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.
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."
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
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!
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
