In the sunlit restaurant on the first floor of the private club, soft classical music echoed through the spacious room like flowing water.
Zhou Jialu casually placed her phone on the pristine white tablecloth. She picked up the bowl of warm, top-tier blood bird's nest soup in front of her, gently stirring it with a small silver spoon. Her captivating, fox-like eyes sparkled with an unusually lively gleam.
"This boy, he sure moves fast."
Zhou Jialu's red lips parted slightly as she murmured softly, unable to suppress the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
As a mature woman who had navigated the complexities of society, Zhou Jialu's mind was incredibly sharp. Su Bai sending messages early in the morning to ask about high-end baby strollers and eco-friendly cribs couldn't possibly be a random, impulsive whim.
Following this clue, the answer was practically staring her in the face.
Within this large group of female confidantes, who else could make Su Bai care so much, and who else had a relationship intimate enough with him to logically take this step, other than Chen Yusheng?
The image of Chen Yusheng's stunning, always cool and detached face floated into Zhou Jialu's mind.
To be honest, even though Zhou Jialu had absolute confidence in her own mature and alluring charm, she had to admit that when Su Bai and Chen Yusheng were together, they shared the perfect harmony of a match made in heaven.
Not only were they similar in age, but they were also classmates and college freshmen. Their pairing, no matter how you looked at it, was the absolute standard of a talented boy and a beautiful girl.
Su Bai's easygoing nature and Chen Yusheng's intellectual elegance were simply a perfect match.
"I just didn't expect it to happen so fast..."
Zhou Jialu scooped a spoonful of the bird's nest soup into her mouth, savoring it slowly.
After all, Su Bai and Chen Yusheng were only freshmen! This was the age when college life had just begun. While their peers were still stressing over failing their C programming finals or awkwardly walking around the track just to hold a girl's hand, these two had somehow skipped the conventional steps of dating and directly launched the grand blueprint of nurturing the next generation?
However, on second thought, Zhou Jialu felt this perfectly aligned with Chen Yusheng's absolutely rational way of doing things. Since she had determined that Su Bai was the only man for her in this lifetime, having a child while she was young and at her physical peak was logically the most perfect solution.
Thinking of this, the playful and mischievous streak in Zhou Jialu's heart was instantly sparked.
She picked up her phone, opened her WeChat contacts, and slid her slender fingers across the screen to find Chen Yusheng's profile picture.
Although everyone usually gathered around Su Bai by unspoken agreement, the girls also communicated privately among themselves. Zhou Jialu deliberately wanted to tease this academically gifted little sister who was usually so aloof and composed.
She opened Chen Yusheng's chat window, her fingers tapping rapidly on the screen:
[Lu: Shengsheng, I heard a certain young master has been asking all over the world about top-tier maternity and baby products early this morning.]
After typing this, she paused, the smile on her face growing even wider, and sent another message:
[If this is your decision, then as your big sister, I raise both hands in approval. With your excellent genes, it would be a waste not to have a genius baby early. But don't feel any pressure, please rest assured. While you peacefully prepare for pregnancy and during your future pregnancy, your good sisters in the confidante team will definitely help you take good care of Su Bai and keep him comfortable. You just focus on being our precious panda and taking good care of the baby! [Snicker][Snicker]]
Click, send.
Looking at the green bubble popping up in the chat window, Zhou Jialu put down her phone in satisfaction and continued to elegantly enjoy her breakfast.
...
Meanwhile, in the spacious and bright master bedroom on the second floor.
Chen Yusheng's phone, resting on the nightstand, suddenly let out two soft buzzing vibrations.
"Your phone is ringing, Academician Chen. Is it your lab supervisor looking for you?"
"...Hilarious, how did I evolve into an academician?" Chen Yusheng was always amused by Su Bai's teasing.
"Actually, it wouldn't matter if you evolved a bit further. What's the next evolution after an academician? A mad scientist, I'd say..."
Su Bai chuckled softly, stretching out his arm to grab her phone and handing it to her.
Only then did Chen Yusheng reluctantly poke half her head out from Su Bai's embrace, her clear, autumn-water-like eyes still clouded with a misty layer of shyness. Her flawlessly exquisite features and the emotional fluctuations in her eyes were unreservedly displayed before Su Bai at this moment, breathtakingly beautiful.
She took the phone, turned on the screen, and the WeChat interface clearly displayed two unread messages from Senior Jialu.
The moment Chen Yusheng read the contents of those two private messages, she felt her cheeks explode with heat, the temperature skyrocketing once again, even turning her fair earlobes so red they looked as if they might drip blood.
"This... this senior! Why is she sending me messages in private just to make fun of me!"
Chen Yusheng bit her soft lower lip in embarrassed annoyance.
Especially that wild phrase, "we will definitely help you take good care of Su Bai," left Chen Yusheng feeling both shy and helpless.
She knew Zhou Jialu too well; the vixen had always been daring in her words and actions, capable of saying things of any degree of boldness.
Su Bai looked at her cute, embarrassed, and flustered appearance, and couldn't help but lean over to glance at the screen. He immediately burst into laughter. "Haha, it seems Jialu is very supportive of your decision. Academician Chen, your pregnancy preparation plan has now received a unanimous vote of approval. Not only do you have material backing, but someone has even volunteered to take care of the logistics."
"You're still laughing! Isn't this all because you asked about baby strollers!" Chen Yusheng shot him an exasperated glare, though her bright eyes rippled with unconcealable shyness.
However, after the initial shyness and fluster faded away.
Leaning against Su Bai's chest, Chen Yusheng looked again at the few lines of text on her phone screen, and a warm ripple involuntarily swelled in her heart.
She was an extremely smart girl and could naturally read the rare sincerity and grace hidden behind Zhou Jialu's teasing banter.
In this luxurious private club gathered several girls of peerless beauty and varying personalities. Everyone revolved around Su Bai, the absolute center. If this were an ordinary secular circle, or the deep courtyards of some wealthy family, the moment someone expressed the desire to have the first child, it would absolutely trigger a bloody storm of jealousy and palace-style scheming.
But Zhou Jialu did not.
Not only did she not show a hint of jealousy, but she also used this highly emotionally intelligent method—seemingly teasing, but actually making a supportive statement—to help Chen Yusheng let go of all her psychological burdens.
The phrase "we will help you take good care of him" not only dissolved any potential awkwardness but also invisibly solidified the harmonious relationship within the entire group, allowing Chen Yusheng to feel a sense of acceptance and protection from her family.
Chen Yusheng let out a long sigh in her heart, a trace of genuine admiration and emotion flashing through her clear eyes.
She looked up at Su Bai's handsome, chiseled jawline and said softly,
"Su Bai, sometimes I really admire Senior. She always looks so casual and endlessly charming, but deep down, she is more perceptive and sees the big picture better than anyone else."
Su Bai looked down, gently stroking her smooth, long hair as he listened with a smile.
"Look at what she just sent me." Chen Yusheng turned off her phone screen, her eyes softening immensely. "She was clearly teasing me, yet she smoothed out all my worries behind the scenes. If it weren't for Zhou Jialu acting as the manager, tactfully mediating everything in the middle, how could our little group of confidantes possibly have such a harmonious atmosphere?"
Chen Yusheng was a rational person. She knew very well that her personality leaned toward being aloof and academic—simply put, she was like a machine.
When it came to handling complex emotional and interpersonal relationships, she was nowhere near as socially adept as Zhou Jialu.
Zhou Jialu was like the perfect social lubricant. With her vixen-like cunning and the tolerance of a mature woman, she silently gathered all the girls' hearts together, preventing any potential internal friction.
"Yeah." Su Bai tightened his arms around her, his tone filled with absolute satisfaction. "With Senior taking care of our daily lives and you keeping an eye on the big picture, I get to comfortably play the hands-off boss. Every single one of you is an indispensable puzzle piece in my life."
"Glad you know." Chen Yusheng proudly tilted her chin up a little, though the way she affectionately nuzzled against Su Bai's chest betrayed her deep inner attachment.
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...
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?"
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
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?!
