The rain fell steadily. Xia Yanchun held an umbrella beside Shen Nian, letting him push the electric scooter out.
On windy and rainy days like this, holding an umbrella while riding is more dangerous than braving the rain directly. The scooter came with a large raincoat, and today it finally came in handy.
Shen Nian adjusted the raincoat properly before letting Xia Yanchun close the umbrella and quickly get on the scooter. Their clothes inevitably got wet, and their socks were so soaked you could wring water out of them.
"Why is it raining so hard..." Xia Yanchun finally managed to squeeze under the raincoat, her voice muffled. Shen Nian glanced back and saw her completely covered, only her face visible through the transparent plastic part. He found it oddly funny.
Like a little turtle poking its head out.
"Autumn is like this; it's inevitable to have wind and rain," Shen Nian adjusted the raincoat and straightened his back. "Don't grab my shoulders when holding the raincoat; it'll lift it up."
"Is that really true?"
"Of course. My view was perfectly fine, but it gets messed up when you move. Just hold onto me."
"I don't believe you." Xia Yanchun squinted slightly but still lowered her hands, placing them lightly on Shen Nian's waist. She pouted, "If you wanted me to hug you, you could have just said so. No need to beat around the bush."
"I told you, it's because of the raincoat."
"Don't believe you."
"Really, next time you try riding in front."
"Don't believe you."
"I'm really not your dad."
"Indeed you're not."
Shen Nian let it go. His usual tricks couldn't fool Chunbao. With a brain that scored seven hundred on the college entrance exam, was she that easy to fool?
The streetlights were on all the way, but visibility was still poor. Shen Nian drove very slowly, so slow that Xia Yanchun suspected he was doing it on purpose to make her hold him longer.
Not that she minded, though. Hugging Shen Nian wouldn't cost her a piece of flesh; it was just a ride.
She had to admit, Shen Nian's waist felt really firm. If she pinched him now, he probably wouldn't even flinch!
He really could punch her into a wall so hard she'd be stuck and couldn't be pulled out.
She heard many people who work out like to...
If Shen Nian weren't wearing the raincoat, she would definitely pat his head to see if it had become pointy. Otherwise, how could he improve so fast?
Xia Yanchun closed her eyes, her heart itching with a strange feeling. Her hands slowly moved forward, naturally coming together in a hug.
Hmm... since when did he have abs?
Xia Yanchun trembled with a mix of anger and cold. This guy was really getting better and better.
Not happy. Need to eat two Peanut Sticks to feel better.
"Why are you touching me?"
"This isn't 'touching.' If I'm holding you, I'm bound to make contact."
"..." Shen Nian was speechless, though he kind of felt like standing up.
Holding his sides was okay, but now with both hands wrapped around his lower abdomen, an eighteen-year-old teenager couldn't handle this kind of contact. The little head seemed a bit rebellious, wanting to stage a coup against the big head.
Fortunately, the residential complex wasn't far. Shen Nian parked the scooter, told Xia Yanchun to quickly get off, and rolled the raincoat into a bundle, planning to take it home to dry.
"Phew..." Finally reaching the first floor, Xia Yanchun let out a sigh. Her pants cuffs were soaked. She hated rainy days!
"Cold?"
"Not too bad, but the wind is a bit strong."
"I think it's just okay."
The wind blew Shen Nian's clothes wildly. Underneath, he still wore just a thin white T-shirt. Seeing this, Xia Yanchun was speechless, muttering under her breath, "Caring more about style than comfort," before stepping into the elevator.
"Maybe I'm really not cold?"
"Wow, you're so amazing then. Applause."
"You sound like one of those fairies from Xiaohongshu."
Xia Yanchun simply pinched her nose and covered her mouth, looking at Shen Nian with a disgusted expression. "You smell like Tieba."
"Then take a good whiff."
"Ew, gross, stinky."
Ding. The elevator doors opened wide. Xia Yanchun stepped out first, rummaging through her small bag for the keys to open her door.
The door opened, but Shen Nian, who should have gone the opposite way home, didn't leave. Instead, he stood behind her and poked her neck with his finger.
"Ouch!"
Xia Yanchun shrank back, turning around angrily to glare at him. "You didn't cut your nails? They're sharp. Why aren't you going home? Poking me, looking for a beating?"
"No." Shen Nian placed the dripping wet raincoat on the floor and scratched his cheek.
"I want a hug."
"A hug for what?"
"Just a hug. Someone said earlier that if I wanted her to hug me, I should just say it. I forgot who it was. Can you help me remember?"
Xia Yanchun crossed her arms, complaining, "I said that only counted on the scooter. We're off now."
"A hug is a hug, no matter where. Come on." Shen Nian wouldn't listen. He brushed aside the stray hair by her temple, gently tucking it behind her ear, and grinned. "I'm saying it directly now. No matter what you say, you have to hug me."
To put it nicely, it's going back on your word. To put it bluntly, it's being dishonest, deceptive, and full of lies.
Xia Yanchun, you wouldn't want others to find out you're full of lies, would you?
Xia Yanchun furrowed her delicate brows and poked Shen Nian's chest hard. "You really... can't you be a bit more proper?"
"I'm being very proper right now."
"..." Xia Yanchun lowered her eyelashes. "Do... do we really have to hug?"
"All I know is you said if I wanted a hug, I should just say it. Now I've said it, but you haven't hugged me."
"You're taking my words out of context. The same sentence means different things in different situations."
"Blah blah blah, I don't understand. Hurry up, give me a hug so I can go back and shower. I still have to study later, buddy."
"What does that have to do with me!"
Seeing Shen Nian like this, Xia Yanchun knew perfectly well. If she didn't let Shen Nian have this little advantage, he would absolutely not let it go.
The retribution for hitting him with books in the classroom had come so quickly.
Is he really that desperate for a hug? This silly Shen Nian.
If it's just a hug...
Xia Yanchun adjusted her mindset. She thought what Shen Nian said made sense. A hug is a hug, whether on the scooter or here.
The more flustered she felt, the more it showed she cared about their ambiguous relationship. She had to be open and aboveboard!
It's just Shen Nian, no need to overthink it. A hug is just a hug. Isn't it normal for an older sister to hug her younger brother? What family doesn't have a sister hugging her brother?
"Look at what you've become now. That lecherous look, so improper, weak and exhausted. You've turned into a pervert, you know that? If your childhood self knew you'd grow up to be a pervert, you'd definitely be scared to tears."
Xia Yanchun had to scold Shen Nian randomly before the hug. After finishing, she raised her chin, opened her arms, and burrowed into Shen Nian's embrace, wrapping her arms around his waist for a brief hug.
Shen Nian was much taller than her. When hugging, she had to stand slightly on her tiptoes to rest her head on his shoulder and breathe.
Just one hug is enough!
Thinking this, Xia Yanchun immediately let go, about to slip away. But a pair of strong, firm arms encircled her waist. His fingertips rested on her side, and the unexpected touch on that sensitive spot, even through clothes, sent a burning sensation that made her heart race wildly.
She could even hear Shen Nian take a deep breath near her ear.
A face-to-face hug like this... it must have been ten years since the last one!
First thought: He's holding me.
Second thought: He's pulled me into his embrace.
Third thought: Not good, I fell for his trap!
Whimper.
.
Yan Xi reminds you: Due to Tomato's request for over three million daily visits causing excessive server pressure, it is now recommended that you use sources provided by other experts.

grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)

] [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!"

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'!"

iemie, male, Race: Moon. Hobby: Collecting anomalies. At first, he thought he possessed two systems: the Crimson Rainbow Moon and the Clear Cold Frost Moon. One day, he discovered that he himself could also become a system for others, holding the chessboard of fate. The Eighth Epoch, also known as the Eternal Moon Epoch. Humans, witches, elves, bloodline descendants, specters, demons, and spirits together compose a new history. Walking the path on behalf of the moon, before he knew it, Chen Miemie's footsteps were followed by all manner of strange and wondrous anomalies. As time passed, many titles circulated about him—The King in Yellow, Lord of Anomalies, Heart of the Eternal Moon, and more. "Me? I'm just a traveler who enjoys collecting interesting creatures," Chen Miemie said.