【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?
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?"
] [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!"
lity and could only live as an ordinary mortal. He only wished to live a peaceful life. Yet he didn't know— The dog he adopted, because it ate his food, became a legendary demon king. The kitchen knife he casually forged became a peerless divine weapon, causing numerous experts to fight desperately for it. The young disciple he took in became an immortal lord that led an era, due to cultivating the techniques Ye Feng taught him. Even the skeletons he looked down on the most were ominous demon kings that suppressed countless worlds. Many years later, looking at the void shattered with a punch, Ye Feng murmured to himself: It turns out the peerless kings were myself all along...
