Thursday, early morning.
Shen Nian stared at Xia Yanchun’s face for over ten seconds.
Xia Yanchun didn’t mind, standing by the door and letting him look his fill.
She was used to it—Shen Nian had a screw loose and occasionally acted weird.
“Your dark circles are terrible. Sneaking late nights, huh?”
“Mhm.” Xia Yanchun shook her head. The real culprit was the jerk in front of her, but she couldn’t let it slip.
She’d spent the whole night wondering what Shen Nian meant by his comment the other day about her being “feminine.”
Was that a compliment? But if so, didn’t it imply she’d lacked femininity before?
Praising and insulting her in one breath—damn you, Shen Nian.
“Telling me not to stay up late, and here you are pulling all-nighters yourself.”
“None of your business. I can handle one late night—my grades speak for themselves.”
“What else do you have besides grades?”
“My beauty.” Xia Yanchun flipped her jet-black hair, letting the silky strands slide past her ears, carrying a faint, alluring fragrance.
A legendary flex.
“Wow, just shameless.” Shen Nian’s lips twitched.
“Isn’t it true? You said I was feminine yesterday.”
“Just being polite, and you actually believed it? Go eat rocks.”
“Shen Nian, I’ll bite you to death!”
...
Outside the elevator, Shen Nian rubbed the faint teeth marks on his wrist, glaring.
Was this girl part dog? And with fangs too—her bites hurt like hell.
“Men and women shouldn’t be too familiar, so you bite me instead? You don’t actually think that’s cute, do you?” Shen Nian cut straight to the point. “Next time, I’ll slap you silly and see if you keep acting up.”
“Ever considered that maybe I don’t even see you as a guy?” Xia Yanchun walked ahead, hands behind her back, her little ponytail swaying smugly.
“What the—” Shen Nian cut himself off, suddenly curious. “You really don’t see me as a guy?”
Wait, was this a good thing?
Sweetie, it’s been so long since we last slept together. Since we’re both girls, sharing a bed should be fine, right?
Don’t go calling me a pervert later—after all, little ol’ me isn’t even seen as a guy. Hugging and kissing are just normal between besties, right?
“What are you imagining? I don’t see you as a guy—or even as a person.”
“Password!”
The day’s good mood shattered the moment Shen Nian lost the argument to Xia Yanchun.
At school, spotting Chen Dong with equally dark circles restored Shen Nian’s cheer.
“What’s this about?” Shen Nian feigned ignorance.
“Confess! How late were you grinding last night?”
“I slept at twelve-thirty.”
“Tryhard!”
“You can’t only call people tryhards when they outwork you.”
The old master’s prestige continues to rise.
By mid-morning, Shen Nian was mostly focused in class. During the long break, light rain began outside, quickly growing heavier.
He closed the window, letting the raindrops patter against the glass, occasionally catching a damp breeze—perfect study weather.
Wait… did I forget my umbrella?
Xia Yanchun even reminded me last night.
Hold on, I haven’t been piloting any planes lately—why’s my memory failing?
Damn it. First, an old man sucked three years of power from Xiao Yan, and now a system’s stealing my memories?
System-chan, I have a humble request—could you transform into a 36D, long-legged, wealthy beauty? I’ll gladly surrender my memories.
Drain me dry if you must.
Xiao Chunan, for the sake of prayer and ambition, wealth and prosperity must follow.
Some napped during the break, while others goofed off. A group of girls played Korean pop songs on the classroom speakers—sounding like chanting to Shen Nian—so he stepped into the hallway for air.
Near the restrooms, the breeze carried a hint of… something less pleasant.
With the rain, the freshmen’s military drills moved indoors, crowding the first floor’s open space. Some energetic instructors had students form circles for talent shows.
A golden opportunity to secure early dating privileges!
A few confident boys stepped forward, tossing off their caps and swaying dramatically.
“Wha—an ancient-style swordsman dancing with an invisible blade?” Chen Dong gasped upon emerging. “This kid has playboy potential.”
“What nonsense?” Shen Nian was baffled, but after watching, he caught on.
Thought he was just flailing—turns out it’s swordplay! Drunkenly wielding air as a blade—truly terrifying.
“Like a drunken flute-player,” Shen Nian mused, nodding approvingly.
“To meet another free spirit here—how joyous! Let me wander the rivers and lakes~”
“Dude, stop singing—it’s too vivid,” another onlooker groaned, stifling laughter.
“This guy’s got a bit of rogue charm mixed with ancient flair—is this the legendary ‘rogue scholar’ archetype?”
“HAHAHAHA!”
The boys burst into laughter. Xia Yanchun, returning from the restroom with still-damp hands, was stunned.
It’s raining, right? Leaning on the railing gets you wet, right?
What are these idiots… even Shen Nian’s watching.
Curious, she peeked over and spotted the performance below.
Pfft—
The last two periods were English. As expected, Yan Yuzhu began calling students to the front for dictation.
In the past, Shen Nian might’ve ducked his head like an ostrich, but now? Zero fear.
Pick me, pick me, pick me!
“Huang Chen, Chen Dong, Lin Xiyuan, Li Shiyan—you four, up here. The rest, write in your notebooks. I’ll check later—twenty copies for every mistake.”
The class groaned, especially Huang Chen’s group.
A tanned PE enthusiast with a 300-point exam score? English was hopeless. He stood frozen in panic.
Shen Nian sighed. A perfect chance to show off, wasted.
My sorrow runs deep—I slash through the rain like Kirito.
Meanwhile, Huang Chen on the podium was sweating bullets, desperately side-eyeing Chen Dong’s paper. Unsurprisingly, he blanked on all thirty words.
With the other three acing it, his incompetence stood out even more.
“Why can’t you learn from Shen Nian? His grades aren’t great, but his effort is undeniable!” Yan Yuzhu held him up as a model.
Huang Chen felt suffocated, as if constricted by a python.
(Comments, follows, feedback, and reviews appreciated—sadface)
Yanxi reminds you: Due to Tomato’s 3M+ daily requests overwhelming servers, we recommend switching to other sources.
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)
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.
] [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!"
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.
