Qiao Yu's words were harsh, but this was how she usually spoke, and Qiao Xi had long grown accustomed to it.
She let out a helpless sigh. "Sis, I'm just going to a friend's place, that's all."
The moment Qiao Zhengguo heard the word "man," his gaze sharpened instantly.
He looked at Qiao Xi with a stern expression and asked, "Male or female?"
Qiao Xi nervously clutched her sleeve and whispered, "A boy, Dad."
Sure enough, Qiao Zhengguo immediately frowned. "How old are you? How can you go out alone at night to meet a man?"
"We're just friends, Dad. He's not that kind of person," Qiao Xi struggled to explain.
A faint smirk curled on Qiao Yu's lips—her goal had been achieved.
Qiao Xi hadn't always been completely friendless. She had been a pretty child, and other kids had always flocked around her.
But Qiao Yu had always found ways to drive every single one of them away. When it came to scheming and manipulation, Qiao Xi was no match for her.
Now, she spoke again with feigned concern:
"Xiao Xi, Dad only wants what's best for you."
"That guy is just after our family's money. His intentions aren't pure. You shouldn't go."
Qiao Xi opened her mouth to protest, but her phone suddenly rang.
It was Zhou Yi—he had sent her several messages without a reply, so he had called.
Qiao Yu stood up from the sofa and strode over, holding out her hand. "Is that him calling? Give me your phone."
Qiao Xi instinctively took a step back, but Qiao Yu snatched the phone from her grip anyway.
She answered the call and put it on speaker.
A gentle male voice came through:
"Xiao Xi, I'm at your neighborhood gate, but I haven’t heard from you. Did something come up?"
Qiao Yu raised an eyebrow and replied coldly, "She’s not coming. And don’t bother my sister again."
Zhou Yi frowned.
Sister?
So this was Qiao Xi's older sister.
"Are you Qiao Xi’s sister? I think there’s a misunderstanding—"
"Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding? You’re asking my sister out at night—clearly, you’re up to no good."
Qiao Xi couldn’t take it anymore. She desperately tried to grab her phone back.
Having Zhou Yi witness this ugly side of her family made her feel utterly humiliated.
If Qiao Yu kept talking like this, she would lose yet another friend.
But Qiao Xi had always been frail and weak—no match for Qiao Yu’s strength.
With one harsh shove, Qiao Yu sent her stumbling backward into a wine cabinet.
Qiao Xi’s face paled as a sharp pain shot through her back.
She bit her lip hard, tears spilling uncontrollably.
"Why do you always do this?! Why can’t I have even one friend?! Why do you always control my life like this?! Why?!"
She had always known she was unwanted in this family. She had endured it for years, but Qiao Yu’s cruelty had finally snapped the last thread of her patience.
Qiao Zhengguo stormed over, furious.
"How dare you speak to your sister like that! She’s doing this for your own good!"
Tears streamed down Qiao Xi’s face as she cried out, "Chasing away every single friend I have is for my own good?! No, it’s not! It’s not!"
Qiao Yu looked at her with feigned disappointment. "Xiao Xi, I’m so hurt. How could you think of me that way over some outsider? After all I’ve done for you."
Qiao Zhengguo had always been a controlling man, and Qiao Xi’s defiance enraged him.
"The Qiao family has given you everything—food, clothes, a roof over your head! Do you know how privileged you’ve been compared to your classmates?"
"And yet you’re still ungrateful, accusing us of controlling you? Fine! If you have the guts to walk out that door tonight, don’t you dare come back!"
Qiao Xi gave them one last devastated look, snatched her phone from Qiao Yu, and bolted out of the house.
"Ungrateful brat! Ungrateful!"
"Dad, don’t be angry. I’ll go find her later."
"Find her? She’s the one who abandoned this family! Who abandoned me! Let her rot out there!"
......
Qiao Xi could no longer hear their voices.
She looked at her phone—Zhou Yi’s call was still connected.
Which meant he had heard everything.
She closed her eyes in despair.
"Xiao Xi, are you okay?" Zhou Yi asked softly.
He never imagined her family could be so suffocating.
Just listening to it made his heart ache for her.
Qiao Xi didn’t know how to respond. She didn’t want him to see her like this—so broken, so pathetic.
"Yi-ge, you should go home. I... I don’t know how to face you right now."
After what Qiao Yu had said to him, she felt too ashamed.
"I want to see you. I don’t want you to be alone when you’re hurting. No matter what, just come out first, okay?"
"...Okay."
Qiao Xi wiped her tears and mustered the courage to walk toward the neighborhood gate.
Under the glow of a streetlamp, Zhou Yi stood waiting for her. The concern in his eyes made her tears spill all over again.
She rushed into his arms.
He held her gently, stroking her back in slow, soothing motions.
"It’s okay. Cry if you need to. I’m here."
Qiao Xi sobbed against his chest, her slender shoulders trembling. Her muffled cries were as fragile and sorrowful as a kitten’s whimper.
Under the lamplight, the two of them looked almost picturesque—a boy and a girl embracing.
But the reality was anything but romantic.
After a while, her tears finally subsided. She lifted her head slightly, her eyes still glistening, her delicate face ghostly pale.
Her long lashes fluttered as she whispered, "I’m sorry, Yi-ge. I lost control again in front of you."
Her eyes were red from crying, innocent and rabbit-like. Even the tip of her nose was pink, as if dusted with rouge.
The breeze tousled her disheveled hair, and the soft glow of the streetlamp made her look even more fragile—like a porcelain doll on the verge of shattering.
Zhou Yi gently ruffled her hair. "It’s fine. If you don’t mind, you can stay at my place tonight."
Qiao Xi knew she couldn’t go back home. With no other friends to turn to, sleeping on the streets wasn’t an option.
She sniffled and nodded. "Th-thank you, Yi-ge."
"Don’t worry about it. I was going to invite you over anyway. Let’s go buy some toiletries first—the supermarket will close soon."
"Okay."
Zhou Yi didn’t bring up her family or ask any questions.
Now wasn’t the time to reopen those wounds.
As they walked to the supermarket, he did his best to cheer her up with jokes and lighthearted chatter.
Before long, Qiao Xi was laughing, her sorrow momentarily forgotten.
She didn’t want to burden him with her pain, and gradually, her mood began to settle.
Inside the supermarket:
"This brand of toothpaste is better—I’ve used it before."
"How about this towel? It feels softer."
......
Qiao Xi seemed quite experienced in daily life, carefully selecting items as she squatted in front of the shelf, picking out toothpaste, towels, and other daily necessities.
"Brother Yi, besides toiletries, is there anything else your home needs?"
"My home... Well, I’d say it’s practically empty for now."
"Then it’s perfect—I’ll help you pick everything out today."
"That’ll be a lot of work for you, Xi."
Just then, Zhou Yi’s stomach growled loudly.
He smiled sheepishly.
Qiao Xi blinked and asked, "Brother Yi, haven’t you had dinner yet?"
Zhou Yi nodded awkwardly. "Yeah, I was too busy today and didn’t get a chance to eat."
"Then later, we’ll grab some kitchenware too, and I’ll cook for you."
"You know how to cook?"
"Of course! And I’m pretty good at it—you’ll see."
Qiao Xi was quite confident in her culinary skills.
After choosing the toiletries, the girl tossed all the items into the shopping cart.
Zhou Yi pushed the cart while Qiao Xi picked out the goods—the two of them looked almost like a couple.
When they reached a certain section, the girl paused.
"Oh, this is the bedding area. Let’s pick out some sheets first."
Zhou Yi grinned and teased her.
"Xi, I forgot to mention—my place only has one bed. How should we arrange things for tonight?"
orn and Humiliation】【Forced Love】 In his past life, Lin Ran was betrayed and murdered by his girlfriend and family, while the yandere female aristocrat, who had treated him as a mere plaything, avenged him by doing in his enemies. Upon seeing the yandere female aristocrat lying in the same coffin, ready to die with him, Lin Ran realized how profoundly mistaken he had been. Reborn, he abandoned the fickle campus beauty and wholeheartedly embraced the yandere female aristocrat's arms. "Ran! If I dig out your eyes and turn them into a specimen, you'll only be able to look at me!" Lin Ran: "Darling, kiss me!" "Ran! If I break your legs, you won't run away anymore, right?" Lin Ran: "Love, hold me tight!" "Ran! If..." Lin Ran: "Hush now! Love me more!" Luo Yao: ... Seeing his scumbag dad: "Take him out!" Seeing his stepmother: "Get rid of her!" Seeing his brother: "Eliminate him!" Seeing his white moonlight: "Send that to Southeast Asia!"
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
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!
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?!
