Chu Mingzhe's assumption was quite reasonable.
After all, in his experience, ever since Xue Tao started dating Liu Yuanyuan, the spending had never stopped.
In Chu Mingzhe's worldview, spending money on a girlfriend was acceptable.
But shouldn’t there be some kind of soul connection between the two?
He couldn’t see any resonance between Old Xue and that Liu Yuanyuan.
To put it bluntly, Chu Mingzhe didn’t think either of them had much of a soul to begin with…
So, the only way Xue Tao knew how to keep his girlfriend happy was by showering her with gifts.
However, Chu Mingzhe’s words carried a different meaning to Xue Tao’s ears.
“Wait, what are you trying to say, Lao Chu? Are you implying that the only thing between me and Liu Yuanyuan is eating out and buying clothes?” Xue Tao grumbled, visibly annoyed.
“I never said that. Don’t put words in my mouth,” Chu Mingzhe swiftly distanced himself, playing the role of the untouchable.
This guy always spoke in riddles.
Every time, it gave Xue Tao a headache.
In that regard, Su Bai was much more straightforward.
He kept it real.
For example, a few days ago, Xue Tao had asked Su Bai, “Bro, what do you think of my calculus skills right now?”
After thinking for a few seconds, Su Bai blurted out:
“If you don’t pull off a last-minute cram session before finals, you’ll probably fail.”
“……”
At the time, Xue Tao felt like Su Bai was looking down on him—though his math skills were indeed terrible.
But now, looking back, he realized Su Bai was just reminding him to hit the books hard.
It just went to show how Xue Tao’s perception of Su Bai had subtly shifted after Su Bai revealed his wealth.
When a poor guy speaks bluntly, it’s called having no emotional intelligence. But when a rich guy does it, it’s called being genuine.
Such is human nature.
Of course, Xue Tao wasn’t completely won over by Su Bai. Young men rarely are. He merely acknowledged that Su Bai had, at the very least, entered their social tier—hmph!
After all, there was that 800,000-yuan car, not to mention the fact that Su Bai showed up to class every day in a different designer streetwear outfit… Damn, those clothes were expensive!
Xue Tao’s parents would never buy him stuff like that.
According to his parents…
“With a face like yours, just get yourself a few decent suits when you start working. Streetwear? More like street-clown!”
Seriously, whose fault is it that I’m ugly?
Xue Tao was speechless.
“Bro Chu, you just don’t get it. You can’t just keep buying clothes and taking your girlfriend out to eat all the time. Sure, those things are necessary—when you’re in a relationship, you’ve gotta be generous. But I think a man should spend money on himself too.”
“…You actually know how to spend money on yourself??”
Chu Mingzhe was skeptical.
He, on the other hand, had no problem splurging on himself—like his obsession with headphones, which had eaten up a good chunk of his allowance.
“Is that so weird? Ahem, I’m actually planning to upgrade my car soon. My dad’s handing down his second-hand Cayenne to me. He says the Magotan’s fine, but the space is a bit cramped. You know the Cayenne, right? Its specs actually make it a legit workhorse for construction sites. Back when my dad was helping out relatives, he even used it to haul materials…”
Xue Tao rambled on.
Meanwhile, Chu Mingzhe was stunned by the extravagance of Xue Tao’s parents.
They were really going all out to help their son impress girls!
Even a used Cayenne was worth several hundred thousand.
Damn, were the Jiangcheng demolition families really that loaded?
In reality, over the past few days, Xue Tao had been alternating between sweet-talking Liu Yuanyuan on WeChat and throwing tantrums at his parents, demanding a car upgrade.
At first, his parents refused.
But Xue Tao insisted, claiming that all the “high-status” guys at school drove Mercedes E-classes or BMW X5s—how was he supposed to keep up with just a lousy Magotan?
Consumerism really was a disease…
Honestly, even a cheap second-hand Corolla would’ve been more than enough for an average college student.
But if Xue Tao wanted to flex, so be it.
To convince his parents, Xue Tao even came up with a sneaky trick.
When they weren’t looking, he’d grab their phones and scroll through Douyin, liking every video that glorified college students living lavishly and driving luxury cars.
The algorithm did the rest.
He completely wrecked their recommendation feeds.
As the saying goes, behind every spoiled brat is an overly doting mother.
When Xue’s mom saw the videos, she was shocked. “Damn, is this what college life is like now? Well, my precious son can’t fall behind!”
Under her relentless pressure, Xue’s dad reluctantly handed over the Cayenne.
…This, my friends, was the triumph of postmodern algorithmic manipulation!
If people found out the real story behind the Cayenne, they’d probably laugh their heads off.
Some meme account would definitely roast him anonymously.
But Xue Tao was a master at keeping up appearances.
The way he acted, you’d think his family had casually tossed him the keys without a second thought.
“The Cayenne is still a Porsche, you know? Unlike something like a Mercedes GLE, which has cheap trims and is seen as a 400,000 to 500,000-yuan car, the Cayenne is in a whole different league—a million-yuan luxury ride…”
“Really? I feel like girls these days don’t even pay attention to cars,” Chu Mingzhe said, pouring cold water on Xue Tao’s excitement as usual. If Xue Tao were an emperor in ancient times, Chu Mingzhe would’ve been the outspoken advisor—even the legendary Fang Xuanling would’ve been impressed.
“Pfft, you just don’t understand women. Girls love Porsches,” Xue Tao countered before shifting gears. “Speaking of which, I think the headphones you’re into? Now that’s something girls couldn’t care less about.”
“NO!” Chu Mingzhe flashed a brooding, artsy smile. “That girl I met at the bar the other day has been deep in conversation with me about the beauty of Hi-Fi acoustics. I have a feeling our souls are slowly merging.”
“Huh? Which girl at the bar? I don’t remember…” Xue Tao scratched his head.
Chu Mingzhe scoffed. “You were too busy drooling over that busty girl to notice. Meanwhile, I was the one who spotted the most unassuming yet fascinating girl at our table… She was wearing a black gothic dress, Shibuya-style makeup, with a purple hair clip… Her favorite plushie is Kuromi, her favorite drink is Monster… Oh, and she said she loves ‘flower knife’—probably means she’s into cooking! A real domestic goddess.”
Holy crap!
Did Bro Chu actually score?!
Xue Tao was floored. He couldn’t accept this.
Just then, Wang Haoran took off his headphones.
He’d been grinding in-game and needed a bathroom break.
Overhearing Chu Mingzhe’s description of his new crush, Wang Haoran couldn’t help but chuckle.
“What’s so funny, Haoran?”
“N-Nothing…”
Internally, Wang Haoran was thinking: The girl Chu Mingzhe described? Textbook “landmine girl.”
Yahoo~
His brain was already looping that tearful anime OST.
Something told him Chu Mingzhe had stepped into a very, very dangerous pit.
But seeing how smug Chu Mingzhe looked, Wang Haoran didn’t have the heart to warn him.
Then again, as a roommate, maybe he should say something.
Thus began Wang Haoran’s internal struggle.
So, should I tell him?
But telling him probably won’t help.
In the end, Wang Haoran decided to consult Su Bai instead. At least Brother Bai had some emotional intelligence.
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?!
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.”
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!
e, Immortal Body, Transmigration, System, Progression Fantasy, Academy Setting, Third-Person Perspective. Alternate Title: Transmigrating into a High Martial World and Reading Live Comments. Bad news: I transmigrated. This is a terrifying high-martial world, and my original, pathetically weak body fell into a coma and never woke up. Good news: I got a Popularity Points system upon arrival. I can see live comments and even create an unkillable alternate identity. Starting out, the alternate identity has all stats at 1. The system tells me that to grow stronger, I must participate in the plot, gain popularity points to allocate stats and grow stronger, and ultimately awaken my original body. And so, carrying my original body on my back, I officially entered Huaqing Academy, where the story's protagonist resides. From that moment on, Chen Guan kicked the original plot to pieces. Live Comments: [Doesn't anyone find this mysterious coffin guy creepy? He can summon indescribable grey misty hands.] [Is this guy a hero or a villain? What kind of onion became a spirit?] [By the way, does anyone know who's in the coffin? Shouldn't the debt for saving his life be repaid by now?] [According to unofficial histories, the person in the coffin was Chen Guan's first love. Their love was once passionate and earth-shattering, but they were separated by life and death due to worldly circumstances. What a star-crossed pair.] ... Years later, the world knew of a demon god born from a coffin, shrouded in grey mist, impossible to gaze upon directly. His foremost divine emissary often wielded a scythe, reaping lives like the god of death. As war approached, facing former friends and a boundless sea of enemies, Chen Guan merely raised his scythe. "Would you like to dance as well?"
