"Yuanyuan, did something upset you?"
Liu Yuanyuan was still fuming when she turned her head and saw Jiang Qiuran climbing down from her bed.
Her face wore a concerned expression, but it didn’t come across as intrusive.
It instantly softened Liu Yuanyuan’s mood, and she sighed. "Ah, it’s not that big of a deal… Honestly, I should’ve seen it coming."
"Oh, well, as long as it’s nothing serious. But if you ever need help, just say the word. We’re roommates—we’ve got your back."
"Yeah, thanks."
"By the way, I was thinking of heading to that little shop outside campus to buy some hair ties. If you’re not planning to nap, wanna come with?"
After a brief hesitation, Liu Yuanyuan nodded. "Sure, let’s go!"
She had just finished arguing with Xue Tao and was still seething—no way she could nap now, not a chance.
At a time like this, an invitation to go shopping from her roommate was exactly what she needed.
Plus, she could vent to Jiang Qiuran about it.
Jiang Qiuran was one of the most popular girls on campus—well-liked, reasonable, and definitely someone who’d understand just how ridiculous Xue Tao was being.
In a way, Jiang Qiuran had perfectly gauged Liu Yuanyuan’s state of mind.
Girls often sought validation from their peers, especially from those who were widely admired. The more popular a girl was, the more weight her opinions carried among her friends.
And shopping trips were the perfect setting for heart-to-heart talks between close friends.
Though, to be fair, Jiang Qiuran and Liu Yuanyuan weren’t exactly besties.
This was all just part of Su Bai’s plan.
Jiang Qiuran had no qualms about using a bit of harmless "green tea" tactics—as long as it wasn’t outright malicious, she was fine with it.
Of course, when it came to Su Bai, her attitude was entirely different—she treated him with the sincerity of a devoted servant.
Half an hour later, inside a Miniso store at the off-campus shopping district…
"...Can you believe Xue Tao actually had the nerve to use Su Bai as an example? He said, ‘Look at Su Bai and Chen Yusheng—they’ve only been dating for a short while, but they’re already all over each other. So why can’t you give me a little something too?’ Like, seriously? How is he even comparable to Su Bai?"
"Totally," Jiang Qiuran agreed, nodding along.
But inwardly, she scoffed.
And how are you comparable to Chen Yusheng?
Besides, Su Bai and the top student Chen Yusheng were genuinely in love. What exactly did Liu Yuanyuan think her relationship with Xue Tao was? Did she even have any self-awareness?
Then again, Jiang Qiuran could tell—Liu Yuanyuan was the type who had no sense of her own limits.
Her material desires were huge, but her actual standing wasn’t anything special.
At least she got some juicy gossip out of it.
While Liu Yuanyuan browsed disposable face towels, Jiang Qiuran discreetly relayed the intel to Su Bai.
Smooth, swift, and undetected—like a top-tier spy.
Before wrapping up, she couldn’t resist adding:
[ASUka: MaSter, are You satisfied with this information?]
[CrispyWhiteGoose: Not bad.]
And just like that, Su Bai left her on read.
Cold as ice.
It reminded Jiang Qiuran of the mischievous, aloof Su Bai from their childhood.
Honestly? She was into it.
"So let me get this straight—Xue Tao got caught cheating, but instead of apologizing, he turned it around and accused Liu Yuanyuan of not being ‘devoted enough’? Then when she got mad, he backtracked and promised to buy her an LV bag? …Wait, did Liu Yuanyuan see Zhou Jialu’s bag and decide to use this as an opportunity to demand one for herself?"
Su Bai quickly pieced together the full story behind Liu Yuanyuan and Xue Tao’s fight.
What a mess.
These two were emotionally volatile and constantly scheming against each other.
Exhausting just to watch.
Su Bai would never want a relationship like that.
Sure, a little calculation was human nature—but there had to be limits, and the intent had to be for the other person’s good.
Sadly, most young people nowadays only looked out for themselves in relationships.
That kind of formulaic, transactional dating? No thanks.
As for now, Su Bai was playing on easy mode. With wealth to spare, even the crumbs he dropped were enough to keep girls happy.
Any smart girl would know better than to play mind games with him.
After savoring the drama, Su Bai took a satisfying nap.
When he woke up, he headed to the basketball court to meet up with his classmates for practice.
"Bai, you good? Not too worn out?"
"Huh? Why would I be?"
"Well, you were surrounded by beauties during the break. Just saying, if you’re running low on stamina, give us a heads-up…"
"Piss off. I’m in peak condition—you’ll see once we start playing."
Su Bai laughed as he traded banter with the class’s sports rep.
The rep was on the shorter side but built like a tank.
Rumor had it he’d trained in long-distance running and basketball in high school.
His basketball skills were solid, though not quite at the level of a dedicated athlete.
His long-distance running, however, was scholarship-worthy.
But his grades were good enough that he’d gotten into this top-tier university through regular admissions.
The upcoming sports festival, including inter-class basketball matches, was all under the rep’s coordination.
Campus life was simple like that.
People bonding over shared interests, engaging in fun activities—it was a lot more genuine than the forced social circles adults called "hobby groups."
Then again, most people didn’t have the time or energy for hobbies after entering the workforce.
Even though Su Bai no longer had to worry about money, he still cherished this part of university life.
Today, eight guys from the class basketball team showed up for practice.
Perfect for a 4v4 scrimmage—a chance to assess everyone’s skills and figure out positions and rotations.
Normally, more than ten people would’ve come, but two had last-minute conflicts, and Xue Tao was currently sulking in his dorm after his meltdown…
After a few rounds, the consensus was clear:
Their team had two cores.
One was the sports rep—a reliable point guard with great handles. When he orchestrated the offense, everyone felt at ease.
The other was Su Bai.
Sure, his technique was rough.
But his physicality was downright unfair.
He played aggressively but clean, bulldozing through defenses with pure athleticism.
When Su Bai set a screen, defenders bounced off him like he was a brick wall.
So they slotted him in as center—his job was to dominate the paint and grab every rebound.
At 1.85 meters, he’d be undersized for center in pro ball, but for a casual inter-class tournament? More than enough.
Especially since Su Bai was built like a tank, jumped like a spring, and had the wingspan of a condor.
So while Su Bai might be a short center, he definitely wasn’t a small one.
After a solid session, just as everyone was starting to crave drinks, the Wan Sisters made an appearance.
Armed with a giant bag of beverages.
Just like that one P.E. class where Wan Xinyan had first approached Su Bai.
Except now, Su Bai knew Wan Xinyan very well.
In every sense of the word.

't think I'm that capable, I'm just trying my best to stay alive. I've been kind all my life, never did anything bad, yet worldly suffering spared me not one bit. The human world is a nice place, but I won't come back in my next life. A kind young man, who wanted to just get by singing, but through repeated deceits and betrayals, has gone down an irredeemable path.

rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!

ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!

transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”