What guys find entertaining usually falls into one of four categories: adult films, dramatic life testimonies, carpet cleaning videos, or cow hoof trimming. There’s also a hidden fifth category—Bear Grylls’ survival shows.
Xia Yanchun stumbled upon this observation while scrolling through Xiaohongshu. Though it’s a stereotype, Shen Nian fit it perfectly. She’d seen him watching carpet-cleaning and wilderness survival videos before, and at school, he’d often joke about topics that would get him recorded and "cosplaying Louis XVI." She’d even caught him watching adult films late at night.
Yep. The stereotype was accurate.
Curious about what weird stuff Shen Nian might show her, she was surprised when he pulled up a WeChat group chat instead.
[Class 11 Senior 3 Parents’ Group (79)]
Oh, just our class parents’ group. Nothing special.
Wait—what group?
Xia Yanchun’s almond-shaped eyes widened in confusion. "How did you sneak in there?" Even I, the class monitor, haven’t managed to infiltrate it!
"Trade secret."
"I’m mysterious. Double-agent vibes, you know?"
"So, what’s so interesting about it?"
"Look, look." Shen Nian scrolled up and stopped at a conversation involving a fishing enthusiast.
[Chen Qiuyu’s Dad]: (fish.jpg)
[Chen Qiuyu’s Dad]: Eight pounds.
Xia Yanchun: ?
What kind of digital misadventure led a fishing fanatic to wander into a parents’ group?
Below were a few follow-up comments.
[Ma Mingfan’s Dad]: Bro, where’d you catch that? Not that I’m interested—just asking for a friend. @Chen Qiuyu’s Dad
[Chen Qiuyu’s Dad]: (another fish.jpg) This one’s nine pounds.
[Ma Mingfan’s Dad]: My friend wants to be your fishing buddy.
[Chen Dong’s Dad]: Another lost angler.
[Chen Qiuyu’s Dad]: Wrong group, my bad.
[Ma Mingfan’s Dad]: Can you guys see my messages?
[Chen Qiuyu’s Dad]: Yeah.
[Ma Mingfan’s Dad]: Bro, add me. Let’s fish together sometime.
[Ma Mingfan’s Dad]: Hello?
Pfft—
Xia Yanchun burst into giggles. What kind of legendary parents were these? She’d assumed parents’ groups were just high-pressure zones where people only talked about academics or flexed their kids’ achievements. But this? Hilarious.
Ma Mingfan’s dad was practically the clown of the group. Was this really okay?
The more she read, the harder it was to keep a straight face. Her eyes crinkled into crescents, long lashes fluttering. Anyone who could resist laughing at this was a saint.
Shen Nian turned off his phone. "Alright, now that you’ve seen my treasure, you can’t kick me out."
"That’s not how it works!"
"Too bad. I’m staying."
"You’re so shameless!" Xia Yanchun grumbled.
When she looked up, she realized the fist-sized distance she’d kept between them had vanished. Shen Nian was now right in front of her, his arm draped over her shoulder, making her look like a little bird nestled in his embrace.
Her lips parted slightly, heart skipping a beat. She subtly shifted away, shrugging off his hand as if emerging from his hold. The cool breeze from the AC settled her nerves.
Seeing she wasn’t actually kicking him out, Shen Nian exhaled in relief. Mission still on—victory.
Xia Yanchun didn’t force him to leave, but her focus on studying was long gone. She kicked off her shoes and climbed onto the bed, curling up against the wall. By the time Shen Nian turned to look, she’d cocooned herself in the blanket like a caterpillar, leaving only her fair face and tiny hands clutching the edges visible.
Adorable.
"Done studying?"
"Can’t focus with you here. Gonna scroll on my phone."
"Uh-huh, sure, blame me." Shen Nian wiped imaginary sweat off his brow. "Or maybe you’re just too aware of me? If you really wanted to study, you’d tune me out like background noise. It’s not like I’m talking or anything."
"Zero people care about you, okay? Expecting someone to concentrate with a person right next to them is like telling someone to run and rest at the same time."
"Damn."
Resting is about letting the body recover naturally. Being energetic just means you’re always in a state of rest—flawless logic.
If Xia Yanchun found out he was running hacks, he’d be done for.
Better retreat. As a legit player, he knew when to avoid her wrath.
Just then—
[Side Quest: Revisiting the Past (Completed)
Reward: 1000 coins, Passive Skill: Healing Hands (Transmits restorative energy through touch, slightly repairing physical damage)]
From trigger to completion, about half an hour.
Haha, mission accomplished. Peace out.
"Bouncing. Bye-bye."
"Wha—"
Shen Nian grinned, dashed to the window, and was about to climb out when he doubled back and scrambled onto the bed instead.
Xia Yanchun’s lips parted, but before she could speak, his hand reached toward her. She instinctively shut her eyes, only to feel his warm fingers brush through her hair and lightly flick her earlobe. She peeked open one eye with a soft huff.
"Just a formality. Had to ruffle you a bit for the full experience. Later."
With exaggerated chivalry, Shen Nian closed the balcony window behind him, aligning the frames perfectly, then unceremoniously vaulted over the railing and vanished.
Xia Yanchun: "..."
Couldn’t he use the front door like a normal person? This whole sneaking-over-balconies thing made it look like they were having an affair. If her parents saw, how would she even explain?
Meanwhile, back in his room after his parkour escape, Shen Nian was already testing out [Healing Hands].
He rubbed his palms together. They felt warmer than usual, but otherwise, nothing seemed different. With no injuries to test it on—and no intention of giving himself any—he couldn’t confirm if the skill even worked.
No manual from the system either. Typical.
Hadn’t cursed out the system in a while—almost forgot what a half-baked mess it was.
Ah well. Poor little system was doing its best...
Unless...
What if there was another guy out there, isekai’d into a sword-and-sorcery world?
Instant bestseller:
Reincarnated in a Fantasy World with the [Academic Overachiever System]—Time to Show Them What I’ve Got!
System: Complete a weekly quiz.
Random Dude: You mean this goblin in front of me?
System: Complete a monthly exam.
Random Dude: Oh hell no, now there’s a mid-tier monster. System’s setting me up. Bros, I think I’m about to die.
Yo, is this world empty? Did the system glitch and merge with mine?
Whatever.
After all that hardship...
For now, time to hit the books.
......
Yan Xi Reminder: Due to Tomato Novel’s demand for 3M+ daily updates straining server capacity, we recommend switching to alternate sources provided by other creators.
iemie, male, Race: Moon. Hobby: Collecting anomalies. At first, he thought he possessed two systems: the Crimson Rainbow Moon and the Clear Cold Frost Moon. One day, he discovered that he himself could also become a system for others, holding the chessboard of fate. The Eighth Epoch, also known as the Eternal Moon Epoch. Humans, witches, elves, bloodline descendants, specters, demons, and spirits together compose a new history. Walking the path on behalf of the moon, before he knew it, Chen Miemie's footsteps were followed by all manner of strange and wondrous anomalies. As time passed, many titles circulated about him—The King in Yellow, Lord of Anomalies, Heart of the Eternal Moon, and more. "Me? I'm just a traveler who enjoys collecting interesting creatures," Chen Miemie said.
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)
] [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!"
'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.
