The rain was getting heavier, but fortunately, Shen Nian had raincoats in his vehicle.
Sharing a single umbrella, the two landed safely. Only Shen Nian's backpack and pant legs were wet.
On such a rainy day, no matter how careful one was, getting wet pant legs was unavoidable. Even Xia Yanchun wasn't spared, but she didn't mind much since she was going to change her clothes as soon as she got back.
After putting on the raincoat, Shen Nian rarely put on his helmet. He drove very, very slowly, carefully carrying Xia Yanchun back to their residential complex.
"Phew, you didn't get soaked, right?" Stepping into the elevator, Shen Nian finally let out a sigh of relief.
"No."
"See, I told you we wouldn't get wet."
"I'll give you that."
The elevator doors opened with a ding. Xia Yanchun was eager to go home and take a shower, so she hurriedly unlocked her door.
She had her change of clothes ready and hummed a pleasant tune as she entered the bathroom. Seeing the water heater screen dark, her world instantly collapsed.
She had forgotten to turn on the water heater before leaving the house...!
Depressing, depressing, depressing.
Xia Yanchun puffed her cheeks in frustration and decided not to wait for the water to heat up.
This was exactly when the benefits of having a neighbor right across the hall whose home you could casually drop into became apparent.
Holding her clothes, Xia Yanchun left her apartment and knocked on the door opposite hers.
"Who makes such a racket out there?" Shen Nian's voice sounded from behind the door.
"It's me, hurry up and open the door!"
"Is it the one-meter-sixty-one tall Xia Yanchun who has short hair, likes to tie it in a ponytail, and loves bullying people?"
"It's me, open the door now!"
Creak. Shen Nian opened the door. "What brings you here, and with clothes too? Did your faucet break?"
"I forgot to heat the water and I'm too lazy to wait. I'm coming to your place for a shower."
"Hold on, I'm showering first."
"Me first, me first!"
"I already took my clothes in!"
"You definitely just put your clothes in there and then came out to play on your phone."
"Damn, you're actually right. You go first then."
"..."
Xia Yanchun entered the house, called out "Sister Shen Yue" to Shen Yue, and turned into the bathroom. Showering was the top priority right now.
The interior design of both apartments was extremely similar; the tiles and water heaters were the exact same models.
Xia Yanchun set her clothes down and happily took her shower.
It was just like being at home.
After all, how could Shen Nian's home not be considered her home too?
Since she didn't need to wash her hair, she was out in just twenty minutes.
Wearing a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, she stood there looking like a little doll. With her fair skin and slightly flushed cheeks, she was a super cute little thing.
Shen Nian was mesmerized.
Xia Yanchun ignored him. She took her dirty clothes back home, tossed them in the washing machine, and slipped right back over. She sat next to Shen Yue, chattering away while watching TV together.
"Can't you see Little Chun is here, Shen Nian? Go get some yogurt!"
"Exactly, not sharp at all," Xia Yanchun chimed in.
Shen Nian was terrified. He had been so focused on flirting with Xia Yanchun that he had completely forgotten how she and Shen Yue used to boss him around together.
He obediently fetched the yogurt for them, then hurried off to take his shower to avoid being ordered around like a waiter.
"How are your grades lately, Little Chun? Haven't slipped, have they?"
"Nope, still getting the same scores."
"That's good, that's good."
It would be bad if these two kids got so caught up in their romance that they neglected their studies at such a crucial time.
Hearing Xia Yanchun say this, Shen Yue instantly stopped worrying.
These two kids had actually hidden it so well from her. If she wasn't so smart, they probably would have kept her completely in the dark.
Shen Yue desperately, incredibly wanted to expose Xia Yanchun. She wanted to ask her exactly when she and Shen Nian got together.
Who liked who first? Who confessed first? Have they held hands yet? Have they kissed?
But at this critical juncture, less trouble was better than more. If she rashly exposed the young couple and caused Xia Yanchun to become distracted, affecting her studies, that would be terrible.
Afraid of impacting the young couple's studies, as the older sister, she could only endure it for now.
Even though she couldn't expose them, she could ask about other things.
"Little Chun is so pretty, are there any boys pursuing you in class?"
"Hmm..." Xia Yanchun nodded. "There was one before. Not exactly pursuing, but deliberately trying to get close. I mostly ignored him, and after a while, he got the hint and stopped bothering me."
"Oh my, Little Chun is so popular! What about Shen Nian? Any rumors about him?"
"There were, but they were just rumors."
"So that means no. Makes sense, he's pretty dumb after all."
"Hehe, he is indeed pretty dumb."
Being an older sister meant having the privilege to casually insult your younger brother.
After chatting with Shen Yue, Xia Yanchun felt empowered again. She decided that once Shen Nian came out of the shower, she would casually order him around a bit to regain her older sister mindset.
After flirting for so long, she had almost forgotten her original role.
"Woohoo." Shen Nian walked out of the bathroom with dripping wet hair.
As everyone knows, for a brief period right after a shower, a guy's attractiveness can completely crush Daniel Wu's.
"You, go pour me a glass of water."
"No way, bro, I won't."
"I'm your older sister, you admitted it yourself after school."
"I told you, no way, bro," Shen Nian bared his teeth.
Xia Yanchun choked on her words. Just as she was about to continue picking a fight, she heard Shen Nian let out a heavy sigh.
"Sigh, whatever, your bro will show some mercy and get you a glass of water."
"Tch, I don't want it anymore!"
"Then I won't get it."
"..."
Xia Yanchun hugged her legs and grumbled. She planned to sulk quietly until she went to her room, leaving Shen Nian to guess what was wrong.
The TV was playing the hottest music variety show at the moment. Shen Yue and Xia Yanchun both enjoyed watching it, but Shen Nian had little interest in variety shows. He sat on the other sofa playing video games.
He was just waiting for Xia Yanchun to head home so he could openly follow her.
Approaching midnight, Shen Yue yawned, stretched her legs, and lazily hugged Xia Yanchun. "I'm going to sleep. If you want to keep watching, just remember to close the door when you go home later."
"Mhm, I'll watch for a little bit longer and then head back."
Shen Yue used the restroom and then went back to her room alone.
Back in high school, sleeping five or six hours a day and taking a one-hour nap at noon was enough. Ever since she started working, sleeping eight hours a day wasn't enough; she needed twelve hours.
Shen Yue felt quite depressed. Just now, she actually felt a bit like a third wheel.
One is never young twice. At twenty-five, she wasn't exactly that young anymore.
The more she thought about it, the unhappier she got. In a fit of rage, she decided she was going to sleep a full eight hours, wake up, and eat a whole basket of soup dumplings.
"When are you going back to sleep?" Shen Nian looked up at Xia Yanchun, who was resting her feet on the coffee table.
"Hmph."
Shen Nian sat down next to Xia Yanchun, quietly pressing against her. "What's wrong? Mad because I wouldn't let you boss me around?"
"I'm not that petty."
"Uh-huh." Shen Nian leaned in close, rubbing his face against Xia Yanchun's smooth cheek. He held her close, breathing softly, and whispered, "My Chunbao is the most generous."
"Mmm..." Xia Yanchun half-closed her eyes, a bit overwhelmed by his nuzzling. A blush crept onto her small face. "You're going to rub the skin right off my face..."
"Hehe, how about you sleep at my place tonight? My bed says it misses you."
"..." Xia Yanchun stared blankly and ignored him.
"How much longer until this episode is over?"
"I don't know."
"Then I'll stay with you until it's done." Shen Nian pulled her small hand into his embrace, gently rubbing and squeezing it.
Xia Yanchun held out for a good while, but ultimately couldn't resist leaning against Shen Nian's arm.
But remembering that she was still sulking, Xia Yanchun decided to just lean against him and ignore him.
As for her hand... she would just pretend Shen Nian was giving it a massage.

for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?

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.”

't think I'm that capable, I'm just trying my best to stay alive. I've been kind all my life, never did anything bad, yet worldly suffering spared me not one bit. The human world is a nice place, but I won't come back in my next life. A kind young man, who wanted to just get by singing, but through repeated deceits and betrayals, has gone down an irredeemable path.

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…