"Was it you who caused Wu Ya to drop out?" One of the men spoke with a dark, icy tone. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to get into Yinshan Academy?"
The other man, equally hostile, reached into his pocket as if he might pull out a knife at any moment.
"Me?" Ye Shuang chuckled. "Conspiring with friends to frame a classmate—someone like that would’ve been a master schemer in ancient palace dramas. Too bad in this society, they’re just a pathetic little wretch."
Wu Ya’s eyes widened. "Who are you calling a wretch?!"
"Say it again!" The man beside Wu Ya stepped forward aggressively, raising his hand to slap Ye Shuang.
But before his hand could land, Chen Qin suddenly slapped the man across the face. The blow stunned him momentarily, and before he could react, Ye Shuang followed up with a sharp kick to his stomach.
The seamless combo sent the man sprawling to the ground.
"Pathetic," Chen Qin remarked, sounding bored as she draped an arm over Ye Shuang’s shoulder and looked down at the fallen man.
"You bastard!" The other man lunged forward but froze when he saw the numbers on Ye Shuang’s side. Instead, he pulled out a gleaming dagger from his pocket.
"None of you are leaving here today," he sneered.
"Eek!" Tang Keke paled.
But Ye Shuang remained unfazed. Meanwhile, Chen Qin walked to the car’s trunk and pulled out a grain sampler—a meter-and-a-half-long tool with a sharp, spear-like tip and a blood groove designed to make wounds that wouldn’t stop bleeding easily.
"Ye Shuang, let’s poke a few holes in these thugs," she said casually.
"We live in a civilized society—no need for violence," Ye Shuang said, though he took the sampler from her. "This is just a friendly duel. We’ll stop before things get ugly."
The man’s face twisted in disbelief. What kind of person keeps something like that in their trunk?!
He glanced at his puny dagger, then back at the massive grain sampler in Ye Shuang’s hands, his expression souring. The difference in reach was laughable.
"Weren’t you saying none of us would leave? Why are you just standing there? Cat got your tongue?" Ye Shuang taunted.
"You—you—"
At that moment, Chen Qin drawled, "As The Analects say: ‘When a man is about to die, his words are kind.’"
Ye Shuang nodded. "Meaning, once you beat someone half to death, they’ll start talking nicely."
What the hell?!
Are you two some kind of outlaws?!
And since when does The Analects mean that?!
Wu Ya was genuinely terrified now. The last time Ye Shuang had slapped her twice, the pain had lingered for days. If he was willing to use that grain sampler on her…
In the end, the three of them could only slink away in defeat.
Ye Shuang watched them go before handing the sampler back to Chen Qin. "Why does your brother even have something like this in his car?"
"Self-defense, obviously. You know Chen Hai loves road trips. Sometimes you run into troublemakers blocking the road in the middle of nowhere."
"And the cops don’t check it?"
"It’s just a grain sampler, not a weapon," Chen Qin said with a grin. "You gotta be prepared. What, you’d rather wait to get stabbed or killed before calling the cops?"
"Justice delayed is justice denied—especially if you’re already dead."
Ye Shuang didn’t argue. He glanced at Bai Yuyou and Tang Keke—the former as calm as ever, while the latter was still shaken.
"Let’s go. No big deal," Ye Shuang said with a smile.
The incident was just a minor hiccup. Soon, the four arrived at a dessert shop—though it was more of a high-end restaurant.
"888 per person?!" Tang Keke’s eyes nearly popped at the menu.
Since when was dessert this expensive?
"What’s wrong?"
"It’s a bit pricey. I didn’t bring enough," Tang Keke admitted sheepishly. She hadn’t planned on letting Ye Shuang and the others pay in the first place.
"My treat. Eat as much as you want," Chen Qin said warmly, her demeanor a far cry from the fierce woman who’d slapped someone earlier.
"Don’t worry, Keke. Dig in," Ye Shuang added, and she finally relaxed.
After a while, Tang Keke couldn’t resist whispering to Bai Yuyou, "Yuyou, is this the same sister who gave you the car?"
Bai Yuyou, cheeks stuffed with pudding like a little hamster, blinked and nodded.
"Rich, gorgeous, and confident… tough competition," Tang Keke muttered. She wasn’t sure Bai Yuyou stood a chance.
Money-wise?
Probably outmatched.
Looks-wise?
Though Bai Yuyou was ethereally beautiful with her unique aura, Chen Qin wasn’t far behind.
Personality-wise?
…
Tang Keke glanced at Bai Yuyou, who was wholly absorbed in her dessert, then stole a peek at Chen Qin, who was chatting and laughing effortlessly with Ye Shuang. Yeah, not looking good.
"Yuyou, Yuyou, you need to step up your game," Tang Keke whispered urgently.
Bai Yuyou tilted her head, confused.
"Never mind."
Just then, Chen Qin asked the waiter for a candle and lit it on a small cake.
"Happy early birthday, Ye Shuang," she said, resting her chin on her hand. The candlelight flickered against her face, making her even more radiant.
"Thanks."
Ye Shuang blew out the candle, though internally, he sighed. Twenty-seven already?
It felt like graduation wasn’t that long ago, yet here he was, barreling toward thirty. The thought of marriage and kids, once so distant, now loomed uncomfortably close.
After dessert, they strolled around the mall before it was time for Chen Qin to leave.
"Let me drive you."
"No need," Chen Qin said, glancing at him. "The airport’s a long round trip… and you still have to take the little one bra shopping, right?"
"I could still drop you off."
"I just don’t want you overexerting yourself," she said, pressing a slender finger to his forehead with a soft laugh. "Remember—next week, you’re taking me shopping and cooking for me."
"Got it."
With a wave, Chen Qin hailed a cab and left. There was so much more she wanted to say, but now wasn’t the time.
Not long after she left, Ye Shuang’s phone buzzed with a message from her.
Chen Qin: What I said earlier wasn’t meant to pressure you.
Chen Qin: Don’t think I’m desperate—plenty of guys are after me.
Chen Qin: Hmph.jpg
Ye Shuang replied with a sticker before turning to Bai Yuyou and Tang Keke.
"Let’s go."
【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
or! A blessing for those who struggle with love, a guidebook for dating novices. Quickly match with your dream goddess! Complete walkthroughs earn rewards, and perfect walkthroughs unlock limited achievements!】 Shen Yi, an ordinary office worker, accidentally downloads a mini-game called Dating Simulator. The mini-game is simple: randomly search for dating targets, simulate dates, and receive rewards upon successful confession. Rewards include but are not limited to money, attributes, and skills. The higher the evaluation, the better the rewards, with perfect ratings unlocking mysterious achievements. Shen Yi plans to use this mysterious mini-game to continuously pursue targets and improve himself, making his life better and better. ...... However, after several successful walkthroughs, Shen Yi suddenly notices something strange - the targets he previously simulated dating seem to be searching for him in real life?
+【Epic Battles!】 "Your Highness, they say Linxi Temple is miraculous. Won’t you make a wish?" "A wish? It should be making wishes to me." "That may be so, but since you’re already here..." "..." "Fine. Then grant this princess a consort to play with." "He must be obedient, devoted, and utterly infatuated with my body—so much so that he’d kneel and kiss my feet." "Your Highness, that’s not a consort. That’s a dog." "Then add clever, witty, heroic, ambitious yet pragmatic..." "Hmm, that’s enough for now. I’ll add more later." After tossing out these words half in jest, Princess Anle departed the temple—only to catch a fleeting glimpse of the Bodhisattva statue smiling at her. Meanwhile, Yang An, fresh out of university, was having a very bad day. Good news: He’d transmigrated into another world with a cheat granting tenfold combat power. Bad news: He’d immediately fallen into the clutches of a certain villainess. Good news: Said villainess possessed peerless beauty and royal status. Bad news: She was absolutely monstrous!!! In the frozen wilderness, Yang An knelt beneath Qin Guo’er’s feet, drenched in sweat despite the cold. Desperately clutching her porcelain-perfect foot—the very one poised to crush his throat—he could only think: How do I survive this?! Need answers NOW!
