Gu Ximan thought to herself that the relationship between the three of them needed to be kept discreet among acquaintances, but in the face of these two persistent strangers, she had to take the firmest stance to make her position clear.
Hearing this, Lu Xuexue blinked her large, watery eyes, her long lashes fluttering adorably. She immediately caught on and nodded eagerly in agreement with Gu Ximan’s words, her rosy cheeks tinged with a faint blush.
However, the two brothers watching them had only one thought—anyone with half a brain could tell it was a lie.
The reasoning was utterly unconvincing.
Even salt wouldn’t make it more believable.
No sane person would think two stunningly beautiful girls like them would willingly date the same guy.
But then again, their explanation only reinforced the brothers’ belief that these lovely young women were definitely still single.
"Hey, beautiful, no need to be like that. We’re not bad guys," the taller guy said, flashing what he thought was a warm, charming smile. "We just think you’re gorgeous and have great vibes. We’d love to be friends."
"Yeah, we could get to know each other first. We won’t disappoint you," the leaner one chimed in.
Hearing this, Gu Ximan couldn’t help but roll her eyes slightly.
She did have intimate photos of the three of them in bed together saved on her phone as proof.
But those pictures were far too private, meant only for the three of them to cherish.
"Manman, let’s go," Lu Xuexue said, not even sparing them another glance.
"Yeah, let’s go."
Gu Ximan responded briskly, looping her arm through Lu Xuexue’s and walking away without giving the two any chance to keep pestering them.
They were long used to these little interruptions.
Over the years, they’d encountered all kinds of pick-up attempts and bizarre situations, so neither of them took it to heart, quickly brushing off the unpleasantness.
Before long, Gu Ximan tugged Lu Xuexue to a stop in front of an elegantly decorated café and excitedly suggested, "Xuexue, let’s go in for some coffee and desserts!"
"Sure," Lu Xuexue agreed sweetly, her smile radiant.
"Hehe, you bought the lingerie, so this one’s on me."
Though Gu Ximan often joked about eating Lu Xuexue’s food, wearing her clothes, and draining her savings, in reality, they always took turns treating each other—never taking advantage of their close friendship.
Pushing open the heavy glass door, they were greeted by the rich aroma of coffee mingled with the faint sweetness of baked goods.
Arm in arm, Gu Ximan and Lu Xuexue stepped inside as the wind chimes above them tinkled softly.
The café’s interior was designed in a retro-industrial style, with warm yellow pendant lights hanging from the high ceiling, casting a cozy glow over the tables.
A handful of customers sat scattered around—some chatting quietly, others absorbed in typing on their laptops.
Soft jazz music floated through the air, blending with the hum of the coffee machine and the occasional clink of cups and saucers, creating a laid-back, comfortable atmosphere.
"Xuexue, let’s sit over there," Gu Ximan said, pointing to a secluded corner by the wall.
It was relatively quiet, adorned with a lush monstera plant—a perfect spot for sharing secrets.
The moment they settled into the plush sofa, a neatly uniformed waitress approached.
Her hair was tied back in a sleek ponytail, a small silver name tag pinned to her chest. "Good evening," she said softly, handing them two leather-bound menus. "Today’s special pour-over is a Yirgacheffe, and our tiramisu is the signature dessert."
Gu Ximan flipped through the menu, her eyes sparkling. "Hmm... I’ll have a caramel macchiato, a tiramisu, and a strawberry cream cake!"
She’d never been able to resist sweets since childhood. If it weren’t for Gu Luo carefully monitoring her diet, her teeth would’ve been ruined long ago.
"Same for me."
Lu Xuexue watched Gu Ximan’s delighted expression and couldn’t help but feel happy too, already planning to share half of her dessert with her later.
However, just as they were eagerly anticipating their treats, the café’s wind chimes jingled again.
The taller guy stepped in first, scanning the room before quickly spotting Gu Ximan and Lu Xuexue in the corner.
A look of determination flashed in his eyes.
............
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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?"
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
] [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!"
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...
