The Story of the Boy Who Cried Wolf, Miss, There Seems to Be a Bug on Your Shoe

The Shen Family Estate.

"Oh my, young mistress, is your family still hiring lackeys? How about me?"

Ye Cheng gazed at the surrounding greenery and the outrageously extravagant architecture with a mix of awe and amusement. The extravagance wasn’t just about money—it was clear that meticulous effort and top-tier design had gone into every structure.

It was the kind of vibe that couldn’t be put into words, but in Ye Cheng’s terms: ridiculously badass.

On the way over in the car, Ye Cheng had spotted plenty of people bustling around the Shen estate—maids, bodyguards, and, of course, lackeys (though the last one was purely his own imagination).

After all, some roles weren’t so easily defined. Take the short-haired woman, for instance—she pulled double duty as both a maid and a bodyguard. In Ye Cheng’s mind, she automatically fell into the category of a high-tier, top-ranked lackey.

He wondered what the pay was like, though. From the looks of it, working for the Shen family seemed like a cushy gig—clocking in at nine, clocking out at five, with benefits and subsidies to boot.

The only question was whether there’d be any street brawls involved. If he had to charge into battle wielding a watermelon knife, that might not be worth the risk—life-threatening situations weren’t exactly his thing.

But if he could just blend into the crowd of lackeys, coasting along and shouting stuff like "666!" or "Double kill!" while others did the actual fighting? That sounded manageable.

If nothing else, Ye Cheng was an expert at stirring the pot.

And if things got really bad? He was also a master at running away. At full sprint, unless someone was chasing him in a car, catching him was practically impossible.

Ye Cheng’s mind was already painting a picture of his glorious future as a Shen family lackey: clocking in, slacking off, napping at noon, slacking some more, and mooching food and drinks off the young mistress. Now that’s the good life.

Honestly, compared to a cushy government job, this seemed just as good—if not better. With the Shen family’s wealth, surely they wouldn’t mind one extra freeloader in their ranks, right?

Squish.

Just as Ye Cheng was lost in his daydreams, a familiar sensation returned to the top of his foot.

Ye Cheng: "…"

He blinked at the young mistress, who wore an expression that screamed, "Oops, my bad—thought that was a pebble." Unfortunately, Shen Qinghan remained as unresponsive as ever, the queen of silent treatment.

"Hey, young mistress, there’s a bug on your shoe!"

Ye Cheng pointed at Shen Qinghan’s black leather shoes with an innocent look. The young mistress froze, her pupils shrinking as her entire body visibly stiffened—along with her expression.

Seizing the opportunity, Ye Cheng quickly yanked his foot out from under hers. Shen Qinghan glanced down but saw no bug—just a certain idiot retracting his foot.

"Ah, too slow, young mistress! The bug already ran off. But I swear, there was one this big on your shoe just now!" Ye Cheng gestured earnestly.

Shen Qinghan: "…"

Thunk!

A lump significantly larger than usual formed on Ye Cheng’s head. Clearly, the young mistress was really angry this time—her strength had been supercharged, and so was the pain.

The short-haired woman had dropped them off and left, leaving just Ye Cheng and the young mistress outside.

Of course, Ye Cheng hadn’t come here just to mess around—he had actual business to attend to. Since he’d already skipped class, he needed an airtight alibi to avoid consequences.

Hence… a visit to the young mistress’s home to stage some "taking care of the sick young mistress" photos.

Whether it was real or fake didn’t matter—once the photos were out, even if they were staged, they’d become real. Nobody would dare call them fake unless they wanted to face an entirely different scenario.

"Oh, so you’re saying the Shen family’s heir would fake an illness just to cover for some nobody skipping class? Are you implying that I, a model student, would commit perjury?"

The first half of that statement was unassailable. The second half was full of holes—but still, nobody would dare refute it. To do so would mean implicating the young mistress as an accomplice. Who’d have the guts?

This was the wisdom of a seasoned bootlicker—many perks were invisible to the untrained eye. Like how the student council president often "cleaned up after him" (note: metaphorical, not literal—don’t overthink it).

Whether serving as the young mistress’s lackey or the council president’s lapdog, there were countless hidden benefits, and Ye Cheng reveled in every one.

Loyalty!!!

"Let’s go, young mistress—the sooner we finish, the sooner we can head back!"

Ye Cheng whipped out his phone and started snapping pictures of the Shen estate. His behavior mirrored that of socialite wannabes pooling money for an overpriced afternoon tea, taking turns posing for photos, only to end up fighting over who took the first bite and airing their drama online.

Ye Cheng rubbed the fresh lump on his head. Yep, that stings.

But hey, you had to admit—rich people really lived differently.

With exaggerated seriousness, Ye Cheng edited the photos, setting one as his social media background—replacing the old Big Bottle of Iced Tea—and captioned it: "Life’s tough, but I made it. The struggles of adulthood only hit at midnight…"

A textbook cringelord post. Without fail, the comments would soon flood with "manifesting this for me!!!", at which point Ye Cheng would screenshot the idiocy, repost it as a "social experiment on human nature," and watch his comment section explode with mother-laden insults.

Then, like a sponge, he’d absorb the trash talk, adding it to his arsenal.

What they can do, I can do better!

This was just one of Ye Cheng’s many inhuman antics—most people couldn’t even begin to understand his motives. It was why, whether it was the young mistress or the council president, every background check on Ye Cheng included one unavoidable note:

"Behavior slightly eccentric."

"Slightly" was putting it mildly. Anyone who actually interacted with him quickly realized just how unhuman he was—so much so that even the system had awarded him the prestigious title of "Wild Genius"!

Silently, a spider the size of a baby’s palm crawled out from the bushes, scurrying straight toward Shen Qinghan’s shoe and settling on her polished leather.

Ye Cheng snapped a few quick photos, crafted the perfect caption, and waited for the "fish" in his Moments to bite. "Alright, young miss, let's go!"

Shen Qinghan shot him a look that could only be described as "are you an idiot?" and let out a cold snort before turning to walk ahead. Suddenly, Ye Cheng’s arm shot out, blocking her path.

"Hmm?" Shen Qinghan’s delicate brows furrowed as she stared at him, puzzled.

"Young Miss, there seems to be a bug on your shoe," Ye Cheng said, blinking earnestly as he stared at her footwear.

Thud.

Ye Cheng: "……"

Click.

Silently, he took a photo of her shoe, zoomed in on the spider perched atop it, and then handed the phone to her.

"Young Miss, look—isn’t this…?" He zoomed in even further.

Shen Qinghan froze at the image, disbelief flashing across her face. She glanced at the photo, then—her body stiffening slightly—lowered her gaze to her shoe.

Ah, there it was. A big one.

Shen Qinghan: "……"

In the span of a second, sheer terror flickered in her eyes. Her entire body locked up like a wooden doll before she toppled backward.

Ye Cheng: "???"

Recommend Series

Villain: Marrying a Blind Fiancée, Crazy in Love

Villain: Marrying a Blind Fiancée, Crazy in Love

villain is the number one simp for the book's leading female protagonist, Shen Wan'er. As expected, he later becomes a tool for the main character to show off and slap faces, ultimately meeting a tragic end with his family ruined and his life in shambles. Fortunately, he awakens the [Universal Pure Love System], which allows him to earn points by performing acts of pure love. To change his fate, Gu Yan makes a decisive choice to seek warmth and companionship with the book's biggest villain—Cold Qingqiu. ........... My name is Leng Qingqiu. To find the murderer who killed my parents years ago, I deliberately blinded myself so that everyone would lower their guard around me. Just as I was secretly accumulating power and capital according to my initial plan, a man walked into my world. "Lengleng, Qingqing, Qiuqiu, which nickname do you prefer?" I don't like any of them. You'd better leave quickly! "Why aren't you saying anything? How about I call you my baby wife?" Leng Qingqiu thinks to herself, this man is truly annoying! (Stubborn pure love warrior + single female lead + true pure love + 1v1)

My System Seems Different from Theirs

My System Seems Different from Theirs

ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"

Teaching the Female Lead to Be Thick-Skinned, Not Shameless

Teaching the Female Lead to Be Thick-Skinned, Not Shameless

close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"

After Amnesia, They All Say They’re My Girlfriend

After Amnesia, They All Say They’re My Girlfriend

reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?