The mobile phone shop no longer had the girl with shoulder-length hair. Instead, a bald, potbellied man in a tank top greeted Ye Shuang and his companion with enthusiasm as they walked in.
"Looking to buy something?"
"A smartphone, please. Something affordable," Ye Shuang replied.
Seeing the middle-aged man's eager expression, Ye Shuang finally felt like this was what a proper phone shop owner should be like. If the shop had kept operating with the attitude of the girl from this morning, it would’ve gone out of business sooner or later.
"Of course! Take a look at these iPhones—durable, great signal, fast charging," the owner cheerfully introduced the row of Apple devices. "And they’ve all been used by girls for less than a month, so the prices are very reasonable."
"This one’s only 5,999."
Ye Shuang fell silent, recalling the girl’s earlier remark about the phones being "full of issues, just pick one that works."
"Let’s go with an Android instead," he said.
"Sure thing, hold on." The owner rummaged around and pulled out the exact same model the girl had sold Ye Shuang that morning.
"This is the latest model, very popular. Brand new, just 1,800."
Ye Shuang blinked. "That expensive?"
"Ah, come on, it’s not expensive at all. Prices have been like this for years," the owner retorted, his enthusiasm waning when he realized Ye Shuang couldn’t even scrape together a thousand.
"Budget phones like these barely make a profit as it is. Don’t talk if you don’t know what you’re saying."
Ye Shuang: "…"
Suddenly, the girl from the morning didn’t seem so bad. Sure, she had a sharp tongue, but at least she was an honest seller. This guy, on the other hand, was all smiles and friendly service, but clearly itching to rip him off.
"Let’s check somewhere else," Ye Shuang said, taking Bai Yuyou’s hand as they quickly left the shop.
Maybe online shopping was the way to go. With the local delivery speed, the phone would probably arrive the next day.
"Waste of my damn time," the owner spat as he watched them walk away without hesitation. He put the phone back, then paused. After a few seconds, he frowned and checked his inventory again.
"Strange… feels like one’s missing."
"Eh, probably sold by the wife."
…
Outside, Ye Shuang turned to the girl beside him. "Remember, when buying things, you have to figure out if someone’s trying to cheat you—especially when prices aren’t clearly marked."
Bai Yuyou seemed to half-understand before suddenly asking, "Is being a sugar daddy also a kind of buying?"
"Uh… sort of?" Caught off guard, Ye Shuang wasn’t sure how to respond.
"Then how much would it cost to buy you?" Bai Yuyou inquired curiously.
Ye Shuang sighed. Why was this girl so fixated on claiming him as her own?
Well, she was young. Probably didn’t know better.
"People can’t be bought or sold," he said, leading her back home.
"But… my mom once said she wanted to sell me," Bai Yuyou murmured calmly, stopping Ye Shuang in his tracks.
He stared at her for a long moment before forcing a smile. "She was just joking. Trying to scare you."
"Really?" Bai Yuyou’s gaze drifted, as if lost in thought.
"Yeah. So, anything you feel like eating tonight?"
"Instant noodles…" she answered reflexively.
"No."
"Why?"
"No reason. Just remember what I say." Ye Shuang insisted. Instant noodles were fine occasionally, but relying on them meant missing out on proper nutrition.
Though she didn’t fully grasp why, Bai Yuyou obediently nodded, thinking of the delicious meals Ye Shuang cooked.
Just then, her attention was drawn to a mother and daughter passing by—the young mother holding her child’s hand as they strolled, both laughing happily.
A bond that would never fade with time. Yet to Bai Yuyou, it felt utterly unfamiliar.
She stood there, watching, as if separated from the bustling crowd around her—cold and solitary, the sunlight on her skin turning to moonlight.
Only after they had gone did Bai Yuyou slowly turn back to Ye Shuang and whisper, "Can I hold your hand?"
Ye Shuang had noticed her reaction. Without a word, he took her pale, slightly cold hand in his, sharing a bit of warmth from his palm.
"So, what do you want for dinner?"
"Instant noodles."
"I said no."
"Oh…"
Amid the crowd, the two walked close, neither burdened by complicated emotions—just two people sharing warmth on an afternoon that wasn’t too cold.
…
After stopping for groceries, they returned home. Ye Shuang pulled out his keys to unlock the door, but the lock clicked stubbornly, still as difficult as ever. Worse, when he withdrew the key, it was damp, coated in some strange liquid.
Frowning, Ye Shuang glanced around before ushering Bai Yuyou inside.
Before cooking, he called a locksmith on his phone. Within half an hour, a middle-aged man arrived.
"Your lock’s already open, though?" the locksmith said, setting his toolbag down.
"Could you remove this one? I want to replace it," Ye Shuang replied, offering him a cigarette.
The locksmith took it, tucking it behind his ear with a grin. "Changing the lock, huh? Hold on, I’ll grab one from my van."
Soon, he returned and got to work, expertly prying the old lock loose.
"Damn, this thing’s rusted," the locksmith remarked. "Feels wet, too."
Ye Shuang lit a cigarette for himself, first shooing Bai Yuyou—who had peeked out curiously—back inside before continuing.
"Think someone tampered with it?"
"The core’s still fine, but the rest is completely rusted," the locksmith showed him. The core, made of copper, was untouched, but the lower half of the lock was corroded beyond normal wear.
Lowering his voice, he asked, "Kid, you piss off a neighbor or something?"
"Don’t think so," Ye Shuang muttered, thinking of Bai Yuyou’s quiet demeanor. "So this was done on purpose?"
The locksmith shrugged. "Most likely. Locks don’t rust this bad naturally. Someone probably poured something in here."
"Seen locks in decades-old apartments that weren’t this bad."
"Just get the new one installed."
"Lock’s 150, labor’s 50."
"Fine."
While the locksmith worked, Ye Shuang picked up the rusted lock.
[Item: Rusted Door Lock
Appears to have been chemically corroded. Still barely functional.]
Just as he thought.
Taking a slow drag, Ye Shuang exhaled smoke, his eyes narrowing slightly behind the haze.
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."
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.
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
