"Does it still hurt? Your palm, I mean."
After finishing the household chores, Ye Feng settled back onto the sofa. Xie Yuyan was staring at her bandaged hand, secretly smiling to herself.
"Xie Yuyan?"
"Ah!? Ye Feng? When did you get here?"
"I’ve been here since I walked over. Am I really that startling?"
"Mmm... I was just thinking about something else..."
Xie Yuyan stole a glance at Ye Feng before immediately lowering her head, silent. Her timid demeanor made it obvious she was embarrassed about what she’d just done.
"So? Finally realizing your mistake? How many times is this now?"
"I’m sorry... I just had no other choice."
"No other choice? You might as well have written 'on purpose' across your face. Why don’t you ever listen to me?"
"It’s not that I don’t believe you, it’s just... I don’t want you to leave."
"I’m right here, aren’t I? What are you so worried about, Xie Yuyan?"
"Sorry..."
Seeing Xie Yuyan’s pitiful expression, Ye Feng couldn’t bring himself to scold her further. His lectures had fallen on deaf ears too many times to count.
"Alright, alright. As long as you’re okay. So, does your hand still hurt?"
"It huuurts~"
Xie Yuyan clutched her injured hand, exaggerating a pained expression before inching closer to Ye Feng on the sofa.
Ye Feng immediately saw through her act and grabbed her wrist.
"Eep~"
Xie Yuyan let out a soft gasp, surprised by his sudden move. Was he finally responding to her charms? A smug thrill ran through her.
So... should I play hard to get? Or resist fiercely? Or maybe... just drop the act altogether~
Just as she was lost in anticipation, Ye Feng abruptly said, "If it hurts, just endure it. Might help toughen you up."
"......"
The moment those words left his mouth, Ye Feng noticed Xie Yuyan’s gaze sharpen. Before he could even stand, she flopped onto his lap.
"Mmm~ You’re absolutely right, Ye Feng. Enduring pain does build character. So... mind if I help toughen you up too?"
"Me? What do I need toughening up for? Xie Yuyan, you’re injured too. I’d advise against any funny ideas—unless you want me to break out my special technique."
"Ye Feng, that’s slander! What ‘funny ideas’? My thoughts are perfectly focused!"
She wasn’t wrong—just that her focus was entirely on him.
"Ye Feng, are you still tutoring those two students?"
Though puzzled by the sudden topic shift, Ye Feng answered honestly.
"Yeah, lessons are ongoing. Why?"
"No reason, just curious. You’ve been working so hard lately—maybe you should quit?"
"I’ve considered it, but not yet. There’s still material to cover."
Xie Yuyan noticed his gaze flicker away briefly. Something about those students was being kept from her.
Why... why so many secrets? Ye Feng, can’t we just be honest with each other? I want... I want to see what’s buried in your heart.
If not for Ye Feng’s hidden cards, she wouldn’t be stuck in this push-and-pull with him.
"Fine. I just don’t want you overworking. Between tutoring, taking care of Shen Mengli, and everything else, I worry about your health."
"I’m fine, Xie Yuyan. I’m tough. And... could you get off me? We’re way too close."
"I just want to rest against you a little. These quiet moments are rare—I have to cherish them."
"At least sit on the sofa properly."
"Oh, it’s basically the same~ I’m sure the magnanimous Ye Feng won’t nitpick over such a small thing, right?"
"Xie Yuyan, stop squirming while you talk."
A sense of foreboding struck Ye Feng. He grabbed Xie Yuyan and tried to shove her off, but it was too late.
......
"Sis!"
At Hope Orphanage, Wenwen bounded into the garden where Shen Mengli was practicing walking with the director’s support.
"Wenwen, you’re here."
Hearing her voice, Shen Mengli turned and smiled before resuming her exercises.
"Mengli, slow down! It’s only your first day—your body needs time to adjust. You’ve never been this impatient before."
The director watched Shen Mengli’s anxious expression with concern. Just yesterday, she’d been cheerful—until a phone call with Ye Feng changed everything. The director had tried gently probing for details, but Shen Mengli stayed silent, insisting only on starting rehab immediately.
"It’s fine, Director. I just want to recover faster. I need more time... to live properly with him."
Shen Mengli quickened her pace, her determination unmistakable. Clearly, "him" meant Ye Feng. But what could have happened between them to cause such a drastic shift overnight?
"Sis, let me help!"
Wenwen, standing behind them, was too young to grasp the complexities of adults. She was just thrilled Shen Mengli could stand again and eagerly offered her tiny hand.
As Wenwen’s fingers curled around hers, Shen Mengli smiled softly. The warmth around her soothed her restless heart—and sparked a new idea.
"Thank you, Wenwen."
......
pression Bureau] Transported to a fantasy world overrun by demons and monsters, Gu Qingfeng becomes a jailer in the Demon Suppression Prison of the Great Yan Dynasty's Demon Suppression Bureau. From this point on, bizarre cases frequently occur in the Demon Suppression Prison, once known as hell on earth and infamous for its gloomy, terrifying atmosphere! Why do the demons and monsters in the prison wail miserably every night? Why has the corpse demon, capable of transforming into various beauties, donned black stockings and switched careers to become a foot massage therapist? Why has the eye demon, expert in soul-snatching and illusions, turned into a VR headset? Why is the fox spirit performing otaku dances? Are all these occurrences a twisted expression of demonic nature, or a descent into moral depravity? After peeling away layer upon layer of mystery, all clues ultimately point to a jailer named Gu Qingfeng. Gu Qingfeng: "Hehehe... My dear demons and monsters, whose card shall we flip today?"
] [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!"
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
nto another world, I bought a slave for the first time, never expecting the silver wolf girl to be so cute... Lin Feng: I know it's cold, but you don't have to sneak into my bed! Yuna: Just sharing body warmth, if you dare do anything naughty, I'll definitely...
