"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!"
Ye Shuang was awakened by a burst of firecrackers. It was the first day of the Lunar New Year. He woke up in a guest room at the Chen family's house, his face still showing traces of sleepiness. He hadn't planned on staying the night, but after having a few drinks, he eventually chose to sleep over here with Bai Yuyou.
Fortunately, there were plenty of rooms, and the wardrobe had disposable clothes, so staying for a few days wouldn't be an issue.
"So lively." After washing up, Ye Shuang walked to the windowsill and saw a few children lighting firecrackers downstairs. Among them, of course, was Qiaoqiao and the other kids.
The children's playful laughter accompanied by the sound of the firecrackers made him feel completely refreshed just listening to it.
However, at this moment, Ye Shuang noticed that Chen Qin was also setting off firecrackers. Despite her demure appearance in a long dress, she was laughing and joking with the children, looking incredibly energetic.
"..." Ye Shuang suddenly remembered the situation with An Shiyu and couldn't help but fall silent.
How was he going to handle things on that side?
Ye Shuang pinched the bridge of his nose and fell into deep thought.
"Ah Ye—" A voice called out from below. Ye Shuang looked down and saw Chen Qin waving at him.
His train of thought interrupted, Ye Shuang smiled back at her and turned around to head downstairs.
Passing through the living room, Ye Shuang noticed Chen's parents chatting with their relatives, so he greeted them.
"Shuangzai, come here." Several of them waved at Ye Shuang.
"Hmm?"
To his surprise, the elders handed him several red envelopes. He immediately waved his hands in refusal, "No, no need, I'm already an adult."
"You're not married yet, so age doesn't matter," Mother Chen said with a smile.
"If you don't want to receive red envelopes, get married sooner. You don't want to be receiving them next year too, do you?" Father Chen added.
"I wouldn't mind it, it's free money." Ye Shuang chuckled, causing the elders to reach out and affectionately pat his shoulder.
After breakfast, Ye Shuang stepped outside. The faint smell of gunpowder still lingered in the air, and the ground was littered with red paper shreds from the firecrackers. Looking at the playing children and Chen Qin, he realized that Bai Yuyou wasn't there.
"Looks like she isn't up yet?" Just as Ye Shuang was thinking this, he noticed a girl with her hair tied in a ponytail walking towards him from a distance. She was carrying a bucket in her hand, and beside her were Chen Hai and a few other young men and women.
"You slept in so late, were you drunk last night?" Chen Hai said when he saw Ye Shuang. "Little Yuyou got up way earlier than you."
"Probably. Sleeping in a little on the New Year." Ye Shuang smiled, then noticed Bai Yuyou's ponytail and the fishing rod she was holding. "Did you guys go fishing?"
"Ye Shuang, look, big fish." Bai Yuyou lifted the bucket in her hand, from which the splashing sounds of fish flopping around could be heard.
"You actually caught so many." Ye Shuang peeked into the bucket; it was a bountiful harvest.
"Fishing is very fun."
"That's good." Seeing Bai Yuyou's happy expression, Ye Shuang rubbed her head and then took out a red envelope.
"Here, a lucky red envelope for you."
"I've received a lot of these today too," Bai Yuyou said, pulling out a thick stack of red envelopes from her pocket, all of which she had received that morning.
"Do I need to give them red envelopes too?"
"No need, it's basically elders giving to the younger generation. Once you're married, you can give them to those little kids." Ye Shuang pointed at Qiaoqiao and the other brats.
Hearing this, Bai Yuyou thought for a moment, and eventually just nodded lightly without saying anything else.
The morning flew by. After having lunch and sitting down for some tea, Ye Shuang politely declined the two elders' offers to stay longer, and then set off for home with Bai Yuyou.
In the car, the young girl hugged the red envelopes in her arms and asked curiously, "Can I open them?"
"Save them until after the New Year. Besides, there's at most a hundred yuan inside, so there's no rush to open them." Ye Shuang said. In the Guangdong area, red envelopes generally ranged from 10 to 100 yuan. It was just for good luck, so there wouldn't be much money.
Just like Ye Shuang; because he didn't have many relatives, the total amount of red envelope money he received during the New Year never exceeded a thousand yuan.
"Ye Shuang," the girl sitting in the passenger seat suddenly spoke.
"Hmm?"
"You can only give others red envelopes after getting married." Bai Yuyou looked at Ye Shuang. "Will I be able to give them out in the future too?"
"Of course you can," Ye Shuang smiled.
"I want to marry Ye Shuang." Bai Yuyou's words made Ye Shuang pause for a moment. He turned his head to look at the girl beside him—her face was very calm, but it carried a profound sense of earnestness.
Hearing this, Ye Shuang remained silent for a few seconds before speaking,
"I... am actually a pretty lousy guy."
"Why?" Bai Yuyou asked.
Thinking of Chen Qin and An Shiyu, and realizing that without knowing when, he had ended up with his feet in two boats—one of which was even a twin-hull ship—Ye Shuang subconsciously touched his nose, unsure of how to explain his behavior to Bai Yuyou.
Seeing that Ye Shuang wasn't speaking, Bai Yuyou touched the red envelopes in her hands and didn't ask anything else.
The car was dead silent.
Outside, however, it was a bit noisy.
Which only made the silence inside feel even more profound.
...
After returning home, Yi Wan, dressed in a festive red outfit, trotted over with its tail held high, "Meow, meow-ga."
Its voice carried a hint of grievance, as if asking Ye Shuang and the others why they hadn't come back for the New Year.
"Ye Shuang, should we have brought Yi Wan along?" Bai Yuyou reached out and picked Yi Wan up, letting it rest on her shoulder.
"We didn't expect to stay the night over there, after all."
Ye Shuang reached out to rub Yi Wan's face, then took his and Bai Yuyou's clothes upstairs to wash them. When he came back down, he found that Tang Keke had appeared in the living room.
"Happy New Year, brother." Tang Keke lived downstairs, so knowing Bai Yuyou had returned, she just took the elevator straight up, not looking like a shut-in at all.
Perhaps she just preferred spending time with Bai Yuyou. Being a homebody didn't necessarily mean she disliked socializing; it was just that she might not have found a kindred spirit to be friends with. When communicating with people who don't share your interests, socializing becomes a troublesome chore.
"Happy New Year," Ye Shuang smiled faintly.
"Wishing you wealth and prosperity, now hand over the red envelope," Tang Keke playfully held out her hand.
"I'm not married yet, you know," Ye Shuang teased.
"But Yuyou said you just gave her one," Tang Keke grinned.
"Here." Ye Shuang handed Tang Keke a red envelope. She happily accepted it and slipped it into her pocket. Seeing the two girls huddled together, chattering away about something, Ye Shuang took out his phone.
Opening the chat window with An Shiyu, Ye Shuang planned to use the afternoon to go see them.
A few seconds after he sent a message, the other party replied.
An Shiyu: Remember to bring it.
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!
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
orn and Humiliation】【Forced Love】 In his past life, Lin Ran was betrayed and murdered by his girlfriend and family, while the yandere female aristocrat, who had treated him as a mere plaything, avenged him by doing in his enemies. Upon seeing the yandere female aristocrat lying in the same coffin, ready to die with him, Lin Ran realized how profoundly mistaken he had been. Reborn, he abandoned the fickle campus beauty and wholeheartedly embraced the yandere female aristocrat's arms. "Ran! If I dig out your eyes and turn them into a specimen, you'll only be able to look at me!" Lin Ran: "Darling, kiss me!" "Ran! If I break your legs, you won't run away anymore, right?" Lin Ran: "Love, hold me tight!" "Ran! If..." Lin Ran: "Hush now! Love me more!" Luo Yao: ... Seeing his scumbag dad: "Take him out!" Seeing his stepmother: "Get rid of her!" Seeing his brother: "Eliminate him!" Seeing his white moonlight: "Send that to Southeast Asia!"
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."
