There were two consecutive English classes in the afternoon. Yan Yuzhu was effortlessly radiant, her sweet smile a stark contrast to the students' sinking hearts.
Four were called to recite vocabulary from two units, and two were quizzed on spelling—enough to scare anyone to tears. When Ma Mingfan's name was called, his face turned paler than a corpse left out for three days. Post that on Xiaohongshu, and people would probably ask for his cold, porcelain-skincare routine.
"Brothers, I think I'm kinda dead," Ma Mingfan trembled.
"Relax, bro. Teacher Yan is gentle. Just remember to memorize English words in your next life," Shen Nian reassured him.
"Gentle? The kind that makes you copy each word twenty times? Yeah, real gentle," someone scoffed.
"Here, borrow my Xiaomi ultra-write pen."
"Damn it!"
Ma Mingfan was utterly defeated, marching to his doom with honor.
The last period was self-study. Shen Nian only had three more practice papers to complete before leveling up to an intermediate adventurer, but he wasn’t in a hurry. Xia Yanchun, already well-rested, was flipping through Youth Digest for writing material. Shen Nian couldn’t resist teasing her, tracing a finger along her delicate profile.
Xia Yanchun gave him a sidelong glance and ignored him.
Shen Nian crumpled a piece of paper and flicked it at her face.
She retaliated with a note of her own, scribbled inside: "Throwing paper in class—name recorded."
Oh, so that’s how she wanted to play? Fine. Abuse of power—next time, he’d get Su Kexi to impeach her.
After class, instead of rushing to the cafeteria with Chen Dong, Shen Nian made a detour to the restroom. By the time most of the class had left, he leaned over Xia Yanchun’s stack of books and grinned. "Let’s go eat out today. I’ve got a haircut appointment and some errands later."
"Wait, you two are going out to eat together?"
Before Xia Yanchun could respond, Li Shiyan pouted, "But we already promised to eat together! Now I’ll have to go alone..."
"Oh, stop sulking. Eating alone won’t kill you."
"But it’s so boring..."
"Then skip it. Go shower early and head back to class. I’ll bring you takeout," Xia Yanchun said, squeezing Li Shiyan’s soft little hand—typical sweet-girl behavior.
Shen Nian stroked his chin. "Hey, little Lolita, didn’t you owe me a meal?"
"Uh... I think so?"
"Then tomorrow, I’m ordering a 30-yuan lunch."
"W-what?! No fair!" Li Shiyan looked ready to cry.
Xia Yanchun sighed. Without her around, Li Shiyan would probably be bullied by Shen Nian till graduation. Sure, teasing her was fun, but not every day—she’d turn the poor girl into a total airhead!
"Alright, enough. Hurry up!" She nudged Li Shiyan toward the dorms and pushed Shen Nian out the school gate.
The afternoon sun was mild, casting a warm glow. With autumn in full swing, the girls would soon start layering up—no more exposed arms or legs. Tragic.
But at least he could still visit Xia Yanchun’s room for a peek. Silver linings.
"Should I cut my hair too?" Xia Yanchun tugged at her locks, murmuring, "It’s almost down to my shoulder blades."
"If you’re thinking about it, it’s time."
"Good point. You’re paying."
"Seriously? First a free shampoo, now a haircut? When you show me your calves, why not throw in the thighs too?" Shen Nian pointed at her. "Caught you being a hypocrite."
"That’s not the same!"
"How? You escalate but won’t let me?"
"Semantics. I say it’s not, so it’s not."
Xia Yanchun huffed. First calves, then thighs—what next? Even an idiot could guess.
Was ogling legs really something a "best friend" would do?
Shen Nian wasn’t even pretending anymore.
Fine, let him keep pushing his luck. The day he crossed the line, his parents would break his legs.
Shen Nian’s hand materialized on Xia Yanchun’s shoulder. Leaning in, he extrapolated, "If I hook your finger, can I hold your hand too?"
Xia Yanchun tensed for a second, her fingers curling against her clothes. Glancing at the golden-tinged clouds, she whispered, "Keep dreaming. No funny business."
"Damn, shouldn’t you be blushing and tacitly agreeing by now? How are you still immune?"
"You think I’m some naive little girl?" She smirked, triumphant.
"Respect. You’re a tough boss."
Shen Nian was impressed. Like battling a raid boss, he stealthily rubbed her smooth shoulder and coaxed, "If I tuck your hair behind your ear, can I pinch your earlobe too?"
"No. No escalation."
"What if I go straight for the ear?"
"Get lost."
"Fine, you win. No more escalation." Shen Nian nodded sagely.
After crossing the street, Xia Yanchun walked stiffly, swatting Shen Nian’s hand away.
At first, she’d tolerated his arm around her, but then he’d started rubbing—her bra strap was practically fraying!
This was his idea of "no escalation"?
"You should just die already!"
Shen Nian reveled in the warmth lingering on his palm, his heartbeat unsteady.
In this rivalry, he’d lost first.
"Still coming with me for the haircut? My treat."
"Obviously."
Or else she’d let him grope her for free?
Xia Yanchun grumbled, letting her hair fall over her eyes—only for Shen Nian to brush it back moments later.
"Stop. I’m blocking the sun."
"Really? Or are you just hiding a blush? Can’t blame you—my charm’s irresistible..."
"Now I understand what ‘overconfident man’ means."
Xia Yanchun turned to face him, meeting his gaze head-on as if to prove her composure.
The hazy golden dusk veiled Shen Nian’s eyes, leaving everything blurred.
·
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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."
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!"
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!
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
