"Sorry, I dozed off." Ye Shuang didn't notice Bai Yuyou's earlier action. Just as he was about to apologize for oversleeping, Bai Yuyou suddenly reached out and hugged him.
Warmth and softness enveloped him. Ye Shuang froze for a moment, looking down at the girl clinging tightly to him.
Was she… back to normal?
Just this morning, she had been avoiding him.
Ye Shuang glanced at Tang Keke, who was making a strange face, as if she wanted to say something but didn’t dare.
Still, it was better that Yuyou had returned to her usual self rather than keeping her distance.
"Oh, right—the cat." Ye Shuang looked around before gently telling Bai Yuyou, "Yuyou, let go for a second. The cat’s missing."
Only then did Bai Yuyou lift her head and release him. Ye Shuang stood up and began searching the entire house.
Eventually, all three of them joined the hunt, finally hearing noises from the kitchen trash bin.
"You're really something—no, cat something." Ye Shuang pinched the scruff of the kitten’s neck and lifted it up. A piece of fruit peel was stuck to its head, making it look utterly ridiculous.
Bai Yuyou noticed the kitten too—it must have been discharged from the vet.
"Wow, it’s kinda cute," Tang Keke said, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Do you want to adopt it?" Though he already knew the answer, Ye Shuang still asked Bai Yuyou for her opinion. When she nodded, he smiled and said,
"Alright then, let’s give this little guy a name."
Bai Yuyou fell into thought.
"Ten Thousand isn’t a bad name."
"Brother, why Ten Thousand?"
"Because this little troublemaker cost ten grand in vet bills in just a week."
"That’s kinda wild."
At that moment, Bai Yuyou suddenly spoke up. "Ye Shuang."
Ye Shuang: "?"
Something felt off.
"Yuyou, why name it Ye Shuang?" Tang Keke asked curiously.
Bai Yuyou replied, "Ye Shuang… sounds nice."
"I get it! Because Yuyou likes Brother, she likes his name too!" Tang Keke declared, playing the role of royal interpreter with a smug grin.
Ye Shuang just chuckled, brushing it off.
In the end, the name was settled. From that day on, the long-haired orange kitten had its official name—
Ten Thousand.
A tribute to the ever-shrinking wallet.
---
Though Ye Shuang had insisted on going grocery shopping alone, Bai Yuyou and Tang Keke still tagged along. The three of them arrived at the market.
It was still early—plenty of time to prepare dinner.
"Want some soup?"
"Yes!" Tang Keke raised her hand enthusiastically.
"Yuyou?"
"Yes!" Tang Keke raised Bai Yuyou’s hand for her.
Ye Shuang couldn’t help but laugh. Bai Yuyou also murmured a soft "yes."
The market was crowded, and Bai Yuyou, uncomfortable in large gatherings, instinctively moved closer to Ye Shuang. Noticing this, he reached out and gently took her hand.
Feeling the warmth of his palm, Bai Yuyou visibly relaxed.
At the meat stall, Ye Shuang was about to pick out some ribs when he realized the butcher looked familiar.
Ye Shuang: "…"
"Old man, if you’re not buying, don’t block the way. Move it." An Shiyu said, gripping a cleaver.
"An Shiyu?!" Tang Keke recognized her, eyes widening in surprise.
"You know her?" Ye Shuang asked.
"She’s from Class B—always top three in grades, but skips class so much even the teachers can’t do anything about it," Tang Keke explained.
"Oh, Big-Chest Girl, you’re from Class A," An Shiyu remarked.
"B-Big-Chest Girl?!"
"Why are you selling pork again?" Ye Shuang asked, baffled.
He then noticed the actual butcher nearby and asked, "Is she your daughter?"
"Nah, she said she’s a student doing a social practice assignment. Paid me a few grand to let her run the stall for a bit," the butcher said cheerfully.
Money in hand and free labor? The butcher was more than happy. Besides ribs, most cuts didn’t even require much skill.
Pay up, play butcher for a while…
"You’re loaded?" Ye Shuang gave An Shiyu a skeptical look. They’d just shared pig trotter rice for lunch that morning.
And now she’s paying to be a sucker?
Ye Shuang was starting to understand why this girl kept popping up in random jobs.
"Money’s just numbers. Can’t take it with you when you die," An Shiyu said lazily. "Saw the pig trotter guy chopping meat at lunch and thought it looked fun."
"Wanna buy a trotter for me to hack at?"
Before Ye Shuang could respond, he noticed Bai Yuyou staring at him—along with Tang Keke’s shocked expression.
They had lunch together?
"It’s a long story. Just give me some ribs—I won’t interrupt your fun," Ye Shuang said.
"Sure." Without asking which cut, An Shiyu grabbed a slab, swung the cleaver a few times, and neatly chopped it up—no hesitation.
This girl… Would she find hacking up a person fun someday?
An Shiyu tossed the bagged ribs at him. "Here."
"How much?"
"Free. Consider it payback for the pig trotter rice."
Ye Shuang glanced at the butcher, who was still grinning.
The power of money.
After dropping a few grand, An Shiyu could hand out ribs all day without the butcher batting an eye.
"Thanks." Ye Shuang was starting to get a read on An Shiyu. He didn’t insist on paying, simply took the ribs and led Bai Yuyou and Tang Keke to the next stall.
An Shiyu watched them leave, tilting her head slightly as if lost in thought.
"Boss, give me some pork belly," a customer called out.
"Sorry, stall’s closed for today."
Customer: Huh?
Butcher: Huh?! ↗
---
On the way back, Tang Keke couldn’t hold back her curiosity. "Brother, how do you know An Shiyu? I heard she’s super hard to get along with."
"Long story. Let’s just say we keep running into each other, so we ended up acquainted." Ye Shuang didn’t elaborate. Maybe they’d known each other in a past life—why else would they cross paths everywhere?
He turned to Bai Yuyou with a smile. "Remember? We saw her last time when we bought squid."
Bai Yuyou nodded—she remembered An Shiyu.
By the time they left the market, the sunset had painted the sky orange. Watching the two girls beside him, Ye Shuang recalled the years he’d spent grocery shopping alone.
"Just go by yourself. Do you really need me for something this small? Or can’t you even carry groceries as a grown man?"
"Forget it. I’ll order takeout. Handle it yourself."
The sharp, painful echoes of the past were fading, replaced by the cheerful voices beside him.
"Brother, let us carry some. Is it too heavy?"
"Give it to me…"
Ye Shuang looked at the two girls extending their hands toward him and couldn't help but shake his head with a faint smile. Instead, he felt a weight lift off his shoulders, as if a burden had been released from his heart.
"Let's go. I'll cook a big meal tonight."
"Yay!"
Bathed in the fading sunlight, the three of them walked home together.
villain is the number one simp for the book's leading female protagonist, Shen Wan'er. As expected, he later becomes a tool for the main character to show off and slap faces, ultimately meeting a tragic end with his family ruined and his life in shambles. Fortunately, he awakens the [Universal Pure Love System], which allows him to earn points by performing acts of pure love. To change his fate, Gu Yan makes a decisive choice to seek warmth and companionship with the book's biggest villain—Cold Qingqiu. ........... My name is Leng Qingqiu. To find the murderer who killed my parents years ago, I deliberately blinded myself so that everyone would lower their guard around me. Just as I was secretly accumulating power and capital according to my initial plan, a man walked into my world. "Lengleng, Qingqing, Qiuqiu, which nickname do you prefer?" I don't like any of them. You'd better leave quickly! "Why aren't you saying anything? How about I call you my baby wife?" Leng Qingqiu thinks to herself, this man is truly annoying! (Stubborn pure love warrior + single female lead + true pure love + 1v1)
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.
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
