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."
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
+【Epic Battles!】 "Your Highness, they say Linxi Temple is miraculous. Won’t you make a wish?" "A wish? It should be making wishes to me." "That may be so, but since you’re already here..." "..." "Fine. Then grant this princess a consort to play with." "He must be obedient, devoted, and utterly infatuated with my body—so much so that he’d kneel and kiss my feet." "Your Highness, that’s not a consort. That’s a dog." "Then add clever, witty, heroic, ambitious yet pragmatic..." "Hmm, that’s enough for now. I’ll add more later." After tossing out these words half in jest, Princess Anle departed the temple—only to catch a fleeting glimpse of the Bodhisattva statue smiling at her. Meanwhile, Yang An, fresh out of university, was having a very bad day. Good news: He’d transmigrated into another world with a cheat granting tenfold combat power. Bad news: He’d immediately fallen into the clutches of a certain villainess. Good news: Said villainess possessed peerless beauty and royal status. Bad news: She was absolutely monstrous!!! In the frozen wilderness, Yang An knelt beneath Qin Guo’er’s feet, drenched in sweat despite the cold. Desperately clutching her porcelain-perfect foot—the very one poised to crush his throat—he could only think: How do I survive this?! Need answers NOW!
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...
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'!"
