【Xu Yu Won’t Change His Profile Pic Until He Tops the Exam: "Meet me near the back door of the second cafeteria. Make it look like a coincidence—don’t be too obvious."】
After Xu Yu shared his location, Zhang Lili immediately turned to Su Ning. "Come on, Ningning, let’s go check it out."
The girl pouted and batted her eyelashes at Su Ning, her eyes fluttering like tiny fans, making Su Ning both amused and exasperated.
At the moment, Su Ning was having lunch at the first cafeteria with Zhang Lili and Tao Shan.
Compared to the second cafeteria, the first one had better food—though it was also pricier.
Su Ning was generous by nature and often treated her girlfriends to meals here.
When she realized Zhang Lili wanted to go see Zhou Yi, Su Ning instinctively tensed up.
She wanted to refuse, but the words that came out were: "Whatever. I’m just tagging along."
Her face wore a haughty expression, but the usual icy demeanor softened into something unexpectedly adorable.
Tao Shan and Zhang Lili cheered in unison. "Yay!"
The trio arrived at the back door of the first cafeteria and spotted Zhou Yi and Xu Yu eating with their friends.
"Hey, when we get there, I’ll say we came looking for Xu Yu. Don’t give us away," Zhang Lili reminded them.
Su Ning nodded and strode toward Zhou Yi’s table with an air of indifference.
"Xu Yu! So this is where you were. I’ve been looking everywhere for you!"
Zhang Lili’s loud voice instantly drew the attention of everyone at the table.
Without hesitation, she plopped down on the empty side of the table, pulling Su Ning and Tao Shan along with her.
"Since you’re still eating, we’ll just wait here! Wang Yang, you don’t mind, right?"
With Su Ning sitting there, none of the boys dared to object.
Wang Yang’s face flushed as he stammered, "S-sure, no problem. Go ahead."
Su Ning tilted her chin up slightly, radiating arrogance.
But out of the corner of her eye, she stole a glance at Zhou Yi.
The boy sat diagonally across from her, his face standing out strikingly among the group.
Even though Su Ning wasn’t the type to obsess over looks, she couldn’t help but stare for a moment.
Since their arrival, Zhou Yi hadn’t said a word.
Unlike the infatuated admirer described in his diary, he seemed almost indifferent toward her.
Zhang Lili studied Zhou Yi’s expression before clearing her throat and striking up a conversation. "Zhou Yi, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you eat with Xu Yu before."
Bold and sociable, Zhang Lili wasn’t afraid of being brushed off.
"Yeah, first time," Zhou Yi replied, his tone cool and unenthusiastic.
Undeterred, Zhang Lili pressed on. "You really made waves today. Guess we should start calling you ‘Zhou the Genius’ now?"
Zhou Yi set down his chopsticks. "Not really. Just got lucky this time."
Tao Shan clicked her tongue. "Oh, come on. You can’t tell us you suddenly became a genius overnight. What’s your secret, huh?"
Her question carried a hint of playful suspicion.
Just then, a group of stylish, well-dressed girls approached.
Leading them was Wang Yixin, whose group chat nickname was "18-Year-Old Innocent Stepmom."
Su Ning and Wang Yixin didn’t get along—they were polar opposites in personality.
While Su Ning relied on natural beauty, Wang Yixin put effort into her appearance, from makeup to fashion.
Wang Yixin beamed at Xu Yu the moment she arrived. "Oh, so this is where you’ve been hiding, Xu Yu! Having lunch with Zhou Yi and not even telling me?"
She widened her eyes and playfully shook a fist at Xu Yu, her exaggerated pout dripping with cuteness.
She made no secret of the fact that she was here for Zhou Yi.
Then, she turned to him, tilting her head with a sweet smile. "Zhou Yi, let me introduce myself. I’m Wang Yixin from Fashion Design Class 1. I wonder if you’ve heard of me?"
Zhou Yi studied her eyes, lined with downturned eyeliner to feign innocence.
She vaguely resembled Xia Qiuzhi, but lacked her natural charm.
Girls like her—too calculated, too obvious—didn’t interest him.
Plus, Wang Yixin’s reputation wasn’t great. He had no intention of getting involved.
"Sorry, never heard of you," he said flatly, maintaining only the bare minimum of politeness.
Wang Yixin’s smile faltered, while Su Ning’s lips curled up in satisfaction.
【Su Ning’s Affection +10.】
Zhou Yi hadn’t expected this bonus.
Seems Su Ning really can’t stand this girl.
Undeterred, Wang Yixin giggled and slung an arm around Su Ning’s shoulders. "Oh, but I’m Ningning’s bestie! If you want to chase her, you’ll have to get through me first~"
A flicker of irritation crossed Su Ning’s eyes.
She wanted to shake Wang Yixin off, but the last time she’d tried, the girl had "accidentally" fallen—leading to rumors that Su Ning was cold and unapproachable.
So this time, Su Ning endured the contact in silence.
Zhou Yi saw right through Wang Yixin’s game.
If he denied liking Su Ning, it would humiliate her while giving Wang Yixin an opening.
If he admitted it, the memory of Su Ning and her admirers mocking him might shake his resolve.
Zhou Yi lowered his gaze and smirked, saying nothing.
He neither confirmed nor denied his feelings for Su Ning.
If he wanted her regret, he couldn’t keep playing the lovesick fool.
He needed Su Ning to fall for him—on her own.
His silence came off as indifference to Wang Yixin.
Pouting, she joked, "Wow, Zhou Yi’s so aloof. Is it really that hard to talk to you? Guess this is what makes you the campus heartthrob, huh, Xu Yu?"
Xu Yu laughed awkwardly. How was he supposed to respond to that?
He deflected quickly. "Uh, let’s talk about something else. Didn’t you say you wanted Zhou Yi’s WeChat? He’s right here—ask him yourself."
Wang Yixin fluttered her lashes at Zhou Yi, her voice sugary. "Well, that depends on whether Zhou Yi’s willing to give it to me. You wouldn’t be that cruel, would you?"
Her eyes sparkled with exaggerated hope.
Her friends chimed in:
"Come on, it’s just WeChat. He won’t bite."
"Don’t be stingy! Yixin really likes you."
"Just give it to her~"
This time, Zhou Yi didn’t refuse.
"Sure. Scan me."
Wang Yixin lit up and hurried over, leaning in to scan his QR code.
A strand of her hair brushed his shoulder as they closed the distance.
"Alright, hand me your phone—I'll add my contact name! Otherwise, you'll just say you don't remember me again, tsk."
Zhou Yi passed his phone to Wang Yixin, then glanced up to catch Su Ning's darkened expression.
She probably didn’t realize how stark her displeasure showed.
Especially the way she looked at Wang Yixin—that sharp, competitive glint only a woman provoked by rivalry could muster.
Zhou Yi wanted Su Ning to understand one thing: the Zhou Yi of today wasn’t the same as before.
There were lines of girls waiting just to get his WeChat.
And Zhou Yi? He didn’t need Su Ning. Not exclusively.
With so many options, why should he wait for her?

] [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!"

transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”

young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."

Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"