Su Bai's floating board offensive capabilities were ultimately limited, far inferior to the water gun in Jiang Qiuran's hands.
So what's the simplest way to deal with a shooter?
Close combat!
Suddenly, Su Bai abandoned the floating board, diving underwater and swimming straight toward Jiang Qiuran, eliciting a startled shriek from her.
"Ahhh, don’t come any closer… Haha, s-stop it…"
Su Bai wrapped his arms around Jiang Qiuran and immediately tickled her weak spots.
Having grown up together, they knew each other’s vulnerabilities by heart.
Caught off guard, Jiang Qiuran burst into uncontrollable giggles.
Within moments, she could barely keep her balance in the pool, quickly surrendering to Su Bai’s mercy.
"I was wrong, I was wrong! Wuwu… Bai, please let me go…"
Whether she was genuinely afraid of more tickling or seizing the chance to confess her feelings was unclear.
Her tearful, laughter-streaked face was nothing short of breathtaking.
Even Su Bai, long accustomed to Jiang Qiuran’s beauty, was momentarily stunned.
Only then did he release his grip on her slender waist.
"Ugh, you’ve ruined my makeup…" Jiang Qiuran pouted.
"Didn’t you apply waterproof setting spray? With your usual meticulousness, I’d expect no less. Then you’d splash water to ruin other girls’ makeup and revel in some twisted satisfaction…"
"Hey! I’m not that evil?!"
Exposed, Jiang Qiuran flusteredly swatted at him.
This was one of Su Bai’s most infuriating habits—calling out her "green tea" antics.
But that’s what close friends do—they tease and expose each other.
After their playful scuffle, Jiang Qiuran felt a long-lost happiness.
Well, not that long—just about two months, to be exact.
Ever since their fallout.
Being the universally adored beauty had been glamorous at first, but over time, Jiang Qiuran grew weary of it.
Life felt increasingly dull.
The flattery and attention all came with ulterior motives.
Let’s be real—the guys fawning over her just wanted to sleep with her.
The realization made life seem bleak.
But Jiang Qiuran knew the problem wasn’t life itself. Most ordinary lives were far more monotonous than she’d imagined.
Looking back, she realized Su Bai was the exception—the one extraordinary spark in her world.
A childhood friend like him was irreplaceable.
Yet she’d messed up spectacularly. Regret gnawed at her.
Her nose tingled with emotion as she wrapped her arms around Su Bai’s neck, whispering in his ear:
"You’re the best… I regret everything. Let’s never drift apart again, okay?"
Her voice trembled with unshed tears.
Meanwhile…
Su Bai…
Hiss…
Encouraged by his reaction, Jiang Qiuran blinked, her warm breath sweet against his skin.
"I’d do anything for you—whether we’re out, at school, or back in our hometown during breaks… Mhm, when we’re home, no other girls will be around. You’d get lonely, wouldn’t you, Bai?"
[Ding! Jiang Qiuran’s affection +2. Current affection level: 89]
Her mix of shyness and boldness left Su Bai flustered.
He quickly activated his [Sigma Aura].
"Enough already!"
He flicked her forehead. "When were we ever ‘together’? Cut the theatrics—we’ve filmed enough vlog material, thanks. If you’ve got energy to burn, let’s race in the pool."
If this little temptress kept this up, they might as well skip the pool party and jump straight to…
Better stick to wholesome activities for now.
"Race?" Jiang Qiuran paused, then smirked. "You serious?"
Her skepticism was justified.
They’d learned swimming together as kids.
Their coach—a stern, retired provincial team athlete—was ruthlessly strict.
Jiang Qiuran handled it fine, but Su Bai’s rebellious streak clashed with the coach’s discipline.
He quit lessons and taught himself by splashing around in reservoirs.
Pure wildcard style—no way he could outswim her.
"Heh, digging your own grave, are you?"
"Don’t be so sure. You know what they say—‘After three days apart, view a man with new eyes.’ The soft, weak me is dead. Now? I’m terrifyingly strong!"
Bantering, they climbed onto the diving platform.
The Wan sisters cleared the central lane, cheering for Su Bai while timing the race on their phones.
"Three, two, one… GO!"
Jiang Qiuran’s peripheral vision caught Su Bai’s dive.
Instantly, alarm bells rang.
Wait—wasn’t he only good at doggy-paddle? Used to belly-flop like a depth charge! Since when’s he so graceful?!
No time to ponder. She swam hard.
By the lap’s end, Su Bai was far ahead.
Jiang Qiuran gaped.
"That speed could qualify for the school team! Has Bai been training these past two months?"
Su Bai maintained his lead effortlessly, even showboating with a backstroke stretch.
Fuming, Jiang Qiuran splashed over to claw at him like an irate kitten.
Another playful tussle ensued—until disaster struck.
Jiang Qiuran’s face twisted in pain.
"Ah—cramp! It hurts! Bai, help…"
Wan Xinyan’s eyes widened.
Oscar-worthy instant acting! Even Zhang Ziyi would applaud this performance.
But Su Bai recognized this wasn’t acting.
The cramp was real—likely from overexertion.
To prevent her drowning, he scooped her up, his muscular arms carrying her to the poolside.
After climbing out, he laid her on a soft mat and massaged her calf.
He’d handled cramps before.
During their growth spurts, both had woken up to leg cramps countless times, tending to each other.
The scene dredged up childhood memories.
Absently, Su Bai studied Jiang Qiuran’s leg.
By modern standards, it was a "manga leg"—slim, straight, and flawlessly smooth.
The pale, silky skin felt exquisite under his fingers.
tions: attribute allocation, analysis, proficiency, and simulation. Specializing in mechanical alchemy, from crafting sorcerous battle armor to handcrafting mechanical maidens, his mechanical legion conquers endless realms... Relying on his wits, he begins with a student-teacher romance, wins over a female director, enslaves a female assassin and a underworld queen, becoming the husband of a Grand Duchess... He enslaves the Goddess of Magic from the divine realm, developing his power simultaneously in both the Wizard World and the Realm of Gods...
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...
