Just as someone was immersed in the utmost tenderness brought by a little angel, two young souls on a park bench had already crumbled, their emotions spilling over like dewdrops.
"I really didn’t crumble!" Gu Ximan took a big gulp of grape taro ball drink, chewing the taro balls fiercely as she huffed, "Seriously, I didn’t crumble!"
"Who would crumble just because their stupid big brother went clothes shopping with another girl?"
"Hah? As if! It’s just buying clothes, nothing more..."
"Nothing!"
As she spoke, her soft, pink cheeks puffed up, and she stomped her foot angrily. "Tch, it’s just clothes! That stupid brother of mine used to do my laundry every single day!"
She lifted her chin, her expression full of pride, trying to prove her indifference with past "glorious achievements."
"So yeah, this is nothing!"
"I didn’t crumble at all!"
"Ahhhhhhh!"
The more Gu Ximan talked, the angrier she got, wishing she could bite Gu Luo to death right now.
Bite! Bite! Bite him to death!
Hearing all this, Lu Xuexue, who was also sipping her grape taro ball drink, crumbled too.
She really couldn’t gauge how far Gu Luo and Shu Ning had progressed in their relationship.
Lu Xuexue believed her looks and charm were no worse than Shu Ning’s, but unfortunately, the latter had seized the advantage—proximity had given her the upper hand.
She had to take the initiative. No delays!
And the only way she could get close to Gu Luo was through Ximan.
In her heart, she silently murmured:
"I’m sorry, Ximan... Rather than letting some other girl have him, I’d rather... I swear I’ll treat you twice as well from now on!"
"And in the future, I’ll definitely help you win over the guy you like!"
"I promise!"
Lu Xuexue made this vow in her heart, then softly comforted Gu Ximan:
"Ximan... you don’t need to worry too much. It’s just clothes shopping, no big deal..."
However, instead of calming down, Gu Ximan grew even angrier, immediately flailing her arms. "He hasn’t bought me clothes in ages!"
"That stupid brother is a heartless jerk!!!"
"A total heartless jerk!!!"
"Ximan... I remember you once said you told him not to buy you clothes because you thought his taste was tacky—always picking stuff with panda prints..." Lu Xuexue cautiously added.
Though her own heart was a tangled mess, her instinctive urge to defend Gu Luo made her speak up for him.
"Uh... well..."
Gu Ximan faltered, her face flushing red and pale in turns.
But she immediately retorted, "Just because I told him not to buy them, doesn’t mean he couldn’t have secretly gotten me something anyway!"
"If he’d forced them on me, it’s not like I would’ve thrown them away..."
"Honestly, he’s just too dense..."
The memory made her furious. Back then, when she’d received the clothes, she’d just wanted to act tsundere and throw a little tantrum, so she’d said things like "These are so tacky, don’t ever buy me clothes again, stupid brother!"
But in the end, her act backfired—Gu Luo actually took her words at face value.
And then? She couldn’t bring herself to ask him directly.
The regret of "tsundere ruins lives" was something she’d learned the hard way, and thinking about it now still filled her with remorse.
"Then, Ximan, how about this..." Lu Xuexue carefully chose her words, speaking softly. "Tomorrow, I’ll make some snacks in advance, and we can bring them to Gu Luo’s class..."
"You said he doesn’t want to reveal his relationship with Shu Ning at school, right? That means the school is completely your territory..."
"What do you think, Ximan?"
Hearing this, Gu Ximan only needed a moment’s thought before her face lit up with gratitude.
Setting down her grape taro ball drink, she immediately hugged Lu Xuexue tightly.
"You’re absolutely right! That way, the school will be our domain!"
"Xuexue, you’re the best bestie ever! You’re even willing to wake up early to make snacks for me!"
"I love you so much!"
She planted a loud kiss on Lu Xuexue’s cheek, giggling. "Don’t worry, Xuexue, I’ll totally help you chase after that senior in the future!"
"Cross my heart!"
Then, another loud "mwah!"
"Ahhh, your cheeks are so soft and bouncy, like jelly! I’ve gotta kiss them as much as I can before you start dating!"
"Otherwise, I won’t get to later!"
Hearing this, Lu Xuexue blinked her big eyes, her long lashes fluttering as she instinctively replied, "Even after I start dating, you can kiss me whenever you want, Ximan."
Gu Ximan immediately waved her hands, shaking her head like a rattle-drum. "No way! I don’t want to indirectly kiss the senior you like."
"..."
Lu Xuexue pressed her lips together, hesitating.
If Ximan were a stepsister like Shu Ning, it’d be game over.
She wouldn’t have the heart to compete.
But honestly, if that were the case, sharing with Ximan wouldn’t be so bad.
Lu Xuexue truly was willing to share everything with Gu Ximan.
As for Shu Ning, though—she’d fight tooth and nail. No way she’d give up easily.
"Hey, Xuexue, when are you planning to start pursuing that senior?" Gu Ximan, now in a slightly better mood, couldn’t help but gossip.
She was genuinely invested in Lu Xuexue’s love life.
After all, she was her best friend.
At the question, a faint blush spread across Lu Xuexue’s fair, delicate face.
"Very soon... I’ll definitely tell you when the time comes, Ximan."
Her voice was as soft as a breeze, tinged with unmistakable shyness.
"Okey-dokey!" Gu Ximan flashed a double 'OK' sign. "I swear on our bestie bond—I’ll be Xuexue’s ultimate wingwoman!"
Lu Xuexue’s face reddened further, though whether from bashfulness or guilt was unclear.
Then, she slowly extended her slender pinky finger, speaking earnestly:
"Ximan is the most important person to me. I swear on our bestie bond too—I’ll do everything to make sure Ximan finds happiness!"
"Yeah! Pinky promise!"
Gu Ximan hooked her pinky around Lu Xuexue’s.
Two delicate little fingers intertwined, swaying gently.
Then, the two unbearably adorable girls chimed in unison:
"Pinky promise, sealed forever!"
"Liars turn into puppies!"
Their bright, cheerful voices echoed through the park, as if bearing witness to their friendship and vows.
............
............
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
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...
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
] [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!"
