In the boys' dormitory.
Xue Shaohua stared at his phone, his expression darkening as the friend request remained unanswered. His roommates, equally clueless about what was happening, hesitated to speak up.
No one knew—but Xue Shaohua did.
He had never met a girl so unforgettable. The moment she smiled, her beauty was indescribable, a radiance that seared itself into his heart.
If only Hu Yuying would smile at him like that. He was certain he’d never fall for another girl again.
But no. That smile wasn’t meant for him. It was meant for another man.
The thought twisted inside him, a surge of jealousy he couldn’t suppress. Especially when he saw Hu Yuying running toward that man without hesitation.
In that instant, Xue Shaohua felt an overwhelming sense of injustice. If he weren’t so strong-willed, he might have broken down right then and there.
His pride, his confidence—everything was rattled.
Why? He was right there beside her, yet she hadn’t even glanced his way before throwing herself into someone else’s arms.
Unconsciously, a possessiveness toward Hu Yuying took root in him.
Admission into A University was proof enough of Xue Shaohua’s brilliance. Men like him carried an unshakable pride.
He knew he wasn’t any less handsome than that guy—in fact, he might even be better-looking in some ways.
So why had Hu Yuying chosen someone else over him?
A girl like her… she should be with someone like him.
Maybe at first, Xue Shaohua had only been drawn to her beauty, thinking of her as just another pretty face to chase after.
But after today, she had become an obsession.
They shared the same campus, the same class, the same major. Out of millions, fate had brought them together.
That alone convinced Xue Shaohua—he would make her his. He’d make sure her smiles were reserved for him alone.
"Shaohua, you okay?"
Taking a deep breath, Xue Shaohua forced a smile. "I’m fine."
His roommates exchanged glances before one asked, "So? How’d it go today? We set things up for you—did you make your move?"
Xue Shaohua’s jaw tightened, but he kept up the act. "It’s a process. Give me time. I’ll win Hu Yuying over."
He had gotten into A University. That guy hadn’t. That alone proved he was superior.
And he still had four years ahead of him with Hu Yuying. Four years was more than enough to change things.
Xue Shaohua had the confidence—because he was that good.
His friends didn’t push further.
Beautiful girls never lacked suitors.
They didn’t believe Xue Shaohua stood a chance. If anything, they hoped his pursuit might draw Hu Yuying’s attention… and maybe, just maybe, she’d notice them too.
"Let’s go grab some drinks. My treat," Xue Shaohua muttered, his mood sour.
The campus store didn’t sell alcohol, so they’d have to venture outside.
No one turned down free drinks, especially not after surviving military training. A little indulgence was overdue.
After some discussion, they headed for the school gates.
Xue Shaohua cracked open a can of beer and downed half of it in one go.
Standing there amidst the crowd, he thought the gesture made him look cool—untouchable.
After swallowing hard to suppress a belch, he exhaled dramatically and declared, "Believe it or not, I will make Hu Yuying mine."
The moment the words left his mouth, a passing figure paused.
Then turned to look at him.
Xue Shaohua felt the gaze and glanced up—only to meet the scrutinizing eyes of a guy with his hands stuffed in his pockets.
When their eyes locked, the stranger smirked, oozing confidence, then flicked his hair back.
Xue Shaohua’s pupils contracted. Instinctively, he straightened his posture and tilted his head slightly—everyone knew the side profile was the most flattering angle.
The stranger frowned at Xue Shaohua’s pose, then lowered his gaze at a perfect 45-degree angle before slowly lifting it again.
A silent battle of egos.
Xue Shaohua’s brows furrowed. This guy’s aura… he wasn’t ordinary.
Noticing Xue Shaohua’s guarded expression, the guy scoffed and sauntered closer. "Let’s get acquainted. The name’s Ye Liangchen."
A hand extended toward him.
Xue Shaohua relaxed his frown and shook it. "Xue Shaohua."
Ye Liangchen’s smirk deepened. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes, lit one, took a long drag, and exhaled slowly, savoring the moment. "You smoke?"
Xue Shaohua nodded. He didn’t usually, but seeing how effortlessly cool Ye Liangchen looked, he decided to try.
"So," Ye Liangchen said, blowing out smoke, "I heard you’re after Hu Yuying?"
Xue Shaohua narrowed his eyes. "What’s it to you?"
Ye Liangchen chuckled but didn’t answer.
Ever since he’d heard Long Aotian was in the capital, he’d suspected Hu Yuying would be here too.
Fresh out of military training, he’d treated his dormmates to a meal with his stock market earnings and decided to swing by A University.
And what did he hear the moment he arrived? Some nobody boasting about chasing his former treasure.
Admittedly, Xue Shaohua had some style—but compared to him? Amateur.
When Xue Shaohua snapped, "What’s it to you?" Ye Liangchen couldn’t help but laugh. "What if I told you to back off?" He tilted his head, flashing another smirk, and flicked his hair again.
Xue Shaohua froze, visibly shaken.
Ye Liangchen clapped him on the shoulder, then—with deliberate slowness—slipped his hands back into his pockets.
The sheer audacity of the move was peak arrogance.
"But the guy she was with today wasn’t you either!" Xue Shaohua shot back, frustration bubbling over.
Ye Liangchen’s expression darkened instantly.
He didn’t need to guess who Xue Shaohua was talking about.
His fists clenched.
That damn bastard.
First Hu Yuying. Then Li Qingxue. And now Lin Wanning…
Clutching the phone in her pocket, she turned her back to Xue Shaohua, tilted her head toward the sky, and took a deep breath. "Who’s to say it won’t be me?"
Watching Ye Liangchen’s retreating figure, a slow smile curled at the corners of Xue Shaohua’s lips. "Things are getting interesting."
"You’re right. No one can predict the future. At the very least, I have the advantage of being close..."
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
e vast world of cultivation, where he becomes the master of the Heavenly Ruins Sacred Hall, a dying old man with barely a tenth of his former cultivation remaining. He is immediately confronted with a deadly crisis: his subordinates have rebelled, and his protectors are forcing him to abdicate. At the critical moment, the system descends from the heavens: [Ding! The host has been detected facing a life-or-death crisis. The system is now officially activated!] [As a gift, you have received the Supreme Beginner’s Pack and awakened the ultimate cheat: ten thousand years of pure cultivation essence every second!] Yin Tianjue: “Wait… ten thousand years of cultivation every second? That’s six hundred thousand years a minute, and in one day… I can’t even calculate it. Either way, I’m already invincible!” You’re a peerless prodigy rarely seen in ten thousand years? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re an undying ancestor who has guarded a sacred land for countless ages? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re the strongest chosen one, blessed with heaven-defying destiny? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. From this day forth, I have only one thing to say: “I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. Now, how exactly are you supposed to deal with that?”
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
