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.
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
] [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!"
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!
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)
