As soon as Lin Qingyan saw the delivery person, she remembered that today was her birthday.
Every year on this day, the same delivery person would bring her a birthday cake.
It must be Little Li ordering the cake for her again.
Lin Qingyan walked over.
"Are you Miss Lin Qingyan?" the delivery person asked.
"I am," Lin Qingyan replied, taking the receipt from the delivery person and signing her name on it.
Then she handed the receipt back.
The delivery person smiled and said, "Miss Lin, your younger brother really loves you."
"Yes," Lin Qingyan said with a faint smile. "Little Li has always been like this—full of surprises."
"Little Li?" The delivery person frowned. "Miss Lin, do you have two younger brothers?"
Lin Qingyan instinctively wanted to correct him—she only had one brother.
It had almost become second nature to her.
But then, the diary Lin Xuan had written flashed through her mind, and the words died in her throat.
"Yes, I have two brothers," Lin Qingyan nodded, puzzled. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, Miss Lin," the delivery person explained, "this cake wasn’t sent by the brother you mentioned."
Lin Qingyan froze. "Not Little Li? Then… was it Lin Xuan?"
"That’s right, it was him!"
The delivery person pulled out a slip of paper and handed it to her. "He left this when he placed the order."
Lin Qingyan stared at the writing on the paper—Lin Xuan’s name, the delivery address, and her phone number.
It was unmistakably his handwriting.
So, this cake really was from Lin Xuan.
"Then… were all the previous cakes also from him?" Lin Qingyan grabbed the delivery person’s arm urgently.
"Yes, he always asked my father to make them," the delivery person confirmed. "My father owns the bakery. Lin Xuan would come every two years, pay for two cakes in advance, and ask us to deliver one to you on your birthday."
"Oh, and the designs on the cakes? He sketched them himself. He always reminded us, over and over, not to put peanuts in because you’re allergic. He was incredibly meticulous."
"And when he was just a teenager, he didn’t have much money. The cash he used to pay for the cakes was all saved up—coins and small bills, stuffed in a little box."
At this, the delivery person frowned slightly.
Given how wealthy their family seemed—where allowances were probably tens of thousands a month—why did he have to scrape together loose change like that?
Lin Qingyan’s throat tightened unbearably.
She took the cake and walked back home in a daze.
"I was wrong… I was so wrong," she murmured to herself. "It wasn’t Little Li. It was Lin Xuan. He was the one who sent me cakes every year."
She had always assumed it was Little Li.
Lin Qingyan placed the cake on the coffee table and opened the box.
A rich, sweet aroma filled the air.
On top of the cake, written in frosting, were the words: "Happy Birthday, Second Sister."
Lin Qingyan scooped a bite with a spoon and brought it to her lips. But instead of sweetness, all she tasted was bitterness.
"Lin Xuan… I’m sorry."
"Second Sister misunderstood you all this time."
How could she have hurt such a kind younger brother?
When Lin Qingwan came downstairs, she found Lin Qingyan sitting on the sofa, mechanically eating cake.
Tears streaked her entire face.
Lin Qingwan sighed and sat beside her.
Lin Qingyan had eaten too much cake too quickly—suddenly, she felt sick.
"Ugh—" She doubled over, retching.
"Second Sister, stop. Don’t eat anymore," Lin Qingwan said softly, wiping the cake from Lin Qingyan’s mouth and hands.
"Elder Sister…"
Lin Qingyan collapsed into Lin Qingwan’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Elder Sister, do you know? I misunderstood Lin Xuan. I thought he was disgusting for sneaking into my bed, but… he was just staying up all night to take care of me when I had a high fever."
"And he was the one who encouraged me when I was at my lowest."
"He sent me cakes every year, and I thought it was Little Li!"
Lin Qingyan broke down completely.
"He treated me so well, and I treated him like that. I’m horrible, Elder Sister."
Lin Qingwan didn’t know what to say.
After all, she, too, had misunderstood Lin Xuan. She had been one of those who ignored him.
His heart had grown cold toward their family, and she was partly to blame.
"Elder Sister, what do we do now?" Lin Qingyan clutched Lin Qingwan’s arm. "Lin Xuan hates us now. He doesn’t want to come back."
"It’ll be okay," Lin Qingwan reassured her, stroking her hair. "Lin Xuan has always been understanding. He’ll come back eventually."
"Elder Sister!"
Lin Qingyan suddenly tensed. "We need to reschedule the release of 'Heavenly Fate.' If it airs at the same time as Su Corporation’s drama, Lin Xuan will think we’re trying to sabotage him. He’ll resent us even more!"
"No. We won’t change it."
Lin Qingwan shook her head. "Second Sister, right now, Lin Xuan is being manipulated by that woman. He’s distancing himself from us."
"If we want him to come back, we have to push him. Otherwise, he’ll never return."
To her, Lin Xuan was just that woman’s plaything.
She wanted him back in the Lin family—partly to make amends, but also because only then could they protect him from that woman’s influence.
Lin Qingyan frowned deeply at her elder sister’s words.
Would this… really work?
That day, Lin Xuan didn’t go to class.
Noticing that Su Hua hadn’t been eating well the day before—perhaps because of the weather—he decided to cook lunch for her.
At noon, he arrived at Su Corporation with the meal.
Jiang Qing entered the CEO’s office.
"President Su," she said respectfully.
Su Hua’s aura was icy as she fixed her gaze on Jiang Qing. "This had better be important."
Jiang Qing remained unfazed.
"Young Master Lin has brought lunch for you."
The moment those words were spoken, the coldness around Su Hua vanished.
The executives in the room, who had been delivering reports, brightened visibly.
Their savior had arrived.
Su Hua closed the file in her hands and tossed it back to them.
"Go revise this proposal. Bring it back to me this afternoon."
"Yes, President Su!"
The executives exhaled in relief.
As they left the office, they couldn’t help but whisper among themselves.
"Young Master Lin is our guardian angel."
"Honestly, he’s the only one who can handle President Su."
"We’d better stay on his good side."
As they stepped out, they nearly bumped into Lin Xuan, who had just exited the elevator.

] [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!"

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."

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!

and couldn't return to the real world. Finally, I gave up and decided to go with the flow, only to discover that writing a diary could make me stronger. Since no one could read it, Su Luo wrote freely, daring to pen anything and everything. Female Lead #1: "Not bad. This diary helped me steal all the protagonist's opportunities. I just want to get stronger." Female Lead #2: "I don’t care about reaching the peak of the cultivation world. Right now, I just want to enjoy the chaos." Female Lead #3: "What? Everyone around me is a spy? I’m the Joker Demon Lord?" ... It’s so strange. Why is the plot completely off track, yet the ending remains the same? Are you all just messing with me?!