The sound of gongs and drums filled the air.
Red silk ribbons danced in the wind.
A festive atmosphere permeated every corner.
In the outskirts of Yanshan City, within the settlement of the survivalist refugees,
the streets were lined with eaves adorned with rare red decorations, and oversized lanterns swayed gently in the spring breeze, impossible to miss.
"Niu, congratulations!"
"We always knew this lad would make something of himself!"
"Exactly, exactly!"
When Xu Xi arrived at the outskirts,
this was the scene that greeted him.
A simple, honest-faced man, clad in neat cloth garments and draped with a bright red silk sash,
stood at the center of the crowd, accepting well-wishes and laughter from his neighbors.
Every time someone teased him about marital matters, his sun-darkened face—hard as iron ore—would flush with embarrassment,
as if the sunlight were too intense, scorching his cheeks.
Just then,
Niu noticed Xu Xi's arrival.
"Brother Xu! Brother Xu!" he called out excitedly, waving like a child to welcome him.
All his unease and nervousness melted away in an instant.
The crowd tactfully dispersed,
leaving space for the esteemed "Mister Xu" and their humble "Little Niu" to speak.
"Niu, congratulations," Xu Xi said with a smile, taking a seat with Niu on two wooden chairs.
"From now on, you'll be the head of a household, with a family and a whole new life ahead of you. You must shoulder your responsibilities."
"Hehehe..."
The simple, good-natured man grew unusually shy at Xu Xi's words, scratching his head awkwardly.
"Ma says we owe everything we have today to you, Brother Xu."
"I think so too."
"I'm dumb, I'm slow, all I know is how to eat."
"But it’s you, Brother Xu, who kept me and Ma alive."
"I’ll listen to you, I won’t let Ma or Cui Er suffer!"
Cui Er was the name of the girl Niu was betrothed to.
Niu’s eyes were bright—so bright they seemed to glow. He rose from his chair and thumped his chest as he made his vow to Xu Xi,
his voice booming, swearing he would never let Xu Xi down.
Under the sunlight,
that earnest, grinning face gradually overlapped in Xu Xi’s memory with another—one drenched in the blood of demons.
"I believe in you, Niu."
"You’ll do just fine."
Xu Xi raised his head,
gazing toward the sun’s position. Wherever its light touched, lush green fields stretched flat and endless.
No Ten Thousand Mountains. No despair-filled demons.
People like Niu could finally live in true peace.
No more...
sacrifices.
"Niu, are you happy now?" Xu Xi asked, as if reliving a moment from the past.
Niu paused, then responded with an even brighter grin.
"I’m so happy!"
"Brother Xu, I’m really happy!"
Is that so...
Xu Xi smiled, standing up and giving Niu’s shoulder a gentle pat. "Then that’s all that matters."
"Niu, as long as you’re happy, it’s all meaningful."
"Yeah, I know!"
Niu replied with his usual guileless expression, though his face had grown red under the sun’s glare.
His eyes were the reddest of all.
"Brother Xu, the sand’s really stingin’ my eyes today," he muttered, rubbing at them with his arm as if clearing away dust.
The more he rubbed, the redder they became, his movements slowing, his voice growing hoarse—as if sand had crept into his throat too.
In the end, Niu could only force a smile through his swollen eyes and bid Xu Xi farewell.
"Brother Xu, I gotta go marry Cui Er now. You gotta watch me—I saved you a seat at the big red table!"
"Mm, I will."
Xu Xi’s expression softened as he nodded.
The reassured man then strode forward with newfound courage,
accompanied by the jubilant clamor of gongs and drums, stepping into his new life.
Xu Xi watched as that familiar figure dashed toward the sun, bathed in golden light, resolute and unwavering, forging a new path.
Not the path of "Little Niu,"
but the path of Zhang Tieniu.
What would happen to Niu in the future? What kind of man would he become?
Xu Xi didn’t know.
Because that simple, foolish man would never go cold or hungry again.
He had a new life now, new goals—a future so bright, Xu Xi couldn’t begin to imagine it.
How wonderful.
Watching Niu’s retreating figure, Xu Xi couldn’t help but let his lips curve upward.
...
The wedding ceremony officially began.
Most of the survivalist refugees came from harsh poverty, unused to extravagance or lavish celebrations.
But today was an exception.
Niu’s wedding was a joyous occasion.
People spontaneously pitched in—some offering money, others labor—to prepare a grand feast and assemble an impressive procession.
Even though the bride’s home was just a short walk away,
no effort was spared to make the event spectacular.
Xu Xi observed it all—watched as Niu welcomed his bride, greeting his father-in-law with a wide, clumsy grin.
Awkward, sincere, and endearingly funny.
"Sir, what are you doing?"
Someone squeezed through the crowd, edging closer until she was right beside Xu Xi.
It was Wu Yingxue, arriving fashionably late.
"Nothing much, Yingxue. Just thinking about Niu starting a family. It’s got me a little emotional."
Xu Xi glanced at her—then did a double take.
Today, Wu Yingxue wasn’t wearing her usual red-and-white martial attire.
Instead, she had donned a pale green dress, one he hadn’t seen in a long time.
"Yingxue, why are you—"
"Sir, I’m not that clueless."
Her slender fingers smoothed the tiny wrinkles along her collar.
"It’s a happy occasion. Of course I wouldn’t wear red."
Red was the color of celebration.
On a wedding day,
the groom and bride would be dressed in red or adorned with red accessories.
The young lady knew this well.
She had prepared this outfit in advance, choosing the soft green gown to avoid overshadowing the event.
"Sir, do I look nice?"
Her lively eyes blinked up at him.
"Yes, very nice."
"Yingxue, I remember you wearing this once before."
"You actually remember that, Sir..."
His answer seemed to surprise her.
In truth, it was precisely because Xu Xi had once complimented this dress during their third simulation that she’d chosen to wear it today.
If Sir praised it,
then it must be beautiful.
Wu Yingxue’s logic was just that simple.
"Of course I remember," Xu Xi nodded. "How could I forget something so lovely?"
His reply delighted the young noblewoman.
She grinned, though she restrained her usual exuberance to avoid tearing the delicate fabric.
Leaning in affectionately, she murmured, "Sir really does have good taste~~~"
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
iemie, male, Race: Moon. Hobby: Collecting anomalies. At first, he thought he possessed two systems: the Crimson Rainbow Moon and the Clear Cold Frost Moon. One day, he discovered that he himself could also become a system for others, holding the chessboard of fate. The Eighth Epoch, also known as the Eternal Moon Epoch. Humans, witches, elves, bloodline descendants, specters, demons, and spirits together compose a new history. Walking the path on behalf of the moon, before he knew it, Chen Miemie's footsteps were followed by all manner of strange and wondrous anomalies. As time passed, many titles circulated about him—The King in Yellow, Lord of Anomalies, Heart of the Eternal Moon, and more. "Me? I'm just a traveler who enjoys collecting interesting creatures," Chen Miemie said.
] [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!"
