Xia Yanchun loved sitting on the back of Shen Nian's scooter, one arm wrapped around him, the other holding a cup of hot porridge. She'd sip it slowly through a straw all the way to the school gate.
The hot porridge sliding down her throat felt so incredibly comforting, warming her stomach all the way through. It was just that the porridge from the breakfast stall wasn't as good as the kind Shen Nian made.
Objectively speaking, whether a cup of porridge tastes good or not is a matter of fact. But Shen Nian's porridge, even though the flavor was similar, she genuinely felt it was much better than the stall's.
Could it be that pouring your feelings into cooking really makes food taste better?
Is the magic in maid cafes that makes omelet rice delicious actually real?
Did he actually put some kind of love potion in it?
Anyway, it just tasted better. But making porridge is a bit of a hassle. It's not like cooking rice where you just rinse it, add water, and you're done. With porridge, you have to watch the timing. Once it boils, if you don't turn off the heat and lift the lid at the right moment, it easily turns into a mushy mess.
Asking a high school student to get up early to make porridge is just too demanding. He already had to leave for school early, not to mention Shen Nian also exercised in the mornings and made her brown sugar ginger tea.
Still, she was really touched that Shen Nian made the tea for her every day.
Who would have thought that the silly guy who used to get into fights all the time could have such a considerate side?
"Ha, Shen Nian, you've been doing pretty well lately." With her bag holding a full cup of brown sugar ginger tea, Xia Yanchun was in a good mood. She rested her chin on Shen Nian's shoulder and praised him.
"You mean me taking liberties while you were still half-asleep this morning? So that's your thing?"
"You weirdo! I'm talking about you getting up early every day to make tea for me."
"When I'm slacking off and you call me 'Ha Shen Nian,' I let it slide. Now that I'm serving you diligently, what should you call me?"
"Little brother." Xia Yanchun answered instantly.
"How dare you! I call you 'Chun Bao,' so what should you call me?" Shen Nian said sternly.
"Still little brother."
"Hopeless case. It seems my efforts, Shen Nian's efforts, have been in vain. Penalty: you owe me eight hundred bucks."
"Give me your phone."
"Don't mess around. I'm not planning on opening a credit line." Shen Nian knew all of Xia Yanchun's little tricks; he'd played them all himself.
With the electric scooter, they arrived at school quickly.
They got up early and arrived early. The roads were filled with students everywhere. Even on a morning that was only eight or nine degrees Celsius, there were brave souls who prioritized style over warmth, wearing just their school uniform jacket.
Shen Nian wasn't that tough. For seven or eight degrees, he needed at least a hoodie on top.
They had English and science comprehensive exams today. Shen Nian was now in his fully-realized top student form, so he wasn't nervous even without reviewing at all.
"Over a decade of hard work, all comes down to today," Shen Nian said lightly, sitting back at his desk.
"Weren't you only working hard for one semester?" Xia Yanchun mercilessly exposed him.
"Wasn't my hard work in elementary and middle school still hard work? We went to the same schools back then, you know. Saying I didn't work hard is basically putting yourself down. After all, if I didn't work hard and still ended up at the same school as you, you must be pretty weak..."
Chen Qiuyu, passing by to get water, glanced back, her ears perking up curiously. "You guys went to the same school before? I remember our class president went to school in a town for elementary and middle school. Are you from the same hometown as her?"
"Yep, we're hometown buddies."
Xia Yanchun also nodded. "We both studied in a town before."
"All the way until high school? You weren't in the same class the whole time, were you?"
Xia Yanchun jumped in to answer this one: "No, just the same school. We got to know each other from seeing each other around a lot."
"Mhmm, if you had been in the same class the whole time though... wouldn't that be so youthful?"
Right, speaking of youth, you can't help but think of some very youthful phrases...
Shen Nian's weirdo radar activated. Sensing Chen Qiuyu was about to go off on a tangent, he decisively cut in, "What youth this, youth that? It's just being at the same school, no big deal."
Chen Qiuyu had already prepared some artsy, youthful short sentences in her head, only to have Shen Nian interrupt her casting. A bit miffed, she muttered a few things to Xia Yanchun, finished getting her hot water, and went back to her seat.
Not many people had arrived in the classroom yet. Shen Nian tore off a small piece of paper, crumpled it into a ball, and scored a golden headshot on Xia Yanchun.
Xia Yanchun was utterly, fantastically, storm-absorbingly speechless. She opened the little note and was even more speechless.
Shen Nian: Is being in the same class as me something shameful?
Xia Yanchun: Pretty embarrassing. I'm afraid people will think I'm an idiot too.
Shen Nian: Insulting your bro, huh? You better apologize, or I'll hang myself at the head of your bed tonight if I don't get one.
Xia Yanchun quickly picked up her pen, but only drew a pig's nose. Then she drew a long arrow that squiggled all over, filling the entire little note. At the end of the arrow, she wrote "Shen Nian" in big letters.
Shen Nian was furious after reading it.
She even specifically filled the whole note so he couldn't write back. Unbeatable, Ha Xia Chun.
As more people slowly trickled into the classroom, Shen Nian couldn't bother Xia Yanchun anymore, so he had to go bother Ma Mingfan instead.
He accidentally remembered the incident during the sports meet's friendly one-on-one where Ma Mingfan had patted his head for a full thirty minutes. Sumimasen, Ma-san.
His Will of Fire had died out from that moment. Thinking about it, he could credit his escape from that misery to Ma Mingfan.
For a moment, he actually felt a bit reluctant...
Just kidding, anyone who could think that is a real weirdo.
Those who knew thought they were playing Naruto; those who didn't would think they were playing some weird game.
Ma Mingfan had originally planned to take a nice pre-exam nap. He had just laid his head down when Candy Super Sweet emerged from his dreams.
Then Shen Nian slapped him on the shoulder, jolting him awake.
"Whoa, Shen Nian, you're my dad!" Ma Mingfan was moved to tears.
Shen Nian and Chen Dong always managed to wake him up whenever unspeakable things invaded his dreams. To have friends like this, what more could one ask for!
Ten thousand signatures petition to include Shen Nian and Chen Dong in the Top Ten National Figures Who Moved China (1/10,000)
Although Shen Nian didn't understand why, he still smiled and patted Ma Mingfan with even more force.
"You only realized now? I've known for a long time."
"You really are my dad, really!" Ma Mingfan was overwhelmed with gratitude.
"Haha, I know. I've been your dad for a while now."
"Later, I absolutely have to treat you to a Coke. A big bottle, okay? Has to be Pepsi!"
"..."
His sudden enthusiasm made Shen Nian a bit panicked.
Not cool, bro, I slap you and you call me dad?
Did that slap... feel good to you or something?
Shen Nian knew Chen Dong used to browse the weird side of the internet, and he knew Ma Mingfan's preferences were already strange, but he didn't expect them to be this hardcore.
It scared Shen Nian. He quickly moved farther away and turned to call out to Xia Yanchun, "Do you have any alcohol wipes? Save me!"
"Yeah, I do." Xia Yanchun leaned over towards Li Shiyan, pulled two disinfectant wipes from Li Shiyan's desk drawer, and handed them to Shen Nian.
Shen Nian took them and scrubbed his hand raw, afraid of catching something.
This circle is too messed up. Terminating the father-son relationship.
Yanxi reminds you: Due to Tomato's request for 3 million+ daily visits causing excessive server pressure, it is now recommended you use sources from other big shots.
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
s + Rent Collection Wealth】 At the start, he inherited a rundown house in the urban village from his grandfather. The house had no tenants, but the moment he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, a self-proclaimed empress from the Tianxuan Continent arrived as his first tenant. Ye Chuan soon discovered that with every new tenant moving in, not only did he receive massive daily payments, but he also obtained unique items related to their backgrounds. 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Tiger Strength Pill—dramatically enhances physical power!】 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Deer Blood Pill—significantly boosts vitality!】 …… From that day on, all sorts of bizarre tenants began appearing in the house: the empress from Tianxuan Continent, an apocalyptic sorceress from the Magic Realm, a mysterious scientific girl who fell through a spacetime rift… Every single day, he received strange, powerful items and endless money. Then one day, he suddenly realized—he had become invincible. Enough, enough! Stop giving me more!
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
