This time, it was Gu Ximan’s turn to be hit by a nuclear bomb of shock.
What had she just heard?
What tradition?
Being the "smaller one"? What did that even mean?
A mistress?
A second wife?
Were they even living in the same era?
"Wait... wait a minute... Xuexue, what did you just say?" Gu Ximan wondered if the sheer embarrassment from earlier had caused her to hallucinate.
After all, even if the two of them were inseparable best friends, sharing the same man was beyond the pale.
"I said... Sister Ximan... I’m actually quite traditional. I’m willing to be the smaller one," Lu Xuexue forced out, doubling down despite the awkwardness.
Her white-stocking-clad legs curled into adorable question marks under the table.
"I... you..."
Gu Ximan’s brain was buzzing like a beehive.
She noticed the sunlight gilding the tips of Lu Xuexue’s hair, the hum of the air conditioner suddenly deafening, even the cloyingly sweet scent of lemon-scented hand cream on the nightstand—every sensory detail amplified tenfold by her shock.
Gu Ximan had imagined countless scenarios for today’s meeting with Lu Xuexue.
They might have a calm heart-to-heart, sharing their feelings. They might part on bad terms over irreconcilable differences. She’d even braced herself for accusations, for their friendship to shatter beyond repair.
But out of all possibilities, she’d never anticipated things taking such a bizarre turn.
"Sister Ximan, as long as you let me stay close to Brother Gu Luo, I’ll listen to you in everything. Really. You take the lead, I’ll follow," Lu Xuexue declared, her tone a mix of determination and pleading.
Right now, her priority was to stabilize Ximan.
No matter what, she couldn’t afford to compete with her.
The odds were stacked hopelessly against her.
Better to retreat strategically and aim for a happy ending for all.
As for Brother Gu Luo, Lu Xuexue would never willingly share him with another girl—unless that girl was her best friend, Gu Ximan. In that case, she could make an exception.
Worst-case scenario, the three of them could just live happily ever after together.
"Xuexue, do you even hear yourself right now?"
Gu Ximan was at her limit. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined her sweet, innocent best friend being this "traditional."
Willing to share a man.
She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry—or just cry some more.
Hearing this, Lu Xuexue nodded earnestly. "I know what I’m saying. It’s not illegal, you know."
"......"
Gu Ximan’s lips twitched violently, rendered speechless.
Oh Xuexue, if your lawyer parents knew you were applying legal knowledge like this, they’d be so proud... not!
"Please, Sister Ximan? Pretty please?"
Seeing Gu Ximan’s silence, Lu Xuexue grabbed her arm and started shaking it, dialing up the puppy-dog eyes to maximum.
She looked downright pitiful.
"This... this..."
Gu Ximan squirmed, wishing Lu Xuexue would just yell at her instead of subjecting her to this torture.
As the saying goes, you don’t hit someone who’s smiling at you.
Add guilt to the mix, and outright refusal became impossible.
Noticing Gu Ximan’s hesitation, Lu Xuexue’s eyes lit up. She pressed her advantage:
"Ximan, the line of girls who like Brother Gu Luo could stretch across Caizhou. If we team up, it’d be a classic case of one plus one being greater than two."
"Honestly, what guy would say no to having both of us, right?"
"Besides, we’re best friends."
With every word, Gu Ximan’s already sluggish brain short-circuited further.
At first glance, it almost made sense.
But upon closer inspection—
No.
No no no!
Gu Ximan shook her head, her expression a masterpiece of conflicted emotions.
"Let me think about this..."
Lu Xuexue immediately stood up, circled behind her, and started massaging her shoulders. "No rush, Ximan. Take your time. We’ve got all the time in the world."
"A week, a month—I’ll wait however long it takes."
This strategic retreat worked like a charm.
Gu Ximan, who’d planned to delay briefly before outright refusing, found herself tongue-tied again.
How could she say no when Xuexue was being this accommodating?
Aaaaaaaaaah—!
This wasn’t how the script was supposed to go!
After an internal struggle of epic proportions, Gu Ximan collapsed weakly into Lu Xuexue’s arms, murmuring with closed eyes:
"Just call me Ximan from now on."
Lu Xuexue’s heart plummeted. She panicked, thinking this was a rejection.
But then Gu Ximan added:
"As for what you proposed... I need time to consider it."
"But until I give my answer, you’re not allowed near Gu Luo without my permission."
Against all odds, the path forward suddenly cleared.
"Ximan, you’re the best!" Lu Xuexue squealed, her cheeks flushing with excitement as she planted a loud "Mwah!" on Gu Ximan’s face.
The hardest part was getting started.
But now that the first step was taken, the rest would follow naturally.
Lu Xuexue knew that in this game of love, securing Ximan meant securing Brother Gu Luo.
This was a strategy only she had discovered.
A masterstroke she dubbed—Leverage Ximan to Control Brother Gu!
............
............
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
shall grant"] ["Inscribing the glory of our race upon tombstones"] ["All that is threatened, I shall protect"] How his younger sister sees her brother: A brother who only makes eye contact once a day, mostly fading into the background as he tinkers with who-knows-what in his room all day. Their life paths should have remained largely separate. Until one day. Su Qi created an equipment card for his never-met "online girlfriend." His sister fell into silent contemplation upon receiving the "white stockings." [Card can be upgraded] [Upgrade by fulfilling any of the following conditions] [Condition ①: Consume one hundred higher-tier cards] [Condition ②: Complete one 'Heart-Pounding Adventure'] What constitutes a Heart-Pounding Adventure? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Beginner Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to admire it.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Easy Level): Equip the card, invite 'Su Qi' to touch it, and analyze the equipment's texture.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Entry Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to...] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Challenge Level): Freely combine the words 'Brother' 'Out' 'Brother' 'Me' 'Please' into a complete sentence...] "Please help me analyze both teams' mistakes in this match, brother..." His sister exhaled in relief—surely... surely there couldn't be anything more difficult? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Suicide Mission Level): Sneak a peek at the names of the galgames in 'Su Qi's' hidden E-drive folder]
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
