After soaking in the hot spring, the two girls changed into fresh yukatas and got ready for bed—
Since it was a wooden bunk bed, Ye Shuang chose to sleep on the top bunk to make things more convenient for the girls. Looking out from the small window up there, he could even see the small hot spring they had just soaked in.
It was still a bit noisy outside, with sounds drifting over from time to time. After all, just past the partition of their hot spring were the private pools of other guests, and occasionally, some rather strange noises could be heard.
"These guys..." Ye Shuang suddenly felt that this wasn't exactly the best time to sleep.
On the bottom bunk, Bai Yuyou and Tang Keke seemed to be chatting about something and didn't pay any attention to the commotion outside. Ye Shuang simply shifted his body slightly, closed his eyes, and prepared to sleep.
Late into the night, the two girls finally quieted down.
In his drowsy state, Ye Shuang felt something slip into his bed. It was a little cold.
He opened his eyes slightly, meeting a pair of beautiful eyes.
"Hmm?" Ye Shuang gathered his senses a bit, only to realize that the person nestled in his arms was Bai Yuyou. She was clinging to him like a koala, squeezing almost her entire body against his and even rubbing her cheek against his neck.
"Let's sleep together."
Ye Shuang glanced at the girl. Her yukata sash had loosened slightly at some point, and under the moonlight, the upper halves of her slimes were reflected in his eyes.
"..."
"Do you like this, Ye Shuang?" Bai Yuyou even shifted a little, to the point where the little noses of the slimes peeked out.
Ye Shuang's lips parted, but in the end, he simply pulled her yukata up a bit to cover her. After doing so, he pulled the girl tightly into his embrace and rested his chin on top of her head.
Bai Yuyou opened her beautiful eyes and shifted slightly, but she couldn't clearly see Ye Shuang's expression at the moment.
Ye Shuang finally spoke up, "All men like it, but I don't like it when you do this... though I have no idea where you learned it from."
"Go to sleep."
Pinching the girl's soft cheek gently with one hand, Ye Shuang closed his eyes once again.
Leaning against Ye Shuang's chest, Bai Yuyou took in the faint, sun-kissed scent of his embrace. She nuzzled her cheek against him, her eyelashes fluttering briefly before she finally closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
The rest of the night passed in silence.
...
Morning came.
Ye Shuang let out a soft groan. He suddenly felt a heavy weight in his arms, but knowing that Bai Yuyou had sneaked into his bed last night, he didn't find it strange. It was just that the soft, squishy sensation seemed much more pronounced than before—opening his eyes, he was met with a stiff little face.
"Hmm?"
Tang Keke was also a bit dazed at the moment. "G-Good morning, Brother?"
After a solid three or four seconds of silence, Ye Shuang finally realized that Tang Keke was actually lying in his arms.
"Keke? Why are you..."
Ye Shuang's groggy mind instantly cleared up. Seeing that he was still holding Keke tightly and that her slimes were almost squashed flat like pancakes, he quickly let go. "Sorry, are you okay?"
"I'm fine! I just wanted to wake you up, Brother, but I didn't expect you to pull me into a hug..." Tang Keke scratched her head.
Although she didn't mind being hugged by a handsome guy, the feeling was still a bit weird.
So weird... it felt like her inner NTR spirit was about to awaken.
"Sorry, I thought you were Yuyou..." Ye Shuang looked apologetic. He then noticed that Tang Keke's yukata was also slightly loose, so he casually averted his gaze. "Your sash is a bit loose."
"Oh?"
"Where's Yuyou?" Ye Shuang asked.
"She's outside at the pool, soaking her feet," Tang Keke said with a cheeky grin as she climbed out of bed.
Seeing this, Ye Shuang also climbed down from the top bunk to wash up.
After a quick wash, he walked over to the edge of the pool. Just then, Bai Yuyou finished soaking her feet and stood up. "Ye Shuang, come soak your feet. It feels really nice."
Hearing this, perhaps because he had just gotten out of a warm bed, Ye Shuang didn't really feel like soaking his feet.
But since Bai Yuyou had suggested it, he followed her lead, grabbed a small stool, sat by the pool, and dipped his feet in.
An instant wave of warmth spread from his feet all the way through his body. Ye Shuang suddenly felt that soaking his feet like this wasn't bad at all. If he were to take a full bath, it would probably take up way too much time.
"Is it comfortable?"
"It's pretty good."
"Could we raise fish in the pool and catch them?" Bai Yuyou asked, struck by a sudden whim.
"Uh... probably not? Not at this temperature."
After soaking for a few minutes, Ye Shuang was about to grab a towel when he noticed Bai Yuyou crouching beside him, helping him dry his feet. Her waist-length hair cascaded onto the floor, though thankfully, it wasn't dirty.
Ye Shuang said, "I can do it myself."
"I can do it," the girl replied.
Ye Shuang blinked, then reached out and rubbed her head. "Thanks."
Standing off to the side, Tang Keke watched the scene in silence. The moment Bai Yuyou turned her head, Keke flashed her a thumbs-up.
Nice.
Around noon, after having one last meal at the resort, Ye Shuang and the girls prepared to head home.
After all, New Year's Day wasn't a long holiday, so being able to relax like this for a bit was already pretty good. Besides, Ye Shuang himself couldn't stay away from his company for too long; there were still things he needed to take care of.
On the way back, both girls seemed to be in high spirits. Tang Keke had even taken a ton of Japanese-style photos, which looked so good they could easily be framed and put on display.
And so, with the hot spring trip concluded, Ye Shuang's life in the new year continued on.
...
The next day—
"Right after New Year's, we have an exam today!" Tang Keke wailed, clutching her head. She was practically on the verge of falling to her knees and screaming at the sky.
"NO!!!!"
Standing nearby and adjusting his suit, Ye Shuang couldn't help but chuckle at the girl's dramatic display. "Your English is pretty good. Looks like you'll pass your English proficiency exams."
"Yuyou, let me copy your answers. There's absolutely no way I'm passing Advanced Math," Tang Keke pleaded, clinging to Bai Yuyou's arm.
"We aren't sitting together for the exam." With a single sentence, Bai Yuyou ruthlessly shut down the girl's little scheme.
"Alright, I'm heading to work. Good luck on your exams, you two." Ye Shuang didn't pay any mind to the girl practically rolling on the floor and simply walked out the door.
Arriving at the garage, Ye Shuang found that familiar little dog sitting next to his car, still looking as smug as ever.
"Hmm?" Seeing the familiar Corgi, Ye Shuang said, "Wangcai, this is the first time I've seen you since the new year started."
The Corgi didn't make a sound. Instead, it trotted over to Ye Shuang's feet and sniffed around.
"Here you go." Ye Shuang opened Bai Yuyou's little snack stash in the car and skillfully pulled out a meat sausage.
He even poured out a little water for it.
The little Corgi didn't hold back. After devouring everything, it resumed its guard-dog posture, helping to watch over Ye Shuang's car.
"Alright, I'm heading out."
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!
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."
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
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.
