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.
ey change clothes. Li Chuan contributed all his possessions, only to find that things were not as they seemed. Almost a year after joining, he hadn’t managed to get a single Daoist consort. Thinking he had been deceived, he was approached by a stunning senior fellow disciple who asked if he would like to form a spiritual bond. For those who don’t practice cultivation, they might not know what “forming a spiritual bond” is. Let me put it this way: A long-term relationship is called a “Daoist consort,” while a short-term relationship is known as “forming a spiritual bond.” From then on, Li Chuan discovered the true way to interact with the Yin-Yang Sect’s Daoist consorts. As long as he had enough spirit stones, he could form a spiritual bond with anyone, Whether it’s Senior Sisters, aunts, Daoist consorts of aunts, female elders, Daoist consorts of elders, or even the Daoist consort of the sect leader, anyone can form a spiritual bond as long as there are enough spirit stones.” I've already joined the Yin-Yang Sect, and you're telling me to focus on cultivation? Do you even know what the Yin-Yang Sect is all about?
] 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.
ave】 Shen Qingling was a man with peerless looks, a cunning mind, and the ability to play both the aloof noble and the innocent sweetheart—a master of seduction who could outplay any player. But after an untimely death, he found himself bound to a system and transmigrated into the tragic "true young master" of a melodramatic novel. In the original story, his childhood sweetheart treated him as a backup plan, his fiancée swore to break off their engagement for the sake of the "fake young master," and his own sister saw him as the family's disgrace. He was nothing more than a rat everyone wanted to stomp on. System 077: "Your mission is to change the original fate and conquer the goddesses." Shen Qingling: "Thanks for the invite. If seduction had tiers, I’d be max level." His childhood sweetheart knelt, begging for forgiveness: "Qingling, I was wrong. Please give me another chance." His ex-fiancée refused to marry anyone else: "Shen Qingling, I was blind before. In this life, I’ll marry no one but you." A yandere CEO went mad for love: "Shen Qingling, you can only like me. I’ll stop at nothing to make you mine!" His green-tea sister clung to him daily: "Brother, look at me, won’t you? I’m more obedient than them—I love you the most~" At first, they scorned and trampled on him. Later, they burned themselves like moths to a flame, all for his sake. His looks were his weapon, his sweet words the bait—heroines obsessed over him, villains turned to madness for him. Shen Qingling became a true male siren, igniting battlefield after battlefield of women fighting for his affection. Years later, when System 077—now one of the elites—was asked how to become as outstanding as it, it lazily exhaled a smoke ring and replied: "Just know how to cheer ‘666’ at the right time."
and couldn't return to the real world. Finally, I gave up and decided to go with the flow, only to discover that writing a diary could make me stronger. Since no one could read it, Su Luo wrote freely, daring to pen anything and everything. Female Lead #1: "Not bad. This diary helped me steal all the protagonist's opportunities. I just want to get stronger." Female Lead #2: "I don’t care about reaching the peak of the cultivation world. Right now, I just want to enjoy the chaos." Female Lead #3: "What? Everyone around me is a spy? I’m the Joker Demon Lord?" ... It’s so strange. Why is the plot completely off track, yet the ending remains the same? Are you all just messing with me?!
