Looking at the time, it was already 6:15 PM.
Long Aotian stretched lazily and said, "Let's call it a day."
Hu Yuying, who was still buried in her homework, looked up and glanced at the sky outside.
She nodded and began packing her things.
If Long Aotian was leaving, she would leave too.
At this hour, apart from a few diligent students still lingering in the school, the campus was almost empty.
As they left the teaching building, the wide-open school gate came into view effortlessly.
"Bye, Long Aotian," Hu Yuying said.
"See you," Long Aotian replied.
After exchanging goodbyes, Long Aotian headed in the direction of his home.
Hu Yuying watched his retreating figure, feeling a pang of melancholy, but she quickly composed herself and walked off in the opposite direction.
As she walked, Hu Yuying overheard a group of students in school uniforms talking about a fight that had just happened at the school gate.
It had even drawn the attention of the school security staff.
She glanced back at the school gate, a strange feeling welling up inside her.
But she couldn't quite put her finger on what felt off.
Soon, she passed the group of chatting students, and their voices faded into the distance as she walked further away.
Before long, Hu Yuying arrived at a narrow alley.
She walked to the very end, took out her keys from her backpack, and unlocked the door.
Pushing the door open, she locked it behind her.
Entering the inner room, she set down her backpack and pulled out her homework to start solving problems.
Hu Yuying's life was monotonous, as if studying was the only thing she had to do.
For her, the tedium of studying was oddly enjoyable.
But today, as she looked at her homework, she found herself unable to focus as usual.
She stood up and walked to the mirror, staring at her reflection.
She poked her cheek with her finger.
The tip of her finger pressed gently into her soft cheek, and as she pulled it away, the flesh sprang back instantly.
"Has my face gotten thicker?" she wondered.
Her finger couldn't tell.
So, facing the mirror, she pursed her lips, took a deep breath, and said, "Long Aotian is the most handsome!"
"Big bro is the best."
"Long Aotian, you're so gentle..."
After saying these things out loud, she couldn't help but recall the times Long Aotian had smiled, pinched her cheek, or gently tapped her head.
Her ears began to burn uncontrollably.
A faint blush crept up from her neck to her cheeks.
Looking at her reflection, Hu Yuying quickly covered her face with her hands. "Looks like my face isn't thick enough yet," she muttered.
"I need more practice."
She stepped out of the inner room and stood in the courtyard, taking a deep breath. The warmth in her face gradually subsided.
As the sky grew darker, Hu Yuying finished cooking and climbed up a ladder to sit on the edge of the roof.
While eating, she looked up at the stars in the sky. "I wasn't bullied today," she said softly.
"Because I met a big bro who looks out for me. From now on, no one will bully me at school."
"Mom, Dad, did you hear my prayers?"
They say that when people die, they become stars in the sky.
Though she knew it wasn't true and had no scientific basis, Hu Yuying wished it were real.
The stars didn't answer her, but that didn't stop her from talking to them.
This was her most peaceful time of the day—no one to bully her, no one to disturb her. It was her time alone.
"Long Aotian is amazing. Everyone says he's really good at fighting, so no one dares to mess with him."
"It seems like everyone in class is scared of him, but I'm not. Because he's really nice to me."
"He knows so much, and I love listening to him talk. It makes me feel like I'm a good person too."
When she finished eating and talking, Hu Yuying reached out toward the sky, instinctively stroking the two brightest stars.
Climbing down the ladder, her time for relaxation and venting was over.
Now it was time to study. Only by constantly improving herself could she avoid being bullied.
Only by becoming better could she help Long Aotian with his studies.
...
On the other side, Long Aotian returned home to find the table still clean.
But his father wasn't in the house.
After changing out of his school uniform and washing it, he left the house again.
He headed toward the large market not far from their neighborhood.
The market was always bustling, no matter the time.
Vendors' stalls were lined up one after another, separated by white chalk lines.
Further in was the meat section, where several meat stalls were set up.
Long Aotian walked through, looking for his father.
In the original novel, this place was only briefly mentioned, with no detailed description.
So Long Aotian didn't know exactly where his father's stall was.
Soon, he spotted his father in the second row.
His father, wearing an apron, was chopping meat on a cutting board. Despite the late hour, the market was crowded and stuffy.
His father's clothes were soaked with sweat, but he kept working diligently.
After finishing the chopping, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and prepared to pack the meat for a customer.
Before he could grab a bag, an open one was held out in front of him.
Thinking it was a customer, his father smiled and said thank you. But when he looked up, his smile froze for a moment.
He seemed surprised, momentarily forgetting to pack the meat.
"If you keep staring, the customer will get impatient," Long Aotian reminded him.
Hearing his son's voice, his father snapped back to reality and mechanically packed the meat into the bag.
"Here you go, ma'am," Long Aotian said, handing the bag to the customer.
Long Aotian, now out of his school uniform, looked even more handsome. His polite words and efficient movements made the customer smile. "Is this your son?" she asked.
His father glanced at Long Aotian before nodding with a smile. "Yes, he is."
Watching his father's smile shift from stiff to natural, Long Aotian sighed inwardly.
In the original novel, Long Aotian had blamed his father for his parents' divorce.
This had created a rift between them, leading to a strained relationship.
His father, a rough man, didn't know how to talk to his son.
Long Aotian, filled with resentment, had grown increasingly stubborn.
Deep down, though, they both cared about each other.
"Why are you here? Did you run out of the money I gave you?" his father asked, wiping his hands on his apron and reaching for the cash box.
Usually, his son was cold toward him, so the only reason he could think of for Long Aotian coming here was to ask for money.
Still, he was happy that his son had come to see him.
"Can't I come see you without asking for money?" Long Aotian said.
His father paused, and Long Aotian stepped forward to close the cash box. "Dad, let's leave the past behind."
Hearing the word "Dad," his father stared at Long Aotian, unable to speak for a long moment.
"Dad, there's a customer," Long Aotian said.
His father looked at him, a smile spreading across his rough face. "Right, right."
In his previous life, Long Aotian had grown up in an orphanage, never experiencing familial love. In this world, he wanted to give it a try.
Even though he knew this rough man wasn't his real father, it didn't matter.
No one who offered genuine care should be let down...
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
] [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!"
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!
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
