That brat isn’t even pretending anymore.
Watching Shen Nian walk out with two test papers in hand, Shen Yue chuckled to herself.
They really are close, huh?
Is this what they call childhood sweethearts?
Crying.
Why don’t I have a childhood sweetheart? Ugh, I’m almost twenty-five and haven’t even been chased by a guy before. Might as well let the world end already.
A few more years and I’ll officially become a single saintess. Tragic.
Next door, Shen Nian fiddled with Xia Yanchun’s door lock using his key. With a click, the door swung open.
Xia Yanchun’s apartment only got direct sunlight in the afternoon. In the morning, it was cool and carried a faint, pleasant fragrance.
This place is practically marinated in Xia Yanchun’s scent. What brand of body wash is she using? Bro, drop the secret sponsorship already.
Xia Yanchun’s bedroom door was slightly ajar. Being the gentleman he was, Shen Nian peeked in first to confirm she was sitting at her desk doing homework before lightly knocking on the door.
“I heard you open the door. Stealing someone’s key, barging in without permission—still claiming you’re not a creep?” Xia Yanchun muttered without even turning around.
Shen Nian broke into a cold sweat. As the primary culprit in the “plane crash incident,” do you really have no self-awareness?
Just because I had headphones on and didn’t hear you knock, does that mean you can just waltz in? Straight to the gallows with you.
But he couldn’t say that out loud. Trading eight hundred losses for twenty thousand wasn’t his style.
“Still working on homework?” Shen Nian leaned over her shoulder, asking the obvious.
“Yeah, I don’t wanna leave it all for the last day.”
“A miracle in one night is still a miracle. Don’t look down on the procrastinators just ‘cause you started early.”
“Wasn’t talking about you. Jumping to conclusions much?” Xia Yanchun finally noticed the test papers in his hand. “Wait, you’re not here to do homework too, are you?”
“Heh, bingo. Scoot over.”
“Ew…”
Without a shred of shame, Shen Nian plopped down on the edge of her bed, just close enough to reach the desk. It wasn’t as comfortable as his own room, but it’d do. Beggars can’t be choosers.
Truthfully, he’d come mostly to shake off the fatigue from grinding all morning. The homework was just an excuse—anything he got done was a bonus.
Xia Yanchun usually did her homework independently, rarely needing help. Only when completely stumped would she resort to searching for answers online. Shen Nian watched in awe, standing at attention like a soldier.
Someone like her scoring 700 points? Shen Nian wasn’t jealous at all.
“Wait, this isn’t part of the homework, is it?” Xia Yanchun glanced at his papers and immediately spotted the discrepancy.
“Nah, I’m skipping the holiday assignments. Grabbed some extra practice tests instead.”
“Uh…”
Xia Yanchun didn’t know how to respond. Whatever, to each their own. As long as he improved, his methods were valid.
The room was pleasantly cool—Xia Yanchun never closed the door when the AC was on. Shen Nian grabbed a peanut ice cream bar and shut the door behind him, instantly making the space feel more private.
Slurp slurp.
“Could you not eat like that? So gross.”
Huff huff.
“…”
Sugar high hit Shen Nian hard.
Letting him in was a mistake. There was no way she could focus now.
Xia Yanchun took a deep breath, resisting the urge to bite him, snapped her pen shut, and flopped onto the bed. She hugged a plush bear and melted into the mattress.
Weekends were meant for either shopping or becoming one with the bed.
“Huh? Why’d you stop? I’m still working—been at it since six.”
“Can’t concentrate with a dog around.”
“Oh, bold words! You’re asking for a beating. Thought I’d gone soft just ‘cause I’ve been behaving?” Shen Nian pointed at her like an accusatory husky.
Mortal enemies stay mortal enemies. Childhood sweethearts? Not a chance.
Guess I’ll just have to dunk on her to survive.
Xia Yanchun buried her chin into a pillow and pulled a thin blanket over her legs. “Stay mad.”
“You’re asking for it, Xia Yanchun. One of these days, I’m gonna whack you.”
“Whatever. Uncle will beat you up for me.”
“Ugh. Ran into a shrimp-headed girl today.”
Shen Nian secretly opened a forum and made a post.
Title: [Fellas, my childhood sweetheart just called me a shrimp-headed dog]
Body: As the title says. This lil’ rat got roasted by his childhood sweetheart. Back then, she even made me call her “big sis.” Look how she treats me now. Currently in her room—what do?
Replies flooded in within minutes.
[Trash-tier bait. +3, my dudes.]
[Just clap back? What do you mean “what do?” Only one solution—kill! (tyrant emoji)]
[Kneel, beg her to stop, then hang yourself at her doorstep.]
[I’m in elementary school. Give me her WeChat and 200 bucks.]
[Don’t fall for it, bros. Dude’s just flexing that he has a childhood sweetheart.]
[Almost got me. Banished to the troll subforum.]
[Master baiter. You must fish a lot, huh?]
Fishing? Shen Nian wasn’t baiting anyone. Seriously.
The forum was lively—just a tad too hostile.
“What’re you doing? Weren’t you gonna do your tests?” Xia Yanchun wriggled closer, poking his thigh with her toes as he stared at his phone.
“Posted about you online. Prepare for the internet’s wrath.” Shen Nian was nothing if not honest.
“You’ve lost it. Let me see.”
“Already deleted it.” Also true—the replies had backfired spectacularly. Instead of rallying against Xia Yanchun, they’d turned on him for “humblebragging.”
So what if he had a fair-skinned, smart, pretty childhood sweetheart who let him crash in her AC-cooled room, walked to school together every day, sat near him in class, occasionally fed him, and even shared a room during sleepovers?
That was just his normal life. How was that fishing? Stupid forumites didn’t know anything.
“You’d better have.” Xia Yanchun bit her lip and yanked her feet back under the blanket.
Her shorts didn’t cover much, and though she only dressed like this at home, Shen Nian’s presence made her hyperaware of exposed skin. This guy literally begged to “see legs” daily—no wonder she had to verbally smack him sometimes.
“Whatever. Back to work. Gonna finish a whole test today.” Shen Nian declared solemnly, cracking his knuckles. Time to slay the study beast.
“Do what you want. I’m napping. Meeting Shi Yan for shopping this afternoon.”
“Wait, what? How about we three—”
“Shut it. Don’t even start with that cursed line again. I and Shi Yan will live happily ever after, thank you very much.”
“Oho? Lesbian arc?”
“…”
Xia Yanchun stared at him like he was clinically stupid. Shen Nian, sensing the vibe, grabbed another ice cream and dove back into his work.
Ten practice tests in seven days? Easier said than done.
Ahead lies only suffering…
Meh. No deadlines anyway.
After another hour, the fiery determination from last night had faded into numb exhaustion. The world had turned gray—worse than three consecutive all-nighters.
The pen dangled loosely in his grip, motionless as if nothing could spark his interest, his mind already drifting off into the clouds.
The Xiaomi "Super-Writing" pen he'd bought seemed on the verge of burning out too. Funny? All I see is a student who’s worn down by the grind of studying.
He tilted his head slightly. On the bed, the little girl was sprawled carefree over a teddy bear, her fair calves swaying idly as she scrolled through videos.
As if sensing his gaze, Xia Yanchun glanced sideways at Shen Nian, her almond-shaped eyes blinking playfully.
"If you want me to come up, just blink... Hey, you blinked just now, didn’t you?" Shen Nian flashed his signature grin, already inching his way onto the bed.
Xia Yanchun kicked at him with her feet, pushing him away. Watching him shamelessly try to climb up, she felt a mix of embarrassment and urgency—no way was she letting him up here! Arch-nemeses don’t share a bed!
"Stop twisting people’s expressions into whatever you want!"
Question: What does it mean when a cute girl kicks you with her feet?
Normal Person 1: She’s being playful.
Normal Person 2: She’s resisting.
Normal Person 3: She’s playing hard to get.
Shen Nian: Times have changed. I’m ahead of the curve—this is a samurai duel.
"Fighting, huh? Guess I’ll have to restrain you then."
Thanks to the natural physical advantage of being male, Shen Nian easily caught Xia Yanchun’s foot. The once-fiery limb instantly stilled in his grasp.
Yanxi Reminder: Due to Tomato’s request for 3 million+ daily updates straining the servers, we now recommend switching to other sources provided by fellow creators.

with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!

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."

world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...

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!