Social Practice Club.
"Really, truly, thank you so much."
Hoshino Yikui, who had been tirelessly worrying about his younger sister, repeatedly bowed in gratitude to the club members Gu Ruoxue and Su Cheng, his face brimming with earnestness and a radiant, heartfelt smile.
Ever since Su Cheng pretended to be the Penguin Prince at noon, his sister had reverted to her usual lively and spirited self, no longer shutting herself away in a world of sorrow.
"No need to thank me."
Suddenly, Gu Ruoxue, who had been processing documents at her desk, paused her work and glanced up at Hoshino Yikui before lowering her head again to continue her tasks.
"Uh..."
Hoshino Yikui scratched his head awkwardly as he took in Gu Ruoxue's icy, unapproachable demeanor, then turned his gaze to Su Cheng, who was sipping tea nearby.
Su Cheng set down his teacup and motioned for Hoshino to come closer, as if to share a secret. After a brief hesitation, Hoshino nodded and leaned in.
"Don’t mind her," Su Cheng whispered conspiratorially, shielding his mouth with one hand as he spoke into Hoshino’s ear. "She may act all serious, but deep down, she’s actually a very adorable girl."
"Huh?"
Hoshino blinked in surprise, clearly not expecting such a remark. He couldn’t help but glance back at Gu Ruoxue—only to find her staring directly at them, her frosty gaze so intense it sent a chill down his spine. He quickly averted his eyes.
Adorable?
How in the world is that adorable?!
Wait… did she just hear that?
She definitely heard it!
"Anyway, thank you both so much for your help. If you ever need anything from me, just say the word."
Deciding that discretion was the better part of valor, Hoshino Yikui hastily expressed his gratitude before making a swift exit, practically fleeing the scene.
Watching his retreating figure, Su Cheng couldn’t suppress a chuckle before picking up his teacup again, sipping leisurely as if nothing had happened.
The clubroom fell back into silence—except for Gu Ruoxue, who narrowed her eyes at Su Cheng for a long moment before finally muttering, "Don’t you think it’s rude to comment about me behind my back?"
"I wasn’t doing it behind your back. I said it right in front of you."
Su Cheng retorted without a hint of guilt.
"Hmph."
Gu Ruoxue scoffed coldly and ignored him, returning to her paperwork.
But Su Cheng wasn’t done. He set his teacup aside, stood up, and walked over to Gu Ruoxue’s desk, eyeing the stacks of documents and files with amusement. "Are you trying to work yourself to death?"
"Mhm."
Gu Ruoxue responded without looking up, still scribbling away, completely unfazed by his teasing.
"How about a break? Let me give you a shoulder massage," Su Cheng suggested. "Like last time at the airport."
At that, Gu Ruoxue lifted her head, her gaze sharp with suspicion.
The last time at the airport… if she really thought about it, that had been right before a major upheaval—when he had regained his memories.
Now, Su Cheng bringing it up again made her wary.
Was he hinting at something?
Whatever had happened between him and Li Guanqi at noon remained a mystery to her. She wouldn’t find out until tonight. But for now…
"Relax."
Su Cheng stepped behind her chair without hesitation, placing his hands on her shoulders and kneading gently. "You’re all stiff. Let me help you loosen up."
Gu Ruoxue tensed at first, her brows furrowing, but then she exhaled and seemed to resign herself to it. "Do what you want."
With that, she relaxed, letting Su Cheng work on her shoulders while she closed her eyes and rested.
"So?"
Su Cheng leaned in slightly, his voice soft near her ear. "Feeling better?"
"Mmm. It’s helping." Gu Ruoxue cracked one eye open to glance at him before closing it again.
"Good."
Su Cheng straightened up and focused on his task.
Two minutes later, he stopped. Gu Ruoxue slowly opened her eyes and tilted her head to look at him—only to find him staring intently at her hair.
Their eyes met briefly before Su Cheng resumed the massage.
"More white hairs?"
Gu Ruoxue murmured the question so quietly it was almost inaudible, then shut her eyes again, savoring the rare moment of peace.
"Yeah… more and more of them."
Su Cheng’s voice carried a note of frustration, snapping Gu Ruoxue out of her thoughts. Her delicate brows knitted together.
White hairs were something she cared about more than she’d admit.
"I’ve really given you a lot to worry about, haven’t I?"
After a pause, Su Cheng spoke again, his tone subdued.
"Oh? Is that so?" Gu Ruoxue replied evenly. "Should I thank you for adding some color to my life, then?"
Su Cheng fell silent for a moment before hesitantly asking, "Want me to pluck them out?"
"No need."
Gu Ruoxue shook her head and closed her eyes once more.
"Alright."
Su Cheng continued massaging her shoulders, but this time, he didn’t stay quiet. Instead, he launched into a fairy tale, his tone gentle and soothing—as if he were telling a bedtime story to lull her to sleep.
But unlike before, Gu Ruoxue wasn’t simply listening.
Her guard was up.
Long ago, they had made a rule: whenever Su Cheng made a mistake, he’d make it up to her with a new story. But yesterday and today, he’d started telling fairy tales out of nowhere—without any apparent reason.
Tonight, she would definitely need to compare notes with Li Guanqi.
……………………
Night.
The sky was moonless tonight.
Special Residence.
Only the glow of the TV and a desk lamp illuminated the room. At the desk, Li Guanqi’s face was bathed in the soft light as she scribbled furiously on a blank sheet of paper, filling it with dense, inky characters.
Today’s diary entry—complete!
She had recorded everything that happened today: her observations at the archery club in the afternoon, her doubts, her concerns—all of it went into her book, The Heroine’s Fundamentals.
Once finished, she tried to fold the book and tuck it deep into her drawer—but then she remembered something and reopened it, flipping to a particular page.
On that page was a single, bold word: "Like."
She stared at it for a long time before finally exhaling, closing the book, and placing it carefully in the drawer.
"Looks like I can help share his burden now."
With that thought, she stood up and turned to Yaya, who was watching TV. "Want to go for a walk?"
Yaya shook her head and turned back to the screen.
Just then, Li Guanqi’s phone vibrated on the table.
It was a message from Gu Ruoxue.
She knew it was about what had happened at noon. Picking up the phone, she typed a simple reply: "Yeah."
After that, she walked out of the room and headed downstairs, only to find Li Zhaohao sitting by the stone table in the open-air living room, engrossed in her handheld game console.
She was wearing a white princess dress, a lollipop dangling from her lips. Sensing Li Guanqi’s approach, she looked up and flashed her a bright smile, asking, "Going for a walk again?"
"Yeah, I’ll be back soon."
Li Guanqi replied succinctly before continuing toward the door—
"Wait, I’ll come too. Just let me finish this round first."
The sweet, soft voice of Li Zhaohao called out from behind her.
Turning around, Li Guanqi seemed to consider something for a moment, then simply sat down beside her to wait.
"Where are we going?"
After a short while, Li Zhaohao couldn’t resist looking up to ask.
"East Creek. Gu Ruoxue will be there too."
Li Guanqi answered without hesitation.
"Oh~"
Li Zhaohao responded obediently, only to belatedly realize something was off. She immediately raised her head, widening her pretty eyes in surprise. "Wait, are you two planning to discuss something? Would it be awkward if I tagged along?"
"There are things I don’t want to tell her."
Li Guanqi paused briefly before meeting her gaze. "If you come, she’ll understand without me having to explain."
"Oh~ I see."
The explanation made Li Zhaohao’s face light up with understanding, and she gave a knowing, adorable nod before lowering her head again to focus on her game.
But to her dismay, she had already lost during their brief conversation. Muttering in frustration, she quickly brushed it off, picked up her console, and stood.
"Let’s go."
"Okay."
And so, the pair of sisters—one dressed in black, the other in white—left the house, heading toward the distant creek like the mythical Black and White Guards of the underworld setting off to claim a soul.
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
] [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!"
