Gu Shaoting nodded silently, his mind already calculating as he observed the girl before him—she seemed quite decent.
Walking one after the other, they arrived at a low, modest house. Gu Shaoting said, "It's a bit messy inside. You should wait here. I’ll change and come right out."
Lin Xue nodded, glancing around. She hadn’t expected Gu Shaoting to live in such a place. Most people in this area had already moved away. Watching his retreating figure, her heart pounded with uncertainty. Though he was handsome and had the personality she liked, this was... too much. In the original storyline, she had only visited his home after they were officially together, so her mindset now was incomparable.
Just then, a short girl with thick bangs walked past her, clutching a stack of books. Their eyes met briefly, and the girl looked surprised. Lin Xue averted her gaze, sensing an odd familiarity, as if the girl somehow knew her.
Jiang Ran was astonished. Had the male and female leads already gotten involved this early? Remembering that after today, they would "accidentally" end up in an intimate situation, she gritted her teeth. What a scumbag!
"Host, the protagonists’ luck is still strong. You can’t interfere with them yet," her quick-transmigration system reminded her.
Jiang Ran lowered her head. "Hmph. I’ll take my time. None of them will escape."
Perhaps it was fate’s design that when Lin Xue watched Gu Shaoting working busily in the restaurant, her eyes automatically painted him in a flattering light. So what if he was poor? She would work hard alongside him, build a fortune, and one day slap those who looked down on her right in the face! The memory of Fang Zhiyi’s disdainful expression flashed in her mind, twisting her heart with discomfort.
Gu Shaoting was far better—despite his humble background, he had earned his place in this elite school through sheer academic excellence!
When she returned to the villa district, she was shocked to learn that her mother had been fired.
Lin Xue frantically pulled out her phone, only to find it dead. After finding a place to charge it, she immediately called her mother. On the other end, Lin's mother, frantic with worry and anger, unleashed a torrent of scolding—she had been searching for Lin Xue in a panic, and now, freshly unemployed, she dumped all her frustration onto her daughter.
Lin Xue, still carrying her backpack, arrived at a small apartment her mother had rented temporarily.
The moment they met, Lin's mother demanded to know what she had done wrong. Lin Xue had no idea—the only incident that came to mind was the awkward encounter on the bus, but she wouldn’t tell her mother. She didn’t want to be seen as a shallow, status-obsessed girl.
Unable to get an answer, Lin's mother switched to lamenting about how faithfully she had served the Fang family, tears streaming down her face. The sight made Lin Xue seethe with anger. She wished she could drag Fang Zhiyi before her and kick him twice!
Amid her mother’s sobbing, Lin Xue suddenly realized something—if her mother was fired, wouldn’t that mean she could no longer attend this school? The thought of Gu Shaoting sent a pang of panic through her.
"Mom, what about my studies...?" Lin Xue asked urgently.
Lin's mother paused, surprised that her daughter’s first concern was school. Though it stung, she didn’t dwell on it.
"Fang Zhiyi won’t pay your tuition anymore. How about transferring to a public school after this semester?"
Lin Xue shook her head. "No. The education here is top-tier. Graduating from this school will open doors for me."
After a long silence, Lin's mother nodded, pulling out her bank card. "I’ve saved up over the years, and with the severance pay from the Fang family, it’s enough to buy you an apartment. But if we use it for tuition... You have to work hard. Understand?"
Lin Xue nodded firmly.
The next day at school, Lin Xue spotted the luxury car she had ridden in so often parked at the entrance. Fang Zhiyi stepped out without a care, exchanging greetings with classmates, his smile effortless.
Lin Xue’s eyes burned with hatred.
She had decided—if Fang Zhiyi so much as glanced at her, she would turn away without a word!
But Fang Zhiyi didn’t even look in her direction, walking into school with his friends instead.
As she moved through the halls, Lin Xue felt like everyone was whispering about her. Yet when she scanned the crowd, no one seemed to be paying her any attention. The paranoia was driving her mad.
"Class is about to start. Why are you standing here?" A familiar voice sent a shiver through her heart. She turned to see the face she had missed all night.
Gu Shaoting had heard about yesterday’s incident, but unlike the others, he didn’t judge her. In his eyes, the real villain was Fang Zhiyi—the spoiled parasite who had everything handed to him!
Entering the classroom, Lin Xue felt lighter after seeing Gu Shaoting. With him by her side, she feared nothing! Her gaze flicked to Fang Zhiyi, who happened to be looking back, his expression amused. Lin Xue scoffed and marched to her seat.
Fang Zhiyi chuckled, shaking his head, just as someone stepped beside him. A fresh, sweet fragrance drifted into his senses. Turning, he saw Liu Shishi holding a carton of milk she had bought for him.
He accepted it with a smile. "You don’t have to keep buying this for me. Drink it yourself."
Liu Shishi shook her head, her eyes darting toward Lin Xue, who was glaring their way before turning away in disdain.
"Is she upset?" Liu Shishi whispered, feigning surprise.
Fang Zhiyi glanced at Lin Xue, then shrugged. "Who knows?"
"Because of me?" Liu Shishi’s voice was just loud enough. Fang Zhiyi knew she was referring to yesterday’s offer to escort her. Before he could respond, she bit her lip. "Should I apologize? I can explain it was my fault... I don’t want you two fighting because of me."
Fang Zhiyi nearly laughed. Who called her a schemer? Step forward! This was his precious, innocent little sister!
"Don’t mind her. We were never close anyway," he said, eyes twinkling.
Liu Shishi covered her mouth in mock shock. "But before, you always... Oh, I must’ve misunderstood. Forget I said anything. Drink the milk—I warmed it specially. Don’t be mad. You can tell me anything."
Watching her walk away, Fang Zhiyi grinned inwardly.
Perhaps due to the ripple effects of his presence, that afternoon, someone delivered a love letter to Lin Xue—sealed in a gilded envelope. The messenger loudly called her name, presenting it with both hands like an imperial edict, a scene so reminiscent of ancient court rituals that Fang Zhiyi couldn’t help but smirk.
Lin Xue frowned, tempted to toss it aside. But remembering Fang Zhiyi, she instead opened it with deliberate grace.
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
lities. One day, Qi Yuan was buying groceries when he unfortunately came face-to-face with a monster. Just when he thought he was going to die on the spot, he suddenly heard the monster's thoughts... "This aura, he's definitely not an ordinary master!" "So terrifying, so terrifying." "A fight with my back against the wall, I can't take it anymore." Qi Yuan: Ah, no one told me that my awakened ability isn't telepathy, but rather the stronger my enemies imagine me to be, the stronger I truly become. PS: Zhou Hai in the first chapter is not the protagonist.
