After brushing her teeth and washing up, Xia Yanchun pattered back to her room.
Shen Nian was about to follow her in when the door slammed shut with a thud.
"I'm changing clothes."
"Xia Yanchun, what’s your problem? Do you think I’m the kind of guy who’d peek? Let me be honest—you’ve got zero appeal to me. I see you as one of the guys. And since we guys don’t hide anything from each other, open the door. I’ve got something to say."
"I can hear your scheming from a mile away! Stay outside!"
"Shaking with rage. Trust between people is truly disappearing these days."
Seizing the opportunity while Xia Yanchun changed, Shen Nian peeked into the fridge. Well, well—the freezer had restocked its supply of peanut popsicles.
A mysterious jungler’s spawn point, confirmed.
When Xia Yanchun emerged in her blue-and-white school uniform, she found Shen Nian slurping away at a peanut popsicle.
"Eating ice this early in the morning? You’re definitely gonna have stomach issues later."
"No worries, I’ll just ask you for toilet paper."
Too exhausted to argue. Whatever, whatever.
Xia Yanchun was used to carrying a backpack to school—it held her umbrella, water bottle, tissues, and sometimes textbooks, bulging at the seams.
With the straps pulled tight, the backpack pressed her clothes snugly against her body, outlining the soft curves of her figure. Even the lines of her bra were faintly visible.
Shen Nian reached over to adjust the fabric on Xia Yanchun’s shoulder, his nose filled with the sweet, natural scent of her skin.
She had such a pleasant body fragrance that even Hannibal Lecter wouldn’t need seasoning.
Xia Yanchun stayed silent, fishing a hair tie from her pocket to tie up her shoulder-length black hair into a tiny ponytail. Nestled within the strands was a blue gemstone hair accessory.
Shen Nian had played with Xia Yanchun’s hair countless times but never paid much attention to the accessories. This time, he couldn’t resist brushing aside the silky strands to pinch the blue gem between his fingers.
"This little thing’s actually pretty cute."
"Stop messing with it…"
Xia Yanchun bit her lower lip as Shen Nian hovered beside her, as usual—tugging at her hair, flicking her ponytail, standing so close that the heat radiating off him warmed her face.
Shen Nian grinned. "Nah, I’ll keep messing with it."
"Go press the elevator already!"
"Why the rush?"
The elevator dinged. At six in the morning, the neighborhood wasn’t fully awake yet. Fallen leaves clustered along the roadside, skittering playfully from one end to the other whenever the wind blew.
Shen Nian took a step back, twirling a lock of Xia Yanchun’s smooth hair between his fingers—just because he could.
"Stop playing with my hair. I’m gonna go bald because of you."
"You blocked me yesterday. Unblock me right now."
"No. We’re officially no longer friends."
"Oh really? Fine then. Give me back the steamed buns I gave you."
"No! They’re mine now!"
Grumbling, Xia Yanchun still removed him from her blacklist, then angrily stuffed two buns into her mouth, puffing her cheeks like a disgruntled squirrel.
Her hair endured Shen Nian’s fiddling the entire way. If she ever went bald, it would 100% be his fault.
Morning brought Shen Nian’s favorite: back-to-back math classes.
Perfect—time to study English!
Unconsciously, Shen Nian had become an NTR enthusiast (in the academic sense—stealing study time during other classes).
The math teacher paced the room, growing increasingly exasperated. So many students weren’t paying attention, especially that tanned kid who didn’t even bother pretending to sleep.
Well then, time to begin.
"You’re the worst class I’ve ever taught. Did you all score so well on last semester’s finals that you don’t need to listen now?"
"Take a page from Shen Nian’s book. Look how focused he is!"
The class turned to Shen Nian, admiration shining in their eyes.
This subject-specific genius was on another level—already scoring top marks yet still studying diligently. A true role model.
Shen Nian: ?
Well, well. Praise falls from the sky while I’m just sitting here. How embarrassing.
By lunchtime, the teacher’s lecture dragged on, and Shen Nian watched in despair as the cafeteria line stretched out the door. His world crumbled.
No more delicious chicken drumsticks? Fine, teacher—let’s throw down!
Oh, it’s homeroom teacher Su Kexi? Never mind.
After school, Shen Nian joined the "late-lunch squad," trailing behind a few girls to scavenge the cafeteria’s leftovers—using Xia Yanchun’s meal card, since he’d forgotten to top up his own.
He even mooched a Chocliz bar off her.
"Pay me back," Xia Yanchun said, licking her peanut popsicle in delicate, slow strokes, her tongue coated in sweet white cream.
"Only if you beg."
"Fifteen bucks to see your true colors isn’t a bad deal. We’re done."
"Done it is. Couldn’t stand you anyway."
His phone wallet was loaded, but he had no cash—and Cinan No. 2 High’s meal cards didn’t accept mobile payments. At noon, Shen Nian slipped off-campus to exchange money at a convenience store, withdrawing a thousand in cash.
He was lazy about topping up his meal card, usually doing it monthly. The balance he’d been using was leftovers from last semester. Two meals a day, ten bucks max per meal—800 would last him two months.
He also grabbed some snacks off-campus, stuffing them into his backpack before returning to class with two bottles of iced tea. One he placed gently on Xia Yanchun’s desk—an apology for keeping her up last night.
Condensation from the bottle dampened the textbook cover. Xia Yanchun lifted her head with a soft whimper.
"Shen Nian, I’m so hot."
"Oh, you’re awake?" Shen Nian had been tiptoeing around like a thief to avoid disturbing her.
"Too hot to sleep."
"Here, drink something cold."
"......"
Xia Yanchun felt sticky all over. She wasn’t sweating, but the discomfort kept her awake. Even with the window open, the classroom was stifling, the fan blowing only warm air.
She took a sip, the chilled tea soothing her throat slightly.
"I thought we weren’t friends anymore. Why are you drinking my stuff?"
Shen Nian plopped cheerfully into Li Shiyan’s seat.
"Then let’s make up first." Xia Yanchun prepared to spar.
"Classic tsundere. Fine, Xia Yanchun, I forgive you. If you’ll miss me, just say it. Honestly, I’ll miss you too. You’re the prettiest girl in Cinan. Now, let me see those legs."
His rapid-fire teasing instantly wilted the little flowers blooming in Xia Yanchun’s heart. She chugged the rest of the tea and shot him a frosty glare.
"We’re done."
"?"
Unbelievable. Xia Yanchun’s mood swings don’t even cost points—she’s clearly hacking.
Yan Xi reminds you: Due to Tomato Novels’ demand for 3M+ daily updates straining server capacity, we now recommend switching to alternate sources provided by other big shots.
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
lan, the Luo family, tracked him down - along with the babies in their arms. Mo Xuan stared pensively at the paternity test results from over a dozen top institutions, both domestic and international, showing a 99.99% match between himself and the two baby girls. At 23, Mo Xuan, a doctoral student, had become the father of two three-year-old children. The kicker? The mothers weren't even the same person! He gradually realized he was being lured step by step into an elaborate trap designed by these two yandere sisters. "Be good, little Xuan. Sister's life belongs to you entirely." "Brother, if you try to run away, I'll have no choice but to tie you up." Mo Xuan: "Do whatever you want, ladies. I give up."
