After the kiss.
Shen Nian buried his face against Xia Yanchun's chest for a brief moment, breathing in the girl's sweet scent, before slowly lifting his head and flashing a goofy, toothy grin.
"Chunbao is so good to kiss."
"Get off..."
"Let's go down, otherwise they'll think we're up to no good."
"Mhm."
Xia Yanchun nodded, tidied her hair, and went downstairs with Shen Nian.
It was the early hours of the first day of the Lunar New Year; it was better to behave themselves.
The card game downstairs was still going strong. To show dominance, everyone was slamming their cards onto the table.
Shen Nian had no intention of joining their game. He and Xia Yanchun pulled up chairs and found a quiet corner to sit in.
Naturally, their hands never let go of each other for a single moment.
He didn't want to let go at all; he wanted to hold her hand through the entire winter.
Shen Nian played with the girl's small hand and couldn't help but rub the gold bracelet on her wrist.
His own was already put away in his room. Had he known, he would have worn it just for fun.
But now, he was too lazy to go back upstairs.
The excitement and thrill of the engagement had mostly faded by now. With his emotions settled, Shen Nian didn't want to think about anything else, just quietly enjoying the New Year.
Xia Yanchun stayed by his side.
However, she couldn't stay up as well as Shen Nian did. As it neared three in the morning, her head began to bob as she nodded off to sleep.
"Go to sleep if you're tired," Shen Nian whispered during a moment when she jolted awake.
"Mhm... It's almost three. If I sleep now, I'll have to wake up soon, which will just give me a headache. I'll just sleep in the afternoon."
"Can you hold on?"
"Definitely!" Xia Yanchun mumbled, forcing herself to stay awake. Even though her small hand was warm from Shen Nian rubbing it, she pulled it back and ordered, "You, go get me a drink."
"Get it yourself."
"You go, hurry up and go!"
"..." Shen Nian was helpless against her.
Being the younger one meant a life of hardship; he was used to it.
...
At six in the morning, the sky was just beginning to brighten, and the faint sound of a rooster crowing could be heard.
At this hour, some people had already started setting off firecrackers.
The card game was wrapped up, and it was time to prepare for the ancestor worship ceremony.
With the chicken slaughtered, the rice cooked, and some large oysters added, the offerings for the ancestors were ready.
Pouring the wine, burning the yellow paper, using the wine to put out the fire, and pressing their hands together in devout prayer—only then was the ancestor worship ceremony complete.
Of course, praying for blessings was an indispensable part. As a result, the exhausted Shen Yue was slightly pressured by Shen Shi and Chen Minyue to pray for a good partner this year.
Everyone had stayed up all night and was very tired. Shen Nian decided to postpone the engagement announcement until the evening. He would organize his words later so he could express himself clearly when both families had dinner together.
Although he was in high spirits, Shen Nian still needed rest.
In the afternoon, he rested in his room for three hours, waking up just in time to seamlessly transition into his live stream.
As he expected, the number of viewers in his live stream took a massive dive today.
To still insist on watching his educational stream on the first day of the Lunar New Year—with such perseverance, why worry about not getting into a dream university?
They would succeed in whatever they did!
The live chat was buzzing with comments.
[Master Shen is actually streaming today, I'm crying.]
[Kids, winter break is the best time to overtake the competition. What I mean is, please join me in out-studying everyone else.]
[How did you know I completed three comprehensive science papers while staying up for the New Year?]
[The whole society is against toxic studying, can't you guys take a break? I only memorized a few vocabulary words today.]
[I have no choice... Chef Xia isn't streaming. My foundation is already weak and I started later than others. Besides working ruthlessly hard, what other way is there?]
Propping up his face, Shen Nian finished explaining a question and started responding to some of the comments.
"Students with a weak foundation, don't worry. In a while, Chef Xia and I will put together a separate set of materials for every science subject specifically for you guys. You can get it by following Chef Xia."
[Awesome, does anyone disagree if I say Master Shen and Chef Xia are living Bodhisattvas?]
[Even the Leshan Giant Buddha would have to give up his seat for you two.]
[You're too good, I'm literally in tears.]
...
He only made a few hundred yuan from the entire stream.
It was considered the least profitable day in Shen Nian's streaming career, but it was still acceptable.
Looking at his two accounts with a total of four million followers across the internet, an idea popped into Shen Nian's mind.
How about... trying to set up an online studio targeting the academic performance of middle and high school students?
The education industry would never become a sunset industry; it might be a viable path.
As for the specific operations of the studio, Shen Nian hadn't figured it out yet. What was certain was that it wouldn't stray too far from his live stream content—it would all be a form of education.
He still needed to research it carefully.
At four in the afternoon, Shen Shi and Chen Minyue also woke up and were chatting with some neighbor downstairs.
At this time, Shen Yue was probably still sleeping.
Shen Nian was quite relaxed. Since it was about time, he threw on a coat and went downstairs to help them cook rice and heat up the dishes.
During this time, Xia Yanchun also woke up. Wearing her pajamas, she came downstairs and sat in front of her yard, spacing out.
When Shen Nian came out after heating the food, he saw Xia Yanchun looking wronged.
It seemed she had taken off the gold bracelet on her wrist before the ancestor worship ceremony this morning.
"Didn't get enough sleep? Your dark circles are so heavy."
"Mhm, I kind of couldn't sleep..."
"Is this what happens when you leave me? Good grief."
Xia Yanchun grew even more frustrated and glared at him fiercely.
Shen Nian loved this kind of look—the one where she was annoyed with him but couldn't do anything about it.
"Why don't you go back up and sleep a bit more?"
"I'm not sleeping. It's better to be tired so I can go straight to sleep tonight without having to fix my schedule."
"That's true."
"Oh, Shen Nian, do you want some sweet soup? It's freshly cooked and still hot," Wen Zhining happened to walk out holding a bowl of dark green mung bean soup.
Making mung bean soup in the dead of winter—what an elegant mood. Shen Nian liked it.
"I prefer my sweet soup cold. I'll drink it later when it cools down."
"Once it cools, I'll put it in the fridge. If you want some, just scoop it out yourself."
"Got it, got it."
"You must have slept well yesterday to be this energetic. Little Chun just woke up not too long ago."
"Can't be helped, I'm not a pig, after all." Shen Nian touched his forehead, acting exasperated.
Suddenly remembering that Xia Herui was also still sleeping, Wen Zhining's expression froze.
It was one thing to flirt with Little Chun, but why drag innocent bystanders into it? It was too much to look at.
The sky always darkened quickly in winter.
Tonight was a joint family dinner. Shen Nian, his older sister, and his parents all went over to Xia Yanchun's place to eat.
Xia Yanchun was no longer sleepy. During dinner, she traded seats with Sister Shen Yue to sit next to Shen Nian.
The gentle Chunbao poured drinks for everyone.
"Cheers, cheers!"
"Cheers!"
"Shen Nian, you're not a kid anymore. Aren't you going to learn to drink a little?" Xia Herui took a sip of white liquor and smiled faintly.
"Alcohol is too bitter, what's so good about it? What's wrong, Uncle, are you stressed out?"
"Sigh, you young people don't understand. Back in our day, as long as you were a man, you had to drink whether you wanted to or not."
"What about women?" Shen Nian scratched his cheek.
"Women generally didn't drink much; they all went to the non-drinking table."
Shen Nian nodded and quietly leaned close to Xia Yanchun's ear. "Your dad is discriminating against women. Shouldn't we expose him on Xiaohongshu?"
Xia Yanchun almost spat out her drink. Clenching her small fists, she took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to punch Shen Nian into the air. "I'll expose you in a minute."
"Alright, remember to attach a picture of my abs. Oh, and don't forget to mention that I'm five-eleven and a hundred and seventy-five pounds."
"Get lost, or I'll beat you up."
Shen Nian was exasperated. So much for threatening to put her bro on blast online—when he actually gave her the green light, she backed out.
Haji Chun, you really are something. I'll be the one putting you on blast on the forums.
The title read: My super cute, five-foot-three, hundred-and-ten-pound childhood friend is always scolding me and threatening to beat me up. Does anyone have any advice on how to put her in her place?
Is it a slow day on the forums?
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
ng to die together with you." Lin Xuan is dead, his body thrown into the river by his scumbag lover and her accomplice. She, the president of the Su Group, is decisive, ruthless, and ice-cold. For three days and three nights, she had his body fished out of the river, and without hesitation, she kissed the bloated corpse of Lin Xuan. She laid down beside him in a cold coffin, their fingers intertwined, a smile lingering on her lips as she closed her eyes. The noble and cold-hearted woman, only bending for one man—Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan, with his golden finger, is reborn and returns to the day of his wedding to the treacherous woman. Su Qiang comes to steal the bride. Lin Xuan's eyes light up, eager to pledge his loyalty on the spot, but instead, her kiss transfers a glass of drugged wine into his mouth, causing him to pass out... 【Male Protagonist with Single Female Lead】【Yandere Tycoon】【Action-Packed】【True vs. Fake Heir】
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
] 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.
