At night, the younger generation liked to stay in their rooms scrolling through short videos and playing games, while the older generation preferred to gather around and chat.
Even up on the third floor, Shen Nian could hear his parents chatting with a few neighboring uncles and aunts downstairs.
Many of these uncles and aunts had lived in the town their whole lives and were old acquaintances. Occasionally, they would bring up silly things they did in their childhood, causing the whole group to burst into laughter.
Shen Shi was already bragging to everyone about Shen Nian being the top scorer in the college entrance examination.
Hearing this, Shen Nian felt a little embarrassed.
Thankfully, none of them had sons or daughters in high school. Otherwise, Shen Nian was genuinely afraid these uncles and aunts would drag him over to be a free tutor.
Shen Nian was still scrolling on his phone. Many people in the class group chat were discussing their scores. The fact that Shen Nian and Xia Yanchun were the top scorers of the province had already spread throughout the group chat. At a glance, there were countless mentions, all congratulating them.
Except for Huang Chen.
Am I that close to you? That bastard even tagged him and Xia Yanchun, demanding they send red envelopes to celebrate. Sending one as a joke would have been fine, but he actually spammed several messages.
If it had been Chen Dong, Ma Mingfan, Li Shiyan, Chen Qiuyu, or Han Wenxin tagging him, he might have actually sent one.
Everyone was exchanging updates, but Shen Nian only sent two emojis before going back to lurking.
Seeing many people in the group discussing college applications, Shen Nian also started to think about it.
The application deadline was approaching. Tomorrow, the admissions office of Nanjiang University would come to inquire, but he and Xia Yanchun still had no idea about their majors. They felt they could study any popular major, but they weren't particularly interested in any of them.
The current AI trend was blazing hot, and the whole world was vigorously developing AI. Despite the massive boom right now, AI was actually still in its early stages of development. For the next decade or even longer, AI-related fields would remain a core track.
Shen Nian actually wanted to develop in the direction of AI.
His Breeding Mastery could serve as a safety net for his life if he ever became unemployed. He had countless opportunities for trial and error. Even if he couldn't break into the elite circle of AI, he could pivot halfway and switch to another, more suitable major.
Of course, not breaking into the elite circle was just a worst-case scenario.
His top-tier college entrance examination score was just a concrete manifestation of his abilities. As he grew older and his horizons broadened, his abilities would branch out and flourish.
Shen Nian hadn't decided yet; it ultimately depended on what major Chunbao wanted to apply for. As for him, any major would naturally be fine. The AI industry was just a more interesting option among his ten thousand choices. He would only choose to enter the AI industry if he continued to be this aimless.
Next door on the third floor.
Xia Yanchun had just finished taking a shower and smelled fragrant all over. After drying her hair, she shrank into her air-conditioning blanket.
She curled up into a ball, not because she was cold, but simply because she wanted to wrap her whole body in the blanket.
The air-conditioning blanket was thin, and wrapping herself in it didn't look pretty at all, she looked like an alien. But Xia Yanchun didn't care; there was no one else around anyway.
She also scrolled through the chat history of the class group. So many people had tagged her. She replied to them one by one, which took her quite a while to type.
Knock, knock.
There was a knock on the door, and a familiar voice came through, What is Little Chun doing? Can Mom come in?
Mhm!
Wen Zhining placed a bowl of purple grapes on the desk and smiled, Just finished your shower?
Yeah. Xia Yanchun tilted her small head. Is there something wrong?
What could be wrong? I'm just bringing you some fruit. The great top scorer needs to eat some fruit, don't exhaust yourself.
Hehe, Mom is the best.
The grapes were large, the seedless variety that didn't need to be peeled. Sweet and sour, one bite was incredibly satisfying, making Xia Yanchun feel wonderful.
Xia Yanchun was happy, and so was Wen Zhining. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she peeled grapes for the family's top scorer, her voice gentle and soft, Although you can eat them without peeling, the texture is much better when peeled. I always like to peel them before eating. Here.
Mhm, mm, delicious.
What major does Little Chun want to apply for? Have you decided yet?
Not yet.
Then you need to think about it quickly. It's almost time to submit the applications, right?
Mhm, I'll ask Shen Nian tonight.
Have you two agreed to apply for the same major? Wen Zhining narrowed her eyes.
Yeah, we've already decided to apply to the same university anyway.
You two really have been inseparable since childhood.
...
Xia Yanchun slightly lowered her face, feeling inexplicably shy.
Although her mother was telling the truth, and her mother was practically a witness to it all, hearing it from her mouth made Xia Yanchun feel that something was slightly off.
It didn't sound like a simple sigh of emotion about her and Shen Nian being inseparable.
It had a sort of sarcastic tone, yet not quite sarcastic... mixed with hints, guesses, and curiosity... It just didn't sound like a declarative sentence.
Had she noticed something?
Was she finally going to be found out!
Xia Yanchun swallowed hard, clutching her small hands nervously, Going to university together means we can look after each other...
Home isn't far away, do you really need Shen Nian to look after you?
Wen Zhining really wanted to ask this, but her daughter's shyness was practically written all over her face.
While understanding certain things in her heart, Wen Zhining was also a bit curious about when the two of them started and how far they had progressed now.
Your dad saw you hugging Shen Nian today.
...R-really.
You were hugging him quite tightly, with your face pressed right against his back.
Xia Yanchun felt completely flustered. She subconsciously sat up straight, her voice becoming weak, I think it's pretty normal.
I didn't say it wasn't normal, Wen Zhining smiled.
Although Xia Yanchun was very nervous, she wasn't in a hurry to refute anything. In a sense, this could be considered a disguised admission, except that her shyness took up the majority of her emotions, making her speech a bit clumsy.
Wen Zhining almost thought of herself as some wicked mother trying to stop her daughter from running towards happiness.
Think carefully about your major, okay? I'm going to hang the laundry.
Mhm.
Wen Zhining didn't stay long. After a brief chat, she gave her the space to properly digest the conversation.
When the door closed, Xia Yanchun felt a wave of relief.
It seemed that the matter between her and Shen Nian could no longer be hidden... It felt like she didn't need to specifically announce her relationship with Shen Nian to her parents; they could spot the clues from a few words and their daily interactions.
Of course, this also had something to do with the fact that they hadn't been acting much lately.
This should... be considered a good thing, right?
Xia Yanchun sighed. After being questioned by her mother like this, she lost all the mood to think about her major.
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."
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
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)
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!
