Zhou Yi carried Little Jia on his back as they walked along the quiet path back to the Prince's Mansion.
This secluded road was rarely traveled, and Little Jia had often walked here alone in the past.
"Zhou Yi."
Little Jia had long shed her sweet and gentle facade, revealing her true nature.
Endearments like "Brother Zhou" were gone—now she only called him by his full name, Zhou Yi.
Still, compared to other men, Zhou Yi at least had the privilege of being addressed properly. Little Jia collectively referred to the men who flattered her as "dogs."
Clearly, in Little Jia's eyes, Zhou Yi was different from those men.
If those men were nothing more than gold-diggers in her mind, then Zhou Yi was the untainted white lotus—or at least, that was the image he had carefully crafted for her.
Zhou Yi tilted his head slightly and asked softly, "Hmm? What is it now, my dear lady?"
Throughout the journey, Little Jia had been complaining—first that Zhou Yi walked too fast, then that he wasn’t holding her tightly enough. Her attitude toward him was downright hostile.
Yet Zhou Yi wasn’t angry.
To him, it was just like teasing a kitten.
Hearing him call her "dear lady," Little Jia secretly smiled against his back, though her tone remained sharp:
"You think I’m too harsh, don’t you?"
"Not at all. I just think you’re like a child who needs to be pampered."
"Of course! I’m the treasured jewel of the entire Prince’s Mansion. It’s your honor to carry me. Go on, tell me—what do you want?"
Harsh as she was, Little Jia was also incredibly generous.
"You still don’t understand. I don’t want anything from you. I’m only escorting you home because you asked me to."
"—That’s all."
Zhou Yi emphasized those last two words.
Little Jia pretended to be furious and smacked his shoulder. "You’re so ungrateful! My family has countless rare treasures. Even if you don’t care about money, surely you’d be interested in antiques and artifacts."
She tilted her head and rested it on his shoulder, her eyes gleaming.
Truthfully, every time Zhou Yi refused her, she felt a little pleased.
If he were like those other men, she’d see him as no different from the "dogs."
At least in the beginning, Zhou Yi never accepted anything from her.
Little Jia truly meant it when she offered gifts—but the moment someone took them, she lost all interest in them.
Zhou Yi replied calmly, "Of course I like treasures. Who wouldn’t? But we’re not family, nor are we close. Accepting such expensive gifts from you would feel wrong."
Little Jia smirked and said haughtily, "Honestly, you’re so... stubborn. Fine, then what would you accept?"
"Why are you so insistent on giving me things?"
"Because I want to! Isn’t that how the world works? No one stays friends without some benefit."
"There you go again with your twisted logic. If I’d only agreed to walk you home because I wanted something from you, would you still be friends with me?"
"But you didn’t, so I want to give you things. Hey, no more arguing! If you’re my friend, you have to accept my gifts. You need to be worthy of being my friend."
Little Jia had a strange way of thinking, likely instilled in her since childhood.
She was noble, so her friends had to be noble too. Even if they started as ordinary, she would elevate them until they were "qualified."
She liked Zhou Yi, found him interesting—so she had to give him something. To her, this was how relationships were maintained.
But she didn’t realize the subconscious superiority in her actions.
Suddenly, Zhou Yi set her down.
"Walk the rest of the way yourself."
His expression turned cold as he turned to leave. Little Jia panicked and shouted after him:
"Hey! What’s wrong with you?!"
No one had ever walked away from her like this before. Stunned, she could only stand there and demand an answer.
Zhou Yi waved without looking back. "Go on home."
Little Jia narrowed her eyes. "You’re really going to leave a girl alone this late at night? What if something happens to me?"
Sure enough, Zhou Yi stopped.
She raised an eyebrow—see? At his core, Zhou Yi was still a kind and chivalrous man. She stepped in front of him and bit her lip.
"Well? Did I say something to upset you?"
She didn’t notice how cautious her tone had become.
If Zhou Yi really abandoned her here, Little Jia would hold a grudge for life—she never forgot a slight.
Without a word, Zhou Yi crouched down, gesturing for her to climb onto his back. But he still refused to speak.
Little Jia clung to him and poked his shoulder.
"Just now you were lecturing me like a philosopher, and now you’re mute? People say women are hard to read, but men are the ones who change their minds in a blink."
As the Prince’s Mansion came into view, Zhou Yi didn’t even glance at its grandeur. He set Little Jia down and turned to leave again.
She grabbed his hand. "Aren’t you coming in?"
Zhou Yi shook his head. "No. Grandfather Qu is waiting for me at the hospital."
Little Jia’s heart itched with frustration. She had to know why he’d gotten angry.
She darted in front of him, blocking his path. "No! You have to tell me why you got mad just now. I deserve an explanation."
Zhou Yi pushed her hand away and stared at her impassively.
"Little Jia, whether you’re a princess or a treasure in the Prince’s Mansion, it’s fine that everyone spoils you. But you and I are equals. Have you ever treated me as one?"
His words left her frozen.
Her lips parted, her unease impossible to hide.
Zhou Yi let out a quiet laugh, laced with cold amusement.
"Giving gifts like they’re rewards for servants—I don’t like that. You used the word 'worthy.' Friendship is about mutual respect and shared interests, not matching status or wealth. By your logic, I suppose I’m not 'worthy' of being Little Jia’s friend."
"Little Jia, I don’t feel respected by you."
His blunt statement struck her like a slap.
Zhou Yi brushed past her and disappeared into the night.
Little Jia stood there, staring after him, her brow furrowed.
"Did I... do something wrong?"
For the first time, her values clashed with Zhou Yi’s. For the first time, she questioned herself.
Should she change how she spoke to him?
She’d only wanted to give him gifts, to be his friend.
Her father had always said: If you like someone, you should be good to them, shower them with presents, make them happy.
Had she been wrong?
When Little Jia returned to the Prince’s Mansion, her usual arrogance was gone. She sat in the courtyard, gazing at the moon, her small face cupped in her hands as she wondered:
"How can I make him feel respected?"
[Little Jia]
't think I'm that capable, I'm just trying my best to stay alive. I've been kind all my life, never did anything bad, yet worldly suffering spared me not one bit. The human world is a nice place, but I won't come back in my next life. A kind young man, who wanted to just get by singing, but through repeated deceits and betrayals, has gone down an irredeemable path.
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!"
