"Creak..."
The sound of a wooden door groaning jolted Shen Mengli awake. The moment she opened her eyes, a pair of icy blue eyes, turbulent like raging waves, bore into her. The hostility in that gaze made her feel as if an invisible hand had clenched around her heart, stealing her breath.
No matter how desperately she shook Ye Feng in front of her, there was no response—until a warm, sticky sensation seeped into her fingers, making her tremble. The warmth felt like thick paint coating her skin, and the metallic tang of rust filled her nostrils as it soaked into the sheets.
This... this is...
Shen Mengli stared in shock at her hands, now drenched in the "paint." Only under the faint glow from the window did she realize the truth.
"Blood? Xiao Feng's... Xiao Feng's blood?"
"Giggle, giggle~"
The shadow looming over her burst into laughter—a crazed, hollow sound, as if whatever heart it once had had been devoured, leaving only a puppet following a script.
"No... I won’t let you have him... He’s mine, mine alone!"
As the shadow spoke, a bloodstained blade materialized in its grip. A flash of crimson light, and the knife lunged straight for Shen Mengli’s heart.
Just before the blade could pierce her flawless skin, the shadow dissolved into wispy black smoke, vanishing into nothingness...
"Xiao Feng..."
Shen Mengli jolted awake, her eyes snapping open to reality. Beside her, Ye Feng wore an awkward expression, caught mid-motion as he prepared to leave the bed and pack for their upcoming trip. He hadn’t expected her to wake just then.
"Sorry, Mengli. Did I wake you?"
Seeing her crimson eyes brimming with tears, Ye Feng frowned in confusion.
Sure, I disturbed her rest, but crying? And why is she staring at me like that? Better apologize again.
"Sorry, Mengli, I—"
"Waaah!"
Before he could finish, Shen Mengli flung herself into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. Her cries and hiccups echoed through the room.
"No... don’t... Xiao Feng, don’t!"
"Eh? Wha—?!"
Ye Feng looked down at her tear-streaked face, utterly bewildered. The way she spoke made it sound like he’d done something terrible.
"Mengli, hold on—I’m lost. What’s going on—?"
"Please... Xiao Feng... don’t die... don’t die!"
"......"
Don’t die? What’s that supposed to mean? She’s adorable, but is she cursing me now?
"Mengli, there’s gotta be a misunderstanding. I’m perfectly fine—why would I die—?"
"No, it’s not like that!"
Shen Mengli’s voice cracked as she shouted.
"I saw it... I saw..."
Mid-sentence, her body stiffened, as if struck by a sudden realization, and she fell silent.
"What did you see, Mengli?"
She sniffled, lifting her head to study Ye Feng’s unharmed form before exhaling in relief.
"I saw... a ghostly face..."
"A ghostly face? Mengli, did you have a nightmare?"
"Y-yes... a nightmare."
She wiped the lingering tears from her eyes with delicate fingers, though occasional hiccups still escaped.
As she collected herself, she realized: telling Ye Feng about the visions from her hallucination might not convince him. Worse, she didn’t even understand why these dreams were happening. Whether it was the first vision of the four gathered or this second attack by the shadow, everything felt hyper-real, immersive—yet undeniably dreamlike. Maybe it was a side effect of that pill? Designed to torment her mind?
"Sorry, Xiao Feng... I don’t know why I had such a nightmare. Did I disturb you?"
Her voice softened into a whisper as she steadied herself, guilt creeping in as she noticed his shirt dampened by her tears.
"Sorry for wetting your clothes..."
Ye Feng’s expression remained stern, and for a moment, Shen Mengli braced for a scolding. But then—a large hand settled gently atop her head. She looked up to find him smiling.
"Xiao... Feng?"
"I don’t know what nightmare you had, but it clearly upset you, didn’t it?"
His fingers combed through her disheveled hair, tucking stray strands behind her ears with tender care.
"But nightmares are just nightmares. All we need to do is live our real lives well. So don’t overthink it, Mengli. Face the nightmare bravely, and you’ll see—it’s nothing but a paper tiger."
Shen Mengli closed her eyes, savoring his comforting touch. Only when his hand withdrew did she peek up again. "I understand. Thank you, Xiao Feng~"
"Mm. Time’s almost up—we should get going, yeah?"
"G-going? We?"
The sudden statement left her dazed, but the sparkle in Ye Feng’s eyes hinted at something exciting.
"Xiao Feng, where are we going?"
He chuckled, tapping her forehead lightly. "To... the place you’ve always wanted to visit most."
"The place I’ve always wanted... That’s—!"
Realization dawned. She clapped a hand over her parted lips, staring at him in disbelief.
"Xiao Feng, you mean—the ocean!"
"Bingo."
Seizing the moment, Ye Feng slipped free from her embrace. She’d clung to him all night; he’d only just managed to wriggle free earlier, and now she’d latched on again.
"Actually, I bought the tickets yesterday. Kept it a secret—figured it’d be a nice surprise."
"Why...?"
Her throat tightened. The tears she’d fought back surged anew, breaching like a dam overwhelmed by floodwaters. Even as a smile graced her lips, the tears fell unchecked.
"Xiao Feng... why are you so good to me...?"
villain is the number one simp for the book's leading female protagonist, Shen Wan'er. As expected, he later becomes a tool for the main character to show off and slap faces, ultimately meeting a tragic end with his family ruined and his life in shambles. Fortunately, he awakens the [Universal Pure Love System], which allows him to earn points by performing acts of pure love. To change his fate, Gu Yan makes a decisive choice to seek warmth and companionship with the book's biggest villain—Cold Qingqiu. ........... My name is Leng Qingqiu. To find the murderer who killed my parents years ago, I deliberately blinded myself so that everyone would lower their guard around me. Just as I was secretly accumulating power and capital according to my initial plan, a man walked into my world. "Lengleng, Qingqing, Qiuqiu, which nickname do you prefer?" I don't like any of them. You'd better leave quickly! "Why aren't you saying anything? How about I call you my baby wife?" Leng Qingqiu thinks to herself, this man is truly annoying! (Stubborn pure love warrior + single female lead + true pure love + 1v1)
ng to die together with you." Lin Xuan is dead, his body thrown into the river by his scumbag lover and her accomplice. She, the president of the Su Group, is decisive, ruthless, and ice-cold. For three days and three nights, she had his body fished out of the river, and without hesitation, she kissed the bloated corpse of Lin Xuan. She laid down beside him in a cold coffin, their fingers intertwined, a smile lingering on her lips as she closed her eyes. The noble and cold-hearted woman, only bending for one man—Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan, with his golden finger, is reborn and returns to the day of his wedding to the treacherous woman. Su Qiang comes to steal the bride. Lin Xuan's eyes light up, eager to pledge his loyalty on the spot, but instead, her kiss transfers a glass of drugged wine into his mouth, causing him to pass out... 【Male Protagonist with Single Female Lead】【Yandere Tycoon】【Action-Packed】【True vs. Fake Heir】
] [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!"
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
