye Shuang said, relieved to see her usual fiery temper return. The shy, blushing act had been unsettling.
"Hmph."
"Since when do you care about Chen Hai’s bike?"
"Who cares about him?!"
"Uh…"
——
"Achoo!" Upstairs, Chen Hai—who’d been sitting with Bai Yuyou—suddenly sneezed. Rubbing his nose, he grumbled, "Damn, are those two downstairs bad-mouthing me?"
Or maybe his wife was mentally cursing him from home.
His gaze then drifted to Bai Yuyou, who sat quietly across from him. After sizing her up, he wondered—no way Ye Shuang would go for someone this young, right?
Still, she was undeniably pretty. In a couple of years, she’d be downright stunning.
"Hey, why’d you say you and Ye Shuang are married?"
Bai Yuyou replied flatly, "Ye Shuang said married people can sleep together."
"Holy—?!" Chen Hai’s expression twisted. "S-So… you two… did it?"
Bai Yuyou tilted her head, confused by his hand gestures.
"You know… what married couples do. Did you?"
Assuming he meant eating and sleeping together, Bai Yuyou nodded. "Yes, we did."
Chen Hai suddenly felt sorry for his sister, though he respected Ye Shuang’s choices.
Chen Qin had practically drooled over Ye Shuang since childhood but never had the guts to make a move. Meanwhile, this little girl swooped in and got him.
"Poor kid," Chen Hai sighed inwardly.
Not like him—married early and living the good life.
Just then, his phone buzzed with a message from Ye Shuang.
"Let’s head down."
"Okay."
Chen Hai led Bai Yuyou downstairs to find Ye Shuang and Chen Qin composed on the sofa, chatting idly.
"Damn, you’re a legend. Chen Qin usually cries for three days straight, but you tamed the she-devil," Chen Hai grinned, giving a thumbs-up.
"Fatty, what did you just say?!" Chen Qin snapped.
Ye Shuang shrugged. "Just a misunderstanding. Cleared it up."
The group settled into conversation, each carefully avoiding their real concerns. By eleven, it was time for Ye Shuang and Bai Yuyou to leave.
After returning the motorcycle keys to Chen Hai, Ye Shuang led Bai Yuyou to the parking lot.
Scanning the area, he couldn’t spot the supposed Toyota. A Corolla should’ve been easy to find.
Puzzled, he pressed the unlock button on the key—and headlights flashed in the distance.
"Where is it?"
Ye Shuang led Bai Yuyou over, but when she saw the pristine white body of the car, she fell silent.
Ye Shuang wordlessly pulled out her phone and called Chen Qin directly.
"What's up? Made up your mind?" Chen Qin's cheerful voice came through the phone.
"You call this a commuter car?" Ye Shuang stared at the Toyota Supra in front of her and continued,
"Isn't this a sports car?!"
"Yep, a commuter sports car."
Ye Shuang: "..."
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
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'!"
