On Friday, Ye Shuang didn’t go to the academy or the company. He simply got in the car and took Chen Qin straight to the Chen family estate.
“Is what I’m wearing today a little off?” While waiting at a red light, Ye Shuang adjusted his clothes and asked, “Should I dress more formally? Maybe wear a suit?”
“Hehe, A Ye, you’re being so serious. It’s just going home, not a blind date,” Chen Qin said with a grin, noticing how nervous he seemed.
“Still, since we’re going back to talk about this, I can’t show up looking sloppy. That wouldn’t be right.” Ye Shuang shook his head. Even the stuff he’d put in the trunk—he had to follow basic etiquette.
“You look great like this,” Chen Qin said, reaching over to straighten his collar. “A Ye, don’t be scared. You’re at your best when you’re confident.”
She gave a little fist pump, looking so cute and girlish that even Ye Shuang couldn’t help but laugh.
“You should start handing over the simpler tasks at the company too. It’s best if you stop traveling abroad and skip any lectures. Just try to rest as much as possible,” Ye Shuang continued. Even though he knew Chen Qin couldn’t drop everything at once, she still needed to cut out all the unimportant stuff.
“Mm-hmm, I know.” Chen Qin nodded obediently. The usually formidable CEO of the Chen Group, the little devil of the Chen family, only ever acted this well-behaved around Ye Shuang.
Watching him act like he was meeting the parents for the first time, Chen Qin couldn’t help but sigh. “A Ye, I never thought we’d get to this day.”
“What do you mean?” Ye Shuang glanced over at her.
“Nothing, hehe.” Chen Qin shook her head. “I thought Zhao Mengyao would have swallowed you whole by now.”
“Zhao Mengyao… oh.” Ye Shuang nodded, completely indifferent to the name.
Sensing his attitude, Chen Qin grew curious. “A Ye, the doctor said your memories would gradually come back over time, right? Do you still not remember anything about Zhao Mengyao?”
Ye Shuang thought for a moment.
“No,” he said finally. Honestly, he felt nothing toward Zhao Mengyao. She was like a stranger from a story he’d heard once.
“A Ye… you won’t forget me one day, will you?” Chen Qin’s voice suddenly carried a note of worry.
Ye Shuang just smiled. “I won’t.”
From his diary, he already knew why he lost his memories. This exchange of memories as a cost—he couldn’t keep paying that price forever, could he?
His life couldn’t be that tragic.
“We really should get you a thorough checkup,” Chen Qin said, still looking concerned, unaware of the truth behind his condition.
“Yeah, we’ll find a time,” Ye Shuang said with a smile, just to ease her mind.
After driving for a while, the two finally reached the Chen family estate. Parking the car in the garage, Ye Shuang had barely stepped out when he saw a golden retriever bounding toward him from a distance.
“Woof!”
“Morning, Salted Egg,” Ye Shuang said as the golden retriever excitedly jumped up on him, wagging its tail. He gave its head a good scratch.
“He’s really happy to see you, since you haven’t been here in a while,” Chen Qin remarked. When the golden retriever tried to jump on her too, she quickly put her hand out.
“Sit. No jumping.”
The dog stuck out its tongue, looking a little confused, but obediently sat down.
“I’ve got a little one on the way now, you know. I can’t afford any accidents,” Chen Qin said, pointing a finger at the dog. She didn’t care if it understood; she just patted her belly with a serious expression.
“Woof!” As if understanding her, the golden retriever didn’t try to jump again.
“Getting old, practically a genius dog,” Ye Shuang said with a chuckle. Some dogs really were smart—goldens and shepherds were among the sharpest breeds.
“Shuang’er, dear!” A voice called out. Ye Shuang and Chen Qin turned to see Chen’s mother walking out with an auntie. When she saw them, she beamed.
“I saw Salted Egg dash out, so I knew you two had arrived,” she said.
“Where’s Uncle?” Ye Shuang asked as he started pulling things out of the trunk.
“Your uncle’s off fiddling with his antiques again. Why did you bring all this stuff? Didn’t I tell you not to? We’re family,” Chen’s mother scolded lightly when she saw the bags in his hands.
“Waste of money—we can’t even finish all this ourselves.”
“Ha, you can give some to others. It’s good luck to have it around the house,” Ye Shuang said cheerfully. “It’s for good fortune.”
“No more next time, okay?”
“Alright, alright.”
After a bit of casual chatter, they headed into the living room. Soon, Chen’s father came downstairs. When he saw Ye Shuang, he grinned and gave him a pat on the shoulder.
“It’s rare to see you two coming home together. Did something good happen?”
“Kind of,” Ye Shuang said with a slight cough. He didn’t say much right away—figured they should sit down first.
Once they were all settled in the living room, Chen’s father started brewing tea. Noticing that Ye Shuang and Chen Qin were both quiet, he asked, “What’s the good news? Tell your uncle.”
With the topic directly on the table, Ye Shuang cleared his throat. Chen Qin just smiled without saying a word.
“Uncle Chen, Chen Qin and I are having a baby,” Ye Shuang said.
“Oh, having a baby?” Chen’s father replied calmly at first. “You’re both at the right age. Better to have them early.”
But as he spoke, the words sank in. He didn’t even notice the teacup overflowing in his hand.
“Huh?” Chen’s father looked at Ye Shuang, then pointed at Chen Qin. “You two?”
“Yeah, us two,” Ye Shuang nodded.
“Dear, did I hear that right?” Chen’s father turned to his wife.
“You’re not deaf, are you? Of course you heard right. Shuang’er and dear are having a baby,” Chen’s mother said, seeming to accept the news much faster. To her, it was only a matter of time anyway.
“So I’m going to be a grandfather?” Chen’s father’s face lit up with a grin. “I broke a vase this morning—I knew it meant something good would come from the shards.”
“Didn’t you say this morning that smashing the vase meant nothing good would happen today?” Chen’s mother retorted, rolling her eyes.
“Hey, no superstition allowed right now—what do you know?” Chen’s father shot back. “Isn’t this good news?”
“Oh, I’m going to be a grandpa!”
“It’s maternal grandfather,” Chen Qin corrected.
“Isn’t Shuang’er basically my son anyway?” Chen’s father added with a wink.
] [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!"
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
