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~~~"
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
e school belle recognized by the whole school, a genius girl from the kendo club. She also has a hidden identity, the youngest legendary demon hunter. Chen Shuo just transmigrated and found himself turned into a weak, helpless little vampire. He was caught by Su Xiyen and taken home at the very beginning. Since then, Chen Shuo's life creed only had two items. "First, classmate Su Xiyen is always right." "Second, if classmate Su Xiyen is wrong, please refer back to item one." Many years later, Chen Shuo, who had turned back into a human, led a pair of twins to appear in front of all the vampires to share the secret of how he turned back into a human. "It's simple, I tricked a female demon hunter into becoming my wife!"
world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...
n] Top-tier player Zhou Yi died and was reborn into the body of a hopeless simp who shared his name. His first love callously dumped him for a rich heir, his childhood sweetheart saw him as an embarrassment, the ice-cold campus beauty looked down on him—every woman he ever loved treated him like a pathetic doormat. But later, his ex came crawling back in tears: "Yi, I was wrong. Please take me back." His childhood sweetheart became hopelessly devoted: "Yi, just one more glance from you is all I ask." The aloof campus belle blushed as she handed him a love letter: "Zhou Yi, I was blind before. Will you accept my feelings?" To all of them, Zhou Yi just smiled. "Sorry, too late. I’m done with love." Oh, and he also gained a system—every time he earned a woman’s affection, his looks improved and his bank account grew. Soon, he became the nation’s most eligible bachelor, with socialites and heiresses begging for his attention...
