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.
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.
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?"
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...
lity and could only live as an ordinary mortal. He only wished to live a peaceful life. Yet he didn't know— The dog he adopted, because it ate his food, became a legendary demon king. The kitchen knife he casually forged became a peerless divine weapon, causing numerous experts to fight desperately for it. The young disciple he took in became an immortal lord that led an era, due to cultivating the techniques Ye Feng taught him. Even the skeletons he looked down on the most were ominous demon kings that suppressed countless worlds. Many years later, looking at the void shattered with a punch, Ye Feng murmured to himself: It turns out the peerless kings were myself all along...
