The next morning.
The sound of running water from washing echoed in the dormitory.
Long Aotian was a light sleeper, and the noise, combined with his ingrained biological clock, roused him from his drowsiness.
Rubbing his bleary eyes, he glanced around and noticed Huang Fei’s bed was empty. "Old Huang, you’re up early today?"
"Couldn’t sleep," Huang Fei replied as he stepped out, already dressed impeccably—more formal than when he went home for New Year’s matchmaking.
"What you said yesterday made a lot of sense, so I’ve decided to help Shen Mengjie find that coward who only dares to scheme behind people’s backs."
"I’m way too curious about this spineless guy."
Their conversation woke Li Longlong and Xu Shuai as well.
"Honestly, we’re pretty curious too," they chimed in, climbing out of bed.
Just as Huang Fei was about to say something, Li Longlong and Xu Shuai thumped their chests. "No need to explain. Brothers understand."
Huang Fei smiled. He truly owed his brothers a lot for their unwavering support.
With anyone else, Long Aotian might’ve hesitated—he often came off as too mature.
But Li Longlong and Xu Shuai? They were usually the first to crack jokes at his expense.
Yet now, they weren’t laughing at him...
After getting ready, the "Four Heavenly Kings" of Dorm 147 strode out of the building together once again.
"Last time we all left the dorm together was... well, last time."
"Damn, that’s some flawless logic!"
"Hahaha..."
Watching the three of them banter and joke around, Huang Fei’s mood lightened a little.
His gaze drifted to Long Aotian. Sometimes, he had to admit the guy was right: liking Shen Mengjie was exhausting...
"By the way, Old Aotian, what have you been up to all this time?"
"Yeah, every time we wake up on days without class, you’re already gone. You disappear for the whole day."
"A secret. I’ll tell you guys eventually," Long Aotian said, stretching. Being with them made him feel younger.
"A secret?"
"There are no secrets in Dorm 147!" Xu Shuai declared solemnly. "You three grilled me until I spilled all my little secrets, and now you’re keeping one from us?"
"Speaking of which, didn’t you used to not own this outfit? Wang Lijuan bought it for you, didn’t she?" Long Aotian eyed Xu Shuai up and down.
Love really could change a person.
Before, Xu Shuai had been slightly chubby, with questionable fashion sense.
But after dating Wang Lijuan for just a short while, he’d slimmed down a bit—not drastically, but enough to notice—and his wardrobe had definitely leveled up...
At the mention of this, Xu Shuai straightened proudly, brushing his sleeves affectionately. "Yeah, I told her not to, but she insisted on buying it for me."
"Had no choice but to return the favor and get her something too..."
His grin never faded as he spoke, radiating smugness.
That smile stabbed straight into Huang Fei’s heart. "Take it off."
"Yeah, strip it off right now."
Xu Shuai immediately clutched his jacket protectively.
"You’re only allowed to wear our clothes. We’ve got plenty—open the wardrobe and pick whatever you want."
"You pinch pennies when it’s time to treat us to a meal, but splurge on Wang Lijuan? You’re the worst, flaunting your relationship like this!"
They yanked the jacket right off him.
Huang Fei tried it on, then passed it to Li Longlong, who handed it to Long Aotian, who finally returned it to Xu Shuai.
Just like that, the mood lifted considerably.
Outside the girls’ dormitory, under the watchful eyes of his three friends, Xu Shuai called Wang Lijuan.
After some stammering and mumbling, he relayed the situation.
Long Aotian, with his sharp hearing, turned to Xu Shuai in disbelief. "Damn, he’s snitching on us!"
"We ask you to handle business, and you tattle?"
"No justice, no order in this world!"
Before long, Wang Lijuan came jogging over, shooting Long Aotian and the others a disapproving look. "Stop bullying Xu Shuai."
"Exactly! They’re always picking on me. Only my Lijuan treats me right." With Wang Lijuan backing him, Xu Shuai laid on the sweetness thick.
Their fists clenched at the sight of his shameless, lovey-dovey expression.
The stench of romance was unbearable...
Soon, Shen Mengjie and her two roommates descended as well.
Her gaze flickered toward Long Aotian for a fleeting moment before she averted her eyes, focusing on Huang Fei instead. "I can handle this myself."
She knew Long Aotian and the others were only helping because of Huang Fei.
She was aware of Huang Fei’s feelings for her—which was precisely why she felt so conflicted.
Shen Mengjie had once declared she’d never deliberately lead anyone on, but if she found someone she liked, she’d pursue them outright.
She did have a soft spot for Huang Fei, but it wasn’t romantic.
At first, she’d enjoyed the attention, basking in the admiration.
When Huang Fei had confronted her about it, she’d been honest—because she genuinely didn’t care.
The old Shen Mengjie wouldn’t have hesitated to use anyone who desired her, exploiting them to her advantage.
But now, faced with Huang Fei’s sincerity, she couldn’t bring herself to do it...
Huang Fei pressed his lips together, meeting Shen Mengjie’s eyes. "You’re my buddy’s girlfriend’s roommate. If you’re upset, it’ll affect my buddy’s relationship. For the sake of their happiness, the Four Heavenly Kings of Dorm 147 won’t stand by."
"Besides, we’re classmates. It’s only right to back up our female classmates..."
"Come on, Mengjie, don’t refuse. It’s better if we all go together," Wang Lijuan urged.
She knew Shen Mengjie’s personality—she wasn’t the type to make empty threats. If they actually uncovered who was behind the rumors, Shen Mengjie would absolutely confront them head-on.
If it were just the girls alone...
Zhang Mengmeng was too timid to raise her voice, Han Xiaojing was quiet and reserved, and Wang Lijuan herself wasn’t exactly fearless...
At least with the guys around, they’d feel braver...
Han Xiaojing nodded in agreement. She was a little nervous too...
Zhang Mengmeng suddenly spoke up softly, "I think whoever it is won’t dare escalate things. They’ll probably delete the post soon..."
Shen Mengjie turned to her, smiling as she took her hand. "Mengmeng, don’t worry. This isn’t your fight. Just stay behind us and cheer me on when I tear into them, okay?"
Zhang Mengmeng looked at her, then nodded gently.
"That’s more like it." Shen Mengjie pulled up her hood, the oversized fabric obscuring half her face.
Watching her force herself to appear cheerful, Long Aotian couldn’t help but think how exhausting it must be to live like that.
Happy or not, she wore a mask of happiness. After so long, could she even remember what her real face looked like?
lities. One day, Qi Yuan was buying groceries when he unfortunately came face-to-face with a monster. Just when he thought he was going to die on the spot, he suddenly heard the monster's thoughts... "This aura, he's definitely not an ordinary master!" "So terrifying, so terrifying." "A fight with my back against the wall, I can't take it anymore." Qi Yuan: Ah, no one told me that my awakened ability isn't telepathy, but rather the stronger my enemies imagine me to be, the stronger I truly become. PS: Zhou Hai in the first chapter is not the protagonist.
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
Heart] Chen Yi traversed the cultivation world for eight hundred years, charging his way to the Tribulation Transcendence stage. Just as he was outwitting his 81st Heavenly Tribulation to ascend to immortality, he was suddenly pulled into a chat group called the "Multiverse Transmigrators Support Group." To his surprise, the group was filled with nothing but fresh-faced newbies who had just transmigrated. [Help! I transmigrated into a disgraced concubine in the cold palace, and the tyrant emperor is about to execute me!] [I ended up as a cannon-fodder villain, and the protagonist is still chasing me—WTF!] [I woke up as the protagonist’s father, but I’m about to be sacrificed in a ritual! What do I do? Urgent!!!] Chen Yi stared at the chaotic flood of desperate pleas in the group and fell into deep thought. "Seriously? You drag me into a newbie transmigrator chat group… only after I’m one step away from becoming an immortal?"
