By nightfall, the snow was falling heavier than ever.
The family gathered around the fireplace, sharing a simple yet heartwarming dinner.
A few neighbors dropped by Ying’s house during the evening—word had spread that she’d brought her boyfriend home, and they couldn’t resist coming to take a look.
Inevitably, a bit more wine was poured.
Though Grandpa wasn’t much of a talker, the smile on his face never faded all night.
Late at night,
Long Aotian chuckled as he watched Hu Yuying, listening to Grandma scold Grandpa in the background.
"How can you still laugh? Grandpa hasn’t drunk this much in ages. He already napped half the afternoon after those two glasses at lunch, and now he’s getting an earful from Grandma."
Hu Yuying huffed and gave Long Aotian a light pinch on the waist.
"Because I’m happy," Long Aotian caught her hand and held it against his side, exhaling softly. "Grandpa was happy today, everyone was. And don’t worry—I made sure he didn’t overdo it."
Hu Yuying smiled faintly. It had been a long time since the house felt this lively.
There had been moments like this before, but ever since she left for school and her grandparents started borrowing money to make ends meet, the warmth had faded.
"How are you holding up?" she asked. Long Aotian had drunk quite a bit himself, even stepping in to shield Grandpa from a few toasts.
With a mischievous grin, Long Aotian beckoned her closer.
"What is it?" Hu Yuying leaned in.
In one swift motion, he pulled her into his arms. "Listen to my heartbeat. It won’t lie to you."
Nestled against his chest, she listened.
His pulse was quick, exhilarated—not the sluggish rhythm of drunkenness, but the lively thrum of pure joy.
Resting her head against him, she murmured, "I already talked to Grandma. I want to visit Uncle soon."
"Whoa, the old man’s gonna lose his mind with happiness!"
Hu Yuying pinched him playfully. "Long Aotian, be serious!"
"I am! If Dad hears you’re coming to see him, he won’t sleep a wink all night."
"In his eyes, you’re the one who changed his son. Trust me, he couldn’t be prouder of you."
"How proud?" she teased.
"This proud." He stretched his arms wide, exaggerating the gesture, then pulled her tiny frame back into his embrace, his voice low and rough. "So, so proud."
"I can feel it," Hu Yuying whispered in her heart.
Watching Long Aotian drift off, she traced a fingertip from his brow to the tip of his nose. "Goodnight, Long Aotian."
She turned off the light and retreated to her own room.
Her room was just as small. Lying in bed, she opened a drawer and pulled out a string of lollipops.
Peeling one free, she unwrapped it and savored the sweetness—just like the joy of today.
The next morning,
Hu Yuying woke early, as usual.
Outside, the snow had lightened to a gentle sprinkle. She tiptoed to Long Aotian’s door and peeked in—still fast asleep.
Stepping into the courtyard, she grabbed a broom and began sweeping the snow.
The thick layer crunched satisfyingly underfoot as she cleared a path.
A rustle behind her made her turn. Grandma had emerged from her room too.
"I'll go make some egg tea. You two drank quite a bit last night, and if you don't eat something in the morning, I’m afraid your stomachs won’t handle it well."
Soon, Grandma finished preparing the egg tea.
She brought one bowl to Grandpa’s room and handed the other to Hu Yuying to deliver to Long Aotian.
Pushing open the door to Long Aotian’s room, Hu Yuying walked to the bedside.
She couldn’t help but wave her hand in front of her nose. Last night, she hadn’t noticed it, but after a night, the smell of liquor had become rather unpleasant.
Opening the window, a cold breeze rushed into the room, dispersing the stale odor.
As if sensing the chill, Long Aotian instinctively pulled the blanket tighter around himself.
Seeing this, Hu Yuying suddenly had a mischievous idea and slipped her icy fingers under the covers.
When her hand brushed against his skin, she froze for a moment, then playfully pinched him.
"Can’t get enough, huh?" Long Aotian opened his eyes and teased the girl beside him.
Hu Yuying quickly withdrew her hand, her cheeks flushing the moment their eyes met.
"Grandma made you some egg soup. You should get up and have some, or your stomach might feel bad later."
"Is this your blanket?" Long Aotian pointed to the one covering him.
"No."
"Liar. It smells just like you. No wonder I slept so well last night."
Hu Yuying felt happy inside but replied, "That’s just because you were drunk."
"Alright, help me grab my clothes from the backpack."
Before coming, Long Aotian had prepared for a long stay, determined to win over Ying’s grandparents, so he’d packed extra clothes.
Hu Yuying opened the backpack and pulled out his clothes.
When she saw the padded shirt, she frowned slightly. "Haven’t seen you wear this in a long time."
She had picked it out for him—it looked especially handsome on him—but it had been ages since he’d last worn it.
At the sight of the shirt, Long Aotian’s mind involuntarily flashed back to Shen Mengjie and the joke she’d made.
He shook his head quickly, took the clothes, and dressed in a hurry.
After finishing the egg soup, he and Hu Yuying stepped outside into the yard.
Long Aotian glanced around, then grabbed a shovel and started piling up the snow.
"What are you doing?"
"Someone once said she wanted to build a snowman, but when we left the capital, there wasn’t enough snow. Now’s the perfect chance."
Hearing this, Hu Yuying turned and hurried into the kitchen.
When she returned, she carried a few carrots and some leafy greens.
One built the snowman; the other decorated it.
"1, 2, 3, cheese!"
With the click of the phone camera, the moment was captured—the young couple and the snowman behind them, frozen in time.
"Long Aotian, let me see too!"
Inside the house, Grandpa and Grandma watched their granddaughter and Long Aotian playing together, their faces softening into smiles.
Happiness couldn’t be faked, and sincerity didn’t need words to be felt.
They were quite fond of this boy, Aotian.
"How about we go into town later?" Long Aotian suggested, watching the girl admire the photo on her phone.
Earlier, when he’d returned the dishes to the kitchen, he’d noticed they didn’t have much New Year’s food stocked up.
Hu Yuying nodded. "The town must still be bustling."
After telling their grandparents they were heading into town, the two hopped onto a tricycle and rode off.
On the way, I happened to see a young couple carrying a piece of meat into their home.
Hu Yuying called out "Sis," said she was heading to town, and after a brief exchange, she left...
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."
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?!
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]
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
