"Did you only bring back this little after finally coming home?"
"Mm, there’s everything at home, no need to carry things back and forth. Besides, I’ll be leaving for the capital soon anyway," Hu Yuying said softly, seated on the back of the bicycle.
Then, cautiously, tentatively, she inched closer to Long Aotian, her hands lightly resting on his waist.
She could clearly feel his body stiffen for a moment at her touch—but, but Brother Long didn’t scold her...
Her mood instantly brightened.
After that one impulsive moment before, she had nearly lost her Brother Long. Because of that, Hu Yuying had been trying very hard to restrain herself lately.
But... but sometimes, she found it truly difficult...
Since Brother Long didn’t say anything, she gathered her courage, nervous yet determined, and gently leaned her head against his back.
A radiant smile curled at the corners of her lips, and her once-calm heart now rippled with emotion.
"This is nice," she murmured under her breath, so quietly only she could hear.
The station was far, but eventually, they arrived.
As Long Aotian stopped the bike, the reluctant Hu Yuying finally let go of her hold. "Thank you, Brother Long."
"Why not leave tomorrow? Why insist on going back tonight?" Long Aotian unhooked the bag of snacks hanging from the bike’s handlebars and handed it to her. "Here, for the road."
"And don’t start being polite with me, or I’ll smack you!"
Looking at the bag of snacks, Hu Yuying chuckled softly and nodded. "Okay, Brother Long. I’ll be good. I’m the best little follower."
"Go on in. Message me when you arrive." Long Aotian waved, urging her to hurry inside.
She wanted to say "thank you" again, but the words stuck in her throat.
From the moment they first met, she had always been thanking Brother Long.
This time, she wouldn’t say it. "Brother Long, goodbye."
The sooner she left, the sooner she could return.
Her grandparents were her family, but in another way—in her heart—Brother Long was family too...
She didn’t look back, because she knew he was still watching her.
The timid, weak, gloomy Hu Yuying was a thing of the past.
Now, she was confident, brave, and strong—at least in front of Brother Long, she would be.
She never wanted to make things difficult for him again.
Those days apart had been unbearable.
After buying her ticket and waiting inside the station, Hu Yuying finally glanced back.
Just like the first time they met, he was still looking at her...
Hejin Village was a three-hour journey—not too long, but for the fifteen-year-old Hu Yuying back then, it had felt endless.
Six years from the countryside to the town, three more from the town to the county, another three from the county to Haiwan City—and now, she was heading even farther, to the capital. The road ahead was still long, but Hu Yuying was no longer afraid.
Leaving the station, she took a six-yuan tricycle ride back to her village.
From a distance, she could see two figures standing at the village entrance.
Their backs were slightly hunched, but they had always held up a small world for her.
"Grandpa, Grandma," Hu Yuying called out, running toward them.
Looking at their familiar faces, their hair a little whiter, their wrinkles a little deeper, she didn’t want to cry—but the tears wouldn’t stop.
Her grandfather’s rough hand gently patted her head. "Crying as soon as you’re home? Aren’t you ashamed?"
Her grandmother wiped the tears from her face. "It’s good you’re back. Let’s go home first."
At home, they studied their granddaughter carefully.
She had changed—a lot.
Her smiles were more frequent now, and the confidence and ease she carried were nothing like before.
Just seeing her like this, they knew she had been happy these past six months.
That school transfer had been the right decision.
Back then, seeing her put on a brave face while struggling with insecurity had broken their hearts.
She never said anything, but how could they not know? She must have been bullied outside.
"Good, so good. Our Yuying is still so beautiful," Grandma said fondly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind Hu Yuying’s ear to get a better look at her.
"Tell us about your new school."
At the mention of the transfer, Hu Yuying’s eyes sparkled. "Okay."
They hadn’t known each other for long, but she could talk endlessly about him.
Seeing the way her face lit up when she spoke of Long Aotian—the admiration, the gratitude in her words—her grandparents couldn’t help but smile too.
This classmate Long Aotian had taught her so much and changed her in so many ways.
"He’s just... a really, really, really good person."
"If I hadn’t met him... I don’t know what my life would be like. But I’m glad I did."
Hu Yuying finished speaking, but the light in her eyes didn’t fade.
Grandma and Grandpa exchanged a glance.
They had lived long enough to recognize that look.
In the countryside, this wasn’t unusual. Some had children by eighteen, married by twenty. Past twenty-two, unmarried folks became the talk of the village.
And in their family’s situation—if Hu Yuying hadn’t gotten into high school, if her grandparents hadn’t supported her education, if she hadn’t worked so hard herself—they would have already been arranging a match for her by now.
After all, they were old. They couldn’t protect her forever.
Marrying her off would have meant security. (Not to generalize, but that’s how it went in most rural families.)
"Are you and Long Aotian... together?" Grandma asked with a smile, because she could tell her granddaughter was different when talking about him.
Hu Yuying’s face immediately flushed red. Fidgeting, she stammered for a while before whispering, "N-no... He... he thinks I’m still too young."
Long Aotian had never said it, but those who carried insecurity were also the most perceptive. She had sensed it—at some point, Brother Long had felt something for her too.
At the very least, she was different in his eyes...
Her grandparents didn’t press further.
Young people’s affairs were beyond their interference now.
But seeing their granddaughter happy—and admitted to Capital City University—filled them with pride and joy...
[Thanks for the support, everyone! Stay warm—it’s getting cold out.]
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."
] [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!"
villain is the number one simp for the book's leading female protagonist, Shen Wan'er. As expected, he later becomes a tool for the main character to show off and slap faces, ultimately meeting a tragic end with his family ruined and his life in shambles. Fortunately, he awakens the [Universal Pure Love System], which allows him to earn points by performing acts of pure love. To change his fate, Gu Yan makes a decisive choice to seek warmth and companionship with the book's biggest villain—Cold Qingqiu. ........... My name is Leng Qingqiu. To find the murderer who killed my parents years ago, I deliberately blinded myself so that everyone would lower their guard around me. Just as I was secretly accumulating power and capital according to my initial plan, a man walked into my world. "Lengleng, Qingqing, Qiuqiu, which nickname do you prefer?" I don't like any of them. You'd better leave quickly! "Why aren't you saying anything? How about I call you my baby wife?" Leng Qingqiu thinks to herself, this man is truly annoying! (Stubborn pure love warrior + single female lead + true pure love + 1v1)
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
