Tang Manman visibly froze upon hearing the nickname "Manman," her expression growing increasingly hesitant.
Seeing Tang Manman wavering, Lin Yu decided to push her further.
As he opened the cake box, he beckoned Tang Manman over.
"Manman, come here. This cake is delicious—let me feed you."
A flash of temptation crossed Tang Manman's face.
She glanced at Tang Qinqin, who was watching them with a look that screamed "Don’t you dare betray the cause," then lowered her head sheepishly and slowly walked over to Lin Yu.
"Here."
"Ah~"
Lin Yu sat on the stool, scooping up a spoonful of mango cake and holding it out to Tang Manman.
She bent down, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear with one hand, revealing her flushed cheeks before taking the offered bite.
"Manman, did I force your sister to drink that chicken soup?"
Lin Yu set down the spoon, smiling as he asked.
Tang Manman chewed the cake twice, not daring to meet her sister’s dagger-like glare. With a red face, she shook her head weakly and murmured,
"I... I didn’t hear anything."
"Didn’t hear what?"
Lin Yu pressed, still grinning.
"I..."
Tang Manman stole a glance at her sister on the hospital bed, then quickly averted her eyes. After a pause, she spoke even softer, her voice barely audible:
"I didn’t hear you say anything threatening."
"Waaah!"
Before Lin Yu could even mock her, Tang Qinqin completely lost it. She slid down from her sitting position, flopping onto the bed like an overturned turtle, kicking and flailing as she wailed:
"WAAAAAH!!!"
"You two are bullying me!!!"
"I’m telling Mom!"
"I’ll tell Mom how you’re both ganging up on me!"
As Tang Qinqin threw her tantrum, Lin Yu scoffed, unimpressed.
"Tell your mom?"
"Hmph!"
"Won’t do you any good!"
"Your mom’s on my side too!"
"Huh?"
Tang Qinqin stopped mid-fit, gaping at Lin Yu in shock, her jaw practically hitting the floor.
From her stunned expression, Lin Yu quickly realized the unintended implication of his words.
He glared at her and scolded,
"What are you imagining, you little brat?"
Tang Qinqin pouted, her face scrunched up in displeasure.
Ignoring her sulking, Lin Yu picked up another clean spoon and shared the rest of the cake with Tang Manman, taking turns feeding each other.
Tang Qinqin watched furiously from the bed.
Her favorite mango cake was being devoured bite by bite, and her sweet, gentle sister was being led astray by that annoying guy!
After finishing the cake right in front of Tang Qinqin, Lin Yu asked for her contact info.
Though reluctant, she eventually handed it over.
With her details secured, Lin Yu didn’t linger. He retrieved a stuffed toy hidden outside the door, handed it to the now wide-eyed Tang Qinqin, then left the hospital amid her sweet farewells, heading home by taxi.
Outside the hospital, taxis waited around the clock like spawn points in a game—no matter how many left, new ones appeared in the blink of an eye.
Lin Yu chose the nearest cab and turned to say goodbye to Tang Manman.
"I’m off."
"Bye."
Tang Manman nodded lightly, a faint smile on her lips.
"Bye."
Lin Yu nodded back, opened the car door, and got in.
"Lin Yu."
A soft voice called from behind. He paused mid-motion and turned to look at her.
Tang Manman’s face was flushed—whether from the cold or something else, it was hard to tell.
She bit her pink lips, as if struggling to speak.
Finally, with resolve flashing in her eyes, she met his gaze and said firmly,
"I’ll become rich someday."
"So..."
"Please give me some time, okay?"
Lin Yu blinked, quickly understanding her worry.
He couldn’t help but laugh before reaching out to ruffle her hair, chiding gently,
"Didn’t I tell you not to overthink it?"
"Relax."
"I’m not interested in her."
He almost added that he didn’t care much about money either, but remembering her academic struggles, he held back—better not kill her motivation. Instead, he teased,
"Sure."
"I’ll wait for you."
"Work hard, okay?"
Tang Manman nodded seriously, as if sealing an important promise.
Lin Yu found it amusing but didn’t comment further.
After closing the door, the taxi pulled away smoothly.
Too impatient to wait until home, Lin Yu took out his phone and grilled Tang Qinqin: Why did she have Xia Yueshan’s phone? Why did she pose as him to invite Lin Yu to a hotel?
And what was the deal with hiding the phone behind the potted plant?!
After relentless badgering, Tang Qinqin caved and spilled everything.
The truth left Lin Yu feeling oddly hollow.
No grand conspiracy, no mastermind pulling strings—just two idiots stumbling into a mess through sheer coincidence.
In the end, he could only sigh at fate’s whims.
But was it really fate?
Gazing at the snow-blanketed world outside the window, Lin Yu fell silent.
Whatever.
No point dwelling on it.
He shrugged it off. Screw fate.
At this point, he’d already shaken off the second female lead, Xia Muzhu.
Even if Xia Yueshan remained a loose thread, what could that kid possibly do?
The fourth lead, Su Yuyao, was easy too—they had zero ties now. He wouldn’t seek her out, and he’d shoo her away if she tried.
The only tricky one was Qing Mo, but even that wasn’t a big deal.
Even in the worst-case scenario, it’d just be Qing Mo and Tang Manman together.
The depraved orgy from that hentai-esque ending would never happen.
He’d keep his principles, resist temptation—no way he’d sleep with all four and knock them up.
Unless they overpowered him!
Which was impossible.
Xia Muzhu alone would never do such a thing.
She was far too gentle for that.
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
th】 【No prior gaming knowledge required】【The First Cultivation + Game Design Novel on the Platform】 In a world where the righteous path dominates and crushes the demonic sects, Lu Ze unlocks the "Son of the Demon Path" system. Killing righteous cultivators now grants him power-ups. Wait—deaths in illusions count too? As a former game designer, Lu Ze decides to give the cultivators of this world a little—no, a massive—shock... Sect Elders: "What is this 'Escape from the Demon Sect' game? Why have all our disciples abandoned cultivation to play it??" Elite Disciples: "You're saying... mastering 'Demon Slayer' can help us counter demonic schemes?" Reclusive Masters: "Why did I leave seclusion? Ask that backstabbing rat who ambushed me in 'Eternal Strife' yesterday!" Rogue Cultivators & Civilians: "'Immortal Abyss Action' is addictive! You can even earn spirit stones by loot-running..." Sect Prodigy: "My Dao heart is unshakable... except for that cursed black hammer." Royal Scions: "Can skins have stat boosts? I’ll pay 10,000 spirit stones for one!!" Sect Leader: "WHO IS CORRUPTING MY DISCIPLES?!!!"
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
