Rustle, rustle.
Ye Shuang shoveled, stepped, and pried, working with the girls beside him to gradually deepen and widen the small pit. Not far away parked a truck filled with saplings that had been prepared in advance.
"It's so hot," Tang Keke complained, feeling an ache in her waist. Sweat had slightly dampened the girl's back, clearly outlining the straps of her undergarments.
"Ugh, it's so hot here too, I'm covered in sweat." Tang Keke wiped beneath her chest with a handkerchief, feeling miserable and sticky.
"After all, the weather in Haizhu City... has actually always been quite hot," Ye Shuang said. Even during the rainy season, as long as the sun came out, the temperature would climb very quickly.
"Why am I not sweating?" An Shiyu asked from the side.
Tang Keke deadpanned at the short-haired girl who was slacking off under a parasol. "You tell me."
Meanwhile, Bai Yuyou and Taozi were diligently digging the soil. Compared to Bai Yuyou, Taozi appeared exceptionally energetic, working silently stroke after stroke.
"Are you tired?" Ye Shuang asked the girl beside him.
"Not tired," Bai Yuyou shook her head. Seeing the sweat on Ye Shuang's forehead, she took a handkerchief from her pocket to wipe it for him, then neatly folded it and put it back into her skirt pocket.
"Ye Shuang, why are we making two piles of dirt?" Bai Yuyou asked curiously at this moment.
"When planting trees, you need to separate the topsoil from the subsoil. When backfilling, you have to put them back the way they were," Ye Shuang explained, then continued working.
They had to plant about three trees today, so they wouldn't finish in time if they moved too slowly.
"Wow, there are rocks in here, it's so hard!" Tang Keke's hoe had just struck a rock, making the web between her thumb and forefinger go numb.
"Pry it up, take it slow."
Ye Shuang and the others dug for nearly twenty minutes, but the pit still didn't meet the planting requirements.
"Ah, I'm exhausted!" Tang Keke shouted.
"So useless," An Shiyu remarked, sitting on a small stool nearby, even holding a slice of watermelon in her hand.
"I really don't want to hear that from a slacker like you!" Tang Keke said angrily. "And why haven't you done a single lick of work this whole time?!"
An Shiyu gave a blank stare and took a bite of watermelon. "Why should I work?"
"You!" Tang Keke puffed out her cheeks, but Bai Yuyou held her back. Otherwise, she probably would have charged over demanding a one-on-one fight, only to end up getting thrashed by An Shiyu.
In terms of combat power, Tang Keke only had 1.5 Alices, making her a total weakling.
"Who said I only know how to slack off?" Having finished her melon, An Shiyu slowly stood up. "Busty girl, do you know the biggest difference between humans and animals?"
"What?"
"It's the ability to use tools," An Shiyu said lazily.
"Don't we have shovels and hoes right here?" Tang Keke muttered. Who didn't know that?
"Traditional tools are weak." An Shiyu clapped her hands. Right then, a flash of yellow emerged from the bushes not far away. Under Tang Keke's shocked gaze, a small excavator just drove right out.
"..." Tang Keke was a bit dumbfounded.
No, why on earth was this thing here?!
At this moment, An Shiyi was sitting in the driver's seat of the excavator. Not only that, but she was even wearing a safety helmet on her head. Paired with her lazy little face, she looked indescribably cute.
"Why is there one of these on the mountain?" Ye Shuang couldn't help but comment.
"Ninjas, amazing right?"
That phrase sounded a bit familiar.
An Shiyi skillfully operated the excavator. With the movement of the mechanical arm, she dug a suitably sized pit in just a few minutes.
"Does this count as breaking the rules?" Tang Keke was speechless, but doing this completely defeated the purpose of Arbor Day, didn't it?
"Why don't you check the rules?" An Shiyu said from the side, crossing her arms. "The school allows it."
"How is that possible?!" Everyone took out their phones to check the class group chat.
In the last line of the requirements—
5. Students may use any tools to complete the tree planting activity, including but not limited to (shovels, hoes, excavators, Gundams, electric drills, Pokémon...)
Tang Keke: "..."
Did some strange things get mixed in?
Taking another look at the posting time.
Ten minutes ago.
"Hey, this was just added in, wasn't it?" Tang Keke now seriously suspected that An Shiyu had used her status to make all the teachers post this.
"Is that a problem?"
"..." Tang Keke was left speechless.
However, thanks to the two fishes' excavator, the pit problem was quickly resolved, leaving many students nearby staring in disbelief.
"Hey, hey, hey, driving an excavator is totally cheating, right?" a student who was sweating profusely from digging complained.
Hearing this, Chao Yiyu, who was sitting in the driver's seat, propped up her cheek and yawned. "Cheating? You could have brought one up too, did you just not want to?"
"Who in their right mind brings an excavator?!"
"Exactly! Everyone else is so tired, why do you guys have it so easy!"
"Excuse me, classmate, could you help us dig a bit?"
"Miss, could we borrow this excavator for a bit?"
The students all spoke at once, but most of them expressed a desire for the excavator.
"Xiao Yi, do you want to help the others dig a few holes too?" Seeing so many eager faces, Ye Shuang asked An Shiyi.
"Xiao Yi..." An Shiyi paused for a few seconds upon hearing this, then mumbled around the lollipop in her mouth, "Fine, I was getting bored anyway."
With that, the excavator slowly moved next door.
After the pit was dug, Ye Shuang brought the saplings back. The root system was wrapped in a film to protect its moisture. Tearing it off to let the roots spread out meant it was ready for planting.
"Alright, let's backfill the soil." Ye Shuang held the sapling steady and began to fill the dirt back in order. Moreover, the school had distributed some fertilizer that could be added in together.
When the sapling stood firmly in the soil, Ye Shuang and the others couldn't help but cheer, "Done."
"Let's leave our names." Ye Shuang took out a small wooden sign and wrote his own name and the other girls' names on it one by one.
Finally, he chose a spot neither too close nor too far and stuck the wooden sign into the dirt to secure it.
"Ye Shuang, how big can this grow?" Bai Yuyou stood beside him, curious.
"How big..." Hearing this, Ye Shuang reached out and rubbed the girl's head.
"We've done our best. As for how big it can grow, it ultimately has to walk that path on its own."
"Only by enduring the trials of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, as well as scorching suns and hurricanes, can it thrive and grow."
Bai Yuyou stayed quiet for a moment upon hearing this, then nodded gently. "Mhm."
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
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!
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.
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
