However, he truly hadn't expected that right after parting ways with Xue Wanning, she would run into Fu Jingxuan again.
Fu Jingxuan had a bit of a nasty streak. When he saw Xue Wanning, he snorted disdainfully.
Xue Wanning frowned and caught up to him. "What's your problem?"
"Nothing much. Just do me a favor and stay away from Xiaocao from now on. You’re quick to accuse her of bumping into you, but why not admit you were the one blocking her way?"
Xue Wanning’s eyes widened in disbelief. What kind of guy was this?!
By noon, she had already sought out Fang Zhiyi and asked him to investigate Fu Jingxuan.
Had she actually taken an interest in Fu Jingxuan? Fang Zhiyi couldn’t help but feel exasperated.
"There’s nothing to investigate. He’s from a wealthy family and acts like Xiaocao’s lapdog," Fang Zhiyi said dismissively.
Xue Wanning closed her eyes, lost in thought. The boy’s face gradually became clearer in her mind—ruggedly handsome, but alas, a simp... Hmm, maybe she should...
Before she could finish that thought, Fang Zhiyi spoke up again.
"Miss, instead of this, how about we go check out the second male lead?"
The image in Xue Wanning’s mind instantly shattered. "Second male lead? That Zhou Han guy?"
Fang Zhiyi nodded.
Xue Wanning finally got a good look at Zhou Han. Well, he had a great physique—clearly someone who worked out regularly—and exuded a sunny charm. He was sitting in a corner with Qin Xiaocao, chatting quietly over lunch and making her cover her mouth as she giggled nonstop.
"I’m kind of curious," Xue Wanning mused. "What’s so special about Qin Xiaocao anyway?"
Fang Zhiyi tensed up.
There was no helping it. He’d have to sacrifice his own time and be more proactive than ever in accompanying Xue Wanning on shopping sprees—anything to keep his patron from getting too invested in the main leads.
The strategy worked, but only to a limited extent. Since avoidance wasn’t cutting it, it was time to take the offensive.
The next day, Fang Zhiyi invited Xue Wanning to lunch and deliberately stalled for time. Soon enough, they saw Qin Xiaocao being shoved into the women’s restroom by two girls. Fang Zhiyi nudged Xue Wanning, who glanced up just in time to witness the scene.
"Let’s go take a look?"
"Probably pissed someone off again. With her personality, getting beaten up is the least she deserves." Xue Wanning smirked with satisfaction. "Honestly, if it weren’t for wanting to see their drama, I’d be tempted to hit her myself."
"But, Miss, she seems pretty miserable. Especially considering her... condition." Fang Zhiyi tapped his own head meaningfully.
Xue Wanning, who had been about to walk away, paused.
"What do you want me to do?"
Fang Zhiyi shrugged. "What can I do? Even I can’t just barge into the women’s restroom. But I know you can’t stand seeing people bullied—just like when we first met, and you stepped in to beat up the guys who were picking on me."
Flattered by the praise, Xue Wanning preened for a moment before narrowing her eyes suspiciously at Fang Zhiyi. "Be honest—do you have a thing for her too?"
"Huh?"
"Don’t be shy! If you like her, I’ll help you win her over! We’ll crush all those so-called male leads!" She waved her fists dramatically.
Fang Zhiyi waved his hands in denial. "No, no, absolutely not! I have zero interest in being the fourth wheel."
Xue Wanning just waggled her eyebrows at him before striding toward the restroom. "Wait here. The young miss will clear the way for you!"
"What kind of logic is this?!" Fang Zhiyi sighed. Today was supposed to be the day Qin Xiaocao got bullied by her roommates, after which Fu Jingxuan would swoop in to defend her, deepening their bond.
Soon, he heard Xue Wanning’s furious shouting. Moments later, the two girls came rushing out, with Xue Wanning yelling after them, "If I ever see you two again, I’ll beat you up on sight! Pathetic!"
Then he spotted Fu Jingxuan hurrying over. The moment their eyes met, Fu Jingxuan slammed him against the wall. "Where’s Xiaocao?! What did you do to her?!" His fist was raised.
Fang Zhiyi simply stared back calmly. Sure enough, Xue Wanning’s voice rang out seconds later. "What the hell are you doing?!"
Both Fang Zhiyi and Fu Jingxuan turned to see Xue Wanning helping a drenched Qin Xiaocao out of the restroom. Her eyes widened at the scene before her.
"Xiaocao! What happened?!" Fu Jingxuan rushed over, shoving Xue Wanning aside. "Did these two plan this to get back at you? Just because you accidentally spilled food on them last time?"
"Bullshit!" Xue Wanning was so furious she nearly jumped.
Fortunately, Qin Xiaocao shook her head, though she kept murmuring, "It’s fine, Jingxuan, just let it go."
Misinterpreting her words, Fu Jingxuan turned and lunged at Fang Zhiyi. Fang Zhiyi didn’t move, his gaze fixed on Xue Wanning. For these unhinged main leads, this kind of behavior was par for the course.
Xue Wanning threw herself between them without hesitation. As if on cue, Fang Zhiyi raised his hand, caught Fu Jingxuan’s incoming fist, and twisted it sharply before flinging him aside. Fu Jingxuan collapsed to his knees with a howl of pain.
"Jingxuan!" Qin Xiaocao screamed.
Xue Wanning only hesitated for a second before kicking Fu Jingxuan in the back. "How dare you hit my underling! And insult me on top of it!"
"Stop fighting, please!" Qin Xiaocao stood frozen, at a loss for what to do.
Finally, Fang Zhiyi released Fu Jingxuan’s fist, leaving him writhing on the ground in agony.
"Tell me!" Xue Wanning yanked Qin Xiaocao forward. "Was it me who saved you in there? Huh?"
Tears welled up in Qin Xiaocao’s eyes as she nodded frantically. "Y-yes! Please, just stop hurting Jingxuan!"
"Hurt him? He threw the first punch! Ugh, biting the hand that feeds you—what a joke! Zhiyi, let’s go!" With that, Xue Wanning stormed off without a backward glance.
Fang Zhiyi acknowledged her and then looked down at the guy glaring daggers at them from the floor.
"You’d better not get any funny ideas, or you’ll regret it." He turned to leave but added in a low voice, "Oh, and consider this a warning from Gu Mingyu." Satisfied, he finally walked away.
"Gu Mingyu..." Fu Jingxuan’s eyes burned with hatred as his fists clenched again.
The whole way back, Xue Wanning ranted nonstop. Fang Zhiyi, however, was relieved. Fu Jingxuan’s standing in her eyes had clearly hit rock bottom. As he’d predicted, at this stage, between him—her right-hand man—and Fu Jingxuan, Xue Wanning would undoubtedly choose him. Plus, she despised being falsely accused, so it was safe to say she’d never develop feelings for Fu Jingxuan now.
"By the way, that move earlier was awesome. Teach me," Xue Wanning suddenly said.
"Of course, Miss." Fang Zhiyi was more than happy to oblige.
As long as he kept his patron happy, he wouldn’t have to work hard to build his own fortune in this world. A foolproof investment!
] [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!"
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
lity and could only live as an ordinary mortal. He only wished to live a peaceful life. Yet he didn't know— The dog he adopted, because it ate his food, became a legendary demon king. The kitchen knife he casually forged became a peerless divine weapon, causing numerous experts to fight desperately for it. The young disciple he took in became an immortal lord that led an era, due to cultivating the techniques Ye Feng taught him. Even the skeletons he looked down on the most were ominous demon kings that suppressed countless worlds. Many years later, looking at the void shattered with a punch, Ye Feng murmured to himself: It turns out the peerless kings were myself all along...
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
