Ever since returning from the Mid-Autumn Festival trip, Jiang Qiuran had been put on hold by Su Bai.
Being put on hold was the right move—it wasn’t about messing around.
After all, Su Bai had never been particularly interested in Jiang Qiuran to begin with.
Of course, if you asked Su Bai to rate her physique, he’d still give her a thumbs-up.
But that was as far as it went.
When two people had known each other since childhood, the real barrier wasn’t physical attraction—it was the fact that their personalities were too familiar. That layer of mystery between strangers was missing.
Without that filter of unfamiliarity, most couples in the world would instantly find each other unbearable.
True love was a rare thing, after all.
Besides, Jiang Qiuran was the type who’d get carried away with even the slightest bit of attention. If you ignored her, she’d shamelessly cling to you instead.
Lately, she’d been sending Su Bai messages every now and then, trying to start conversations.
All on topics she knew he’d be interested in.
Yet Su Bai’s responses remained cold.
This didn’t deter Jiang Qiuran from continuing to act like Su Bai’s devoted admirer.
Somehow, Su Bai’s aloof demeanor only made him seem even more irresistible to her.
And it wasn’t like he was only cold to her—aside from a select few women who had already earned his approval, Su Bai didn’t bother being polite to most girls.
But today, something happened in the anime club’s group chat that completely shattered Jiang Qiuran’s composure.
That girl, Xiao Xiong, had actually managed to invite Su Bai to join the anime club!
Sure, Su Bai had only agreed to check it out, but Jiang Qiuran knew how lazy he was.
If he wasn’t genuinely interested, he wouldn’t even bother looking into it.
Su Bai wasn’t the type to act without a clear payoff.
How could this happen?
Did Su Bai really see her as less important than Xiao Xiong?
Jiang Qiuran was convinced she was far prettier than that second-year senior.
When she put on makeup, the difference between them was like a celebrity versus some obscure internet influencer.
And without makeup? No contest—Jiang Qiuran’s natural looks were stunning. Back in high school, she’d been the dream girl of countless boys.
Fuming, Jiang Qiuran rolled over on her dorm bed, then sat up.
Leaning against the white-painted wall, she snapped a selfie from a high angle.
The view trailed down along the neckline of her pajamas…
After sending the photo to Su Bai, she typed:
[Qiuran: Bai, I heard you’re joining the anime club? Why didn’t you ask me? I could’ve introduced you too.]
[Su Bai: ?]
[Su Bai: Are you telling me what to do?]
[Su Bai: [Goose_WieldingWhip]]
No idea where Su Bai dug up these absurd stickers.
They were clearly meant to be ridiculous, meme-worthy images.
Yet Jiang Qiuran’s expression shifted the moment she saw them.
Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to stay composed. No—she couldn’t revert to her embarrassing behavior from before. She had to push back a little, make Su Bai pay more attention to her.
If Su Bai ended up getting cozy with the girls in the anime club while leaving her, Jiang Qiuran, on the sidelines, wouldn’t that be humiliating?
Jiang Qiuran wanted Su Bai’s attention back.
[Qiuran: Bai, I already apologized, okay? I know I was wrong. I’ll take better care of our relationship, so please stop ignoring me. I… I want to go out with you!]
[Su Bai: No time right now. Hold it in.]
[Su Bai: Don’t worry. If I’m joining the anime club, I’ll definitely bring you along.]
[Qiuran: Really?]
[Su Bai: But I’ll decide how we play. Just wait—it’ll be exactly the kind of thing you like…]
[Qiuran: W-Who said I like that?!]
[Su Bai: Focus on your studies. Stop bothering me for no reason. Oh, and don’t send me those suggestive photos anymore. They’re boring. I’ve seen all you’ve got.]
[Qiuran: You—!]
[Su Bai: Nap time.]
Jiang Qiuran felt uneasy. The way Su Bai phrased it, it almost sounded like he was planning something bad for her…
Gulp.
She swallowed hard.
A bold idea popped into her head.
Pinching the hem of her pajama top with two fingers, she lifted it slightly.
She was wearing a long, girlish nightgown.
…
Hmph!
The point was, the photo turned out incredibly effective.
Even more alluring than the pros who specialized in teasing online.
After some light editing, Jiang Qiuran sent the picture to Su Bai.
[Su Bai: ???]
[Su Bai: Stop acting crazy here.]
[Qiuran: MaSter~ I’m not acting crazy. I just wanted you to see… After being scolded by you earlier, I…]
[Qiuran: Really love the feeling of being controlled by you.]
[Qiuran: As long as I can stay by your side, I’ll do anything.]
Jiang Qiuran’s personality was a little twisted, to say the least.
It wasn’t that she had to choose Su Bai to get the life she wanted.
With her looks, she had other options.
But Jiang Qiuran was the type to overthink things. Forget about her future—just seeing Su Bai thriving while she got none of the benefits made her so frustrated she could bash her head against a wall!
That’s why she’d been so desperate lately, with Su Bai ignoring her.
Meanwhile, in Room 510 of the male dormitory…
Su Bai zoomed in on the photo, enjoying every detail.
Then he fell into thought.
This girl really had a talent for teasing.
Originally, Su Bai had planned to keep her at arm’s length. Given her clingy personality, as long as he kept living his lavish, carefree life, she’d eventually settle down.
But now, it seemed mere compliance wasn’t enough—she needed to be tamed.
Otherwise, she’d keep chirping away like an annoying little bird.
From another angle, Jiang Qiuran had been practicing dance and voice training all to sell herself to some wealthy patron someday.
In that case, why shouldn’t Su Bai be that patron?
After all, any money he sent her would just bounce back to him through his rebate system.
Her constant nagging was getting tiresome anyway—might as well have some fun with her.
And judging by her attitude, she seemed eager to develop this kind of relationship with him.
This is for her own good!
Su Bai’s mind spun with self-justifying logic. Almost unconsciously, he sent Jiang Qiuran a 500-yuan red envelope.
[Su Bai: [HappyFortune]]
[Su Bai: Nice. Love it. Send more.]
Seeing the red packet, Jiang Qiuran bit her lip, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
How did it come to this…?
What’s happening to my childhood friendship (sob)…?
It was true that Jiang Qiuran wanted benefits from Su Bai, but this situation felt… off.
Somehow, their relationship had twisted into something humiliating—yet it stirred something primal in her, only making her more excited.
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?!
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
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!
] [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!"
