After the banquet, Zhou Yi and his group returned to the hotel, preparing for the upcoming exam the next day.
Even though Zhou Yi didn’t need to prepare much, staying in character meant he couldn’t wander outside casually. So, he spent the evening in the hotel without stepping out.
His phone buzzed with messages from many people, most of them reacting to the viral video of him playing the piano on Weibo’s trending list.
Zhou Yi replied to a few, but then he noticed a message from Xia Qiuzhi—one filled with accusation.
[Xia Qiuzhi: When did you learn to play the piano, Yi-ge? I never knew you could play.]
Zhou Yi narrowed his eyes. Was Xia Qiuzhi growing suspicious?
She had spent the most time with Zhou Yi in the past, practically inseparable from him. It was only natural for her to question things now.
Perhaps because Zhou Yi hadn’t replied to her messages in so long, she didn’t bombard him with texts as she used to. Instead, she waited quietly for his response.
“What’s wrong, A-Zhi? Still no reply from Zhou Yi?”
Xia Qiuzhi’s roommate noticed her staring blankly at her phone and asked with concern.
Lately, Xia Qiuzhi had been absent-minded, and her friends were worried about her state.
“Lingling, I feel like Zhou Yi has become a complete stranger. He’s more handsome and outstanding now, but it’s like something’s missing… Or maybe once people change, they can never go back to how they were before…”
Xia Qiuzhi regretted it.
At first, she had been thrilled and amazed when Zhou Yi became more attractive and wealthy.
But now, she didn’t feel that way anymore.
She wished he had never changed. She wished he had stayed the same ordinary boy he used to be.
At least back then, their bond hadn’t changed.
Lingling walked over and patted her shoulder.
“A-Zhi, don’t overthink it. Zhou Yi is in a completely different world now. And after how you treated him before… Well, if only you’d known better. You could’ve been his girlfriend by now. What a shame.”
As Xia Qiuzhi’s roommate, Lingling had also known Zhou Yi.
Xia Qiuzhi hadn’t treated him well in the past, yet Zhou Yi had never seemed to mind, enduring it all without complaint.
Xia Qiuzhi was a puzzle. If she disliked Zhou Yi, why did she constantly bring him up in the dorm—complaining about how he annoyed her, bragging about the things he bought her, or retelling his past embarrassments until even her roommates had heard them a dozen times?
But if she liked him, why had she gotten together with Wang Xuan instead?
Her friends never understood the dynamic between Xia Qiuzhi and Zhou Yi, assuming he would always remain the same.
But people change. And as Zhou Yi grew better and better, how could Xia Qiuzhi’s past actions ever be forgiven?
Maybe even Zhou Yi had reached his limit with her treatment.
Xia Qiuzhi stayed silent. If only she had known?
She was lost, wondering how she and Zhou Yi had ended up like this.
“Would it really be better? No… I’d rather he stayed the way he was before. At least back then, his eyes and heart were only on me. I don’t want this outstanding, handsome Zhou Yi. I just want to go back to how things were… Why… Why did it have to be like this…”
Xia Qiuzhi was filled with regret and guilt—but not because Zhou Yi had become more attractive and successful.
It was because she had lost the Zhou Yi from before.
She was the only one who still missed the old Zhou Yi.
Or rather, she was the only one who still missed the original him.
077 reminded him: “Host, Xia Qiuzhi’s regret value is maxed out.”
Zhou Yi: “I know.”
077: “But her affection level isn’t moving. She’s the only one among the three women whose affection isn’t increasing. What’s your plan? Shouldn’t you spend some time winning her over?”
Xia Qiuzhi’s initial affection had risen when Zhou Yi first became more handsome and accomplished. But now, she didn’t care for this new version of him.
She longed for the old Zhou Yi, and since he had stopped responding to her, her affection had plateaued.
Zhou Yi lowered his gaze. “Don’t worry. I have a plan.”
Though it might be a little underhanded.
Leaning against the headboard, he replied to Xia Qiuzhi’s message.
[Zhou Yi: After we started university, did you ever pay attention to what I liked or what I was learning?]
The words struck Xia Qiuzhi like a blow.
Had Zhou Yi learned piano in college?
Had she been so wrapped up in her relationship with Wang Xuan that she never noticed?
[Zhou Yi: Back then, you had Wang Xuan by your side. Would it have mattered to you if I learned piano or guitar?]
Zhou Yi’s two messages left Xia Qiuzhi speechless once again.
Had she really neglected him that much?
Staring at the chat screen, she had no idea how to respond.
In the end, she could only type:
[Xia Qiuzhi: I’m sorry. I was too harsh back then.]
[Xia Qiuzhi: Yi-ge, when are you coming back? Let’s visit the orphanage and celebrate the director’s birthday together.]
[Zhou Yi: In three or four days. There’s something else I need to tell you. After the director’s birthday, I’m moving to City A.]
Xia Qiuzhi’s hands trembled as she clutched her phone, her vision blurring.
[Xia Qiuzhi: Are you dropping out? Or taking a break to start a business?]
[Zhou Yi: No. I’m transferring to A University.]
Her phone slipped from her fingers and hit the floor. Tears spilled uncontrollably, rolling down her cheeks as she bit her lip, choking back sobs.
So, she had no chance left.
No chance to make amends, no chance to fix things. Zhou Yi didn’t need her anymore.
After a long pause, Xia Qiuzhi finally replied.
[Xia Qiuzhi: Okay. I’ll wait for you. Yi-ge, let’s celebrate the director’s birthday together. Since you’re still abroad, I’ll start preparing.]
[Zhou Yi: Alright.]
Xia Qiuzhi wanted to say more, but she held back, afraid of annoying him.
With a sigh, she realized—this winter, she would be truly alone.
She had become an orphan all over again.
After replying to Xia Qiuzhi, Zhou Yi called You Man.
She was also away, attending a training program.
When she saw Zhou Yi’s call, she had just washed her face and didn’t even dry her hands before grabbing her phone.
“Xiao Yi!”
Her voice brimmed with delight.
“Answering so fast, Man-jie—are you slacking off instead of studying?”
“It’s still early! I haven’t left yet. Xiao Yi, I miss you so much.”
You Man lay in bed, fingers brushing the empty pillow beside her, aching for Zhou Yi’s presence.
Even though they had only been apart for a few days, she missed him desperately.
Like the younger girls, she browsed Zhou Yi’s fan pages, saving countless photos of him and checking his updates daily—anything to ease the longing.
“I miss you too. I’ll be back in a few days, and then I’ll make it up to you.”
“Okay.”
......
Zhou Yi and You Man talked on the phone for a full hour. Realizing it must be late at night abroad by now, You Man reluctantly ended the call herself.
She knew Zhou Yi had an exam the next day, and no matter how much she wanted to keep talking, she had to prioritize his preparation.
Zhou Yi chuckled and shook his head. You Man could be incredibly clingy at times, almost like a little girl.
As he lay down to sleep, his phone buzzed again.
It was a message on OTO.
[Even though you lied to me, I still love you very much.]
—Sender: Claire.
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!
] [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!"
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
