"Uncle Ye, are Mommy and Daddy not going to get divorced anymore?" Qiaoqiao asked curiously, clutching her plush toy as she stood obediently beside Ye Shuang and looked up at him.
"Mhm."
"Then Mommy and Daddy won't stop wanting me, right?" Qiaoqiao asked innocently.
Ye Shuang fell silent for a few seconds. When parents don't get along, the children are always the ones who get hurt. Having a child before a couple is truly ready to mesh their lives together is actually a very risky move; it shouldn't just be about the momentary pleasure without caring about the consequences.
It’s common to see couples whose relationship is clearly broken forcing themselves to stay together for the sake of the child. Then they expect the child to be grateful, constantly reminding them how difficult it was to raise them, saying things like, "If it weren't for you, I would have divorced long ago." Yet, no parent ever stops to ask the child if they even wanted to be born in the first place.
"Yeah. Your Mommy and Daddy just had a little fight. They will never, ever stop wanting Qiaoqiao." Ye Shuang could only offer this comfort as he rubbed Qiaoqiao's little head and then picked her up.
"Qiaoqiao, how about Uncle takes you to bed?"
"What about Mommy and Daddy?"
"They still have some things to do, but good children need to go to sleep now. You're in first grade already, so you have to go to bed on time."
"Okay." Qiaoqiao nodded sensibly.
Ye Shuang, holding Qiaoqiao, signaled Chen Qin with his eyes. She nodded in understanding. "Ye, you take Qiaoqiao to bed first."
After all, the matter with Zhou Min wouldn't be resolved that easily.
"Okay."
Ye Shuang carried Qiaoqiao back to her room—a cute princess-themed room decorated by Chen Qin's parents. It was proof enough of how much this little princess was favored by her grandparents.
"Uncle Ye, I haven't taken a bath yet," Qiaoqiao said in her milky, childish voice.
"Is that so? Do you want Uncle to help you wash?" Ye Shuang asked, looking at the tiny Qiaoqiao.
"No thanks, Qiaoqiao is a big girl now. I can wash myself." Qiaoqiao said as she got down and went to the wardrobe to get her clothes. "Teacher said we can't always make Mommy and Daddy worry."
"Qiaoqiao is so well-behaved." Ye Shuang smiled gently.
After Qiaoqiao finished her bath, Ye Shuang helped dry her hair, then sat by the bed and picked up a storybook to lull her to sleep.
Children fall asleep quickly; Ye Shuang hadn't even finished the story when he saw her eyes closed, breathing steadily.
"..." Ye Shuang slowly closed the storybook, left a small nightlight on, and tiptoed out of the room.
Goodnight, Qiaoqiao...
I really hope you can forget this day.
...
When Ye Shuang returned to the living room, he found Zhou Min was nowhere to be seen. It seemed she had already been taken away by Uncle Chen. Ye Shuang could guess what would happen next—after all, coming to the Chen family home to cause trouble was no joke; it was no different from pulling a tooth from a tiger's mouth.
Now, they just had to wait for the truth to come out.
At this moment, Chen Hai and Feng Shan were sitting in the living room. Both sat on the sofa in silence, but their emotions were much more contained.
Chen Hai had calmed down. Feng Shan had also quieted down considerably after hearing that the child was just a test-tube baby, but she remained angry that Chen Hai had been willing to divorce her for that woman.
Ye Shuang walked over to Chen Qin, and the two exchanged a glance.
"What do we do now?" Ye Shuang asked.
"Dunno. Let them fight it out."
"What about Qiaoqiao?" Ye Shuang asked. Chen Qin paused, rubbing her brow as if she had a headache. "Go out for a drink?"
"Let's go. Let's go out and get something to eat," Ye Shuang said to Chen Hai and Feng Shan.
"No." x2
They spoke in unison.
"Better to let them cool off for a bit," Ye Shuang said.
"Yeah, let's go back and rest too." Chen Qin said, linking her arm through Ye Shuang's. "Ye, thanks to that recording of yours, otherwise Chen Hai would still be stubborn."
"It was An Shiyu's doing."
"You get credit too." Saying that, Chen Qin kissed Ye Shuang right there, acting as if no one else was around, and smiled cutely.
In that second, Ye Shuang noticed Chen Hai and Feng Shan's gazes fall upon them.
"What?"
"You two..." Chen Hai pointed at Ye Shuang and Chen Qin. "Hooked up?"
"What do you mean 'hooked up'? Watch your mouth," Chen Qin huffed. "We just let nature take its course."
"Right?"
"Mhm," Ye Shuang agreed. Chen Qin giggled and hugged him tighter, her softness practically enveloping him like a slime.
Chen Hai: "..."
"Brother-in-law," he spoke up.
"What?"
"Nothing, just wanted to say it." Chen Hai grinned broadly, feeling like he had somehow gained an advantage by saying it.
Ye Shuang: "..."
Childish.
"So, shall we go out for a late-night snack, or order takeout?" Chen Hai adjusted his mood. After all, Ye Shuang and Chen Qin finally being together was something he was very happy to see.
"Let's go out for a celebratory drink. Congratulations to you both," Feng Shan said to Chen Qin.
The two of them seemed to be implying something, but neither said it clearly.
"Hmm..." Ye Shuang glanced at Chen Qin.
Chen Qin nodded as well.
Let's go then, out for a drink.
...
...
"Can't you be a little gentler with me? You weren't like this before!"
"What? Didn't you say you liked me no matter what I was like? Liar!"
Inside the Sweet Bar.
Chen Hai, now tipsy and red-faced, pointed at Feng Shan as he spoke.
"I told you I had a bad temper, and you were the one who said it didn't matter, that you'd definitely take care of me!" Feng Shan slammed her glass down, speaking drunkenly.
"Well, be a little gentler to me then."
"Then say it!"
"I'm saying it!" Chen Hai slammed his cup on the bar counter. "Taozi, another one!"
"Okay..." Taozi stood behind the bar, took the glass, and filled it up again.
She then glanced at Ye Shuang and Chen Qin on the other side, seemingly curious about what was going on—why those two were drinking like they were about to start a fight.
"Don't mind them. That's just how they are. As long as they talk it out, it's fine." Ye Shuang, sipping his drink with Chen Qin, waved his hand dismissively.
"Oh, really?"
"Ye..." Chen Qin propped her chin on her hand and leaned slightly against Ye Shuang's shoulder.
She whispered, her face beneath her bangs slightly flushed pink, "Do you like it when I use my boobs to sandwich your stick? Shall I help you out with that later?"
Ye Shuang froze for a moment and instinctively choked on his drink.
This girl.
"Brother Ye, are you okay?" Seeing Ye Shuang choke, Taozi quickly handed him a warm white handkerchief.
"I'm fine, I'm fine." Ye Shuang waved his hand. When he turned his head back, he found that Chen Qin had already fallen asleep leaning against him.
She was too exhausted after all; a little alcohol was enough to knock her out.
Chen Qin really worried about too many things.
"Seriously." Looking at Chen Qin's beautiful profile, Ye Shuang spoke to Taozi, "Taozi, get me a shawl... and another drink."
"Sure."
After draping the shawl over Chen Qin, Ye Shuang adjusted his posture to let her lean more comfortably. He continued to sip his drink, quietly listening to the sound of Chen Hai and Feng Shan arguing.
The night was still long.
] 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.
tions: attribute allocation, analysis, proficiency, and simulation. Specializing in mechanical alchemy, from crafting sorcerous battle armor to handcrafting mechanical maidens, his mechanical legion conquers endless realms... Relying on his wits, he begins with a student-teacher romance, wins over a female director, enslaves a female assassin and a underworld queen, becoming the husband of a Grand Duchess... He enslaves the Goddess of Magic from the divine realm, developing his power simultaneously in both the Wizard World and the Realm of Gods...
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."
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!
