"What's wrong, Ye Shuang? You seem distracted."
In the car, Chen Qin noticed Ye Shuang's prolonged silence and couldn't help but ask. She assumed he was still thinking about what had happened earlier—running into his ex-girlfriend. Though Chen Qin personally disliked Zhao Mengyao, she was more concerned about Ye Shuang's current state.
"Ah, no." Ye Shuang snapped out of his thoughts and smiled. "I was just wondering what Auntie is cooking for dinner tonight."
Chen Qin knew Ye Shuang too well to buy his lie, but she didn’t press further. Instead, she quietly settled into the passenger seat.
Ye Shuang drove up a slope, and after a short distance, the entrance to Chen Qin’s gated community came into view.
"Good evening." A security guard approached to verify their identity. For residents, the gate would automatically open if the license plate was registered.
"It's me," Chen Qin called from the passenger seat.
The guard saluted and raised the barrier.
Ye Shuang drove into the estate, and after another ten minutes, they finally arrived at Chen Qin’s home.
Her family lived in a sprawling manor-style villa, covering over 3,000 square meters. Lush green lawns surrounded the property, with dedicated gardeners tending to the plants. A small fountain gurgled at the center of a decorative pool.
The villa’s black iron gate emitted a mechanical "Welcome home" as Ye Shuang’s car approached, then slid open automatically.
"The garage seems full. Just park outside, Ye Shuang," Chen Qin said. Their garage could only fit five cars, and it was currently occupied.
"Got it."
Ye Shuang parked beside the garage. The moment he stepped out, a golden retriever came bounding over from the side. "Woof!"
"Xian Dan, you heard us coming?" Chen Qin crouched down, laughing as she ruffled the dog’s head.
But the golden retriever ignored her and instead dashed to Ye Shuang, wagging its tail excitedly. "Aroo!"
"Long time no see." Ye Shuang smiled as the dog stood on its hind legs, paws resting against his clothes. He gave its head a gentle pat. This dog was one he and Chen Qin had found abandoned on the street years ago, sick and neglected.
Back then, they were only in fifth or sixth grade. Now, the dog was well into its teens—practically a senior in human years.
"You’re back." A woman approached, her eyes lighting up at the sight of Chen Qin and Ye Shuang. "Xiao Shuang!"
"Auntie, it’s been a while." Ye Shuang greeted her warmly, lifting the bag of fruit he’d brought.
"Oh, you silly boy. You didn’t have to bring anything." Chen's Mother scolded him affectionately. "We’re family."
Ye Shuang chuckled.
"Where’s Uncle Chen?" he asked.
"Probably upstairs fiddling with his antiques. I already called him down."
The three of them headed inside, the golden retriever bouncing around joyfully. The grand foyer opened up before them, dominated by a sweeping spiral staircase with an elevator to one side.
Just then, the elevator dinged, and the doors slid open. A stern-faced middle-aged man stepped out.
Seeing Ye Shuang and Chen Qin, Chen's Father brightened. "You’re here."
"Uncle Chen."
"Old Chen, look at this boy—he even brought fruit. As if we’re strangers!"
"Ah, what’s the harm? They’re not officially married yet."
The back-and-forth between the parents made Ye Shuang shift awkwardly, while Chen Qin grinned mischievously.
"What’s this about marriage?" she teased.
"You tell me."
"Heh."
Once settled in the living room, Chen's Father poured tea and spoke earnestly. "Xiao Shuang, your father and I served together—brothers in arms. Life’s unpredictable, and what happened… was tragic."
"But I’ve always considered you like a son. You should stay here from now on. Help Qin’er manage the company."
"Uncle Chen," Ye Shuang replied sincerely, "I’m grateful for everything you’ve done for me. But there’s something else I need to focus on right now."
Chen's Father raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What is it?"
Ye Shuang hesitated, unsure how to explain Bai Yuyou—an eighteen-year-old girl he’d suddenly taken under his wing. He couldn’t imagine how Uncle Chen would react.
"Daddy, Ye Shuang’s still young. Let him figure things out first," Chen Qin interjected, rescuing him.
"True. With Xiao Shuang’s talents, he can succeed at anything." Chen's Father nodded approvingly.
He’d watched Ye Shuang grow up—bright, principled, and kind. Years ago, he’d lamented that fate hadn’t brought his daughter and Ye Shuang together. But now, it seemed heaven had granted them another chance.
Just then, Chen's Mother sat beside Ye Shuang and took his hand. "Xiao Shuang…"
"Yes, Auntie?"
"Qin’er and you are already in your late twenties. Why don’t we pick a date and get you two engaged?" she suggested. "We’ll handle the rest. Just give us old folks some peace of mind."
Ye Shuang: "…"
"You two were practically betrothed as kids—just a casual promise between your father and me back in the army. But an engagement now would be perfect," Chen's Father added, sipping his tea with a smile.
Both Ye Shuang and Chen Qin were stunned. Neither had known about this arrangement.
"Sir, Madam, the chef has arrived," a middle-aged maid announced respectfully.
"Good." Chen's Father turned to his wife. "Darling, weren’t you going to help prepare dinner?"
"I’ve already got the soup simmering. Just a few more dishes." Chen's Mother stood and led the private chef toward the kitchen.
Chen's Father turned back to Ye Shuang. "Your aunt was overjoyed when she heard you were coming for dinner. Insisted on cooking herself to celebrate your birthday."
"Stay the night after the meal. Have a drink with me."
Ye Shuang sighed inwardly, knowing refusal wasn’t an option. "Of course, Uncle Chen."
Yet his thoughts drifted back to Bai Yuyou—he’d promised to spend his birthday with her.
"Um, Uncle Chen?"
"Yeah?"
] 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.
pression Bureau] Transported to a fantasy world overrun by demons and monsters, Gu Qingfeng becomes a jailer in the Demon Suppression Prison of the Great Yan Dynasty's Demon Suppression Bureau. From this point on, bizarre cases frequently occur in the Demon Suppression Prison, once known as hell on earth and infamous for its gloomy, terrifying atmosphere! Why do the demons and monsters in the prison wail miserably every night? Why has the corpse demon, capable of transforming into various beauties, donned black stockings and switched careers to become a foot massage therapist? Why has the eye demon, expert in soul-snatching and illusions, turned into a VR headset? Why is the fox spirit performing otaku dances? Are all these occurrences a twisted expression of demonic nature, or a descent into moral depravity? After peeling away layer upon layer of mystery, all clues ultimately point to a jailer named Gu Qingfeng. Gu Qingfeng: "Hehehe... My dear demons and monsters, whose card shall we flip today?"
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
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.
