Before leaving the village, a light drizzle began to fall from the overcast sky. The rain was gentle, but the distant woods seemed to be cleansed by the translucent veil of mist.
The air carried the scent of fresh grass and damp soil, with a hint of coolness lingering in it.
Since there was no need to rush back to Haizhu City in the rain, Ye Shuang, Bai Yuyou, and the others sat on small stools by the doorway, enjoying slices of watermelon while taking in the scenery. Tang Keke and Duoduo played cheerfully with Dahuang, teasing the dog with tattered palm-leaf fans, rubbing its head—a picture of leisure.
Ye Shuang glanced at his phone, where a message from An Shiyu awaited:
An Shiyu: Come out for tea, yo!
As always, her personality was hard to decipher. Apart from fulfilling items on her bucket list, there wasn’t much else he could do for her.
Given his medical expertise, curing An Shiyu was beyond his capabilities.
"Life is unpredictable," Ye Shuang muttered, taking another bite of watermelon. "Seems less sweet now."
Beside him, Bai Yuyou noticed his pensive expression and quietly pressed her pale, delicate foot onto his. If there was any part of her that hadn’t been tanned since their last vacation, it was probably her feet—aside from certain other untouched areas, like her "white tiger slime" spots.
Noticing the stark contrast between her fair ankles and slightly darker soles, like two-toned ice cream cool to the touch, Ye Shuang slowly snapped out of his thoughts.
He ran a finger along her sole, and her foot instantly recoiled as she folded her long legs onto the stool. "Ticklish," she said.
Then, tilting slightly, she extended her other foot. "This one isn’t ticklish. You can touch it."
Ye Shuang couldn’t help but chuckle. Without another word, he let her rest her foot on his thigh as he turned his gaze back outside—where a golden sunbeam pierced through the misty rain, casting a faint glow over the puddles in the yard.
"The sun’s out. Let’s go."
"Mm."
Water droplets rolled off the car, shimmering under the sunlight.
Once everyone was inside, Tang Keke’s grandmother stood by the vehicle, her expression tinged with reluctance.
The cheerful old woman kept smiling, but her eyes lingered on her granddaughter Tang Keke.
Yet, in the end, she said nothing more, simply pressing a red envelope into their hands. "For good luck. May your journey be smooth and prosperous."
"Hehe, thanks, Grandma."
"Study hard, and visit more often, alright?"
"Got it!"
It seemed she had so much more to say, but all her words condensed into a simple, "Be careful on the road."
"Mom, we’re heading out," Tang's father added.
"Alright, alright. Take care." The old woman waved, with Duoduo and Dahuang standing beside her to bid farewell.
As if sensing their departure, Dahuang wagged his tail and let out a couple of whimpers, as if reluctant to see them go.
Watching the scene fade in the rearview mirror, Ye Shuang murmured, "Having elders at home really is nice."
"Yeah, but Grandma refuses to move to the city," Tang Keke replied.
Ye Shuang shook his head. "Falling leaves return to their roots."
Pressing the accelerator, the car rolled forward.
After turning out of the alley, a massive banyan tree came into view.
Ye Shuang lifted his gaze slightly and whispered, "Let’s go."
...
...
After an hour and a half, Ye Shuang and the others finally returned to the coastal city.
Leaving behind the green, mountain-encircled village, the towering steel skyscrapers in the distance, refracting sunlight to the point of near-blinding glare, felt oddly cold and distant. Though the city was more bustling, it carried an inexplicable emptiness, as if they were somehow shut out from it.
Ye Shuang couldn’t help but sigh,
“Let’s visit again sometime.”
“Right? Isn’t my place so relaxing?” Tang Keke said with a grin. The serene mountains and clear waters made for such a peaceful stay.
Everything was perfect—except for the mosquitoes.
“Mhm.”
After getting out of the car in the apartment parking lot, Ye Shuang and Bai Yuyou headed back inside.
The girl was still wearing a straw hat on her head, looking rather adorable.
“Meow-neh!” The moment the door opened, a fluffy ball of fur came charging at Ye Shuang, yowling loudly.
Even if he couldn’t understand it, the tone sounded downright foul.
“Yi Wan seems… angry,” Bai Yuyou said, then glanced at the automatic cat feeder nearby, noticing the bowl was empty.
“Did it… break?”
She walked over to the feeder and fiddled with it for a bit before reaching a conclusion.
Despite Yi Wan’s fury, the food situation was still being handled.
“Meow-neh! Meow-neh-gah! Meeeoowww!”
“Alright, alright, we were only gone for a few days. We were worried you’d run off into the fields and get lost,” Ye Shuang said, scooping Yi Wan up with one hand and plopping the cat onto his shoulder before starting to unpack the luggage.
“One extra cat stick as compensation for each day we were gone, deal?”
“Meow~” The voice instantly turned sweet and syrupy.
“Tch. Just a gluttonous little thing.”
After unpacking, Tang Keke, who had been at her own place for a while, came over to hang out—clearly incapable of staying put. Not that Tang’s father or mother seemed to mind in the slightest.
To the couple, their daughter making friends was a blessing.
They just worried Ye Shuang might find Tang Keke’s constant visits bothersome, so they always brought small gifts whenever they came by.
“Brother, are you heading out?” Tang Keke, sitting with Bai Yuyou, noticed Ye Shuang putting on his shoes and asked curiously.
“Yeah, just stepping out,” Ye Shuang replied, then added with a smile,
“What do you want for dinner tonight?”
Tang Keke raised her hand. “Can you make stuffed tofu hotpot?”
“Sure, I know how to make that,” Ye Shuang said. “My ancestors were Hakka.”
“Hehe, perfect.”
Ye Shuang glanced at Bai Yuyou, but seeing the girl’s expression of “I’ll eat anything,” he simply left.
However, Ye Shuang wasn’t out to buy groceries—he was heading to a prearranged meeting spot.
In a plaza, a short-haired girl leaned against the railing.
Her face was pale, almost bloodless, yet she was unusually dressed in a violet-black dress, her slender legs clad in thigh-high socks.
As if sensing something, she lifted her gaze slightly and spotted a white sports car pulling up.
The window rolled down, and Ye Shuang spoke, “Get in. I’ll take you for a drive.”
“You won’t even hit 120, and you call this a drive?” An Shiyu got in and buckled her seatbelt.
“Hm?” Ye Shuang also noticed An Shiyu’s uncharacteristically neat outfit, looking slightly surprised.
“Thinking something weird?” An Shiyu gave him a deadpan stare.
“No,” Ye Shuang paused, then simply smiled. “It suits you.”
An Shiyu: “…”
She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, revealing a small, flushed earlobe, then murmured something in her hometown dialect.
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
saw a female celebrity tied up and stuffed in the trunk! Little did he know, countless cameras were aimed at him at this moment - this was a new type of reality show. The first randomly selected passerby was caught in less than an hour. But when Xu Moru was selected, things started to take an unexpected turn. "Damn, this isn't how the script goes. This Xu Moru is too bold, he's not following the rules at all." "Crap, is this guy taking it seriously?" "The female celebrity has been scared to tears!"
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
