In the warm living room.
Lin Yu lay across the sofa, resting his head on Xia Muzhu's soft lap. Every now and then, he would reach out to pick up a grape and pop it into his mouth.
On the TV screen in front of him, the most hilarious variety show of the moment was playing.
The show was highly entertaining, and the celebrities in it were quite likable.
But Lin Yu just couldn't focus all his attention on the television.
The reason was simple.
Based on one of the most fundamental operating logics of human beings, Lin Yu really couldn't ignore the massive object suspended right above his head.
Even though Lin Yu knew it wouldn't suddenly fall and hurt him.
And he was well aware that its damage potential was infinitely close to negative.
But having such a behemoth, one that could almost cover his entire head, hovering right above him at such a close distance...
It always made it impossible to completely relax.
On the other hand.
Also based on another fundamental operating logic of human beings.
Lin Yu couldn't help but pay attention to it.
Even though they had already done everything they should and shouldn't do countless times.
Lin Yu still felt a persistent itch in his heart.
Like a feather gently brushing against the tip of his heart.
Just as Lin Yu was wondering if he should cause a little trouble... (scratch that entire line)
Just as Lin Yu was wondering if he should punish the main culprit that kept distracting him, a pair of warm, soft hands suddenly pressed against his cheeks.
The two hands had a clear division of labor, their movements incredibly gentle.
One hand rested on top of his head, softly and repeatedly combing through his hair. The fingers threaded through the strands, the warm pads of her fingertips gently grazing his scalp.
The other soft hand rested against the side of his face.
Her fingers glided like a paintbrush, slowly tracing the contours of his face.
Every now and then, that small hand would get a little playful, gently pinching the soft flesh of his cheek before letting go.
Lin Yu lay on Xia Muzhu's lap.
He didn't resist, allowing her small hands to gently stroke and pinch his face.
By now, all the dirty thoughts in his head had vanished.
Had he been purified by an angel?
Lin Yu was a bit curious.
But he didn't really think so.
How could he be purified so easily?
Considering his former status in the pure romance forums.
Having now fallen to the demonic path, if this were a fantasy drama, he would at least be a boss-level character.
And he'd have to be one of those final, overwhelmingly powerful big bosses.
How could he be purified so effortlessly?
Then what was wrong with him right now?
Lin Yu couldn't quite figure it out.
Hmm...
After thinking for a while.
Lin Yu's old face suddenly flushed red.
Deep down, he felt a sense of embarrassment akin to a burly warrior acting coy.
Even though it was a bit embarrassing to admit.
Lin Yu genuinely felt this way.
Resting on Xia Muzhu's lap like this, having his hair gently combed and his cheeks caressed.
It felt just like curling up in the arms of an ideal, perfect mother.
Secure and grounded.
As if he had nothing left to fear.
The thick double-paned windows kept out the unusual cold of this year's winter.
Warm sunlight slanted in through the window, casting a few trapezoidal shapes on the floor.
Adding an invisible layer of warmth to the already well-heated room.
Gradually.
Lin Yu was no longer captivated by the hilarious variety show in front of him.
Under Xia Muzhu's gentle hands.
He closed his eyes, his mind entirely at peace.
He let his thoughts drift away.
And allowed his body to rest in the tranquil safety.
Right before he closed his eyes.
Lin Yu had a premonition.
He was definitely going to have an incredibly comfortable afternoon nap...
...
Lin Yu, lying on her lap, hadn't moved for quite some time.
Xia Muzhu figured he must have fallen asleep.
To verify her guess, she instinctively looked down.
Hmm.
She couldn't see a thing.
How annoying.
Xia Muzhu puffed out her cheeks slightly.
Feeling a bit dissatisfied.
This wasn't how it played out in the TV dramas she watched!
In the shows.
Whenever this moment arrived.
After the male lead fell asleep on the female lead's lap, she would look down, secretly delighting in his soft and adorable sleeping face.
Sometimes, she would even playfully reach out to trace his nose and lips, just to see his reaction.
Just watching such scenes made one's heart feel sweet.
Xia Muzhu wanted to do that too.
But she simply couldn't.
Due to a certain overly prominent feature.
When she looked down, she couldn't see anything but herself.
Xia Muzhu felt a little defeated.
But she quickly adjusted her mood.
It wasn't like she hadn't seen Lin Yu's sleeping face before.
She had just seen it this morning.
Yep.
Very cute!
It was fortunate that no one could hear Xia Muzhu's inner monologue.
Otherwise, calling her hopelessly love-struck would be a compliment.
With Lin Yu's face, which didn't look like a good guy's face no matter which angle you looked from, how could she possibly find it cute?
If it were anyone else, they could stare until they went blind and still wouldn't find a single cute thing about him.
At most, they would pinch their noses and admit he had a unique sort of charm.
A bad-boy handsomeness that did appeal to certain girls.
But Xia Muzhu genuinely thought Lin Yu was quite cute.
When he was asleep.
The sharp contours of his face would soften a bit.
He looked as if he had completely let his guard down.
Like a crab that had lost its claws.
Devoid of any threat.
Naturally, that made him cute.
Actually, Xia Muzhu thought Lin Yu was pretty cute even when he was awake.
Sometimes, when he spaced out over trivial annoyances, looking a bit dazed, he was cute.
Sometimes, when he was happily eating with his cheeks puffed out, he was cute.
Sometimes, when he argued with Xia Yueshan, got caught in a logical flaw, and tried to cover it up in exasperation, he was cute.
In short, he was just very cute.
Though Lin Yu didn't seem to like the label cute.
Whenever she called him that.
He would glare at her, getting all worked up.
Even though he was also cute when he was angry like that...
...
On the TV in front of them, the trending variety show continued to play.
The likable celebrities pranked each other on the show, bickering noisily and providing plenty of laughs.
However, the two people in front of the television were no longer paying any attention to it.
Lin Yu slept soundly, resting on Xia Muzhu's soft and fragrant lap.
Xia Muzhu sat on the sofa, feeling Lin Yu through the touch of her palms, treating him as gently as one would a kitten.
Outside the window, the sun slowly sank lower.
The diamond-shaped patches of light on the floor gradually stretched and spread.
They reached Xia Muzhu's ankles and brushed against Lin Yu's hair.
Finally.
The golden light completely enveloped them both.
Like a picture frame.
Freezing time in place.
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
] [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!"
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?"
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
