"What do you mean, if you go out and find a woman, I have to put up with it, but if I go out and find a man, you'd kill me?" Jiang Xin's eyes were wide, her face full of disbelief.
"How is that fair?"
She couldn't fathom how a mouth at thirty-seven degrees Celsius could spew such ice-cold words. She trembled with anger, breaking out in a cold sweat despite the heat, her hands and feet icy.
Could this world get any worse?
Did women have no rights at all?
Jiang Xin glared, her cheeks taut, her silver teeth grinding audibly.
Seeing her like this, Ye Shu couldn't help but find it amusing.
For some reason, he always thought this silly girl, with her blustery way, seemed foolishly endearing. "Sit down first, and let me explain slowly."
"Hmph! You'd better spit out something worthwhile!"
Jiang Xin gave a delicate snort, pulled up a chair, and sat down, but the heaving of her chest betrayed her inner turmoil. She was truly infuriated by this heartless man.
No, she was furious!
If this bastard's answer didn't satisfy her, she would... she would bite him to death!
"Look, let's sort this out first."
Ye Shu sat down across from her, took her small hand, and spoke earnestly: "Right now, aren't we just husband and wife in name only? There's no real relationship between us, is there?"
"Yes... that's right."
Though she didn't want to admit it, Jiang Xin nodded anyway.
After all, if she said otherwise, wouldn't that mean she was admitting she was really his wife!
"Since we're only married in name,"
Ye Shu smiled, "then it's only reasonable for me to go out and find a lover, isn't it? After all, we're not really married, so I have no duty to stay faithful."
"Uh... I guess so."
Jiang Xin hesitated. It did seem to make sense.
"Good. Then let me ask you another question."
Ye Shu nodded in satisfaction.
"Since we're married in name only, if you were to go out and find some other man, as your nominal husband, shouldn't I react to uphold my status as husband?"
"Uh... that sounds right too."
Jiang Xin scratched her head.
When he put it that way, it really seemed correct, but she felt something was off, yet she couldn't quite pin it down.
Her head itched—she felt like she was growing a brain.
"That does seem to be the case..."
Jiang Xin looked at Ye Shu blankly, her eyes as clear as a fresh graduate's.
"There you have it."
Ye Shu spread his hands toward her. "If I go out to find a lover, you have no say, because we're only married in name. But if you go out to find another man, I have to step in, since I'm your nominal husband."
"Oh, right, right."
Jiang Xin nodded in sudden realization.
"Oh, no, no, no."
She suddenly shook her head violently, jumped up from the chair, pointed at Ye Shu's nose, and huffed, "No, you're messing with me!"
"Why do I have to fulfill a wife's duties?"
"And you don't have to fulfill a husband's duties?"
"Don't I?"
Ye Shu looked at her, blinking innocently.
"Do you?"
Jiang Xin glared at him angrily.
"I don't?"
"Do you?"
In response, Ye Shu still blinked at her with a bewildered look. "Aren't I fulfilling a husband's duty by killing any other man who dares to touch our marital relationship?"
Jiang Xin's words caught in her throat, and she fell silent again.
Damn it, that seemed right too.
No, no, there had to be something else wrong.
"Don't... don't come closer. Let me think first." Jiang Xin took a few steps back, one hand on her forehead, the other held up defensively.
Seeing this, Ye Shu was practically chuckling inside.
How had he never noticed before that this bargain wife was so adorably clueless?
"Alright, alright. I won't come closer."
"Hmph!"
After a moment, Jiang Xin finally figured it out.
She put her hands on her hips, climbed onto the nearby table, looked down at Ye Shu from above, and with an air of having seen through everything, lifted her chin smugly, nostrils flared.
"I've completely seen through your game!"
"Why do I only have to be a good wife and mother, without having to worry about you running off to find other women, while you don't have to be a good husband, but only have to keep me from running off to find other men?"
"Huh? Why are we different?"
"Hmph! Speechless now, aren't you?"
Jiang Xin crossed her arms, lifting her chin triumphantly. "Trying to fool me? Don't you know how smart I am?"
"Hahahahaha!"
"I'm the smartest! Hahaha!"
Thrilled at how her sharp wit had seen through the bastard's trick, Jiang Xin burst into laughter, rocking back and forth so wildly she nearly fell off the table.
"But... the exceptionally clever Miss Jiang."
Ye Shu suddenly spoke up.
"We're a man and a woman. Isn't it natural for us to have different roles? Just like in ancient times, when our ancestors had men hunt outside and women gather berries at home. Men protected the territory, women kept the home fires burning. That's perfectly normal, isn't it?"
"Hahaha! Ha-ha—"
Jiang Xin's laughter, as she was bent back laughing, came to an abrupt halt. She froze in place.
"That... that does seem right..."
But she still felt something was off.
Just as she was about to keep thinking, her foot slipped, and she suddenly lost her balance, toppling off the table.
"Ah!"
She let out a startled cry, but before she could react, a pair of hands caught her steadily, and she landed in a warm embrace.
"I told you, girls aren't supposed to climb on tables."
Ye Shu held Jiang Xin helplessly, gently tapping her nose. "See, now you've fallen, haven't you?"
"I-I meant to jump off the table!"
Jiang Xin widened her eyes, stubbornly retorting, "Don't change the subject! I'm not done talking yet!"
"Still at it?"
Ye Shu quickly stopped her, tightening his arms and holding Jiang Xin securely. He pointed at the night outside the window. "It's so late. Don't wake the kids."
"Be good. Rest first. We'll talk tomorrow."
With that, he strode toward the bed, gently laid Jiang Xin on the soft mattress, then crawled in himself, wrapped his arms around her waist, lazily said "goodnight," and soon fell into a deep sleep.
"Let go of me. Who asked you to hold me!"
Jiang Xin muttered through gritted teeth, struggling slightly.
She was sure she could find where the logic broke.
She definitely could!
But... but...
Leaning against Ye Shu, a wave of drowsiness washed over Jiang Xin, impossible to resist.
But... this guy's arms were pretty comfortable, weren't they...
A breeze blew softly through the crack in the window frame, carrying a hint of nighttime coolness.
Jiang Xin's consciousness wavered between drowsiness and clarity. She wanted to think more about what felt wrong, but the warmth behind her was too cozy, and the breathing too peaceful...
"Tomorrow... for sure tomorrow..."
She mumbled vaguely, finally unable to withstand the drowsiness, and sank fully into slumber.
Until midnight.
A pair of bright eyes suddenly snapped open in the pitch-dark room.
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
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.
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
nto another world, I bought a slave for the first time, never expecting the silver wolf girl to be so cute... Lin Feng: I know it's cold, but you don't have to sneak into my bed! Yuna: Just sharing body warmth, if you dare do anything naughty, I'll definitely...
