When Ye Liangchen saw the three girls happily playing together, the rose in his hand instantly fell to the ground.
The brighter their smiles, the deeper the ache in his heart.
Those smiles should have been his, but now they had all been stolen by that idiot Long Aotian.
The bitterness of resentment—only he knew the pain in his heart...
Slowly closing his eyes, a single tear of regret slid down his cheek, as if mourning the love he had lost...
Shen Mengjie followed Ye Liangchen’s gaze and spotted Hu Yuying, Li Qingxue, and Lin Wanning.
She had seen Lin Wanning before—back at the music academy gate, where Long Aotian had dropped her off.
Putting together Ye Liangchen’s expression and what he’d told her earlier, she asked with amused interest, "Are they the so-called ‘treasure girl,’ ‘first love,’ and ‘childhood sweetheart’ you mentioned before?"
Ye Liangchen’s lips trembled slightly, letting the tear fall without wiping it away. His silence spoke volumes.
Meanwhile, Xue Shaohua, overhearing Shen Mengjie’s words, couldn’t help but glance at her.
Taking in her alluring curves and the confident, flirtatious charm radiating from her delicate face, he flicked his hair with practiced ease and said softly, "Hello, I’m Xue Shaohua."
The moment Xue Shaohua introduced himself, Ye Liangchen snapped to attention, his brow furrowing as he subtly stepped between him and Shen Mengjie.
He flicked his own hair, barely resisting the urge to slap Xue Shaohua across the face.
How dare this guy set his sights on his girl? Did he really think Ye Liangchen couldn’t see right through him?
With a slow lowering of his gaze, Ye Liangchen suddenly lifted his head at a 45-degree angle, radiating an overwhelming aura to suppress Xue Shaohua.
Not to be outdone, Xue Shaohua took a step back, then bowed gracefully in a gentlemanly gesture toward Shen Mengjie before flicking his hair again.
"Elegance is the key to catching a woman’s attention"—a lesson he’d learned from Ye Liangchen himself.
Ye Liangchen scoffed at Xue Shaohua’s display, then confidently flicked his own hair before spreading his arms wide toward the sky.
Taking a deep breath, he wore a self-satisfied smirk, slowly wrapping his arms around himself in a dramatic embrace.
"Trying to outclass me in elegance? You’re miles behind!" he sneered inwardly.
Sure enough, Xue Shaohua’s expression soured the moment Ye Liangchen struck his pose.
Shen Mengjie watched the two with undisguised disdain. For a moment, she was tempted to drop the act entirely—to point at their faces and tell them to take a good look at themselves in the mirror.
"They’re just trying to one-up each other. Unbelievable."
Ye Liangchen smirked at Xue Shaohua’s increasingly strained expression.
"Not sure if he’s smart or stupid for using my own tricks against me."
Even with his hair stiff from gel, not flicking it felt incomplete.
After his grand finale, Ye Liangchen turned back to Shen Mengjie, his eyes suddenly brimming with sorrow.
He nodded heavily. "As a knight, I once stood for justice. But because of Long Aotian’s schemes, they’ve all misunderstood me now."
With a bitter chuckle, he cast a longing glance toward Hu Yuying and the others.
Shen Mengjie gave a light nod, her sultry gaze lingering on the trio with growing intrigue.
A strange thought crossed her mind: "Would those three ever fall for someone like Ye Liangchen?"
The answer was obvious.
Watching the unwillingness in his eyes, she almost laughed. "This guy’s clearly just after their looks—just like how he ogled me when we first met."
A playful smile curved her lips as she turned to Xue Shaohua, batting her lashes. "Shao... Shao..."
Xue Shaohua, throat dry at the sight of her alluring gaze, quickly supplied, "Shaohua. Xue Shaohua."
Shen Mengjie covered her lips with a soft giggle, then murmured, "Shaohua."
The way she said it sent his heart racing.
Ye Liangchen, seeing Shen Mengjie’s flushed cheeks as she gazed at Xue Shaohua, immediately stepped between them.
"Aren’t you supposed to be somewhere else?" he snapped at Xue Shaohua, shooting him warning looks—which Xue Shaohua blatantly ignored.
Instead, Xue Shaohua flicked his hair again, flashing a charming smile. "A pleasure to meet you."
Ye Liangchen’s face darkened. "He’s ignoring me?"
In his mind, Xue Shaohua was just a pawn—yet here he was, trying to steal the woman he wanted right under his nose.
Before Xue Shaohua could say more, Ye Liangchen grabbed his arm and forced a smile at Shen Mengjie. "Mengjie, I need a word with him."
She shrugged, then leaned to the side, flashing Xue Shaohua a dazzling smile over Ye Liangchen’s shoulder.
Ye Liangchen’s grip tightened.
"What’s the big idea?" Xue Shaohua demanded once they were out of earshot.
Ye Liangchen shoved him away. "What the hell are you playing at?"
"Playing at what?" Xue Shaohua feigned ignorance, his eyes darting back toward Shen Mengjie.
Ye Liangchen blocked his view, voice low and dangerous. "I saw Shen Mengjie first."
Xue Shaohua smirked, flicking his hair. "Seems like she’s more interested in me, though."
Ye Liangchen laughed—a cold, humorless sound.
"Without me, would she even know you exist?"
"And how exactly do you plan to compete with me?"
His entire demeanor shifted, eyes locked onto Xue Shaohua like a predator.
"You’ve got it wrong," Xue Shaohua retorted, unflinching. "This isn’t a competition. You two are just friends, aren’t you? If she likes me, where’s the ‘stealing’ in that?"
For emphasis, he tilted his head, letting his newly pierced earring catch the light.
Ye Liangchen’s eyes narrowed at the sight of it...
---
Watching the two idiots bicker over her, Shen Mengjie stifled a laugh.
"How do morons like these even dare to scheme against Long Aotian? Talk about overconfidence."
Once she’d shaken them off, her gaze returned to Hu Yuying and the others.
The trio, having finished their conversation, began walking toward University T’s entrance.
After a brief hesitation, Shen Mengjie quietly followed...
] [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!"
shall grant"] ["Inscribing the glory of our race upon tombstones"] ["All that is threatened, I shall protect"] How his younger sister sees her brother: A brother who only makes eye contact once a day, mostly fading into the background as he tinkers with who-knows-what in his room all day. Their life paths should have remained largely separate. Until one day. Su Qi created an equipment card for his never-met "online girlfriend." His sister fell into silent contemplation upon receiving the "white stockings." [Card can be upgraded] [Upgrade by fulfilling any of the following conditions] [Condition ①: Consume one hundred higher-tier cards] [Condition ②: Complete one 'Heart-Pounding Adventure'] What constitutes a Heart-Pounding Adventure? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Beginner Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to admire it.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Easy Level): Equip the card, invite 'Su Qi' to touch it, and analyze the equipment's texture.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Entry Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to...] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Challenge Level): Freely combine the words 'Brother' 'Out' 'Brother' 'Me' 'Please' into a complete sentence...] "Please help me analyze both teams' mistakes in this match, brother..." His sister exhaled in relief—surely... surely there couldn't be anything more difficult? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Suicide Mission Level): Sneak a peek at the names of the galgames in 'Su Qi's' hidden E-drive folder]
ng to die together with you." Lin Xuan is dead, his body thrown into the river by his scumbag lover and her accomplice. She, the president of the Su Group, is decisive, ruthless, and ice-cold. For three days and three nights, she had his body fished out of the river, and without hesitation, she kissed the bloated corpse of Lin Xuan. She laid down beside him in a cold coffin, their fingers intertwined, a smile lingering on her lips as she closed her eyes. The noble and cold-hearted woman, only bending for one man—Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan, with his golden finger, is reborn and returns to the day of his wedding to the treacherous woman. Su Qiang comes to steal the bride. Lin Xuan's eyes light up, eager to pledge his loyalty on the spot, but instead, her kiss transfers a glass of drugged wine into his mouth, causing him to pass out... 【Male Protagonist with Single Female Lead】【Yandere Tycoon】【Action-Packed】【True vs. Fake Heir】
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
