Lin Xiyuan was a rather unique girl in the class—lively by nature and a bit noisy.
Because of her cheerful personality and good looks, she got along well with many boys and girls in the class. Some guys even fawned over her, making her somewhat of a social queen.
But Shen Nian believed the main reason was that Lin Xiyuan wore white thigh-high socks with her shorts—an outfit with nuclear-level lethality in high school.
The girl who had just been scolded by Su Kexi in the office was her.
Xia Yanchun was a little confused but nodded. "I wrote it down."
"Why did you write my name? Did I even talk?"
"...You did."
"So you just wrote me down? It’s your fault I got yelled at by the homeroom teacher."
Now Xia Yanchun understood—this was just Lin Xiyuan picking a fight.
After getting scolded by the teacher, she was upset and blamed Xia Yanchun for noting her name, which led to her getting caught.
"If it’s not too loud, I usually don’t write names, and I already warned you."
"No one else writes my name, why do you? Do classmates have to snitch on each other?" Lin Xiyuan stammered, her voice weakening as she realized she was in the wrong.
"You were way too loud today. Even Shen Nian was disturbed."
Shen Nian, who had been watching the drama, slowly raised a question mark in his mind. I’m just spectating—why drag me into this? Can’t you argue without me? Just say the word, baby.
Lin Xiyuan glanced at Shen Nian before glaring back at Xia Yanchun. "Plenty of girls were talking—why only write my name?"
"You were the loudest... Some people actually want to study, you know? I warned you, but you ignored me. Writing your name was justified, right?"
Xia Yanchun was exasperated. If you’re gonna be noisy, don’t fear getting written up. If you’re scared of getting written up, then shut up. You love to talk but hate consequences—typical.
"You’re targeting me, aren’t you?" Lin Xiyuan declared confidently.
Xia Yanchun wasn’t part of her social circle, so they had little in common.
Just as the argument was about to escalate, before Xia Yanchun could respond, Shen Nian cut in, breaking the tension between the two girls.
"That corner of yours was as noisy as a pack of stray dogs at a village meeting. If I were class monitor, I’d write down seven or eight names."
"Huh?" Lin Xiyuan’s eyes widened in disbelief as she turned to Shen Nian. "Are you talking about me?"
"Yeah."
"You... How could you say that to me...?"
Shen Nian was baffled. Bruh, who do you think you are?
Anyone watching would think they were classmates at best—or worse, that he’d wronged her somehow.
"You—"
Lin Xiyuan’s eyes reddened with grievance. She turned and scurried away, humiliated.
"Pathetic." Xia Yanchun muttered, walking ahead in silence.
Under the streetlights, mosquitoes swarmed, and smoke rose from roadside barbecue stalls. Occasionally, the sound of drinking games echoed.
"Why did you back me up?" Xia Yanchun suddenly asked as Shen Nian caught up to her, fiddling with his phone.
"Because that corner was noisy. I sided with logic, not you."
"Aren’t you into Lin Xiyuan? Backing me over her—she’s gonna hate you now."
“Bro, are you slandering me?” Shen Nian was indignant. “That’s pure rumor!”
At that age, even the slightest interaction—a blush, a shy glance—could spark rumors of a crush.
Back in sophomore year, whispers spread about Shen Nian and Lin Xiyuan.
"Shen Nian likes Lin Xiyuan!"
"They look like a couple!"
"Ship them!"
Who liked who—such rumors were common.
High schoolers, drowning in academic pressure, were emotionally and physically stifled.
They latched onto half-understood gossip, embellishing it for entertainment, egging each other on without caring how their words hurt others.
And so, rumors were born.
By the time Shen Nian realized it, the whole class believed he and Lin Xiyuan were into each other.
He tried to explain, but it was awkward. Whenever someone brought it up, he’d insist he didn’t like her.
Eventually, the topic died down.
He thought he’d cleared things up—until Xia Yanchun dredged it up again.
Damn rumor-mongers, just you wait.
"You always stare at Lin Xiyuan so intently. Still claiming you don’t like her?"
Xia Yanchun fiddled with her backpack strap, her gaze wandering as if making casual conversation.
"Intently my ass."
Shen Nian felt like a blind man accused of peeping.
Lin Xiyuan was just a classmate—one who, post-rumors, shared the bond of mutual slander.
The only time he looked at her was when she wore those thigh-highs. Otherwise? Zero interest.
What’s the point of being pretty? Can she beat me in Naruto 1v1?
"Really don’t like her?"
"Meh."
"Oh."
"...Stop spreading rumors, seriously. If others say it, fine—but you too?" Shen Nian scratched his head, annoyed.
"You never clarified with me. How was I supposed to know it was fake?" Xia Yanchun flipped her hair, scoffing.
"Trying to debunk rumors is a full-time job."
At home, Shen Yue lounged on her bed, scrolling through her phone, door wide open, pale legs exposed.
Saintess-level laziness.
"Back already?"
"Yeah."
"Shen Nian, no staying up late tonight. You’ll get gray hairs."
"Got it, got it."
After showering, Shen Nian checked his phone, then reviewed the 600-700 vocabulary words he’d memorized the day before.
Damn, still fresh in my mind.
I take back every complaint about the system. Dumb as it is, it’s useful.
Across the hall, Xia Yanchun sat cross-legged on the couch, blow-drying her hair, wearing nothing but a T-shirt and underwear.
Alone at home, she had no reservations—sometimes not even bothering with the shirt.
As water dripped from her hair, her mind wandered back to sophomore year.
When everyone said Shen Nian liked Lin Xiyuan, and vice versa… it felt like the sky had fallen.
If Shen Nian gets a girlfriend, wouldn’t his life improve?
My own failures are bad enough, but my rival’s success? Unbearable.
But Shen Nian didn’t like Lin Xiyuan. Maybe there was still hope.
A high school slacker + early romance + a girl with a wide social circle and tons of guy friends? That’s a dead-end life.
A guy like Shen Nian—no dating experience—would be easy prey for someone like Lin Xiyuan, ending up emotionally and financially drained.
Thankfully, it was just a false alarm. Scared me to death.
At least Shen Nian wasn’t like other guys. Where they were just clueless, he was a pureblooded sword-brain.
With that thought, Xia Yanchun relaxed.
She finished drying her hair and went to bed, sleeping soundly.
The next morning, Shen Nian woke up to a massive system panel hovering before his eyes.
Wait, I was just sleeping—how did the mission complete itself?
Yanxi reminds you: Due to Tomato's daily requests exceeding 3 million+, causing excessive server pressure, we now recommend switching to other top-tier sources.
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!" "......"
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'!"
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
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?
