Long Aotian turned off his phone screen and slumped onto the bench, gazing up at the night sky. "I understand how you feel. Honestly, it makes sense that you'd think this way."
"But have you considered that they might not even mind?"
Lin Wanning mimicked Long Aotian's posture, tilting her head back to look at the stars. "Of course I can sense that. That’s exactly why I want to help Yuying and Qingxue too."
"You all have such a strong bond. Even if you’re relying on their help now, who’s to say you won’t be able to support them in the future?"
"Yuying and Qingxee’s fields of study are practical and applicable to daily life—after all, that’s what they specialize in."
"But your path is music. Eventually, you’ll move toward a career in that field. Maybe one day you’ll become a real star, with countless fans and even a celebrity influence."
"Of course, by then, the income from an online shop might not even matter to you..."
Hearing this, Lin Wanning immediately protested, "Who says? I’d never forget! If I really become a star, we’ll create our own brand together. The three of us will always stick together."
"You see? It’s the same. Your friendship isn’t built on these concerns. If Yuying or Qingxue were in your shoes, they’d say the same thing—they’d want all three of you to thrive."
"Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. A long time ago, I told Yuying something similar. Back then, she was like a fragile sapling, needing protection—I was so afraid she’d break..."
As he spoke, Long Aotian seemed lost in memories—back when he had just argued with Ye Liangchen and his mother, taking the young girl to the playground to gaze at the starry sky.
"At the time, Yuying said she was exhausted, just like you are now, trapped in self-doubt. But look at her now—so happy."
"Life has its ups and downs. What’s meant to come will come."
"And I’ve seen how hard you’re trying."
"What I’m saying is—you’re already doing great."
[I’ve seen your effort.] [You’re already doing great.] These words of affirmation took root in her heart like seeds.
"Brother." Lin Wanning called out softly, deeply moved. The truth was, many people spend their whole lives longing for a single word of encouragement.
Age doesn’t matter.
Children need encouragement, but adults do too—something people often forget.
Sniffling, she turned to Long Aotian with a gentle smile. "Thank you."
"Don’t mention it."
"Go back and get some rest. At your age, you shouldn’t be weighed down by worries."
"Brother, you’re so kind. If I ever do something bad… would you still forgive me?"
Long Aotian gave her a skeptical once-over. "You? Do something bad?"
"Yeah." Lin Wanning nodded. "Brother, don’t underestimate me."
"Tch. Depends on the situation!"
"No, it can’t depend!" She narrowed her eyes playfully. "If you don’t forgive me, I might have to threaten you."
"Threaten me? You asking for a spanking?"
"No way!"
After walking Lin Wanning back to the music academy gates, he waved her off.
"Brother, be careful on your way back. And don’t worry—I’ll keep your secret. If you ever need advice about Yuying, you can talk to me. I can even drop hints for you. Just… don’t go bothering Shen Mengjie, okay?"
"Got it. Now go inside."
Lin Wanning headed into the campus but soon paused, turning back to watch Long Aotian’s retreating figure.
"A brother this wonderful… of course others would want him too. Maybe I’m being a little greedy..."
"I don’t ask for much. Just a tiny bit..."
......
A University.
"Yuying, what’s wrong?" Li Qingxue asked cautiously.
Hu Yuying blinked, looking dazed. "Huh? What?"
"I mean, what’s up with you today? You seem restless, spacing out all day like you’re not really here."
Hu Yuying shook her head. "It’s… it’s nothing. Probably just tired. Really, don’t worry."
"Don’t tell me it’s nothing. If I had a mirror, I’d show you how you look right now." Li Qingxue’s concern was evident.
Something was clearly off about Hu Yuying today.
"Qingxue, I… I don’t know how to say it. I just feel… complicated." Her voice was laced with anxiety.
"What’s going on? We’re best friends. If something’s bothering you, you can tell me."
"Even if I can’t help, we can always ask Long Aotian. No matter what it is, he’ll find a way to fix it."
At the mention of him, Hu Yuying didn’t chime in as usual. Instead, she pressed her lips together, her expression a mix of happiness and unease.
Noticing her conflicted look, Li Qingxue hesitated before asking, "Does this have to do with Long Aotian?"
"Yeah." Hu Yuying nodded faintly.
Li Qingxue exhaled in relief. For a second, she’d thought it was something serious. But if it involved Long Aotian, it couldn’t be that bad.
After all, that guy was head over heels for Hu Yuying.
If she asked for the moon, he’d probably try to get it for her.
"So what happened? Did he do something to upset you? If he did, I’ll straighten him out—"
Before she could finish, Hu Yuying shook her head urgently. "No, Brother Long didn’t do anything wrong."
He would never hurt her...
"Then what is it? You’re driving me crazy!"
Hu Yuying lowered her head, her voice barely audible. "I… my period hasn’t come..."
The moment those words left her mouth, Li Qingxue’s frantic expression froze.
It felt like a sledgehammer had struck her skull, leaving her mind blank.
They weren’t naive anymore.
A missed period, combined with the fact that Hu Yuying and Long Aotian had been together… the answer was obvious.
"Is your cycle usually regular?"
"Yes. Between the 20th and 22nd every month..."
"And today is?"
"The 25th."
Li Qingxue covered her mouth. "You didn’t use protection?"
"We did, but… we ran out. And we thought the timing was safe, so we…"
] 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.
n] Top-tier player Zhou Yi died and was reborn into the body of a hopeless simp who shared his name. His first love callously dumped him for a rich heir, his childhood sweetheart saw him as an embarrassment, the ice-cold campus beauty looked down on him—every woman he ever loved treated him like a pathetic doormat. But later, his ex came crawling back in tears: "Yi, I was wrong. Please take me back." His childhood sweetheart became hopelessly devoted: "Yi, just one more glance from you is all I ask." The aloof campus belle blushed as she handed him a love letter: "Zhou Yi, I was blind before. Will you accept my feelings?" To all of them, Zhou Yi just smiled. "Sorry, too late. I’m done with love." Oh, and he also gained a system—every time he earned a woman’s affection, his looks improved and his bank account grew. Soon, he became the nation’s most eligible bachelor, with socialites and heiresses begging for his attention...
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
