In the orphanage.
Chen Ling bit her lip as she stared at her phone, which had just been hung up.
What was going on?
Why did Lin Xuan hang up on her?
Was he busy, or did he simply not want to answer her call?
Shaking her head at the latter thought, Chen Ling dismissed it.
After all, she and Lin Xuan had grown up together—there was no way he would ignore her call over something so trivial.
He must have accidentally ended the call or was too occupied to answer at the moment.
With that in mind, Chen Ling redialed Lin Xuan’s number.
Meanwhile, inside the car.
Lin Xuan’s phone rang again.
His gaze fell on the screen, and a vein pulsed faintly on his forehead.
Was Chen Ling not done yet?
He had just hung up on her, and here she was, calling again.
Lin Xuan glanced cautiously at Su Hua.
Relieved to see she hadn’t noticed his phone, he let out a quiet breath.
Just as he was about to decline the call, Su Hua’s voice cut through the silence.
“Is it the same person calling again?” Su Hua arched a brow.
“Yes,” Lin Xuan admitted. “I was just about to hang up.”
His finger hovered over the red button when Su Hua spoke again. “Wait.”
Lin Xuan looked up, puzzled. “What is it, Hua?”
Su Hua tilted her head. “If they’ve called twice, it must be important. Why not answer?”
Lin Xuan shook his head. “It’s nothing urgent—just someone irrelevant. No point wasting time.”
He moved to end the call once more.
Su Hua’s lips curled. “Are you avoiding it because you’re guilty?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Why would I feel guilty?” Lin Xuan rubbed his nose.
Okay, maybe he was a little guilty. He didn’t dare talk to Chen Ling in front of Su Hua.
But if he insisted on hanging up now, Su Hua would only grow more suspicious.
Bracing himself, Lin Xuan tapped the answer button.
“Xuan, why not put it on speaker?” Su Hua suggested, her tone light but edged. “I’d love to hear what’s so important.”
Speakerphone?
Lin Xuan’s heart skipped a beat.
Noticing his hesitation, Su Hua smirked. “What’s wrong? Afraid I’ll hear something I shouldn’t?”
“I have nothing to hide,” Lin Xuan retorted, forcing himself to comply.
He just prayed Chen Ling wouldn’t say anything incriminating.
His nerves couldn’t take much more.
Back at the orphanage.
Chen Ling’s heart leaped when the call finally connected.
Lin Xuan had answered!
Swallowing her excitement, she steadied her voice, letting a sob creep into her tone.
“Lin Xuan…”
Su Hua’s expression darkened at the sound of Chen Ling’s voice.
So it was her again.
This girl really wouldn’t give up on him, would she?
“What’s wrong?” Lin Xuan asked tersely.
“Nothing,” Chen Ling murmured, her eyes reddening. “I just… I keep thinking about my dad. He’s gone forever, and I can’t bear it, Lin Xuan. It hurts so much.”
“My mom died when I was one. It was always just him and me—we only had each other.”
“I don’t know how to accept that he’s just… gone.”
Lin Xuan frowned.
Was she genuinely grieving, or was this another ploy to reel him in?
In novels, scheming side characters often used sob stories to get close to the male lead.
“Lin Xuan, could you… come see me?” Chen Ling pleaded.
“You’re the closest person I have left. I’m not asking you to stay—just an hour. Just talk to me for an hour.”
Ever since Chen Hong’s passing, she hadn’t seen Lin Xuan.
Now, whenever she closed her eyes, all she saw was him.
She missed him desperately—needed him.
With her father gone, Lin Xuan had become her only anchor.
Afraid he’d reject her again, she rushed on, “Please, Lin Xuan. Just one hour. That’s all I ask.”
Lin Xuan’s jaw tightened.
Even if Su Hua weren’t sitting right there, listening, he wouldn’t agree.
He wanted nothing to do with these messy entanglements.
Stealing a glance at Su Hua, he found her smiling, her eyes glinting like polished jade.
His pulse spiked.
That smile… it felt dangerous.
“Chen Ling, I—”
Before he could refuse, Su Hua—having unbuckled her seatbelt unnoticed—leaned in and sealed his lips with hers, swallowing his words.
She kissed him deeply, hungrily.
Chen Ling’s voice, still calling for him, faded into the background.
“Lin Xuan? Are you still there?”
The worry in her tone only seemed to spur Su Hua on.
Her fingers slipped beneath Lin Xuan’s shirt, tracing slow, teasing circles over his chest.
Chen Ling’s calls grew more frantic.
Why had he gone silent?
Had something happened to him?
Panic clawed at her as she paced, helpless.
Then, through the phone, a faint sound reached her ears.
She froze, straining to listen.
Was that… the sound of kissing?
Lin Xuan was drowning in sensation, but a sliver of awareness remained.
The call was still active.
Pulling back slightly, he moved the phone away, breaking the kiss.
Su Hua’s lips were swollen, glistening, her cheeks flushed.
“Hua, behave,” he murmured hoarsely. “Let me finish this call first.”
Su Hua’s hands didn’t stop.
“Which matters more?” she purred, her voice a velvet tease. “The call… or me?”
Lin Xuan exhaled. “You. Always you.”
“Then stop resisting,” she whispered against his lips.
With no choice left, Lin Xuan surrendered.
If he dared to refuse, Huabao would probably trap him in bed again for three days and nights straight.
Yanxi reminds you: Due to Tomato's request for 3 million+ daily visits causing excessive server pressure, we now recommend switching to other top-tier sources.
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
