Chi Qingchi: "!!!"
The sudden news left Xiao Chi completely stunned.
For a moment.
She didn't even know what to say.
Her rivalry with Xiang Tiange...
Was it really ending today?
Two years had passed so quickly.
So fast it felt like everything happened just yesterday, leaving no time to prepare for goodbyes.
"Hey hey hey, Stinky Pool, what's with that face?"
"I'm just quitting the club, not dying!"
"Don't make it seem like some tragic farewell, hahaha."
"Alright, I'm off. Feel free to visit our campus sometime~"
"Bye-bye~"
Xiang Tiange finished with a laugh, watching as Xiao Chi numbly nodded.
Then she stepped around Chi Qingchi and moved forward to catch up with her group.
Walking side by side in opposite directions,
Xiang Tiange's smile gradually faded...
Who could willingly accept such an ending?
The little world of anime and manga was like a safe harbor.
Here, they could forever remain children who "never wanted to grow up."
Here, they had friends, perseverance, shared dreams, and a youth that belonged to them...
"Xiang Tiange!"
Before she had gone far,
Chi Qingchi quickly turned and hurried after her.
Xiang Tiange took a deep breath, forcing her signature smile back onto her face:
"What now? Don't tell me you're still trying to show off your gold medal?"
"I've got nine of those, so don't get too cocky!"
Chi Qingchi stepped closer, struggling to suppress the turmoil in her heart.
Her voice came out slightly hoarse:
"Xiang Tiange, we..."
"Have never actually shaken hands, have we?"
Xiang Tiange: "!!!"
Chi Qingchi: "..."
Looking at the hand Xiao Chi had extended,
Xiang Tiange fell silent briefly before finally completing the handshake they'd owed each other for two years...
Chi Qingchi: "I'll come visit you at Normal University. When... we'll see."
Xiang Tiange: "Hahaha, sure! Our cafeteria is amazing—my meal card's all yours when you come."
Chi Qingchi: "Really? Don't lie to me. I eat a lot, you know."
Xiang Tiange: "Yeah, I can tell."
"..."
The two girls gradually talked more than they ever had.
In their two years as rivals,
A handshake wasn't the only thing they'd left unsettled.
It felt like they'd spoken more today than in the past two years combined.
Eventually, things escalated to the point where...
Lin Yu had to pack up all the leftover food Xiao Chi couldn't finish into takeout containers!
Though no one at the venue stopped them—winning teams had privileges—
Still...
Taking "all-you-can-eat" food to-go?
Lin Yu was riding on Xiao Chi's coattails, finally doing something he'd always wanted to try but never dared!
On the way back with the anime club,
A girl with a cute, round face and straight bangs slowed her steps, carrying two bags as she moved to the very back of the group.
And the person walking at the very end was... Vice President Zhao Yuhao!
"Hello, senior! I'm a soon-to-be sophomore at Normal University."
Zhao Yuhao: "???"
Lin Yu: "???"
Oh?
A girl was actually initiating conversation with the vice president?
The most surprised person wasn't Lin Yu—it was Zhao Yuhao himself.
Hearing her introduction,
Zhao Yuhao stiffly replied:
"Oh, hi. I'm Zhao Yuhao, a soon-to-be junior and vice president of Pingchuan University's Anime Club."
The straight-banged girl smiled:
"I know! I knew you were the vice president."
"When you were running around the venue this morning shouting 'That Kaneki over there is so cool!', I asked Senior Xiang Tiange about you."
Zhao Yuhao: "..."
Having his undercover efforts to promote the team suddenly exposed like this left him at a loss for words.
And worse—
When he'd tried promoting near their rival club's area, he'd gotten caught red-handed!
Was this girl...
Here to mock him?
"It was all for the club's publicity, nothing else," Zhao Yuhao awkwardly replied.
The girl nodded quietly before continuing:
"I handle publicity for my club too. I really admire your courage and creativity, senior."
"If I could come up with ideas like yours, I could help our club a lot too."
"Senior, could we exchange..."
Before she could finish,
Zhao Yuhao couldn't take it anymore.
Was this... sarcasm?
Admire his courage?
His courage to keep shouting even after getting caught?
If this kept up, he felt like he'd break.
So,
Zhao Yuhao quickly cut her off:
"I didn't do much. Since you're in publicity too... just keep at it."
With that,
He sped up, deliberately putting distance between them.
After witnessing the entire exchange,
Lin Yu: "..."
Brother Hao's emotional intelligence...
Was it seriously lopsided or what?
How much had he secretly done for the team?
No wonder Lin Yu had felt like photographers suddenly swarmed them at the exhibition earlier—
It was all part of some organized scheme!
Sigh.
But why did he become so clueless when it came to romance?
Seeing the girl's awkward expression, Lin Yu shook his head helplessly.
Then,
He pulled a corner of drawing paper from his pocket...
Vice President, this is as far as I can help you!
"Whoosh—"
The paper flew low, unnoticed by the crowd,
Precisely slicing through the bottom of one of the girl's bags.
Instantly,
"Crash—"
The contents spilled everywhere.
"Huh? The bag tore?"
The girl immediately stopped to pick things up.
Hearing the commotion, Zhao Yuhao paused a few steps ahead.
After hesitating, he turned back to help.
"This bag's ruined. You can't use it anymore."
"Use this one instead. The other bag won't fit everything."
He handed her a spare tote—a souvenir from the event.
"Thank you, Senior."
Watching him help so earnestly,
The girl mustered her courage again:
"Senior, could I add you on WeChat?"
"That way, I can return the bag later... and maybe ask for advice about club publicity too."
Zhao Yuhao: "!!!"
Add him?
A girl was asking for his contact?
He glanced at her, then quickly looked down.
Softly, he replied:
"Sure... okay."
...
(Second update today! There'll be a bonus chapter later tonight—might be a bit late. Hope you can spare some free "Power Stones" to support this little author!)
] [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!"
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.”
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
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!
