Southern Hunan.
In winter, it snows in southern Hunan too.
Cai Junhuang reached out to catch the falling snowflakes. Though it was cold, she felt a flutter of joy inside.
After all, she was from Yangcheng, and had rarely seen snow since childhood.
She looked down at the crowd outside the television station.
It wasn't exactly a sea of people, but it was packed shoulder to shoulder.
Because their show was being cancelled, everyone had gathered here to block the entrance.
The news from the Korean side had already come out — YJJ Entertainment was essentially ruined, not just in reputation but internally as well, with people being taken in for investigation one by one.
The television station on the Chinese side didn't dare take the risk of continuing to produce the show. They wanted stability, so they terminated the contract outright.
With the show gone, the production crew naturally disbanded, and the contestants couldn't continue either.
So the contestants who had made it to the second round came to the television station demanding an explanation.
But there was basically no explanation to be had, since the production team had only issued a notice and hadn't formally signed contracts.
Of course, the production team had already covered travel and accommodation subsidies.
Cai Junhuang could only count her participation in this talent show as gaining stage experience.
"This is infuriating — nothing happens early, nothing happens late, but it blows up right after you make it to the second round."
Mother Cai stood with her hands on her hips, looking at the crowd outside.
But it was Cai Junhuang who spoke up to dissuade her mother.
"Don't think of it that way. If I had really signed with YJJ, I might have ended up facing those things too."
Mother Cai had also watched the news. The thought that her daughter might have been defiled by those Koreans made her furious.
She couldn't help saying, "Then you'd better not go study in Korea anymore. It's too dangerous over there."
Cai Junhuang couldn't say for sure either, so she just shook her head. "I have my own dreams, Mom. If I don't take this path to the very end, I might never forgive myself."
Mother Cai knew her daughter's dreams, so she sighed. "Alright then, the family isn't short on money anyway. Whatever you want to do, go do it — as long as it doesn't hurt yourself."
What Mother Cai meant were those filthy scandals at YJJ, which every news outlet had covered. That was also why this talent show had been axed without hesitation.
But hearing this, Cai Junhuang felt a little dazed.
"Junjun, let's go home." Mother Cai saw the light in her daughter's eyes dim, and didn't know how to comfort her.
Cai Junhuang nodded too. "Let's go. This time I'll just treat it as gaining experience."
Even though there was no result, stage experience was still important.
And yet, it felt like she had lost something.
She opened her phone, and the first thing she saw was the news about YJJ Entertainment.
Then came the class group chat.
It was nearing the end of the semester, but the class group was still as lively as ever.
Only, in that liveliness, she seemed to be missing.
And someone in the group had already returned to their usual level of activity.
"That's fine too." Cai Junhuang sighed.
"What's fine?" Mother Cai turned to look at her daughter, feeling she was acting a bit odd.
At that moment in Yangcheng, it was 5:30 in the afternoon, and the sky was already dimming to gray — winter days are short.
Fang Jun walked down Back Street, his eyes scanning left and right, focused on the food stalls on either side.
Fried tofu sizzled, the aroma from the beef offal cart drifted over, and his stomach let out a growl.
Luo Ruiyu walked beside him, scrolling through her phone for a long while before finally blurting out,
"Hey, did you see the news?"
"What news?"
Fang Jun didn't even turn his head, his attention fixed entirely on the stinky tofu stall up ahead.
Hmm, they'd changed to fresh oil today — looked cleaner than yesterday.
"The news about that Korean company, YJJ Entertainment."
Fang Jun's steps slowed for a moment.
He knew what Luo Ruiyu wanted to say.
The past couple of days, it had been all over the internet — something big had happened at YJJ. He hadn't read the details, but the headlines were alarming enough.
"I saw it. But it probably has nothing to do with what you're thinking, right?" He kept walking, heading for the stinky tofu.
"Maybe not. But if Cai Junhuang really went to YJJ, then she might..."
"Might what?"
"Might not be in a good place."
Fang Jun didn't respond.
Honestly, they were both ordinary high school students with limited understanding of the twists and turns of the entertainment industry.
In their eyes, they probably figured that even if YJJ was in trouble, the talent show would still go on. The television station wouldn't cancel the whole show just because of one entertainment company, right?
That logic made sense to them.
So what Luo Ruiyu really meant was simple: Cai Junhuang would most likely keep competing, keep walking that path, and then she might end up at that company.
"Ah."
Fang Jun sighed, stopped at the stinky tofu stall, took out his wallet, and bought two portions.
"If she really goes, we'll talk about it then. Even if she does, it's none of my business."
He handed one portion to Luo Ruiyu.
Luo Ruiyu took it, stabbed a piece with the bamboo skewer, but didn't eat right away — instead, she looked at him sideways.
"You know, you really have no persistence."
Fang Jun also stabbed a piece of stinky tofu and shoved it into his mouth, chewed a couple of times, then turned to her and asked bluntly:
"If there was someone you didn't want to be with, but who kept pestering you with great persistence, what would you do?"
Luo Ruiyu answered without hesitation, "I'd be annoyed to death and block them on the spot."
"That's exactly it."
"But it's different in your case."
Luo Ruiyu stabbed another piece. "I heard from the girls in class that Cai Junhuang doesn't dislike you."
Luo Ruiyu had transferred here a while ago and had gotten quite close with the girls from Class Eight, so she was well informed.
If she said so, it was probably not made up.
Fang Jun's chewing slowed for half a second.
Doesn't dislike.
That wasn't quite accurate — she had actually liked him before.
But now.
"So what if she doesn't dislike me."
Fang Jun tossed his skewer into the trash can and wiped the oil off his hands. "She has her own dreams. My pestering was just a stumbling block."
He turned to Luo Ruiyu and said seriously, "That's what she told me herself. If I kept chasing her, it might really push her down a different path. So why not just let her go?"
Fang Jun didn't explain the sequence of events, because to anyone else, Cai Junhuang would still sound just as cold-hearted.
Luo Ruiyu glanced at him and didn't press further.
Since he'd put it that way, he must have his reasons.
Luo Ruiyu didn't say much more. After all, they were childhood friends, and lately, Fang Jun seemed to have let things go. She rarely brought up this topic anymore — she only mentioned it today.
The two of them strolled slowly down Back Street. Luo Ruiyu bought a box of Vita lemon tea, and Fang Jun grabbed a bottle of mineral water.
The streetlight stretched their shadows long, and a Cantonese song played from a nearby shop's speakers.
She figured the story of Fang Jun and Cai Junhuang had probably come to an end.
"Parting cleanly, you should fade away, you've found your other half. Returning to old scenes, I can't help but cry..."
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.
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?"
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
