That evening, Wu Ya's punishment was finally decided. Perhaps because the incident was too egregious, the principal even looked into the conflict between the two students.
The investigation revealed more than expected—the principal hadn't imagined students in his school could go so far. In the end, Wu Ya wasn’t just given a disciplinary record; she was outright expelled, with the incident permanently noted in her file. The other students who had helped fabricate evidence all received major demerits and were suspended for a year.
Ye Shuang felt that simply expelling the girl was letting her off too lightly. Had he known, he would’ve kicked her one more time—after all, she had fought back too. At worst, they’d both spend half a month in detention.
But after this commotion, no one would likely dare trouble Bai Yuyou again.
Once he taught her how to live independently, Ye Shuang thought it might be time for him to leave.
"But after leaving… what would I even do?" Ye Shuang glanced at the girl beside him, who was carefully chopping ginger and garlic. The evening glow streaming through the window draped over her like a sheer veil.
Noticing his gaze, Bai Yuyou slowly looked up. Her eyes reflected the hues of the sunset, so beautiful it seemed almost surreal.
"Be careful not to cut your fingers," Ye Shuang reminded her gently.
Bai Yuyou nodded lightly and resumed chopping.
Eventually, he would have to leave.
Ye Shuang walked to the fridge and took out some eggs, his eyes inadvertently drifting to the living room—
No longer cluttered and messy, the space now felt warm and cozy despite the old furniture. The white linen curtains swayed in the evening breeze, accompanied by the faint chime of wind bells. Everything felt so peaceful.
"Without realizing it, this place has started to feel like a home…" Ye Shuang murmured.
It was as if, at some point in the past, he had longed to see this very scene in his home. When had he forgotten?
A tug at his sleeve pulled him from his thoughts. Turning, he saw Bai Yuyou holding onto his sleeve, her head tilted slightly as if puzzled by why he was standing frozen in front of the fridge.
No wonder she had tugged at him—he hadn’t even noticed the cold air wafting from the open fridge.
"It’s nothing." Ye Shuang smiled faintly and tapped her forehead lightly with a finger. "Next time, don’t grab someone’s clothes with dirty hands, got it?"
Bai Yuyou glanced down at her fingers, still stained with bits of ginger, garlic, and chili. Without much thought, she stuck them into her mouth.
The sudden spiciness made her eyes well up instantly, her usually calm gaze now watery and slightly aggrieved as she looked at Ye Shuang.
"I—I’ve told you so many times not to put your fingers in your mouth!" Startled by her teary expression, Ye Shuang quickly turned to grab milk from the fridge for her.
Watching her sip the milk clumsily, he found himself staring at the living room again.
He realized he didn’t need to leave so soon.
Bai Yuyou still had a ways to go before she could truly take care of herself.
Maybe he could stay a little longer—live with this girl, and let his life take a slightly different turn.
As he watched her, the thought settled in his mind.
……
……
"Come out with me tonight. We’ll buy some daily necessities," Ye Shuang said. Though they had stocked up on many things last time, small essentials like nail clippers only came to mind when needed.
Bai Yuyou nodded. She had no objections to going out with Ye Shuang—in fact, she loved being with him. She didn’t quite understand the emotion, only that it felt comfortable and warm.
As night fell, the city lights flickered to life, making it the perfect time for a stroll.
"Early evening really is the best time to go out—not too hot, not too cold," Ye Shuang remarked, enjoying the cool breeze.
Bai Yuyou walked beside him, hugging his arm. Her body warmth and a faint, soothing fragrance reached him. Still in her school uniform and a head shorter than him, a slight glance downward revealed the pale expanse of her neck and collarbone.
"……" Ye Shuang reached over and buttoned one more of her shirt’s buttons, his wrist brushing against her skin—soft and warm.
He pushed aside distracting thoughts. Bai Yuyou was watching him calmly, entirely unfazed by the contact, her innocent eyes sometimes making him feel guilty under their gaze.
"Ye Shuang?" Bai Yuyou suddenly spoke.
"What is it?"
"Sometimes, I hear classmates say they really like this part of girls." She placed a hand on her chest and looked up at him. "Do you like it too?"
"Cough—"
Caught off guard, Ye Shuang choked slightly.
Then, very seriously, he said, "Of course guys like it. But you must never let anyone touch you there, understand? That’s something only for someone you truly love."
"Mm." Bai Yuyou nodded earnestly. "I’ll save it for Ye Shuang."
"Why me?"
"Because I like Ye Shuang," she replied.
Ye Shuang stopped walking and looked at her. "Do you know what ‘like’ really means?"
Bai Yuyou thought for a moment, then shook her head.
"Liking someone is a complicated feeling. The way you like me isn’t any different from how you like your favorite foods."
Ye Shuang smiled and pinched her soft cheek. "When you understand what real ‘like’ is, you’ll have grown up."
"Understand?"
"Right."
"Then, Ye Shuang, do you want to touch here?"
"……"
"Did you even listen to what I just said?"
By now, they had reached the night market near their old apartment complex. The air was thick with the smell of frying food.
"Didn’t we just eat?" Ye Shuang chuckled as he noticed Bai Yuyou’s eyes fixed on a grilled squid stall.
"Hungry."
"That was fast." Despite his words, he led her to the stall. "One large squid, please."
"Coming right up!"
The stall owner’s voice sounded familiar. When Ye Shuang got a clear look, he froze.
"Why is it you again?" He stared in disbelief at An Shiyu, now dressed as a squid vendor.
Just how many jobs do you have?
"It's you, old man." An Shiyu deftly flipped the squid on the grill. "Since you're a regular, I'll give you a deal—15 per squid stick. But the combo's better—just 35 for two."
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
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!
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
