Even in the southernmost city of S, as the year's end approaches, the air carries a hint of chill.
It wasn't bitterly cold, but it was enough that a single layer wouldn't suffice. The people living there had all tacitly added a few extra pieces of clothing.
Under the bright streetlights, Lu Ming walked with his hands in his pockets, his mind wandering. His gaze would occasionally drift, stealing furtive glances at the girl beside him, with whom he had just recently started a relationship.
Tian Youyou was wearing a very pretty red lolita dress today. The dress was fluffy, with a soft, billowy skirt, paired with a red shawl and some exquisite accessories that immediately brought the New Year to mind.
She looked incredibly cute.
To match the lolita dress, she had also tied her hair into two little buns on either side of her head with red ribbons, making her look like a maiden from ancient times in a comic book.
She was unbearably adorable.
Lu Ming felt too shy to stare openly. He would sneak a look, then avert his eyes.
His heart was pounding with nervousness, mixed with happiness.
He was happy that Tian Youyou had accepted his confession and agreed to be his girlfriend.
Lu Ming and Tian Youyou had known each other since they were very young. They had grown up together, gone to school together, shared joys and sorrows, and experienced so many things together.
At some point, Lu Ming suddenly began to see Tian Youyou as different.
She seemed to have become prettier almost overnight, always inexplicably drawing his gaze. The light in her eyes, her round face, her adorable little canine teeth—every single part of her was beautiful!
Especially when she smiled; those sweet dimples seemed carved right into his heart.
A few days earlier, right after winter break started, as they were walking home together, perhaps because his suppressed feelings finally erupted, or maybe because his brain short-circuited looking at Tian Youyou's cute face...
Lu Ming's mind went completely blank, and he confessed.
Under Tian Youyou's surprised gaze, Lu Ming endured what felt like the longest few seconds of his life, his heart clenched tight with tension.
When Tian Youyou nodded, lowered her head, and with a blushing face said she liked him too, Lu Ming felt like the happiest person in the world.
They often hung out together.
From childhood until now, the times were more numerous than the leaves on a willow tree.
This was their fourth date since confirming their relationship, and Lu Ming was as nervous as if he had just met her.
His gaze drifted down to Tian Youyou's small, pale hand that looked so soft and pinchable. Lu Ming took a deep breath, silently psyching himself up.
The first three dates, he hadn't done anything.
This time, you should at least hold her hand!
Don't be nervous, don't be nervous.
It's just holding hands. You even slept in the same bed when you were kids. It's just holding hands now.
Don't be nervous, don't be nervous...
Just as Lu Ming was trying to adjust his state, the girl beside him noticed something was off and asked in her soft voice:
"What's wrong?"
"I'm not nervous!"
In his extreme nervousness, the words slipped out before Lu Ming could think, blurting out exactly what was on his mind.
Tian Youyou was amused by his silly demeanor, covering her mouth as she laughed. Her eyes curved into bright crescents, mesmerizing Lu Ming for a moment and making the awkward situation suddenly feel less embarrassing.
But after this little blunder, he felt even less courageous to take Tian Youyou's hand.
Even though it was just holding hands, Lu Ming felt it should be done carefully, needing to find the right moment. You can't just grab it, right?
And he couldn't bear to do anything she wasn't willing to do.
Even though he didn't get to hold her hand, making her laugh and seeing her happy was good enough!
Lu Ming thought to himself, feeling quite satisfied.
The two wandered aimlessly along the street. On the straight lampposts hung strings of bright red lanterns. The strong festive atmosphere filled the streets and alleys; the entire city was welcoming the New Year.
After strolling like this for a while, just as Lu Ming was wondering what to do with Tian Youyou next, he felt a gentle tug on his sleeve from a small hand.
Lu Ming turned to see Tian Youyou looking up at him, her big, bright eyes sparkling with curiosity about the unknown and a hint of nervousness.
"Lu Ming, have you ever been to a bar?"
Tian Youyou asked in her thin, soft voice.
"No, I haven't."
Lu Ming shook his head. He was a model good kid; he hadn't even been to internet cafes much, let alone bars.
"What, do you want to go?"
Lu Ming caught her implication and asked instinctively.
Tian Youyou lightly pursed her pink, moist lips, nodding a bit sheepishly.
"Yeah."
"My classmates go to bars often, but I've never been."
"I've always wanted to see what it's like, but I'm scared to go alone. Will you go with me to take a look?"
Meeting Tian Youyou's pleading, pitiable gaze, a surge of boldness instantly rose in Lu Ming's chest.
What's a bar?
I'd go through fire and water for you!
Without hesitation, Lu Ming nodded in agreement.
Seeing her request accepted, Tian Youyou smiled happily.
Looking at her crescent-moon eyes, Lu Ming felt immensely happy himself.
Entering a nearby well-known bar, the two who had been good kids for nearly twenty years were immediately stunned.
The pounding music, the frenzied atmosphere, the hot dancers with fiery figures and revealing clothes on stage—everything was assaulting their pure worldview.
Especially the thumping music, which felt like it was about to deafen them.
Lu Ming instinctively stopped, his eyes questioning as he looked at Tian Youyou, as if asking if she still wanted to go in and look around.
Tian Youyou frowned, clearly also very unaccustomed to the super noisy environment of the bar.
But before she could answer, a group of people seemed to intentionally or unintentionally squeeze towards them.
Lu Ming noticed this somewhat odd group. In the critical moment, he instinctively grabbed Tian Youyou's hand, pulling her behind him, and stared warily at the crowd.
Perhaps because their intention was seen through, or perhaps they hadn't planned to do anything in the first place, the group brushed past the two. Aside from a few of them giving Tian Youyou extra glances, the two parties had no further interaction.
With the crisis averted, Lu Ming only then realized that today's goal had been achieved without him even noticing.
Shifting his gaze from their tightly clasped hands, Lu Ming looked at Tian Youyou.
Their eyes met. In Tian Youyou's eyes, there was no displeasure; instead, they shimmered with a mix of delight, touched emotion, and shyness.
"...."
"Huh?"
The bar was simply too loud; Lu Ming couldn't hear a word Tian Youyou said.
Tian Youyou helplessly stood on her tiptoes, leaning close to Lu Ming's ear and speaking loudly:
"I'm going to the restroom, then let's get out of here!"
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.”
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
