The warm orange hues of dusk gradually faded as the neon lights of the commercial street flickered to life one after another.
When Gu Ximan and Lu Xuexue walked out of the lingerie store arm in arm, the gazes of men and women nearby were inevitably drawn to them.
Gu Ximan wore a pristine white dress that accentuated her slender yet curvaceous figure. Her tea-brown hair cascaded like silk, shimmering softly under the neon lights, making everything around her seem dull in comparison.
On the other hand, Lu Xuexue, who clung to her arm, embodied an entirely different style—a light gray JK uniform paired with a crisp white bow-tie blouse, her slender legs wrapped in white thigh-high socks beneath a pleated skirt.
Her smooth twin ponytails bounced lightly with each step, tiny cherry blossom hair accessories twinkling at the ends under the glow of the streetlights.
The two carried exquisitely patterned shopping bags, walking closely together—one elegant and lively, the other sweet and adorable—creating a striking visual contrast.
Their presence turned heads effortlessly, adding an extra layer of brilliance to the already bustling street.
As usual, their appearance sparked hushed whispers among passersby.
The onlookers included both men and women, though the latter made up the majority.
It was worth noting that women often appreciated beauty more openly than men—perhaps because most men, out of politeness, dared only steal glances, while women admired without reservation.
"Look, look! Those two girls are so pretty, their skin is flawless," a middle-aged woman shopping with her friend couldn’t help but exclaim, her eyes lingering on them.
"I noticed them earlier. They’re way prettier than those so-called 'top beauties' at the bars," her companion agreed.
"..."
"Bro, nine o’clock direction, nine o’clock!" A college-aged guy, pretending to focus straight ahead, kept his gaze subtly fixed on Gu Ximan and Lu Xuexue.
"What the—" His friend turned, caught sight of the pair, and immediately blurted, "Holy crap..."
"This street is full of beauties..."
"I personally think they’re prettier than our campus queen."
"Seconded."
"Should I go ask for their numbers?"
"Dude, snap out of it. With our measly 1,500-yuan monthly allowance, you’re dreaming."
"What if some rich girl just happens to fall for a broke guy like me?"
"Delete that trashy web novel from your phone right now!"
"..."
Gu Ximan and Lu Xuexue were clearly accustomed to the lingering stares and murmurs, paying them no mind.
Individually, their presence wasn’t as overwhelming, but when they walked together affectionately, their charm seemed to multiply—far beyond a simple sum of two.
"That jerk Gu Luo is one lucky guy."
Gu Ximan, ever confident in her beauty, smoothed her cool tea-brown hair over her shoulder and lifted her chin proudly. "Having wives as gorgeous as us? He must’ve saved all of humanity in his past life."
"Pfft."
Lu Xuexue couldn’t help but giggle, her heart melting at the word "wives."
She was going to be Gu Luo’s little wife.
Just the thought made her head spin and her legs go weak.
"What’s so funny? Listen, Xuexue, from now on, we can’t go easy on that jerk Gu Luo. We’ve got to keep him firmly under our thumbs... As for how..." Gu Ximan’s cheeks flushed as she pulled Lu Xuexue closer by her slender waist, whispering into her ear:
"......no bed privileges..."
"...together...."
The scandalous words left Lu Xuexue burning red to her ears, so embarrassed she wanted to vanish into the ground.
Also—was this really a strategy to control him?
It sounded more like they were the ones spoiling Gu Luo...
Ximan was such a tsundere... Talking big about keeping him in check while blatantly giving herself away.
Lu Xuexue’s heart fluttered, but she couldn’t deny the happiness bubbling inside.
The fact that Ximan spoke so openly meant she truly saw her as a sister, someone to share Gu Luo’s love with.
Ever since Ximan had that dream about their three-way happily-ever-after, she’d awakened to some... rather bold ideas...
But... it wasn’t a bad thing...
Gu Ximan smirked at Lu Xuexue’s adorably flustered face, teasing, "Get used to hearing this stuff, okay? By Sunday, we might actually... You’d better pull your weight, Xuexue. We’re teaming up to pamper your dear Gu Luo."
"Mm... I-I get it. Let’s talk more tonight..." Lu Xuexue dodged her gaze, softening the blow to her best friend’s enthusiasm.
But—they were in public!
It felt like Ximan had already embarked on some thrilling, irreversible path...
Especially considering she’d mentioned that being intimate with Gu Luo alone just didn’t cut it anymore...
"O Kun O Kun."
Knowing Lu Xuexue was easily embarrassed, Gu Ximan swiftly changed the subject with a grin. "Hey, little rich girl Xuexue, from now on, Gu Luo and I are gonna raid your piggy bank daily~~~"
"Money’s meant to be spent. I’m happy to share."
Lu Xuexue meant it, though she knew Ximan was just teasing.
As the fourth daughter of the Luo family, Ximan was hardly short on cash.
"Hehe, rich girls are the best. Mwah!"
Gu Ximan planted an exaggerated kiss on her cheek.
As they laughed and playfully nudged each other, two stylish young men trailed not far behind, gradually closing the distance.
One was tall and well-built, his toned muscles subtly outlined, while the other, slimmer, wore glasses—bookish yet exuding confidence.
Their demeanor screamed affluent upbringing, and unlike the furtive glances of other passersby, their eyes burned with unmistakable intent to strike up a conversation.
The taller one adjusted his meticulously styled hair and muttered to his friend,
"Bro, the girl on the left is totally my type. None of my exes even come close. How about you go for the little white-stockinged loli on the right?"
"Uh... Well, I was kinda... Fine, whatever. But next time we go out, you’re paying."
The slimmer guy straightened his designer clothes and adjusted his glasses, hiding his initial interest in the JK twin-tailed, white-thigh-high-socks-wearing loli.
But since his buddy had called dibs, he might as well milk him for it.
"Absolutely, you won't be disappointed."
The taller guy thumped his chest and couldn't help but gush, "Look at her cute face, that tea-brown hair, her figure, her vibe—I’m totally into it."
"If I can get her, won’t everyone be jealous of me?"
"Taking her out would really turn heads."
Having successfully seized the opportunity, the leaner guy chuckled. "No kidding. But honestly, no one could resist such a top-tier little cutie. You probably couldn’t find another like her in all of Caizhou."
"Ah, so you had your eye on this little beauty from the start," the taller guy said, half-amused, half-exasperated. "Here I thought we were brothers-in-arms, but you’re playing chess while I’m playing checkers."
"Alright, enough chatter. Let’s be gentlemen about this. These two look like they won’t be easy to win over."
Meanwhile, on the other side...
The two girls were preparing to take some photos by the roadside.
Just as Gu Ximan struck a pose, the two boys strode over with smiles on their faces.
The taller one grinned warmly. "Hey there, beauties! Need help with the photos? We’re pretty into photography—we’ll make sure you look amazing."
"Yeah, we even placed in the campus photography contest," the leaner one chimed in.
Hearing this, Gu Ximan instinctively took a small step back.
She hated being approached by strangers, but as the saying goes, you don’t slap a smiling face.
Whatever these two were really thinking, they were at least putting on a friendly front.
With that in mind, she replied politely, "No, thank you. We’re fine."
Lu Xuexue shot them a skeptical glance but stayed silent.
"Ah, it’s no trouble at all," the taller guy insisted with a laugh. "Photography’s all about technique—lighting, angles, composition..."
He launched into a torrent of jargon, rattling off terms about lighting, framing, and aesthetics like a pro.
But Gu Ximan remained unmoved. Eventually, she cut him off outright:
"Sorry, but we really don’t need help."
Her tone was noticeably cooler than before.
Seeing his usual charm tactics fall flat, the taller guy switched gears, adopting a sincere expression. "Look, the truth is, I just wanted to get to know y—"
Before he could finish, Gu Ximan shut him down again, bluntly: "No thanks. I have a boyfriend."
"......"
The guy faltered for a second but quickly recovered with a smile. "Just friends, that’s all. It won’t interfere with your relationship. Expanding your social circle’s always good, right?"
Gu Ximan’s brow furrowed, a wave of disgust rising in her chest.
She’d already said she had a boyfriend, and yet he kept pushing. This kind of persistence was downright repulsive.
Definitely not a good guy.
Seeing this, the leaner guy thought to himself, Good thing I picked the other one. He quickly turned to Lu Xuexue. "Hey, how about we—"
But before he could finish, Gu Ximan cut in yet again:
"No need. She shares the same boyfriend with me."
............
............
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
