"It's snowing again. Feels like there's been so much snow this year."
Sitting on the platform, Hu Yuying reached out, trying to catch the falling snowflakes. But as they landed on her warm, soft palm, they melted into tiny droplets of icy water.
Sniffing the air, she chuckled lightly. "The sweet potatoes are done roasting."
Using a wooden stick, she pulled the sweet potatoes out of the fire.
"Long Aotian, try the sweet potatoes I roasted."
"They must be delicious."
"Long Aotian~ You haven’t even tasted them yet!"
"I don’t need to taste them to know they’re good. Everything you make is delicious—I’ve personally confirmed that!" He gave her a thumbs-up.
Watching Hu Yuying’s flushed cheeks, Long Aotian couldn’t resist pinching them gently. "How come even after being together for so long, you still blush so easily?"
"I don’t know." Even though he was the most familiar person to her, even though he was the one she adored, she couldn’t help but blush in front of him—completely beyond her control.
The snow fell heavier, layering even thicker over the already white ground.
Yet the small fire provided the warmest comfort in that moment.
"Looks like you won’t be able to go back today, Long Aotian." Hu Yuying crouched down, shaping a snowball from the ground and tossing it off the platform. Then, stealing a glance at him, she murmured softly.
"I didn’t plan on leaving early when I came here."
"Before arriving, I’d already made up my mind—if your grandparents didn’t approve of me, I wasn’t going anywhere."
Hu Yuying pressed her lips together, suppressing a smile.
She touched his cheek with her cold fingers. "Then I’ll go prepare a room for you."
"Wait a little longer." Long Aotian cherished these moments alone with her.
He wanted to stay with her just a little longer.
Unzipping his coat, he wrapped her snugly in his arms.
......
Walking back home through the snow, the women who had been gathered around the fire earlier had already dispersed, returning to their own houses due to the weather.
"It’s not convenient to take a bath here, so warm yourself by the stove, Long Aotian. I’ll go get your room ready."
After returning, Hu Yuying told her grandmother about Long Aotian staying overnight.
Her grandfather, having had a bit to drink, had already gone to bed.
Seeing the snow outside growing heavier, her grandmother even helped prepare a room.
Unlike the heated rooms in the city, this one was chilly. Hu Yuying carried in two thick quilts.
"It’ll get colder at night, so two quilts will keep you warm." As she spoke, she laid them out on the bed.
From where Long Aotian stood, watching her make the bed, he couldn’t resist stepping forward and wrapping his arms around her from behind.
Feeling his embrace, Hu Yuying squirmed slightly—after all, they were still at home.
Outside, in the city, Long Aotian could do whatever he wanted... but here was different.
"Just for a little while. Just a little."
Hearing his words, she stopped resisting.
She continued arranging the bed while letting him hold her.
Once the bed was made, she gently patted his hands. "All done."
"Which room are you staying in?" Long Aotian whispered.
"Next to yours." She pointed at the wall.
"What about your grandparents?"
"Grandfather had some wine and is asleep. Grandmother is taking care of him."
"Then take care of me too. I’ve also been drinking." Suddenly, Long Aotian started acting shamelessly, flopping onto the bed and pretending to be drunk.
Hu Yuying gave him a light smack. "I didn’t see any signs of you being drunk when we were on the mountain earlier."
"And besides, my grandparents are home. You better not try anything, understand?"
Long Aotian sat up, looking at her seriously. "Do I seem like someone who’d be so inconsiderate?"
"Today’s my first time meeting them. Of course I want to leave a good impression!"
"Then let go of me." If not for his hands starting to wander again, she might have actually believed him...
In the small room, Long Aotian sat on a stool while Hu Yuying perched on the bed, catching up on what they’d each been doing during their time apart.
Mostly, Hu Yuying wanted to know how Long Aotian’s father felt about her.
Since Long Aotian had come to meet her grandparents, she was thinking of visiting his father soon too.
"When I told Old Han we were together, he was so happy he bought a bottle of liquor that same night. Said I’d done well to win over such a good girl like you, and that if I ever treated you badly, he’d break my legs to make it up to you."
Hearing this, Hu Yuying let out a soft laugh, her heart swelling with the joy of being accepted.
The happiness was so real, so beautiful.
Long Aotian couldn’t help but stand and move toward her.
Seeing him approach, Hu Yuying quickly covered her mouth. "No kisses."
"You saw right through me? Was it that obvious?"
"Mhm. Super obvious."
Even so, she lowered her hands, tilting her head up to gaze at him with wide, glistening eyes.
Slowly, she leaned in closer.
Silent longing, yet in this moment, it roared louder than anything.
She had missed him from the second they’d parted.
He had promised to come for her, to meet her grandparents—and when it came to serious matters, he never broke his word to her.
Day after day, she waited.
Her emotions were hers to control, yet they still swayed for him...
Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door.
Hu Yuying snapped out of her daze, gently pushing Long Aotian away. Breathless, she called out, "Grandmother?"
"Let Xiao Tian rest for a while. It’s getting late—come help me with dinner."
Hu Yuying stuck her tongue out at Long Aotian. "What do you want for dinner?"
"I bought some lamb from town not long ago. How about lamb stew tonight?"
"Sure." Long Aotian patted his chest lightly in agreement.
She opened the door and stepped out, joining her grandmother in the kitchen.
"Grandmother, I’m thinking of visiting Long Aotian’s father soon too."
Her only family was her grandparents, and she never hid anything from them.
She could tell they both liked Long Aotian...
"That’s only right. Since Xiao Tian has come to meet us, you should meet his family too. Your grandfather and I won’t stand in your way on this."
The way her granddaughter’s eyes lit up at the mention of Xiao Tian...
The respect he showed her and her husband, the affection he had for Hu Yuying...
After hearing their story, what more could they worry about?
As elders, they wouldn’t be around to take care of Hu Yuying forever.
If they were willing, if they loved each other, if they were committed to caring for one another—that was enough...
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
] [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!"
and couldn't return to the real world. Finally, I gave up and decided to go with the flow, only to discover that writing a diary could make me stronger. Since no one could read it, Su Luo wrote freely, daring to pen anything and everything. Female Lead #1: "Not bad. This diary helped me steal all the protagonist's opportunities. I just want to get stronger." Female Lead #2: "I don’t care about reaching the peak of the cultivation world. Right now, I just want to enjoy the chaos." Female Lead #3: "What? Everyone around me is a spy? I’m the Joker Demon Lord?" ... It’s so strange. Why is the plot completely off track, yet the ending remains the same? Are you all just messing with me?!
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
