The next day at Yinshan Academy.
Bai Yuyou and Tang Keke walked up to Tao Xiaotao’s desk, drawing the attention of many students in the classroom.
"..." Tao Xiaotao seemed puzzled as she noticed Bai Yuyou and Tang Keke staring at her, as if they had something to say.
"Um..." Tao Xiaotao tentatively spoke up.
"Let’s go outside. We need to talk," Bai Yuyou said.
Tao Xiaotao: "Huh?!"
"Come on, let’s talk outside," Tang Keke added with a smile.
To Tao Xiaotao, the way the two spoke felt almost intimidating, like demons looming over her. She shrank back nervously, her hands fidgeting. "I..."
"Let’s go."
"O-okay..." Tao Xiaotao timidly stood up and obediently followed Bai Yuyou and Tang Keke out of the classroom.
The other students exchanged glances, assuming Tao Xiaotao must have offended Bai Yuyou—after all, Bai Yuyou was currently one of the most popular figures at Yinshan Academy.
Once they reached the hallway, Tao Xiaotao kept her head down, her hands clasped anxiously in front of her, unsure of what the two wanted.
"It’s about the hundred yuan," Tang Keke explained, noticing Tao Xiaotao’s nervousness.
"I-I didn’t steal it!" Tao Xiaotao immediately waved her hands in denial. "No, I mean... I already called the counselor about it."
She hastily dug into her pocket and pulled out a neatly folded hundred-yuan bill.
Her body trembled slightly, bracing herself for the scolding she expected to come.
But instead, Bai Yuyou gently took Tao Xiaotao’s hand in her own warm one.
"This money is for you—as compensation."
"Compensation...?" Tao Xiaotao looked confused, not quite understanding what "compensation" meant in this context.
Tang Keke then explained about the bottle they had lost and how this was meant to make up for it. Once Tao Xiaotao understood, she immediately shook her head and pushed the money back into Bai Yuyou’s hand.
"No, no, that’s too much! The bottle isn’t worth a hundred!"
"Thank you, thank you... I really appreciate it."
Bai Yuyou insisted, "Then... let us treat you to a meal as an apology."
"Yeah, since we messed up, how about joining us for lunch during break?" Tang Keke asked cheerfully.
Tao Xiaotao hesitated again. "N-no, that’s a waste of money..."
"You have to agree... or we’ll feel bad," Bai Yuyou said.
"Huh?" Tao Xiaotao was taken aback. As someone who usually went unnoticed, she had never been treated like this before.
Under Bai Yuyou’s unwavering gaze, she finally relented. "O-okay, then."
"Good."
...
When lunch break arrived, Bai Yuyou and Tang Keke were packing up to leave when they noticed a figure sneaking out of the classroom.
"Xiaotao, where are you going?" Tang Keke called out.
Tao Xiaotao froze, then turned around awkwardly.
"I-I was just going to the restroom..."
"Oh, we’re heading there too. Let’s go together, then we’ll grab food."
"O-okay."
After leaving the restroom, Tao Xiaotao still seemed timid, walking with her head down—until she felt a gentle hand take hers.
She turned to see the stunningly beautiful girl nodding at her. "Be confident."
"Ah..." Tao Xiaotao blinked. "O-okay..."
"Xiaotao, where are you from? Your accent is kinda cute," Tang Keke asked, trying to keep the conversation going.
Instead of being flattered, Tao Xiaotao only grew more flustered.
"H-Henan, Jiyuan..."
"Really?" Tang Keke, who wasn’t great with geography, scratched her head and turned to Bai Yuyou. "Yuyou, is Henan farther than Guangdong?"
"Keke, Guangdong is right next to us. Henan is much farther," Bai Yuyou replied.
"Hehe."
Watching the two girls chatting and laughing, Tao Xiaotao somehow felt more at ease—even a little drawn to them.
But then she noticed how pristine and well-dressed Bai Yuyou and Tang Keke were, their expensive-looking phones in hand. Glancing at her own barely functional device, she couldn’t help but feel self-conscious again.
The group soon arrived at the cafeteria.
"Brother—" Tang Keke spotted Ye Shuang.
"Oh." Ye Shuang, standing near the entrance, noticed Bai Yuyou and the others—especially the nervous Tao Xiaotao trailing behind them.
"Instructor..."
"I’m not an instructor anymore," Ye Shuang replied with a smile. Bai Yuyou immediately clung to his arm, their closeness making Tao Xiaotao curious, though she didn’t dare ask.
"You’re Tao Xiaotao, right?" Ye Shuang asked.
"Y-yes!" Tao Xiaotao nodded vigorously, her voice tense.
"No need to be nervous. Can I call you Peach?"
"Peach..." Tao Xiaotao paused, then broke into a silly grin. "My friends call me that too."
"Great, Peach." Ye Shuang smiled warmly, his friendliness putting her at ease.
"From your accent, you’re from Henan?"
"Mm! Jiyuan, Henan."
...
In just a few exchanges, the two were chatting happily, making Bai Yuyou’s eyes dart between them as she tightened her grip on Ye Shuang’s arm.
"Peach, what do you want to eat? Our treat today," Tang Keke reminded her, emphasizing that she shouldn’t hold back.
"Uh... just plain noodles, please." Tao Xiaotao picked the cheapest option—a five-yuan bowl of clear broth noodles.
"Huh?" Tang Keke was taken aback. "That’s all?"
Seeing her reaction, Tao Xiaotao quickly backtracked. "I-Is it too expensive? I can pay for it myself..."
"No, that’s not what I meant..." Tang Keke hesitated, unsure how to say it was too cheap. But Ye Shuang just chuckled. "Plain noodles are fine. Let’s get that."
With Ye Shuang’s approval, Tang Keke nodded.
"Auntie, one bowl of plain noodles," Ye Shuang called to the server. "Could you add some toppings? Tomato and egg, beef brisket, pork cutlet, and a chicken drumstick."
"Sure." The server prepared the noodles and piled on all the extras Ye Shuang had requested.
When the bowl was placed in front of Tao Xiaotao, she gaped at the mountain of toppings nearly burying the noodles.
"Good heavens... the noodles grew legs and ran off."
world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...
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?!
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!
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."
