But as her thoughts deepened, a trace of pain seemed to flicker across the girl's face.
"Let's not think about this for now," Ye Shuang noticed and immediately spoke up to stop her.
Human memories before the age of seven are naturally hazy, and if Bai Yuyou truly couldn’t remember, Ye Shuang didn’t want to force her—especially since that period held many painful recollections.
"Is the sea beautiful?" To change the subject, Ye Shuang asked Bai Yuyou for her thoughts.
The sea in Haizhu City had a peculiar phenomenon: when the weather was clear, the water would turn an intense blue.
This created two contrasting impressions among visitors—some would say Haizhu’s sea was dirty and murky, while others would insist it was blue and breathtaking.
"Beautiful," Bai Yuyou nodded.
After a pause, she added, "Not as beautiful as in movies..."
Ye Shuang couldn’t help but laugh. Of course, it couldn’t compare to movies. After all, the ocean scenes in films were edited and color-graded—even a dull gray sea could be transformed into a deep, vivid blue with the right filter.
The same went for the stunning photos posted by travel bloggers. Most were meticulously retouched. The saying "three parts shooting, seven parts editing" existed for a reason—otherwise, there wouldn’t be such a stark contrast between the flawless faces online and the "ordinary" ones in real life.
"Ye Shuang."
"Hmm?"
"Hand," Bai Yuyou said.
"Not this time. Driving is safer with both hands on the wheel."
"Oh."
After arriving at their destination, Ye Shuang parked the car and grumbled about the steep parking fee—ten yuan per hour—before leading Bai Yuyou to the shore.
Even on a non-holiday, the beach was crowded, with vendors hawking overpriced services: tents for 200 yuan a night, lounge chairs for 30 yuan an hour, and umbrellas for 100 yuan a day.
Scenic spots never failed to deliver exorbitant prices for mediocre offerings.
As they stepped onto the soft sand, Bai Yuyou seemed fascinated by everything. Suddenly, her gaze landed on a distant snow-white, dome-shaped structure. "Ye Shuang... what’s that?"
"Moon Shell," Ye Shuang replied. "Our city’s landmark."
"What’s a landmark?"
"Think of it as a city’s signature." Moon Shell, viewed from afar, resembled a massive seashell-shaped building. In reality, it was a grand theater, standing about ninety meters tall.
Bai Yuyou nodded.
"Ye Shuang, they’re not wearing clothes either."
"Silly, those are swimsuits."
"They look like underwear..."
"There’s still a difference."
Ye Shuang patiently answered each of the girl’s curious questions. As the saying goes, "Traveling ten thousand miles is better than reading ten thousand books"—some knowledge simply can’t be learned from pages alone.
Raising a girl with "wealth" meant enriching her spirit—broadening her horizons, elevating her pursuits, and ensuring she wouldn’t be easily swayed by shallow temptations or lured away by some smooth-talking troublemaker.
"Tch." The thought of Bai Yuyou someday being deceived by such a guy made Ye Shuang’s teeth ache. It only strengthened his resolve to expose her to more of the world.
At that moment, Bai Yuyou bent down and picked up a seashell.
"That’s a shell."
"Can I take it home?"
"Of course." Ye Shuang smiled and joined her in collecting shells along the shore.
Eventually, they reached the shallows, where waves lapped at their sandy feet. The warm air and cool seawater felt refreshingly new to Bai Yuyou.
"Ye Shuang."
"What?"
"This shell is different." Bai Yuyou held a tightly closed white clam, unlike the others she’d gathered earlier.
Ye Shuang explained, "The shells you picked earlier were empty. This one’s still alive."
Hearing this, Bai Yuyou studied the clam in her palm before carefully burying it back in the sand. Standing behind her, Ye Shuang gently gathered her long hair to keep it from touching the water.
From then on, Bai Yuyou only collected empty shells, leaving the living ones untouched. She didn’t impose this on others or even consciously decide it for herself—it was purely instinctive.
By the time they finished, they’d gathered quite a haul, all stored in a plastic bag by Ye Shuang.
Next, he took Bai Yuyou on a speedboat ride. The moment the boat accelerated, her face tensed—clearly, the thrill was a bit too much for her.
Half the day passed in a blur. Only when the setting sun scattered golden fragments across the sea did Bai Yuyou notice the sky darkening.
Sitting together on a rocky outcrop, Ye Shuang gazed at the horizon and smiled.
"The sea’s not bad, right?"
"Mm."
Just then, Ye Shuang felt a damp touch on his cheek. Startled, he turned to find Bai Yuyou watching him.
"Why?"
"Couples should kiss often," she said earnestly, her eyes shimmering with a faint golden glow and an unspoken amusement.
Ye Shuang sighed. "Did Tang Keke teach you that?"
"Mm. Ye Shuang, kiss me too..."
Meeting her unwavering gaze, he hesitated before leaning down and pressing a light kiss to her forehead—specifically, the bandage wrapped around it.
Bai Yuyou didn’t understand the meaning behind kisses, but even this small gesture filled her with joy.
After all, Tang Keke had said this was what couples did.
"Let’s go home?" Sensing her happiness, Ye Shuang spoke softly.
"Okay."
Back home, they cooked dinner together and began arranging the shells.
Ye Shuang first filled a glass jar with a cork stopper, turning part of their collection into a charming decoration.
For the remaining shells, he drilled holes, threaded them onto strings, and fixed each in place with glue.
He made five such strands, while Bai Yuyou sat quietly beside him, leaning against his arm as she watched. She didn’t ask questions or interrupt—just observed.
Once the strands were ready, Ye Shuang shaped a wire into a circle and glued the five shell strings evenly around it.
Giving the finished piece a gentle shake, he smiled at the crisp, melodic chime of shells colliding.
After tying a rope to the circle and securing it to the balcony railing, a breeze swept through, setting the shells into a delicate, tinkling dance.
Ye Shuang turned to the girl behind him, admiring their handiwork.
"Do you like it?"
Accompanied by the pleasant chime, this scene seemed to etch itself into Bai Yuyou's eyes. She nodded softly, as if responding to the sound of the wind chimes.
"I like it..."
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.”
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
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…
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
