After updating his novel for the day, Ye Shuang noticed one or two new comments. Thankfully, they weren’t negative. He didn’t have much confidence in his writing, but seeing the positive feedback in the comments instantly lifted his mood.
A kind word warms one through three winters; a harsh remark chills even the height of summer.
Even a single, seemingly insignificant compliment could brighten an author’s entire day.
“Time to go check on that little one.” Ye Shuang shut down his computer, grabbed his phone and car keys, and headed out to the pet hospital.
The pet hospital was located in an urban village. The area was bustling with people—most were migrant workers renting here, with only a handful of locals. For many, buying an apartment in the city center was a lifelong struggle, and the money they earned in their early years would inevitably end up in hospitals later in life.
Clang!
As Ye Shuang drove through the crowded streets, a three-wheeled cart suddenly appeared from the right side. After a bumpy ride, it seemed to have collided with his car.
Ye Shuang froze for a moment, then frowned slightly and stepped out.
The cart was driven by an elderly woman in her eighties, her hair streaked with white and her face deeply lined as if carved by a knife. Hunched over, she nervously clasped her wrinkled hands together. When she saw Ye Shuang approaching, she offered an awkward, almost pleading smile. “Young man, I bumped your car…”
Ye Shuang glanced at the vehicle and spotted a long scratch.
“Ma’am, where’s your family?” he asked.
The old woman parted her dry lips. “My son’s in the hospital…”
She fumbled in her pocket and pulled out a white plastic bag filled with loose change. After counting out all the red bills she had, she said hoarsely, “I’m so sorry. Your car is so nice.”
Looking at the three hundred yuan clutched in her calloused fingers, Ye Shuang shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. Keep your money. Just be more careful next time.”
“No, no, no.”
“It’s fine,” Ye Shuang insisted, pushing the money back. “It’s just a small scratch. I’ll take care of it. You should head home safely.”
The old woman rubbed her hands together, gratitude in her voice. “Thank you, young man. You’re so kind.”
“No problem.” Ye Shuang glanced at the foam boxes piled on the cart and watched as the old woman struggled to climb back onto it and pedal away. He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
Who isn’t just trying to survive?
An eighty-year-old still pedaling a cart to earn money—yet online, so-called “successful people” claim poverty and stagnant wages are due to laziness.
The greatest tragedy in this world isn’t being trapped by circumstances, but realizing that no matter how hard you strive, there’s always an invisible barrier you can’t break through. At best, you might slightly improve your current situation.
Ye Shuang remembered a billionaire from the harbor district who once claimed that poverty stemmed from laziness and a refusal to learn. But when he participated in a reality show, experiencing a day in the life of a sanitation worker, he realized he couldn’t even pause for a break—working all day just to afford a meager meal, let alone find time to study.
Too many “success stories” attribute their achievements solely to hard work, oblivious to the pivotal role luck plays.
Before long, Ye Shuang arrived at the pet hospital and saw the little cat again.
The orange tabby was curled up in a corner of the cage, clearly still timid.
“It’s past the critical stage. It should be ready to leave in a few days,” the vet said.
“Thank you, Doctor.” Ye Shuang nodded.
Before leaving, he settled another round of treatment fees. Roughly calculating, between the surgery and follow-up care, he’d spent nearly ten thousand yuan on this stray.
“Guess you got lucky, meeting a kind-hearted guardian angel.” Ye Shuang mused. If it were up to him, he wouldn’t have spent so much to save a cat.
But he wouldn’t lecture Bai Yuyou about it. Every age has its own choices—with an adult’s mindset, Ye Shuang prioritized practicality. But if he were still in high school, he might’ve emptied his pockets to rescue the kitten too.
Meow?
Seeing the cat was out of danger, Ye Shuang left the hospital and headed to the auto shop to fix the scratch on his car.
By the time he got home, it was already evening.
Ye Shuang bought groceries and started preparing dinner early, simmering soup in the kitchen. Soon, Bai Yuyou and the others returned.
“Hey, big bro!” To his surprise, Tang Keke had tagged along. She scratched her head sheepishly. “Yuyou dragged me here, said I should stay for dinner.”
Tang Keke had initially refused, but the thought of Ye Shuang’s cooking—compared to her mom’s “everything stew”—made her change her mind instantly.
“Wish I’d made more soup,” Ye Shuang chuckled.
“Need help prepping? I’m on it!”
Tang Keke dropped her bag and scurried over in her slippers to assist, with Bai Yuyou close behind.
The already cramped kitchen felt even tighter with two more people squeezed in.
“No need. Go relax on the couch,” Ye Shuang said, shaking his head at the two “bodyguards” flanking him.
“Nah, I’ll wash the veggies, Yuyou can chop, and you handle the cooking. Teamwork makes the dream work!” Tang Keke grinned mischievously. “Two girls, one guy—double efficiency.”
Ye Shuang caught the odd phrasing but let it slide.
With Tang Keke around, the kitchen grew noisier, but it also felt more like a home.
Sandwiched between the two girls, Ye Shuang realized… this wasn’t so bad.
Once the food was served, Ye Shuang sat down and casually asked, “How are your grades at school?”
“Uh…” Tang Keke scratched her head awkwardly. Even Bai Yuyou glanced away, her eyes darting guiltily.
“That bad?” Ye Shuang served them both while probing.
“From what I remember, Yinshan Academy doesn’t require college entrance exams, but advancing to fourth year still depends on test scores, right? Fail once, and you repeat the year. Fail twice, and you’re out.”
Tang Keke wilted, her voice trembling. “Y-yeah, that’s right…”
“Seems worse than I thought. In that case, I’ll tutor you both later,” Ye Shuang offered.
“Wait, were you a top student back then?” Tang Keke’s eyes sparkled. Bai Yuyou also looked at him curiously.
“I did alright. Might’ve forgotten some details now, but teaching you shouldn’t be an issue.” Ye Shuang nodded.
“After all, I was the city’s top scorer that year.”
Tang Keke & Bai Yuyou: “What?!”
ose... to cooperate with the protagonist! Shen Yuan: I have a system! Protagonist: What? System: Holy crap, you're just spilling it out like that? Shen Yuan: Let's team up, we'll split the system rewards! Protagonist: Fifty-fifty split? Shen Yuan: No way! Protagonist: What!? I'm the one getting beaten up, and I don't get half? Shen Yuan: Forty-sixty split, I get forty, you get sixty! Protagonist: Deal! Big brother, come on, hit me! As long as it doesn't kill me, beat me like you mean it! Shen Yuan: Don't worry... I will definitely protect all of you! No one but me can lay a finger on you! Guard our Heaven's Chosen Ones! I'm the only one allowed to bully them!
pression Bureau] Transported to a fantasy world overrun by demons and monsters, Gu Qingfeng becomes a jailer in the Demon Suppression Prison of the Great Yan Dynasty's Demon Suppression Bureau. From this point on, bizarre cases frequently occur in the Demon Suppression Prison, once known as hell on earth and infamous for its gloomy, terrifying atmosphere! Why do the demons and monsters in the prison wail miserably every night? Why has the corpse demon, capable of transforming into various beauties, donned black stockings and switched careers to become a foot massage therapist? Why has the eye demon, expert in soul-snatching and illusions, turned into a VR headset? Why is the fox spirit performing otaku dances? Are all these occurrences a twisted expression of demonic nature, or a descent into moral depravity? After peeling away layer upon layer of mystery, all clues ultimately point to a jailer named Gu Qingfeng. Gu Qingfeng: "Hehehe... My dear demons and monsters, whose card shall we flip today?"
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
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.”
