On the way to Xia Muzhu's place, Lin Yu couldn't suppress his irritation any longer and lit a cigarette, taking a deep drag.
The ethereal smoke curled down his throat into his lungs, entwining with a few strands of lingering vexation before being forcefully exhaled.
The restlessness in his body eased slightly, but the gloom in his heart remained unchanged.
Lin Yu sat down on a random bench by the roadside, his mind involuntarily conjuring Tang Manman's face—a visage so pure it lived up to her title as the school's belle.
She...
was really quite a remarkable girl.
Beautiful, gentle, considerate, innocent, kind, and academically outstanding.
If this were some generic high school romance manga, she’d undoubtedly be the campus goddess the protagonist would pine after.
Too bad she was unlucky.
Born into this world of adult comics.
With that thought, Lin Yu took another harsh drag, mourning the tragic fate of this poor girl.
Exhaling slowly, he stared blankly at the bustling street.
Actually.
Maybe.
If.
Just—
if he stopped avoiding Tang Manman like she was some untouchable plague, it wouldn’t be a problem, right?
She didn’t have a boyfriend, and the fallout with her childhood friend had nothing to do with him.
To put it bluntly, she was just an ordinary single girl now.
Not only was avoiding her unnecessary, but pursuing her wouldn’t be unreasonable either.
After all, she had no boyfriend, no ambiguously close childhood friend.
Why couldn’t he chase her?
Why couldn’t he be her boyfriend?
Judging by how she treated him now, winning her over would probably be a breeze.
Like a stray puppy used to being fed, she’d come running with just a beckoning finger. A pat on the head, a gentle brush through her hair, and she’d likely follow him home without complaint.
But...
was that really okay?
Recalling the shockingly explicit final page of that adult comic, Lin Yu rubbed his temples in frustration.
And she was just the first heroine!
He was already struggling to resist temptation.
What about later?
After spending time with her these past few days, wasn’t the second heroine, Xia Muzhu, also pretty great?
She was beautiful, gentle, kind, and rich—with one advantage Tang Manman could never compete with.
What then?
Take her in too?
And then there was the still-unnamed third heroine.
Equally stunning, radiating elegance, and judging by her car, even wealthier than Xia Muzhu.
Why not add her to the collection?
And the fourth heroine—likely an adorable underage loli.
If his memory served,
she was the most beautiful of the four. Though young, her striking looks couldn’t be hidden by her age.
Or rather, that forbidden age only added a unique charm...
Wouldn’t it be a waste not to claim such a lovely girl?
With the first three already in the bag, what was one more?
He could just become the original story’s antagonist, perfectly recreating that final-page scene from the comic.
No!
As the saying goes,
"Darkness doubles your power!"
As the leader of the Pure Love forum, equivalent to the head of the righteous faction, his dark form couldn’t possibly be on the same level as the original antagonist.
Tang Manman’s mom looked familiar, didn’t she?
Take her too!
The fourth heroine was young and gorgeous—her mother must still be a stunner.
Add her to the list!
Then check if these heroines had any sisters, aunts, or other relatives. As long as they were pretty, take them all.
A grand feast of flavors!
Wouldn’t that be perfect?
Oh, for heaven’s sake!
Lin Yu smacked his forehead hard, certain that if he ever did such things, his forum buddies would tear through the fabric of reality to skin him alive.
With a heavy sigh, he stood up.
Setting aside these absurd fantasies,
from a practical standpoint, he shouldn’t entertain the idea of dating Tang Manman either.
His expectation of love had always been singular:
a relationship without an end.
From the beginning of love to the end of life, he wanted only one person by his side.
Would that person be Tang Manman?
Lin Yu doubted it.
Putting everything else aside, just look at their grades.
He’d barely scraped the upper-middle range in the last monthly exam. What was Tang Manman’s rank again?
Top five, wasn’t it?
With grades like that, she was destined for a prestigious university and a life far removed from his.
Even with the advantage of his past-life memories, he’d be lucky to make it into a decent college.
So what if they started dating now?
Break up after graduation?
Or try to maintain a long-distance relationship across who-knows-how-far?
Long-distance was exhausting.
A brutal test for both sides.
And what exactly were Tang Manman’s feelings for him?
Genuine affection?
Gratitude?
Or some emotion even she couldn’t name?
Lin Yu didn’t want to carelessly give his heart amid so much uncertainty.
Especially with that eerie "destiny" looming over them.
Besides, hadn’t she explicitly said she didn’t like him?
So keeping his distance from Tang Manman was probably for the best...
...
No.
Flicking off the ash, Lin Yu took one last drag before bending his middle finger and flicking the butt toward the metal trash bin beside the bench.
Watching it spin through the air in a graceful arc,
he grew even more certain of his decision.
A clean break was the only way to handle a relationship doomed from the start.
Thud.
The cigarette hit the bin’s thin metal side and tumbled to the ground.
"Dammit!"
"Missed!"
Grumbling, Lin Yu stomped over, picked it up, and tossed it properly into the trash...
...
"Are you gonna transform or not?!"
"If you can’t, I’ll find someone else!"
Lin Yu shouted angrily, slapping the armrest as he made to leave.
"Sorry, sorry, Brother Long."
"I, uh, just thought of something funny."
Gu Yue clutched her stomach, laughing so hard she could barely stand straight.
"Bullshit!"
"You’ve been laughing at me this whole time—you never stopped!"
Lin Yu had enough. He yanked the clip from his hair, letting the long, messy strands fall back over the left side of his face, and stormed off.
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?
] 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.
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'!"
ial death, also known as "shè sǐ" in Chinese, generally refers to... well, never mind, it's not important. My name is Ye Cheng, and I'm about to experience social death firsthand. ... 【Host, your mission is to confess your love to the young lady of the Dongfang family, the current student council president, in a way that will be unforgettable for everyone at the freshman ceremony!】 【Host, assist the girl with a sprained ankle in front of you to reach the infirmary, and fulfill the wicked thoughts in your heart!】 【Host, act on your desires and punish the arrogant young lady before you mercilessly!】 【Host, follow your instincts—abandon shameful surrender, begging, or groveling, and ruthlessly criticize the domineering, ill-mannered young lady in front of you!】 【Host...】 Ye Cheng: "Here, here, you take this host role—I quit!" Wait, why is the girl with a sprained ankle the daughter of a mafia boss? And what kind of punishment method is this for the arrogant young lady? Also, who the heck said anything about wicked thoughts in my heart? Come out here, let’s settle this one-on-one!!! ... The haughty student council president, the scheming mafia princess, the fragile yandere young lady, the airheaded maid-in-waiting, the mixed-blood loli/...
