Not long after, Luo's father also returned home.
He first told Luo's mother to put down what she was holding and let him handle it, then noticed the shoes placed on the floor.
"Why didn’t you ask Xi Xi to help? Is Ye Chuan here?" Luo's father inquired.
This kid, she’s already home—why didn’t she come help her mother?
"She did help earlier. I told them to go rest in their rooms for a bit. School is exhausting these days, isn’t it? It’s no trouble for me to move around a little," Luo's mother replied with a gentle smile. Just then, Luo Xi opened the door and stepped out with Ye Chuan.
"Hello, Uncle," Ye Chuan greeted.
"Dad, you’re back," Luo Xi said, instinctively smoothing out the wrinkles in her clothes and skirt before smiling.
Luo's father nodded, his gaze lingering on Ye Chuan behind Luo Xi. With a meaningful tone, he remarked, "You’ve both grown up."
Ye Chuan simply smiled in response.
Indeed, Luo Xi had grown up—so much so that she was hard to keep track of now.
Since it was Luo Xi’s birthday, Ye Chuan had prepared a cake. After rearranging some decorations in the house, they celebrated simply.
Ye Chuan stuck candles into the cake, lit them with a lighter, and then drew the curtains.
The candlelight flickered softly as Luo Xi, now wearing a small birthday hat that came with the cake, stood ready.
The cake was decorated with a cute little bear—a custom design Ye Chuan had chosen, knowing Luo Xi had a fondness for bears.
Even her underwear had that pattern.
"Alright, blow out the candles. Another year older—may everything go smoothly and happily from now on," Luo's mother said cheerfully.
Just as Luo Xi nodded and leaned in to blow, Luo's father stopped her. "Xi Xi, your birthday is also your mother’s suffering day. First, express your gratitude to her properly, understand?"
"Yes, I know," Luo Xi replied before turning to Luo's mother to thank her for raising her.
"Come on, it’s just a birthday. No need for talk of suffering," Luo's mother chided, lightly swatting Luo's father.
He always had a way of dampening the mood—did birthdays have to be solemn affairs?
With a deep breath, Luo Xi blew out the candles. After the flames vanished, she took out her phone to snap a few photos of everyone.
"Who bought you that phone?" Luo's father noticed the new device in Luo Xi’s hand. "That’s not cheap, is it?"
"It’s a birthday gift from Chuan Chuan," Luo Xi answered with a grin.
Ye Chuan nodded in confirmation.
"You’re still young—don’t waste money recklessly, understand? If your old phone still worked, why replace it?" Luo's father shook his head disapprovingly. He knew how financially strapped Ye Chuan had been before—how could he splurge now that he had some money?
Ye Chuan shook his head. "I’m not wasting money."
He wasn’t the type to spend frivolously. Even though he now had a sizable sum, aside from buying Luo Xi a phone worth ten thousand and a bracelet, most of his expenses went toward improving his own capabilities.
That, of course, was the bulk of it.
But how could investing in self-improvement be considered wasteful?
Every penny spent now would pay off in the future—it was simply an investment.
At least, that’s how Ye Chuan saw it.
After the cake was divided, Luo Xi pulled Ye Chuan aside for a flurry of photos. Seeing their closeness, Luo's parents didn’t think much of it.
Their dynamic had always been like this, whether they were dating or not, so their parents never read too much into it.
"Editing?" Ye Chuan peeked over as Luo Xi sat down to retouch the photos on her phone.
But Luo Xi pulled her phone away, hiding the screen from him.
"Being all secretive," Ye Chuan teased, amused. What was there to hide?
"Wait till I’m done," Luo Xi said with a playful smirk.
"What’s there to edit?" Ye Chuan scoffed. Luo Xi was already beautiful—over-editing would only strip away her natural charm.
"Done!" Luo Xi announced, quickly posting the photos to her social media.
Ye Chuan pulled out his own phone and checked her update—a birthday post with a nine-photo grid.
There were shots of the cake, her parents, but the most eye-catching were the silver bracelet he’d given her and their couple photo.
In it, their cheeks were pressed together, with a pink heart drawn between them—half on each face.
"All that fuss just to doodle a heart?"
"Hmph, got a problem with that?" Luo Xi retorted.
The heart wasn’t just for show—it was a clear signal to everyone on her feed about their relationship.
"If you like it, then it’s fine," Ye Chuan said. At least this way, certain clowns would get the message.
"You have to post too," Luo Xi insisted, scooting closer and looping her arm through his.
"Why?"
"Because I’m your girlfriend—why shouldn’t you?" She narrowed her eyes playfully. "Unless… you have other girlfriends?"
"Hard to say," Ye Chuan said with an innocent shrug.
"Oh, you—!" Luo Xi unleashed a flurry of light slaps on his arm—so weak they barely registered.
"Post it."
"I’ll think about it," Ye Chuan pretended to hesitate. "I need some motivation."
Luo Xi knew exactly what he meant. After a quick glance to confirm her parents weren’t watching, she pecked him on the cheek.
"Fine, post it yourself," Ye Chuan said, handing her his phone.
Grinning, Luo Xi took it and uploaded a post.
Likes poured in almost instantly—including from several of Ye Chuan’s exes, who seemed unsurprised.
Ex-girlfriend A: And another one joins the roster.
Ex-girlfriend C: Figures.
Ex-girlfriend F: Isn’t that your childhood friend?
Luo Xi glanced back at Ye Chuan after reading the comments. "You never deleted your exes?"
"If it bothers you, go ahead and delete them," Ye Chuan said casually. He hadn’t bothered after the breakups.
[Ex-girlfriend: You don’t love me—you just love my money! Always mooching off me! We’re done!
Ye Chuan: Sure.]
That pretty much summed it up.
Luo Xi shook her head and returned his phone. "I won’t end up as just another one of them, will I?"
Ye Chuan found her worry amusing.
"You’ve already had my first kiss. What do you think?"
Luo Xi eyed him skeptically. "You haven’t said that to every girl, have you?"
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
【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.)
orn and Humiliation】【Forced Love】 In his past life, Lin Ran was betrayed and murdered by his girlfriend and family, while the yandere female aristocrat, who had treated him as a mere plaything, avenged him by doing in his enemies. Upon seeing the yandere female aristocrat lying in the same coffin, ready to die with him, Lin Ran realized how profoundly mistaken he had been. Reborn, he abandoned the fickle campus beauty and wholeheartedly embraced the yandere female aristocrat's arms. "Ran! If I dig out your eyes and turn them into a specimen, you'll only be able to look at me!" Lin Ran: "Darling, kiss me!" "Ran! If I break your legs, you won't run away anymore, right?" Lin Ran: "Love, hold me tight!" "Ran! If..." Lin Ran: "Hush now! Love me more!" Luo Yao: ... Seeing his scumbag dad: "Take him out!" Seeing his stepmother: "Get rid of her!" Seeing his brother: "Eliminate him!" Seeing his white moonlight: "Send that to Southeast Asia!"
't think I'm that capable, I'm just trying my best to stay alive. I've been kind all my life, never did anything bad, yet worldly suffering spared me not one bit. The human world is a nice place, but I won't come back in my next life. A kind young man, who wanted to just get by singing, but through repeated deceits and betrayals, has gone down an irredeemable path.
