So You're Not Up to Par After All

Su Ze was stunned for a moment, then gently hugged the girl. "I will protect you too, forever."

"Why are you so silly and cute?" Su Ze chuckled, lowering his head and pressing his forehead against hers.

Su Ze suddenly felt like laughing. A scene popped into his mind:

A little white rabbit, full of mischief, stood on its hind legs, 'puff puff puff' slapping a much larger gray wolf that towered over it. The rabbit, with its tiny paws on its hips, posed arrogantly as if the world revolved around it, its eyes closed, saying, "Don't be afraid. From now on, you're my underling. I'll take care of you!"

"No, silly!" In reality, Uesugi Akizuki didn't react with disdain as imagined, but pursed her lips with a slight sense of grievance, because Su Ze had called her silly.

Suddenly, she reached out and pinched Su Ze's cheek! Seeing him a bit stunned, she giggled with pure delight.

Now at the peak of the Candlelight Realm, she not only had the confidence to declare her protection of Su Ze but also the boldness to play around in front of him!

"Do you not know who's the boss of this house?" Su Ze, growing increasingly displeased with this increasingly audacious girl, tilted his head to shake off her hand and quickly pinched her cheeks instead.

The little shrine maiden's cheeks were soft and pale, full of collagen, providing a fantastic feel.

The little shrine maiden grew quite upset! She tried to reach out and pinch Su Ze back; but with a smug grin, Su Ze used hislonger arms to keep her at a distance, and the little girl couldn't pinch his cheeks no matter how she tried.

"Call me Boss! Call me Boss and I'll let you pinch!" Su Ze gently coaxed.

"B-Boss!" Uesugi Akizuki, obediently, called out in a sweet, stammering voice.

"Surrendered so quickly?" Su Ze was a bit surprised, but he kept his promise and offered his cheek to the little girl.

"I want to be naughty!" The little girl went from words to action almost simultaneously, hugging Su Ze's head and kissing him passionately!

This was no longer like before, where she would ask and wait for Su Ze's response. Now it felt more like a declaration.

Su Ze remembered how this little girl had shown a domineering side a few days before he was about to enter the secret realm, and it was just like now, catching him off guard.

In the sunlight, Su Ze's cheeks were visibly red, and he began to feel his position in the household was in jeopardy. This little girl, with rebellious tendencies, seemed to have the ambition to overthrow him and take over as the boss!

Was Su Ze going to allow this to happen? Absolutely not!

But then—Su Ze was kissed so hard by this girl that his legs went weak…

Su Ze couldn't believe he was being made weak in the knees by this adorably cute and innocent girl, of all people! This was absurd, wasn't it?

If this outwardly pure, inwardly mischievous and flirtatious little girl found out, he would be the laughingstock, wouldn't he?

Su Ze pulled back the slightly wild girl.

Uesugi Akizuki remained innocent, as if embracing her entire world, happily hugging Su Ze's waist.

For half a month, she had missed Su Ze so much! So much so that as soon as they kissed, she couldn't help but passionately seek more from Su Ze.

This was why Su Ze had difficulty resisting the little girl's advances.

Before, it had always been her expressing herself, and he responding, with him being the more assertive one.

Only now did he realize that he wasn't exactly strong when it came to resisting such affectionate moments.

Some things, until you experience them, you don’t know the sweetness and bitterness.

Just like not being in a passionate romance, you wouldn't know that your wallet simply couldn’t keep up with the costs of such a journey.

The journey back to the university wasn’t far.

The white-haired boy and the red-haired girl walked hand in hand, from dusk to a gentle evening breeze, from a twilight sky to a starry night, until the moon rose high.

The two walked quietly hand in hand through the streets, witnessing the sunset and moonrise, and the transition between light and darkness; the bustling city, ablaze with neon lights as nightfall approached.

It had been so long since the little girl had held Su Ze's hand. During Su Ze's absence, she had spent every day in fear and worry. Back then, she really missed this boy.

She savored the feeling of his reassuringly large hand in hers, without unnecessary words, they walked back to the university.

Su Ze went to take a shower first.

When he came out, wearing shorts and a T-shirt with a Stitch pattern, his wet white hair was being dried by him with a white towel. He leaned lazily against the doorway, playing with his phone.

A notification buzzed on his phone: "Freebie! 'It Takes Two' is free right now!"

"No way!" Su Ze exclaimed.

With a towel on his head, he rushed over to the computer, sat down, and turned it on.

"It Takes Two" originally cost 198 RMB, which wasn't much for Su Ze. Though he had really wanted to play it when it first came out, his innate Chinese frugal spirit had him waiting like the common ‘wait-for-sale’ crowd, always feeling like buying it outright without waiting for a "lowest price" deal would mean losing out.

"Downloaded yet? Hurry up and get online!" Shen Qingsheng sent a message.

"Go away," Su Ze rejected without hesitation. "Two guys playing this game? Even the story feels awkward. I'm playing with my wife!"

Su Ze grinned as he read Shen Qingsheng's reply: "Do you know what a red exclamation mark looks like?"

Su Ze immediately took a screenshot, opened his QQ, and sent the screenshot, then asked, "What does it look like?"

"Do you have to be so annoying?"

Shen Qingsheng was frustrated, pulling Su Ze out of the blacklist on his WeChat, then threw his phone aside to play his game.

"What are you thinking about?"

Su Ze walked over to the bed, looking at Uesugi Akizuki who was sitting there, lost in thought.

The little shrine maiden shook her head; what could she possibly be thinking about when lost in thought?

Uesugi Akizuki held Su Ze's hand and thought for a moment, saying, "Dinner."

"..." It dawned on Su Ze that they hadn’t eaten since returning.

Just as Su Ze was about to get up to cook for her, he was surprised when the little girl held onto his hand, saying seriously, "You eat? I cook."

Having learned to cook with effort, it wasn't just to take care of herself but also to take care of Su Ze.

Su Ze was first taken aback, then surprised. "You can cook?"

He thought he had misheard. Leaning in almost cheek to cheek with the little girl, he asked again.

The little shrine maiden in her red-and-white shrine maiden attire nodded seriously, "I learned from my sister."

"I want to be naughty!" The little girl suddenly reached out to cup Su Ze's face, so close to her.

Su Ze smirked, swiftly standing up to dodge!

"Little naughty one, wanting to be naughty all the time isn't good." Su Ze stepped back.

The little girl grabbed at air, but she didn’t give up. Standing up, she lunged at Su Ze without hesitation!

Su Ze didn't dare to dodge. Instead, he opened his arms to catch her, because if he dodged, the little girl would definitely miss and fall to the ground!

The little girl was pulled into Su Ze’s embrace, but of course, Su Ze didn’t let her have her way. He laughed and tilted his head up, while the little girl hugged his waist and tiptoed, trying in vain to kiss him.

"Little naughty one, there's no free naughty. Go cook for me, and when it's done, I’ll let you kiss me," Su Ze made a deal.

Upon hearing this, the little shrine maiden quickly turned and ran into the kitchen with vigor.

"Wait! Put on your shoes!" Su Ze suddenly realized that the little shrine maiden had run into the kitchen barefoot!

Recommend Series

Vanished for a Millennium, How Did My Dilapidated Sect Become a Sacred Site?

Vanished for a Millennium, How Did My Dilapidated Sect Become a Sacred Site?

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?!

Becoming the Emperor in a Female-Oriented Novel, and You Want Me to Kneel and Apologize?

Becoming the Emperor in a Female-Oriented Novel, and You Want Me to Kneel and Apologize?

rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!

The Villainous Young Lady Cries in Frustration: I Told You Not to Provoke the Protagonist

The Villainous Young Lady Cries in Frustration: I Told You Not to Provoke the Protagonist

agon king storylines. At the start, I obtained the "Ultimate Lackey System" - the more I act as a lackey, the stronger I become. What else could I do? I chose to become the personal henchman of the ultimate villain, Su Muwan. I provoke all sorts of chosen ones, snatch away their opportunities, and commit every evil deed imaginable. You ask who's behind me? Hmph! You're not worthy of knowing my lady's name! ...... ....... I am Su Muwan, the eldest daughter of the Su family. Since childhood, I've possessed extraordinary talent in martial arts, which led to my arrogant and domineering personality in my past life. I was even foolish enough to repeatedly challenge those favored by heaven, ultimately resulting in a tragic death. In this life, I must behave and absolutely cannot walk the same path again!! However... SLAP!! "So you're the Dragon King, huh?!" When I saw my little lackey swagger over and viciously slap the Dragon King who was hiding his identity, I felt my heart sink. Su Muwan's suspended heart finally died as she watched Qin Luo, her utterly loyal lackey, standing before her. She fainted on the spot from shock. Heaven is determined to destroy me!! (Pure love 1v1, light-hearted, no angst, single female lead, villain, reincarnation, lackey)

Villain: Agree to Break Off the Engagement at the Start, the Heroine Breaks Down!

Villain: Agree to Break Off the Engagement at the Start, the Heroine Breaks Down!

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."