Last night—
A quiet room, heated lips.
Just as she was about to close the distance, the short-haired girl suddenly felt her phone vibrate. "Beep beep."
In a flash, she rolled under the bed with unbelievable speed.
"Hmm?"
On the bed, Ye Shuang groggily opened his eyes, swept a dazed glance around his room, then closed them again and turned over.
Under the bed, An Shiyu pulled out her phone with an expressionless face, only to find a message from the other "fish," whose profile picture was even a cartoon piece of fried fish cake.
Fried Fish Cake: Oi, whatcha doing? I'm so bored.
An Shiyu: ...
Noticing the steady breathing of the person on the bed had resumed, An Shiyu quietly crawled out from under the bed and slipped out of the room.
Reaching the rooftop, she hopped up to sit on the railing. Her slender legs swung slightly as she lowered her gaze to reply.
An Shiyu: You're dead.
Fried Fish Cake: Huh?
Fried Fish Cake: Oops, did I interrupt you doing something naughty?
Fried Fish Cake: kitten peeking.jpg
Fried Fish Cake: Go↗men↘na↗sai↘ (Sorry~)
As she typed, a video call request popped up. Seeing it, the girl answered with a hint of impatience.
"What do you want?"
"Oho, someone's testy." On the other end of the video, another short-haired girl in pajamas was sitting on what looked like a balcony, with the local landmark—a tall pair of petroleum towers—visible not far behind her.
"Tch."
"Looks like you've made some serious progress, huh? Is that Uncle's place?"
"What's your point?"
"Nothing~ I'm just curious. Someone who couldn't even be bothered to take exams actually worked hard to memorize all those interview questions and study so much. Must've been tough for you."
"I'm hanging up."
Little Fish shrugged. "Tsk, such a grump. Can't even take a little teasing."
She added, "Tell you what, I'll find a chance to pin Uncle down for you, and then we can give him a thorough dO-ing..."
Beep. An Shiyu hung up the call, her face blank.
"Idiot."
Sitting on the rooftop, letting the wind blow for a while, An Shiyu's mood still hadn't settled. Back when she knew she was dying, she hadn't felt this kind of confusion.
People are always greedy. When they find they have the capacity, they want a little more.
Just a little more greed...
Twirling a strand of hair around her finger, the girl spent a full half-hour in the cold night breeze, yet it did nothing to fade the flush from her cheeks.
"Better find something to do." An Shiyu flexed her wrists. "Since my body's no longer a burden, in terms of combat ability, I'm way stronger than that guy."
"Tonight, let's have a proper hunt."
...
Malaysia, Hotel.
"Oh? She actually hung up on me. What a coward." On the other side, the other "fish" currently in the hotel looked at the disconnected call, then flicked her wrist, making the phone spin on her fingertip.
So boring. Is there any fun to be had?
Should've never come here to play. Going to Uncle's company to be a twin-star assistant would've been more interesting than sightseeing.
An Shiyu stood up and swayed back to the room, finding Peach already out of the shower and drying her hair with a towel.
"Time for bed, An Shiyu." Seeing An Shiyu was done with her call, Peach reminded her with a smile.
Although Peach was petite and even looked a bit undernourished, her demeanor somehow gave off a big-sister vibe.
"Not really sleepy. Wanna go out for a stroll?" An Shiyu asked, sitting cross-legged on the bed. She was naturally a night owl, preferring nighttime activities.
Slacking off during the day was just entering a low-power mode.
"Huh? Go where?" Peach was surprised. "The teacher said we're not allowed to go out on our own."
Propping her cheek on one hand, An Shiyu said lazily, "Tch, you don't seem like a stickler for rules either. Last time I saw you dragging some punk around and beating him up."
Hearing this, Peach stiffened for a few seconds before smiling. "How could that be? You must've seen wrong, An Shiyu. I'm just a student."
An Shiyu spread her hands. "How could I see wrong? I happened to be passing by while delivering takeout."
"You saw wrong."
"You..."
"Saw wrong~" Peach said, still smiling.
An Shiyu: "..."
She scratched her head. "Fine, let's say I saw wrong then."
"Anyway, wanna go out and play?"
"I'm tired today." Peach stretched her shoulders. Besides, she was already showered and didn't feel like going out.
And for Peach, this rare trip was like a vacation, a chance to rest properly.
"Back in Haizhu, I have to go to school during the day and work two jobs at night," Peach couldn't help but think with a sigh. And her mother seemed perfectly content to be a hands-off boss.
But Peach had no intention of turning back. After all, her mother had given her a second chance at life. She just wanted to grow up quickly and repay them properly.
Seeing Peach had already gotten under the covers, An Shiyu shrugged and didn't press further. "Alrighty then. I'll go out for a walk myself."
"You really shouldn't..."
Before Peach could finish, An Shiyu had already left the room.
"Really can't sit still," Peach thought to herself.
Walking down the hotel corridor, An Shiyu headed for the elevator. But just as she approached, she heard familiar voices.
"Oh, Japanese folks?" An Shiyu tilted her head.
But it was normal for this hotel to have many foreigners.
"Akira-kun, control Yu You! Eek, she's groping me!"
"Sorry, I can't control her."
"Eek!"
"..."
Listening to the commotion from the room, An Shiyu realized the hotel's soundproofing was ridiculously bad.
"Really know how to have fun," the girl muttered. Just then, she noticed a door nearby open.
A man with glasses stepped out.
Noticing An Shiyu, he was clearly taken aback and asked, "Student An Shiyu, what are you doing out so late?"
It was the group counselor. An Shiyu hadn't expected him to be on the same floor.
"Oh, my health isn't great. The doctor told me to take a walk before bed," An Shiyu said offhandedly, just to brush him off.
Hearing this, the counselor adjusted his glasses, a shrewd glint seeming to flash across them. "Student An Shiyu, if I recall correctly, during last semester's P.E. class... you said your health was poor and you should move as little as possible."
"Are you Schrödinger's health?"
An Shiyu averted her gaze. "Forgot about that."
"Please return to your room. Unauthorized outings are not permitted," the counselor said. "No going out at night."
"Okaaay—"
An Shiyu drew out the word and, under the counselor's watchful eye, returned to her room.
Better just climb out the window.
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
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.
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
