In fact, trying to make Shen Nian behave was completely useless.
She knew exactly what kind of person Shen Nian was.
The large hand resting on her lower abdomen was not well-behaved, occasionally hooking a finger to tickle her stealthily, unsettling her heart.
The small hand pressing down on his large one began to grab his fingers, preventing him from tickling her.
With Xia Yanchun not around, Shen Nian had originally intended to just watch a movie.
But with the "grass by the nest" right there beside him, his attention was completely stolen by her. The self-control that had kept him disciplined for three months crumbled completely in the face of Miss "Grass by the Nest."
From his angle, he could just see the girl's fair collarbone. Because of her shrinking movement, her already somewhat loose collar formed a subtle curve, revealing a tiny edge of her undergarment—pure white.
His breathing grew heavier. Shen Nian couldn't help but nuzzle against Xia Yanchun's fluffy hair, feeling an impulse to pull her completely into his embrace.
His increasingly fervent breath was something even Xia Yanchun could feel. She looked up, meeting his intense gaze.
There was desire in Shen Nian's eyes...
Xia Yanchun shyly tucked in her neck, feeling flustered. She quickly removed his large hand from her stomach and, thinking it wasn't enough, huffed as she threw his hand out from under the blanket.
Shen Nian wasn't annoyed. He twirled a strand of her hair around his fingertip, smoothing it down for her, and teased, "Hehe, Miss 'Grass by the Nest' is really right by the nest."
"What nonsense, I don't understand." Xia Yanchun wrapped the blanket tighter around herself. "Don't talk rubbish."
"Fine, I won't say it. Let's watch the movie."
Fortunately, Shen Nian didn't make any moves and actually started watching the movie seriously afterwards.
He even complained to her about the movie's brain-dead plot.
Things like the protagonist having weapons but not finishing off mutants, not aiming for vital spots when fighting them, and missing shots even at point-blank range.
But these kinds of gore-fests usually lack logic. No matter how good their reputation, their ceiling is only so high.
This genre is better suited for watching recaps.
Once the movie ended, Xia Yanchun immediately sat up on the bed, her tone a bit soft, "It wasn't good at all. It was just gore for the sake of gore, too brainless."
"True, that's how horror movies are."
"You should find some psychological horror to watch. That's the scariest kind."
"We'll talk about it next time."
Xia Yanchun nodded, only then realizing her foot was somehow resting on Shen Nian's. She quickly put it down.
Some scenes had genuinely scared her. Jump scares might be cheap, but they really work. She didn't even know when she had started holding Shen Nian's finger, giving it a squeeze whenever she got nervous.
Outside, the downpour continued, raindrops pattering crisply against the window. The room was dim.
This atmosphere seemed more suited for studying.
With the movie over, it was time for Xia Yanchun to go back.
Xia Yanchun moved to the edge of the bed, slipped on her slippers, then glanced back at Shen Nian, suddenly remembering something.
"Oh, right. There's a school assembly tomorrow, Monday, for an awards ceremony. You'll definitely be receiving an award. The top ten get the Special Prize, a scholarship of four thousand. I'm not sure about the Progress Award, but if there is one, it should be one or two thousand. I've never gotten the Progress Award."
Shen Nian scratched his head. "Almost forgot about the award certificates."
"The homeroom teacher will probably mention it during evening self-study, but we day students don't go. I was afraid you wouldn't know, so I'm reminding you."
"No wonder you're so rich, getting four thousand every exam."
"What do you think."
Getting free money was no reason for Shen Nian to be unhappy.
Those who could win the Special Prize were top academic achievers in the province. The school was quite generous.
With Xia Yanchun's reminder, Shen Nian remembered the honor roll. He'd probably have to go take a photo for it next week too.
Before, he was first in Math. Now, he's eighth in the entire school.
"Are you going back now?" Shen Nian also sat up, scooting closer to her.
"What else?"
"Stay for dinner. I'll have my sister cook for you."
"?"
The corner of Xia Yanchun's mouth twitched, a forced smile on her face.
Sounds worse than eating sht.
But she definitely couldn't say that. It wouldn't be good if Shen Nian went and tattled to Shen Yue.
"Better not. I have some leftovers at home."
Shen Nian immediately looked relieved. "That's good. I thought you were really going to agree. Almost thought you were a sht-eating maniac."
"..."
Shen Nian was the one who respected Shen Yue the least.
The most sibling-like moment ever.
Xia Yanchun wiggled her feet, patted her bottom, and stood up. "I'm going back now."
"Mm. I originally wanted to find a chance to sneak a kiss, but since you said that, maybe next time."
"?"
Xia Yanchun's almond-shaped eyes widened.
Is... is this right?
What's this about a kiss, what's this about next time? How can he just say these things out loud like that?
Shouldn't that be a kind of plan? He just blurted it all out...
Luckily, Xia Yanchun was clever and quick-witted. Her 700-score-capable brain worked at high speed and quickly figured it out.
Hmm, Shen Nian was giving a heads-up for kissing her later.
If it were some other girl, she'd definitely be led along by Shen Nian. Good thing she knew him well enough. A rival is a rival; there's a reason they've been rivals for so long.
Even though she guessed Shen Nian's intention, her face couldn't help but flush with color.
In the blink of an eye, had her relationship with Shen Nian developed to the point where they could kiss?
The more she thought about it, the weirder it felt. Xia Yanchun took the opportunity to kick him. "Wishful thinking! No way!"
With that final remark, she dashed off in a flash, afraid Shen Nian's beastly heart would awaken, overcome by lust, and he'd catch her.
...
The next day, Monday.
Because it had rained yesterday, the ground was still wet. Shen Nian still didn't go for his workout.
The temperature had dropped again. Shen Nian was fine, but Xia Yanchun's skin was naturally delicate. With the cold, her ears and nose were a bit red, forcing her to pull up the hood of her sweatshirt.
Breakfast was ordinary meat buns and soy milk. Shen Nian also got an extra serving of tofu pudding.
Xia Yanchun barely spoke the whole way. Every time Shen Nian tried to start a conversation, she'd just respond perfunctorily with random "oh," "mm," "ah," "hmm."
"Are we not on speaking terms again?" Shen Nian asked, driving, not understanding why.
"From the moment you said you wanted to kiss me, we've been strangers."
"Great. Get off. Walk to school yourself." Shen Nian smiled with relief, braking suddenly. The little person behind him pressed against his back. "My bike doesn't carry strangers."
"You idiot, drive faster!" Xia Yanchun pouted, wanting to pinch him, but his clothes were too thick. In the end, she could only grumble at him unhappily.
You sound like you're acting cute when you scold people.
"Shen Nian, do you have a conscience or not? I'm so good to you, and you actually want to kiss me. I really want to stomp on you!"
"You finished listing the good things. What about the bad things?"
"..."
Sigh, the high-attack, high-defense Xia Yanchun was gone. Back to Rival Chun.
Xia Yanchun decided to sulk in silence and let Shen Nian guess why.
Shen Nian was also happy for the peace. Driving with one hand, he used the other to grab Xia Yanchun's hands, which were wrapped around his waist, and stuffed them into his own pocket, kneading and playing with them.
Chun Bao didn't refuse either, too busy sulking.
The classroom was, as usual, sparsely populated.
Chen Dong and Ma Mingfan had arrived quite early, though.
Chen Dong looked a bit like a zombie, listless and spiritless.
Shen Nian patted Ma Mingfan and pointed at Chen Dong, "My son's in this state—what did you do to him?"
Ma Mingfan made a strange expression. Damn, what did this have to do with him? Chen Dong wasn't Xiao Nanliang.
"You wouldn't understand even if I told you."
"How would I know if I'd understand if you don't tell me?"
Ma Mingfan pursed his lips, "I was playing that 'Eight-Treasure Porridge Operation' thing, right? He said Liu Tao would carry me. We just landed two minutes ago and he got possessed. He's been like this since last night's self-study session."
Shen Nian didn't play any "Eight-Treasure Porridge Operation," so he really didn't get it.
"Hey, by the way, how come you're hanging out with Liang Jing now? I never saw you two talk before."
Yanxi 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 from other big shots.

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.

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!"

and couldn't return to the real world. Finally, I gave up and decided to go with the flow, only to discover that writing a diary could make me stronger. Since no one could read it, Su Luo wrote freely, daring to pen anything and everything. Female Lead #1: "Not bad. This diary helped me steal all the protagonist's opportunities. I just want to get stronger." Female Lead #2: "I don’t care about reaching the peak of the cultivation world. Right now, I just want to enjoy the chaos." Female Lead #3: "What? Everyone around me is a spy? I’m the Joker Demon Lord?" ... It’s so strange. Why is the plot completely off track, yet the ending remains the same? Are you all just messing with me?!