After admiring the scenery, Zhou Yi slipped his hands into his pockets and continued walking forward, whistling cheerfully.
Just then, the system's voice rang out again.
"Detected a B-level character available for pursuit."
"Where? It's the middle of the night—who's even out here?"
"Take the alley on the left and turn at the corner."
"Got it."
Zhou Yi's eyes lit up as he headed toward the alley.
To him, these encounters were nothing but money and attribute points.
As he rounded the corner, he spotted a girl.
But she was surrounded by a group of men—clearly, she had been cornered by delinquents with no way to escape.
One of the thugs, with dyed red hair, had already grabbed her wrist. The girl was sobbing softly, her voice hoarse from screaming for help.
"Save your breath. No one's coming to rescue you at this hour. Just play nice with us, sweetheart."
Hearing the cries for help, Zhou Yi was startled and rushed forward, shouting, "Let her go!"
077 reminded him, "Host, your combat power is only 30. Are you sure you want to take them on headfirst? I suggest calling the police and waiting for backup."
Zhou Yi raised an eyebrow. "The original host might not have combat skills, but in my past life, I trained in taekwondo. A few punks like these won’t be a problem."
That was also why Zhou Yi had been able to knock down that yellow-haired delinquent so easily earlier.
If it hadn’t been for Xu Rong’s sneak attack in his past life, he might not have died at all.
At the sound of Zhou Yi’s voice, everyone turned to look.
The thugs burst into laughter when they saw his slender frame.
"You think you can play the hero with that pretty-boy face? I’d advise you to stay out of my way, kid. If I accidentally beat you to death, don’t blame me."
Zhou Yi had ditched his glasses and pushed back the bangs that obscured his vision, leaving him looking unfairly handsome in their eyes.
A flicker of jealousy flashed across their faces.
Hearing Zhou Yi’s voice, the girl also lifted her head with a frown. The moment he saw her face, Zhou Yi was stunned.
Though her complexion was pale, her delicate features were breathtaking—pure and innocent, her eyes glistening like a clear spring, brimming with vulnerability.
Now, she gazed up at him with fragile desperation, her lashes trembling as she whispered, "P-please... save me..."
Zhou Yi narrowed his eyes, cracked his knuckles, and strode toward the thugs.
The red-haired leader, seeing that Zhou Yi wasn’t backing down, shoved the girl toward one of his lackeys and snatched a metal pipe from another, swinging it straight at Zhou Yi.
If that strike had landed, Zhou Yi’s bones would’ve shattered.
Fortunately, his reflexes were sharp. He dodged effortlessly, kicked the thug to the ground, and stomped on him a few times for good measure.
The redhead howled in pain, completely defenseless.
The others, realizing Zhou Yi had some skill, abandoned the girl and charged at him with their pipes.
Zhou Yi picked up the fallen pipe and took them down one by one, leaving the thugs writhing and wailing in agony.
Even fighting together, they were no match for him.
Looking down at the groaning men, Zhou Yi smirked coldly. "Wasn’t it you who said you’d beat me to death? Is this all you’ve got?"
His tone dripped with mockery.
With his hands in his pockets, Zhou Yi stood under the streetlight as if it had been designed just for him, casting a dramatic glow behind him.
To Qiao Xi, he looked like a hero straight out of a movie—her heartbeat quickened.
So cool...
Even in a simple T-shirt and with a youthful face, nothing could diminish the aura of charisma radiating from him.
[Qiao Xi’s affection +20, wealth +, attribute points +100.]
A damsel-in-distress scenario like this would stir emotions in any girl’s heart.
Especially when Zhou Yi had effortlessly taken on multiple opponents and had that ridiculously handsome face. Qiao Xi’s eyes practically sparkled with admiration.
Zhou Yi naturally noticed the blatant adoration in her gaze.
"Get lost," he said coldly.
Terrified of another beating, the thugs scrambled out of the alley, leaving only Zhou Yi and the girl staring at each other.
Backlit by the streetlight, Zhou Yi walked toward Qiao Xi. He crouched beside her, gently patting her head as he asked in a soft voice, "Are you okay, little girl?"
Hearing him call her "little girl," Qiao Xi’s face flushed even redder. Biting her lip, she shyly clutched the hem of her clothes and whispered, "I’m fine... thank you, big brother."
Zhou Yi helped her up. "Can you walk?"
Qiao Xi’s legs were still weak.
The girl had clearly been terrified. She tried to take a few steps while leaning on Zhou Yi’s arm but nearly collapsed.
Zhou Yi quickly caught her, and the momentum sent her tumbling into his arms, leaving her even more flustered and blushing furiously.
Glancing down at the girl in his embrace, Zhou Yi chuckled. "If you don’t mind, I can carry you on my back. Where do you live? I’ll take you home."
Just then, Qiao Xi suddenly winced in pain, gasping for air as if she couldn’t breathe. Her hands clenched Zhou Yi’s shirt tightly.
Concerned, Zhou Yi asked, "What’s wrong?"
Qiao Xi’s eyes darted toward a bag nearby. "My... medicine..."
Zhou Yi held her with one arm and reached for the bag, pulling out a pill bottle. He opened it and shook out a tablet.
"Can you take it yourself, or should I help?" He held the pill to her lips.
As Qiao Xi took the medicine, her tongue accidentally brushed against Zhou Yi’s finger, sending a tingling sensation through his body.
Realizing how intimate the accidental touch had been, Qiao Xi quickly stammered, "S-sorry, I didn’t mean to..."
"It’s fine." Zhou Yi met her gaze, and just then, she looked up at him.
[Qiao Xi’s affection +1.]
The system’s voice interrupted their moment, making Zhou Yi avert his eyes while Qiao Xi blushed harder.
For some reason, even though this was their first meeting, locking eyes with him made her feel lost in his gaze.
Her heart raced inexplicably.
The warm late-summer breeze brushed against her heated cheeks.
Zhou Yi held her for a while, waiting for her to regain her strength.
Since it was still summer, the close contact left both of them slightly sweaty.
Zhou Yi caught the faint scent of her perfume, and the heat made him unbutton the top button of his school uniform collar.
Qiao Xi, small and curled in his arms, felt an inexplicable sense of safety against his chest.
She peeked up at Zhou Yi—the boy showed no impatience, simply holding her quietly while politely looking away to give her space.
Today, she was wearing a white dress with a slightly low neckline, and such movements easily revealed a glimpse of skin. His considerate behavior made Qiao Xi's fondness for him grow once more.
[Qiao Xi's affection points +1.]
Zhou Yi knew that any lewd or vulgar expression at this moment would significantly lower a girl's opinion of him.
With a sweet and innocent girl like this, the more gentlemanly and polite he was at the beginning, the more he could win her favor.
Qiao Xi lifted her head from his embrace and said, "Thank you, big brother. My name is Qiao Xi, what's yours?"
The girl looked petite and delicate, her voice soft and sweet, like an adorable little sister from the neighborhood.
Zhou Yi smiled gently and replied, "I'm Zhou Yi. It's nothing, no need to be so polite."
[Qiao Xi's affection points +1.]
] [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!"
lities. One day, Qi Yuan was buying groceries when he unfortunately came face-to-face with a monster. Just when he thought he was going to die on the spot, he suddenly heard the monster's thoughts... "This aura, he's definitely not an ordinary master!" "So terrifying, so terrifying." "A fight with my back against the wall, I can't take it anymore." Qi Yuan: Ah, no one told me that my awakened ability isn't telepathy, but rather the stronger my enemies imagine me to be, the stronger I truly become. PS: Zhou Hai in the first chapter is not the protagonist.
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?"
