Little Jia raised her eyebrows and smiled playfully. "It's just a form of address—do you really care that much? Though... judging by appearances alone, I should look younger than you."
There was no denying that Little Jia had an exceptionally youthful face.
This was especially true when she widened her almond-shaped eyes and put on an innocent expression.
Xie Tingwan smiled faintly. "As you said, it's just a form of address. If you prefer being a little girl, I don’t mind. There’s charm in naivety—who doesn’t love an innocent young lady? If you call me 'sister,' I’d be the one benefiting."
Little Jia caught the underlying jab—Xie Tingwan was mocking her for acting childish and pretending to be young despite her age.
Xie Tingwan had a way of insulting people without using a single vulgar word. At first glance, her words sounded complimentary, but upon closer inspection, they carried a sting.
Zhou Yi quickly intervened. "Let’s go eat first. We can talk more later."
Xie Tingwan nodded. "Sure, let’s go, Ah Yi."
But Little Jia grabbed Zhou Yi’s hand. "Ride in my car, Xiao Zhou. A Porsche is so outdated—mine’s the latest Bugatti. Riding in that old thing would be beneath you."
Zhou Yi gave her a cool glance. "Have you forgotten what I told you last time?"
Little Jia stiffened, then bit her lip and softened her tone, her large eyes glistening with feigned vulnerability.
"Fine, I won’t say things like that anymore. But will you ride with me, please?"
Zhou Yi thought: Good. The discipline is working.
In the past, no one would dare treat Little Jia this way.
Yet for some reason, she responded well to Zhou Yi’s methods—submitting to him didn’t feel as humiliating as it should have.
Was this the so-called... one thing conquering another?
For Zhou Yi, seeing a woman like Little Jia—who was haughty and cruel to others—humble herself before him was oddly satisfying.
This was the appeal of a woman’s duality.
Little Jia had her own charm, and Zhou Yi was a man who knew how to appreciate it.
He glanced between Xie Tingwan and Little Jia, feigning hesitation.
"I..."
"Since sister says I’m childish, surely she won’t stoop to competing with me over this, right? Come on, Xiao Zhou."
Without waiting for a response, Little Jia tugged Zhou Yi toward her car.
Xie Tingwan, being the well-bred young lady she was, wouldn’t make a scene by forcibly dragging Zhou Yi away in public.
Little Jia, however, had no such reservations—she feared nothing.
Left with no choice, Xie Tingwan let Zhou Yi go with Little Jia.
This is just the beginning, she thought. Soon, Zhou Yi and I will be going to the U.S. for the competition. What can Little Jia do about that?
Little Jia triumphantly pulled Zhou Yi into her car.
"So, what do you think of my ride?"
"It’s nice."
Zhou Yi’s expression remained indifferent, even though the car was a Bugatti worth over a hundred million.
"Honestly, I don’t get what an old-fashioned guy like you even likes. Am I just too tacky for you?"
"There’s no such thing as tacky. Everyone has their own tastes. And next time, don’t talk to my friends like that."
Zhou Yi deliberately provoked her again.
"What, you’re upset over one little comment? Relax, your friend is tough—she won’t be hurt by something so trivial."
Zhou Yi sighed and gave her a resigned smile. "I just don’t want you to keep making people dislike you."
Little Jia tightened her grip on the steering wheel. So he’s actually worried about me?
Instantly mollified, she decided Zhou Yi wouldn’t say such things just to placate her.
This was Zhou Yi’s brilliance—he made Little Jia believe he was blunt, someone who spoke his mind without sugarcoating. In her eyes, he wasn’t the type to coddle women, so his words had to be genuine.
Little Jia grinned. "Who cares if they like me or not? They’ll still smile and grovel when they see me."
"And what about when you get married? A woman’s reputation matters—you act like it’s nothing."
"My dad could support me even if I never married. But... why are you suddenly so concerned? Are you not mad at me anymore?"
"Forgot to mention—Uncle Qu took me in as his godson. That makes you family now, so it’s only natural I’d care."
Little Jia abruptly slammed the brakes, staring at Zhou Yi in shock.
"What?! So you’re my cousin now?!"
"You heard it yourself in the hospital—you even called yourself my cousin."
"I thought it was a joke! You’re really Uncle Qu’s godson?"
"Are you surprised? Or do you not want me as your cousin?"
Little Jia pressed the accelerator again, pouting.
"I don’t know... I just feel a little unhappy. Can’t you not be their son?"
"It’s already settled. If you dislike me, we can just see less of each other."
Hearing the chill in his voice, Little Jia hurried to explain.
"No, no! I don’t hate you. Ugh, fine, whatever. It’s just a godson thing, not like you’re his real son. No big deal."
"Exactly. Since you’re family now, of course I want what’s best for you."
"So you’re only nice to me because I’m family?"
"Obviously. What else would it be?"
Little Jia’s mood soured again.
Zhou Yi was like a rollercoaster for her emotions, sending her heart racing up and down.
"If I weren’t Auntie’s niece... would you still indulge me like this?"
"So you do know this is indulgence."
"I’ve been pretty well-behaved around you, haven’t I? I hardly ever lose my temper with you, but you keep scolding me."
"As long as you stay this well-behaved, I won’t scold you. Little Jia is quite adorable when she’s obedient."
Zhou Yi chuckled, his voice warm and laced with something almost affectionate.
This was the first time Little Jia had sensed this kind of tenderness from him.
Her eyes curved into crescents, and she tempered her usual arrogance when she spoke to him.
Their conversation carried them all the way to the restaurant Zhou Yi had booked.
Little Jia glanced up. "We’re eating here? Want me to switch to somewhere nicer?"
Quickly, she batted her big eyes and clarified, "Not that I’m looking down on it! Just that a friend of mine owns a restaurant—we could eat there for free."
"Next time. I’ve already made reservations here today."
"Fine. That woman—uh, your friend—isn’t here yet?"
"No rush. We’ll wait."
Zhou Yi checked his watch—they were still early.
About ten minutes later, Xie Tingwan’s car pulled up.
She parked at the entrance, stepping out with two gift boxes in hand and a bouquet of flowers.
With a gentle smile, she handed the flowers to Zhou Yi.
"Ah Yi, I meant to give you these in the car—congratulations on your music release. Well done."
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...
pression Bureau] Transported to a fantasy world overrun by demons and monsters, Gu Qingfeng becomes a jailer in the Demon Suppression Prison of the Great Yan Dynasty's Demon Suppression Bureau. From this point on, bizarre cases frequently occur in the Demon Suppression Prison, once known as hell on earth and infamous for its gloomy, terrifying atmosphere! Why do the demons and monsters in the prison wail miserably every night? Why has the corpse demon, capable of transforming into various beauties, donned black stockings and switched careers to become a foot massage therapist? Why has the eye demon, expert in soul-snatching and illusions, turned into a VR headset? Why is the fox spirit performing otaku dances? Are all these occurrences a twisted expression of demonic nature, or a descent into moral depravity? After peeling away layer upon layer of mystery, all clues ultimately point to a jailer named Gu Qingfeng. Gu Qingfeng: "Hehehe... My dear demons and monsters, whose card shall we flip today?"
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.
