Xue Tao silently complained about Old Chu when a thought suddenly struck him—a few days ago, Chu Mingzhe had been chatting online with that girl he met at a bar.
This couldn’t help but spark a bit of imagination in Xue Tao’s mind.
Could it be that Old Chu was actually getting along swimmingly with that girl?
He remembered Chu Mingzhe mentioning that she shared some of his hobbies—in other words, they could actually hold a conversation.
Don’t underestimate that. In reality, couples who genuinely get along in terms of shared interests after getting into a relationship are pretty rare.
More often than not, one side just ends up accommodating the other.
After all, in today’s world, expecting guys and girls to enjoy the same things long-term without any clashes is practically asking for the impossible.
"Old Xue, you don’t get it. There’s an art to pleasing girls. If all you do is blindly agree with her, then scramble for excuses when your wallet can’t keep up, that’s no good. Keep it up, and she’ll just walk all over you," Chu Mingzhe said, uncharacteristically dropping some wisdom.
But then, true to form, he immediately followed up with another baffling declaration: "Not like me and Leilei. We’re like two lonely stars rejected by the world, licking each other’s wounds in some dark corner."
Su Bai: "…"
Wang Haoran: "…"
Bro.
What kind of sewer-dwelling rat behavior is this?
Wang Haoran was especially struggling to keep a straight face. Given Chu Mingzhe’s "Shanghai elite" status, he was leagues ahead of an actual down-and-out guy like Wang Haoran—yet here he was, wallowing in melancholy.
Truly, the curse of the artsy intellectual.
This only made Wang Haoran even more curious about this so-called "Leilei" and what kind of walking red flag she was.
He was dying to know.
Exchanging a glance with Su Bai, Wang Haoran saw the same thought reflected in his friend’s eyes.
Su Bai swallowed a bite of his stir-fried chicken and carefully phrased his question: "So, Shanghai Prince, things are going pretty well with that girl, huh? Speaking of which, there’s gotta be some art exhibitions in Jiangcheng during the National Day holiday. Why not take her to one?"
"Ah—Bro Su Bai, great minds think alike! I was just considering that!" Chu Mingzhe’s eyes lit up as he launched into an impromptu lecture on Jiangcheng’s art scene.
To summarize: during National Day, not far from Jiangcheng University, there was going to be a small street graffiti art exhibition.
Pretty niche.
But in Chu Mingzhe’s view, given Jiangcheng’s strong dockside culture and rough-around-the-edges charm, a graffiti exhibition perfectly captured the city’s vibe. Definitely worth checking out.
Su Bai listened, half-dazed.
Say what you will about Shanghai Prince and his tendency to spout nonsense, but the guy did have some genuinely niche interests.
That set him apart from Xue Tao, whose only hobby was showing off.
"Actually, I’ve already invited Leilei. We’ll check out the exhibition together, take a stroll along the river, with my Sennheiser IE600s… Oh, I’ll need to bring my DAC and amp too… Hey, Bro Su Bai, I’ve been eyeing a few new headphones lately. Any interest in—"
"Nope," Su Bai cut him off with a shake of his head. "I’m more into speakers. Headphones just feel uncomfortable."
"Ah, what a shame. With your financial situation, Bro Su Bai, you’ve got real potential as an audiophile. I was hoping to recruit you…"
Hard pass, thanks.
"So yeah, I’ve already got plans for National Day. Won’t be joining you guys," Chu Mingzhe concluded.
"No one asked you to!" Xue Tao groaned before glancing down at his phone.
Out of the corner of his eye, Wang Haoran caught sight of Xue Tao browsing flights to Thailand.
…Bro.
You’re actually letting Liu Yuanyuan talk you into this?
Forget whether it was safe or even cost-effective to travel there right now—just booking accommodations last-minute was a nightmare, with sky-high prices and limited availability.
Liu Yuanyuan was seriously spoiled.
Probably saw all her girlfriends posting about their fancy holiday plans and got jealous.
Hence the sudden pressure on Xue Tao.
Wang Haoran understood these kinds of girl tactics all too well.
Sure, he was a homebody, but that didn’t mean he was clueless.
"Hey, Shanghai Prince, make sure to take lots of pics during your date. Let us see what this art exhibition’s all about," Su Bai said casually.
"Sure, I’ll send you some later."
Mission accomplished!
Just like that, they’d secured intel on the infamous "Leilei."
Su Bai was already looking forward to Chu Mingzhe’s photo dump.
Then again, even if he hadn’t asked, Chu Mingzhe would’ve probably bragged about it on social media anyway.
The entertainment value was guaranteed.
Out of a faint sense of camaraderie, Su Bai offered a well-meaning warning: "Just… be careful, alright?"
After all, Shanghai Prince was about to go on a date with a girl who loved modifying switchblades.
Say the wrong thing, and she might just explode.
Could end badly.
To Su Bai’s surprise, Chu Mingzhe suddenly turned bashful.
"Ahaha, Bro Su Bai, actually… I’ve already thought of that. Ordered some, uh… safety gear online a couple days ago. Should be at the pickup station by now. Mind coming with me to grab it later…?"
It took the group a second to process what he meant.
"Bro, why so secretive about buying condoms?" Xue Tao burst out laughing. "It’s not like it’s illegal."
"Ahem, first time buying this stuff, can’t help feeling a little emotional… Heard the ones at convenience stores and hotels are all knockoffs, poor quality. I got mine from the official online store."
"…"
Damn.
Looks like Shanghai Prince was going all-in to seal the deal with Leilei this holiday.
A far cry from the "be careful" Su Bai had in mind.
All he could do now was offer his blessings.
If it was meant to be, then sure, why not? Leilei might just be the one.
After all, Chu Mingzhe—with his alternating bouts of melancholy and macho posturing—wasn’t exactly normal either.
Match made in heaven, honestly.
Gotta admit, the guy had ambition.
At least more than Xue Tao.
Based on Su Bai’s observations of Xue Tao and Liu Yuanyuan walking side by side, those two were probably still stuck at the hand-holding stage.
Not even kissing yet.
And this wasn’t some mystical intuition—there was actual behavioral science behind it.
The way couples walked together was strongly correlated with their relationship’s progress.
New couples with little physical intimacy moved awkwardly, still unused to having a romantic partner by their side instead of a friend.
Couples who kissed and cuddled often moved more naturally.
And then there were couples like Su Bai and Chen Yusheng, who’d already binge-watched entire anime series together.
They walked like glued-on stickers, with Chen Yusheng practically hanging off Su Bai.
Meanwhile, Xue Tao and Liu Yuanyuan looked like two zombies tied together.
Painful to watch.
Though both pairs were prime material for a reality show, Su Bai dared to make a bold prediction:
Old Chu and Leilei had way more potential.
Sure, he hadn’t seen the girl yet…
But he had met Liu Yuanyuan, and that woman was a nightmare. Compared to her, even his goofy childhood friend Jiang Qiuran seemed like a saint.
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...
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
