Though she wanted to catch up on sleep, the bus kept rocking, stopping and starting intermittently, and the noise inside made it hard to doze off immediately.
Xia Yanchun kept her eyes half-closed but tilted her head back to listen to music, letting sleep come whenever it pleased—just for comfort.
Sometimes she thought about leaning on Shen Nian’s shoulder. If this were ten years ago, she would’ve done it without hesitation, back when Shen Nian was still easy to bully.
Looking back at her younger self now, Xia Yanchun could only regret how hard she’d hit him during their fights. She must’ve accidentally knocked a screw loose in his brain, making him so distant now.
I repent. But I’d do it again.
Shen Nian once heard a wise man say:
When looking at a girl, start with her eyes. If she’s looking at you, keep gazing into them. If she isn’t, then check out her legs.
So Shen Nian enjoyed the view thoroughly—so much so that he didn’t even notice when Xia Yanchun opened her eyes.
Expressionless, Xia Yanchun tugged her skirt down over her legs and flipped him off. “Pervert.”
“Ahem. My Xiaomi ultra-writable pen fell,” Shen Nian said with an innocent grin, trying to play it off.
“Are you doing ads now? You talk about it nonstop. I use Chenguang, by the way.”
“Chenguang’s trash. I prefer M&G and Truely.”
“Who asked?” A vein pulsed on Xia Yanchun’s forehead, her fist tightening.
“Weren’t you sleeping?”
“Not yet.”
“You can lean on me now if you want. I don’t mind. But no lap pillows—that’s off the table.” Shen Nian sounded dead serious, like he wasn’t joking.
“Who’s asking you??”
Xia Yanchun ignored him again, sending a message in the family group chat to ask if her parents could pick them up. If they were busy, she and Shen Nian would have to take an unlicensed cab back to town.
Her aunt and uncle were definitely out of the question—their farm was over ten kilometers from town, making travel inconvenient. Sometimes they even stayed overnight at the farm.
Back then, Shen Nian would always mooch meals at her place.
But that rarely happened now because Shen Nian had learned to survive on instant noodles.
Xia Yanchun had lost count of how many times her mom complained—how Shen Nian had grown distant, choosing cup noodles over home-cooked meals, even suspecting they’d had a falling out.
They hadn’t. They just fought.
After starting high school, Shen Nian rarely returned to town.
“Mom’s picking us up at the town entrance,” Xia Yanchun said after checking the group chat.
“No way. That’s awesome.” Shen Nian rubbed his chin. “Haven’t seen your mom in ages. I’m eating at your place tonight.”
“You’re the one who never comes back…”
“Eh, let’s not talk about that.”
Shen Nian adjusted his clinging shirt, accidentally yanking out his earphones. Instead of being annoyed, he saw it as an excuse to scoot closer to Xia Yanchun, pressing his arm against hers.
Xia Yanchun tugged at her skirt where he’d sat on it.
The bus’s AC blew weak, cool gusts from tiny vents. Her bangs tickled her forehead and eyelids, but all she could focus on was how unnaturally warm Shen Nian was—and the faint scent of sunbaked fabric clinging to him.
Her pulse hitched strangely. Xia Yanchun’s almond eyes widened slightly as she unconsciously gripped her skirt, wrinkling it.
“Get some sleep already. I’ll want to nap soon too, but you’re too short—leaning on my shoulder would hurt your neck. So I’ll lend you my lap. I love lap pillows.”
Xia Yanchun ignored his nonsense, turning her face away with a soft mutter. “You stink. Like millions of dead things.”
Shen Nian tensed. Seriously? I showered this morning, changed clothes, haven’t ‘taken off’ in three months, and even then, it wasn’t that little—how can you smell that?
Oh. Dust mites. Haha, you scared me, Yanchun. Don’t phrase it so weirdly next time.
“It’s the smell of sunshine. You wouldn’t get it.” Shen Nian poked her shoulder—smooth and tempting, though he was already touching it.
“Hmph.”
“What’s with the ‘hmph’? I’ll punch you into a cream puff.”
“I’m kinda sleepy…” Xia Yanchun yawned.
“Then sleep.”
“…”
Peeking through the curtains, she watched buildings blur past as the road smoothed out. The bus had quieted after their chatter.
When she shifted to see outside, her earphones snagged and fell. As she picked them up, Shen Nian seized the chance to crowd her again.
We each have our own seat, but your butt’s practically in the middle! I’m squished against the window!
She meant to glare at him—to demand he stop shamelessly invading her space, exploiting their ‘best friends forever’ dynamic to pull this kind of nonsense.
But when she turned, Shen Nian was already brushing her hair behind her ear, his warm fingers grazing her earlobe. He probably thought she didn’t notice. Her lips parted, then pressed together, hiding the flush in her eyes.
Next time, I won’t let him get away with this…!
…
Xia Yanchun fell asleep, lips slightly parted, breathing softly.
Just kidding. Even the sweetest, most angelic girls don’t have minty-fresh morning breath.
But Shen Nian caught her natural scent first—that took priority. The code’s written that way.
Her head lolled between the window and Shen Nian, occasionally bobbing forward like a fishing float. He worried she’d snap her neck.
Half-awake, she’d pretend to be alert before melting against him again.
Shen Nian turned his phone volume down. Stopping the music or removing his earphones would’ve woken her.
At least the cord wouldn’t snag now that they were squeezed together.
You’re welcome, Yanchun. I’m only crowding you so you can sleep better…
He wanted to doze off too, but he was wide awake—stuck listening to music, watching the scenery, eavesdropping on conversations.
Gaming was out of the question. The slightest movement would rouse Xia Yanchun. Not that she’d throw a fit, but he just didn’t want her to wake up.
She smelled nice, like a rare treasure in the stuffy bus. Light and soft against him…
This woman is dangerously huggable…
Yan Xi reminds you: Due to Tomato’s request for 3M+ daily visits straining the servers, we now recommend switching to other sources.
ose... to cooperate with the protagonist! Shen Yuan: I have a system! Protagonist: What? System: Holy crap, you're just spilling it out like that? Shen Yuan: Let's team up, we'll split the system rewards! Protagonist: Fifty-fifty split? Shen Yuan: No way! Protagonist: What!? I'm the one getting beaten up, and I don't get half? Shen Yuan: Forty-sixty split, I get forty, you get sixty! Protagonist: Deal! Big brother, come on, hit me! As long as it doesn't kill me, beat me like you mean it! Shen Yuan: Don't worry... I will definitely protect all of you! No one but me can lay a finger on you! Guard our Heaven's Chosen Ones! I'm the only one allowed to bully them!
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)
't think I'm that capable, I'm just trying my best to stay alive. I've been kind all my life, never did anything bad, yet worldly suffering spared me not one bit. The human world is a nice place, but I won't come back in my next life. A kind young man, who wanted to just get by singing, but through repeated deceits and betrayals, has gone down an irredeemable path.
] [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!"
