The early summer breeze carried a hint of sweltering heat. It slipped into the room through the screen window, fanning the tiny flames in people's hearts until they grew brighter and brighter.
On the sofa in the living room of Lin Wanwan's house.
Lin Wanwan was curled up in a ball, hugging her knees. A boring soap opera was playing on the TV, but she didn't even glance at it. Her mind was entirely occupied by the hug outside the examination hall that afternoon.
She had put everything on the line.
In front of all the teachers, students, and parents of the school, she had buried her face in his chest and even asked him loudly, "What am I to you now?"
And the result?
The guy brushed her off with a riddle, took her home, and then immediately went to pack his things.
Playing dumb again.
The more Lin Wanwan thought about it, the angrier she got, her toes digging into the sofa cushions. Thinking back on the past three years of high school, with the fiercely watchful Li Zhiyi before and that shameless Pei Ningxue after, her position by Chen Zhi's side was simply in jeopardy.
No, she couldn't just let this go.
If they didn't define their relationship now, once they went to college, who knows which seductive tramp might snatch him away.
At this thought, Lin Wanwan stood up, grabbed the keys from the coffee table, and rushed out.
Their houses were right next door to each other. She familiarly walked to Chen Zhi's door, pulled out the spare key Mother Chen had specifically left for her, and unlocked the door with a click.
The house was dead silent.
Lin Wanwan changed into slippers and headed straight for Chen Zhi's bedroom.
The door was ajar. Chen Zhi was squatting on the floor with two large suitcases open in front of him. He was stuffing his old high school test papers and textbooks into the suitcases, and upon hearing the noise, he didn't even turn his head.
He was already used to Lin Wanwan barging in without a word.
"Why are you here?"
Hearing this made Lin Wanwan even more furious.
He had the nerve to ask?
She walked over in a few strides and plopped down right on the pile of unpacked books, blocking Chen Zhi's hands.
"Stop packing."
Chen Zhi stopped what he was doing and looked up at her. The young girl was wearing loose loungewear, her hair casually tied in a bun with a few stray strands hanging by her ears. Her big eyes clearly said, "This lady is very unhappy right now."
"What's wrong?" Chen Zhi asked, knowing the answer perfectly well.
"Come out and hang out with me." Lin Wanwan reached out and grabbed his wrist. "Right now. Immediately. At once."
Lin Wanwan pulled hard, trying to drag him up, staring straight at him. "If you don't agree, the consequences will be severe."
"Alright, alright, where to?"
Chen Zhi took the opportunity to stand up, reversed his grip to hold her wrist, and pulled her up from the pile of books. He had to give Lin Wanwan a proper explanation tonight.
Lin Wanwan's expression changed instantly. Her eyes curving into a smile, she hooked her arm through his, looking as if she wanted to hang her entire body on him. "To the pedestrian street! I want to eat the takoyaki from that stall!"
...
The pedestrian street at night was bustling with noise and activity.
Lin Wanwan held onto Chen Zhi's arm, pressing close to him.
Passing boys frequently turned their heads, their gazes lingering on Lin Wanwan's exquisite features before shooting looks of envy and jealousy at Chen Zhi.
Chen Zhi was already immune to this and simply let her drag him along.
"Chen Zhi, Chen Zhi, look at that!"
Lin Wanwan suddenly stopped and pointed to a street stall covered with small accessories.
It was the kind of stall meant to trick young girls, displaying all sorts of sparkly earrings and necklaces.
Lin Wanwan let go of Chen Zhi, crouched in front of the stall, and started picking through a pile of colorful trinkets.
Finally, she picked up a ring.
The craftsmanship was actually quite rough. The band was made of alloy, set with a massive, transparent glass diamond.
"I want this one."
Lin Wanwan slipped the ring onto her middle finger, held it up to Chen Zhi, and waved it with eyes full of expectation.
Chen Zhi crouched down and whispered in her ear, "You can tell at a glance that this thing is made of glass. It's the kind you get three for five bucks. If you like it, I'll buy you a real one in the future."
"No."
Lin Wanwan stubbornly shook her head, pulling her hand back to her chest. "I want this one right now."
Real ones could wait for the future, but the meaning behind this piece of glass could only be understood right now.
Chen Zhi was helpless against her and turned to the vendor. "Boss, how much is this?"
The vendor was a middle-aged man who looked honest enough. Seeing the dynamic between the young couple, his eyes darted around, and he held up a hand. "The craftsmanship on this is very good. Imported materials, faceted cutting. Fifty-two."
"How much?!"
Chen Zhi almost choked. "Fifty-two? Boss, are you robbing me?"
"Young man, you can't say that." The boss smiled and pointed at the ring. "Five-two, five-two, it sounds like 'I love you.' It has a good meaning. Why care about this little bit of money when buying something for your girlfriend?"
Chen Zhi glanced at Lin Wanwan.
The young girl was looking up at him, clearly waiting to see what he would choose.
"Fine, fifty-two it is."
Chen Zhi gritted his teeth, pulled out his phone to scan the QR code, and muttered, "The way you do business, boss, you'll strike it rich sooner or later."
"Thank you for the good words, thank you." The boss smiled so widely his eyes vanished.
After he paid, Lin Wanwan took the ring. She no longer held onto Chen Zhi's arm, but instead held her hand up in the air, gesturing towards the moon in the sky.
"Does it look good?" she asked.
"It looks good," Chen Zhi answered honestly.
Actually, what looked good wasn't the ring, but the hand wearing it, and the owner of that hand.
"I think it looks good too."
Lin Wanwan didn't keep wearing the ring; instead, she stuffed it into her pocket.
...
The two continued walking forward.
As they passed a street corner, they saw a crowd gathered in a circle.
In the middle was a busker holding a guitar, with a microphone stand in front of him and a speaker at his feet.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, secretly falling in love with you..."
"But I don't dare to tell you..."
It was Dave Wang's "Secretly Falling in Love With You."
The young man's voice was weathered. It had no technique, only pure emotion, and many people around were listening intently.
Lin Wanwan stopped and stood at the edge of the crowd, listening quietly.
Chen Zhi stood behind her, looking at her profile. The light from the streetlamp cast upon her face, making even the fine peach fuzz clearly visible. Her eyes were sparkling, as if hiding a galaxy of stars.
When the song ended, applause rang out.
Lin Wanwan suddenly let go of Chen Zhi's hand and strode forward.
"Hello."
She stood in front of the microphone and smiled at the slightly stunned busker. "Can I sing a song?"
The young man looked at the incredibly beautiful girl in front of him, froze for a few seconds before snapping back to reality, and hurriedly took off the guitar to hand it to her. "Of course you can."
Lin Wanwan held the guitar and tested a few chords.
Seeing that a beautiful girl had taken over, the surrounding crowd stopped in their tracks, and the number of onlookers grew.
Lin Wanwan adjusted the height of the microphone and took a deep breath.
The brisk, sweet accompaniment played from the speaker.
It was S.H.E's "Not Yet Lovers."
"Just a little bit closer, and I'll let you hold my hand~"
As soon as Lin Wanwan opened her mouth, the surroundings instantly fell silent.
She was the top scorer in this year's provincial music joint examination. Her professional vocal control and emotional expression drew in even more passersby.
Her voice was clear and sweet, carrying a young girl's naive charm and a ready-to-burst affection, instantly captivating everyone's ears.
"Just a little bit braver, and I'll go with you~"
As Lin Wanwan sang, she raised her head.
Her gaze pierced through the layers of the crowd and landed squarely on Chen Zhi.
In those eyes, the usual naive playfulness and willful stubbornness were gone, replaced by an overflowing affection.
Bold, passionate, and completely unreserved.
Every word in the lyrics felt like a message spoken directly to him.
"What are you waiting for, time is running out..."
"Any longer, and we can only be friends..."
The surrounding audience seemed to sense something. Following her gaze, they turned their heads to look at the young man standing at the back of the crowd.
Chen Zhi felt his palms sweating.
He looked at the radiant girl on the stage.
At this moment, Lin Wanwan was incredibly dazzling. She was using this method to force him to face this relationship, forcing him to step out of the safe shell of being childhood sweethearts.
"It is just three words, do not hesitate for so long..."
As Lin Wanwan sang the chorus, her voice trembled slightly, yet it was incomparably firm.
"As long as you say it out loud, you can have me."
As the final note faded, the music came to an abrupt halt.
The entire audience fell silent for a second before erupting into thunderous applause and cheers.
"Be together! Be together!"
Someone took the lead to shout, and the uproar instantly rippled through the crowd.
Lin Wanwan's cheeks were flushed red. She returned the microphone to the stunned young man, took a bow, then dashed down the steps, grabbed Chen Zhi's hand, and ran.
The two ran for two blocks in one breath, until the voices of the crowd gradually faded away, leaving only the occasional sound of passing cars.
They were now by a small river that ran through the city. The streetlights were dim, and pedestrians were scarce.
Lin Wanwan stopped, resting her hands on her knees and panting heavily.
The atmosphere became somewhat delicate.
Lin Wanwan straightened up, smoothed her slightly messy bangs, and turned to look at Chen Zhi.
She did not speak, just looked at him quietly, as if waiting for something.
Those eyes were startlingly bright in the night, filled with an unquelled courage and anticipation.
Chen Zhi's Adam's apple bobbed.
He knew he could not play dumb anymore.
The paper window had already been poked full of holes; trying to paper over it again was meaningless.
"Wanwan."
Chen Zhi spoke, his voice a bit dry.
Lin Wanwan's body stiffened for a moment.
"Chen Zhi, I am thirsty."
Lin Wanwan suddenly turned her head, interrupting Chen Zhi. She spoke rapidly, "I want some water, go buy me some water."
Chen Zhi looked into her eyes and sighed inwardly.
"Alright, I will go buy some."
Chen Zhi nodded and pointed to a convenience store not far away. "Stay right here and wait for me."
Watching Chen Zhi's back as he walked into the convenience store, Lin Wanwan finally let out a long breath, leaning against the railing like a deflated balloon.
She raised her hand, looking at that ring, her mind in a mess.
...
Chen Zhi bought two bottles of mineral water. As he walked back, he slowed his pace slightly.
He was organizing his words.
How should he say it to Lin Wanwan?
Chen Zhi finally realized just how much courage Lin Wanwan had mustered this afternoon.
Just as he was about to reach the riverside, his brows suddenly furrowed.
Under the streetlight, there was another person beside Lin Wanwan.
A young punk, Blondie, wearing tight pants and slip-on loafers, was leaning against the railing in a sleazy manner, standing very close to Lin Wanwan.
"Hey beauty, all alone?"
Blondie dangled a cigarette from his mouth, his eyes brazenly sweeping up and down Lin Wanwan's legs. "Waiting for someone? If you got stood up, how about I take you out for some fun?"
Lin Wanwan took a step to the side, her face cold. "I have a boyfriend. He went to buy water and will be right back."
"Boyfriend?"
Blondie sneered, blowing out a smoke ring. "Even if you have a boyfriend, it does not stop us from being friends. Add my WeChat? My car is parked right over there, how about I take you for a spin?"
Saying that, he reached out, trying to grab Lin Wanwan's arm.
"Do not touch me!" Lin Wanwan stepped back in disgust, but her retreat was blocked by the guardrail.
Seeing her looking like a frightened little bird, Blondie became even more intrigued, reaching his hand straight toward her face.
"Stop playing hard to get. When you were singing over there earlier, were you not pretty..."
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."
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!"
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
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.
