"Come in."
The door of a spacious apartment in a residential complex slowly swung open as the mechanical female voice sounded.
An Shiyu's footsteps were light and unhurried. After turning on the light, she walked over to the sofa and sat down.
She slowly extended her hand, her fingertips barely detecting any pulse.
An Shiyu: "..."
From the shadows nearby, someone stood with their arms crossed. "What did you do today?"
"Before dying, I did something naughty with an old man."
"Eh, I don’t believe you," the other person lazily replied.
An Shiyu didn’t bother explaining further. She lay back on the sofa and closed her eyes to rest. At this point, she had no energy left to say more. The relentless fatigue in her body made her want to close her eyes and sleep at every moment.
But even An Shiyu herself didn’t know whether, once her eyes shut,
they would ever open again...
The sofa dipped slightly as someone sat beside her, and then she felt a slight prickling sensation in her palm. The girl opened her eyes slightly to find a blister pack of pills in her hand.
Inside the silver packaging, a single pill sat quietly in place.
"There’s good news and bad news."
An Shiyu didn’t look up. She stared at the pill in her hand, a few strands of hair falling over her forehead. "What’s the good news?"
"The good news... the medicine has been developed. It’s the one in your hand," the other person said slowly.
"And the bad news?"
"It’s a prototype."
An Shiyu remained calm, as if this outcome didn’t surprise her at all. She had long grown accustomed to not hoping for anything, so disappointment never came.
Still, she couldn’t help but feel a faint pang of loss deep down.
Ah, well. Used to it.
"Can I take it?" she asked.
"Seems to have a slight effect. It can temporarily restore you... but you can only take it once. As for how long it lasts..." The other person shrugged.
"Once." An Shiyu pinched the pill between her fingers, as if playing with it.
"That’s enough... for the last time."
The other person looked at An Shiyu. "Are you really not reconsidering?"
"At this point, do you even need to ask?" The girl slowly stood up and walked toward her room.
Her steps paused for a moment, and she added, as if joking,
"Oh, and when I die, don’t show up at my funeral. You’ll scare the guests."
"..."
"Idiot..."
...
The next day, Yinshan Academy.
"Alright, mark time—march!"
"One-two-one, one-two-one."
"There’ll be a military boxing demonstration later. If anyone’s interested, you can sign up to learn."
The final day of military training proceeded as usual. Ye Shuang directed the students but noticed that An Shiyu hadn’t come today.
Not only that—she hadn’t shown up at the infirmary either.
"..." Ye Shuang couldn’t help but wonder. Even when he messaged her, there was no response, just like the last time she had disappeared for a month without a trace.
"Alright, take a break for now."
When rest time came, Ye Shuang sat on the steps and took a casual sip of mineral water.
His gaze drifted toward Bai Yuyou and noticed that the two girls seemed about to approach him. But the next second, he spotted a figure sneaking closer, looking like she wanted to come near but didn’t dare.
"Hmm?" Ye Shuang found the girl somewhat familiar, which surprised him.
Meanwhile, over by Bai Yuyou—
The two girls had been about to go chat with Ye Shuang, but Bai Yuyou seemed to notice something. She glanced sideways and saw a petite girl approaching, hesitating as if afraid to get closer.
"Ah, it’s that girl from yesterday," Tang Keke said, following Bai Yuyou’s gaze to Tao Xiaotao.
Realizing she’d been spotted, Tao Xiaotao finally walked over, nervously wringing her hands as if unsure what to say.
"What’s wrong?" Bai Yuyou asked.
"I-I... I didn’t mean anything, I just..." Tao Xiaotao stammered, her face flushing with embarrassment.
"Stuttering is okay... Take your time and it’ll get better," Bai Yuyou said, as if understanding perfectly.
Tao Xiaotao froze for a moment.
Perhaps because of Bai Yuyou’s interruption, she relaxed slightly. "Um, the bag I had yesterday... I think I left it here."
"Did... did you see it?"
"Oh?" Tang Keke suddenly remembered. "You mean that green bag? The one with all the bottles and stuff?"
"Yes, yes!"
"Don’t worry, we threw it in the trash for you," Tang Keke said cheerfully. "Since you forgot it, we figured we’d toss it."
Tao Xiaotao’s voice rose slightly. "The trash?!"
"Yeah, wasn’t it supposed to go there anyway?" Tang Keke said. "It was just garbage."
Tao Xiaotao: "..."
"Yeah... it was supposed to go in the trash," she muttered dejectedly, turning away. "Just like me."
The background around Tao Xiaotao seemed to fade into grayscale as she crouched down, hugging her knees, completely devoid of hope.
Tang Keke and Bai Yuyou exchanged glances, confused by her reaction.
Bai Yuyou then asked, "Were the bottles important to you?"
"Yeah."
Tao Xiaotao stood up listlessly, shuffling back to her spot like a zombie.
"Did... did I do something wrong? Was there something personal in there?" Tang Keke watched her lifeless retreating figure and murmured, "Should I go dig the bag out?!"
"The bag... was taken by the cleaning lady," Bai Yuyou said. "She looked really happy."
"Ah..."
Time passed quickly, and soon it was lunch break.
Ye Shuang was about to take Bai Yuyou and Tang Keke to the cafeteria—
"Let’s eat." Bai Yuyou was about to follow when she noticed someone heading in the opposite direction.
It was Tao Xiaotao.
Tiny, like a little kitten.
"What’s up, Yuyou?"
"That girl..."
Tang Keke also noticed Tao Xiaotao leaving and tilted her head. "Isn’t she going to the cafeteria? If she’s eating off-campus, it’s pretty far. She should take the shuttle or ride a bike."
Bai Yuyou whispered, "I want to follow her."
"Huh?" Tang Keke seemed to understand. After exchanging a glance, the two girls immediately sneaked off, leaving Ye Shuang with just a quick,
"Brother, can you grab us some food? We’ll be right back!"
Ye Shuang watched the two girls skulking around and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"What are these two up to, tailing a classmate?"
Just then, his phone rang.
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
ng to die together with you." Lin Xuan is dead, his body thrown into the river by his scumbag lover and her accomplice. She, the president of the Su Group, is decisive, ruthless, and ice-cold. For three days and three nights, she had his body fished out of the river, and without hesitation, she kissed the bloated corpse of Lin Xuan. She laid down beside him in a cold coffin, their fingers intertwined, a smile lingering on her lips as she closed her eyes. The noble and cold-hearted woman, only bending for one man—Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan, with his golden finger, is reborn and returns to the day of his wedding to the treacherous woman. Su Qiang comes to steal the bride. Lin Xuan's eyes light up, eager to pledge his loyalty on the spot, but instead, her kiss transfers a glass of drugged wine into his mouth, causing him to pass out... 【Male Protagonist with Single Female Lead】【Yandere Tycoon】【Action-Packed】【True vs. Fake Heir】
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
