Sunny beaches, ocean waves, but no cacti in sight.
"Burp." Ye Chuan lay sprawled on a beach chair, wearing swim trunks and sunglasses.
Not far away by the shore, a group of girls giggled and splashed in the water, their youthful energy giving Ye Chuan a sense of surreal nostalgia.
"Ah, this is what youth looks like," Ye Chuan mused aloud.
A voice chimed in from beside him, "You’re only twenty and already reminiscing about youth?"
"Something like that," Ye Chuan replied, glancing at the neighboring beach chair where Ke Ning lounged, a high-tech Rubik’s cube floating lazily above her.
"Not joining them in the water?"
"No. Just watching is enough. UV rays stimulate melanocytes," Ke Ning said flatly. "Besides, I don’t like sunbathing."
"Don’t like sunbathing, yet you’re dressed rather boldly," Ye Chuan remarked, eyeing her pink bikini—the most revealing swimwear among the group.
"Are you secretly a closet exhibitionist or something?" he teased.
"..." Ke Ning paused for a beat. "What do you think?"
"Never mind. Since we’re at the beach, might as well enjoy it." Ye Chuan reclined, his gaze lingering on the generous view Ke Ning seemed entirely unbothered by.
Turning his attention back to Luo Xi and the others, he saw they’d started a game of beach volleyball.
"Nice shot," Ye Chuan muttered under his breath as he watched.
Pulling out his phone, he checked the status of each tenant. But when he noticed Bai Qianshuang’s favorability had plummeted, he frowned. "Huh?"
What’s this…?
Scrolling through the logs, he saw Bai Qianshuang’s favorability had been dropping steadily. Once the highest, it had now fallen below even Lan Xiaoke’s, nearly matching Ke Ning’s.
"We’re here to relax—how is her favorability still dropping?" Ye Chuan pondered. Was it because of the volleyball game with Lan Xiaoke?
He could cut back on that.
The last thing he wanted was Bai Qianshuang awakening her empress memories and decapitating him.
"Nope." Ye Chuan stood abruptly and strode toward Luo Xi and the others.
"Chuan-Chuan, wanna join?" Luo Xi grinned, hugging the volleyball. The sunlight caught her smile, warm as a summer breeze.
"Sure. Four’s perfect for a match."
Ye Chuan caught the ball Luo Xi tossed his way, his eyes flickering toward Bai Qianshuang—only for her to avert her gaze the moment their eyes met.
She’s in a bad mood, huh?
"I’ll team up with Qianshuang!" Lan Xiaoke, ever the opportunist, immediately latched onto the strongest player present.
No way we’ll lose, right?
"Fine, you two pair up. Luo Xi and I will take you on," Ye Chuan said.
Plus, watching from the opposite side had its perks.
"Here we go." Ye Chuan served, deliberately aiming for Bai Qianshuang.
Bai Qianshuang: "..."
The volleyball soared toward her. After a brief pause, she leaped and struck.
A seemingly gentle tap unleashed terrifying force, sending the ball rocketing toward Ye Chuan like lightning.
"Whoosh—!"
It landed in the sand behind him, kicking up a towering spray.
"Uh…" Lan Xiaoke and Luo Xi gaped.
Since when did volleyball pack that much power?
"My apologies. I may have used a bit too much strength," Bai Qianshuang said coolly. "But given your cultivation, a hit like that shouldn’t harm you."
"No, it wouldn’t hurt," Ye Chuan admitted, scratching his cheek. With a flick of his fingers, the ball returned to his hand.
He gave it a light tap, this time directing it toward Lan Xiaoke.
"Hyah!" Lan Xiaoke sprang up to receive it, her energetic movements leaving Ye Chuan momentarily stunned.
"I got it!" Luo Xi intercepted the return pass.
"Chuan-Chuan!"
Ye Chuan followed up, again targeting Bai Qianshuang.
In a blur of motion, Bai Qianshuang vanished and reappeared mid-air, her palm striking the ball with spiritual energy. It shot back like a meteor.
"..."
Ye Chuan blinked. She’s really not holding back.
He could’ve phased out or teleported to dodge, but considering the aftermath, he simply closed his eyes and stood his ground.
Seeing him make no move to evade, Bai Qianshuang’s eyes flickered. At the last second, she extended her hand, channeling energy to halt the ball mid-flight.
It spun furiously in front of Ye Chuan’s face before dropping harmlessly to the sand.
Ye Chuan picked it up. When he looked up again, Bai Qianshuang had already turned away.
"I need a break," she said flatly, then vanished in a flash.
"Qianshuang…" Luo Xi and Lan Xiaoke exchanged glances before fixing their eyes on Ye Chuan. It was clear who was responsible for her mood.
"Chuan-Chuan, what did you do to her?" Luo Xi demanded, poking his cheek. "Did you do something bad?"
"Yeah, yeah!" Lan Xiaoke chimed in, nodding vigorously despite having no clue what was happening.
"Me?" Ye Chuan grimaced. Bai Qianshuang’s foul mood was indeed his fault, but not for the reasons they assumed.
Still, watching her retreating figure, he sighed and decided to follow.
---
"Crash…"
"Crash…"
Waves lapped against the rocks, sending up sprays of foam.
Seated atop a jagged outcrop, the raven-haired girl stared blankly at the horizon, her gaze distant and unfocused.
"Thud. Thud." Footsteps approached from behind, sinking into the damp sand.
Bai Qianshuang didn’t turn. Her spiritual sense had already identified the visitor.
Ye Chuan studied her back for a moment before teleporting beside her and sitting down.
"Qianshuang."
"..." Silence.
"I—"
"Liar." Bai Qianshuang cut him off, her voice icy.
"Uh, what did I lie about—?"
"We are cultivation partners. Yet you refuse to engage in dual cultivation with me, choosing Xiaoke instead," she said evenly. "Our compatibility would yield far greater benefits. With her, you gain nothing."
"Unless… you find me displeasing?"
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)
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?"
