When Zhou Yi uttered those words, even Xie Tingwan—skilled as she was at masking her emotions—could no longer maintain her composure.
Her eyelashes fluttered slightly, her heart stirred by his insight.
After all these years, Zhou Yi was the first to recognize her ambition.
"I don’t understand… why?"
There was no such thing as unconditional kindness in this world. She couldn’t fathom why Zhou Yi would help her or where his trust in her came from.
Xie Tingwan picked up a glass of water and took a sip, trying to steady herself once more.
Zhou Yi had already noticed her unease.
"Among all the children in the Xie Family, you’re the only one with the capability to take the heir’s position."
[Xie Tingwan’s affection points +10]
Xie Tingwan lifted her gaze and stared straight at Zhou Yi.
This was the one sentence she had longed to hear after years of relentless effort.
Even if it hadn’t come from her father’s lips yet.
This was validation.
So Zhou Yi was helping her because he believed she could seize Tianhua. And if he truly aided her, the rewards for him would undoubtedly be substantial.
Setting down her glass, Xie Tingwan flashed him a smile—not the gentle, demure one she wore in public, but one brimming with sharp edges and undisguised ambition.
This version of Xie Tingwan was real. Stripped of her delicate facade, she was breathtaking.
Honestly, Zhou Yi preferred her like this. A woman with ambition was far more intriguing than some fragile flower. Conquering someone like her was a challenge—thrilling, even.
"Are you really sure about helping me? What if I fail to secure that position? Wouldn’t your efforts be for nothing?"
Xie Tingwan arched a brow, her lips curling into a smirk, exuding an alluring confidence.
"Investment is always a gamble—higher risk, greater reward. Isn’t that how it works?"
Zhou Yi’s unwavering confidence was, in itself, a testament to his faith in her. The girl’s eyes curved with amusement as she signaled the restaurant owner for a bottle of wine.
"How’s your alcohol tolerance? If you get too drunk, your classmates might see and ruin that pristine image of yours."
"It’s not great, but today… I really want to drink with you."
Sometimes, Xie Tingwan thought fate was a strange thing.
If she hadn’t called out to Zhou Yi for this meal, if she hadn’t revealed the Xie Family’s affairs, would things have turned out this way?
Or would they have crossed paths differently?
As the dishes arrived, the two ate and chatted, Xie Tingwan visibly elated.
She didn’t bother maintaining her usual refined heiress demeanor around Zhou Yi, instead relaxing into a more carefree version of herself.
When drinking, she was bold and unrestrained, almost like a fierce businesswoman who’d down glass after glass to secure a deal.
Zhou Yi could already picture it—if Xie Tingwan ever stepped into the corporate world, she’d be the type to drink herself sick just to land a project.
Relentless. Ruthless.
"Here’s to you—to your sharp judgment and your trust in me."
Xie Tingwan raised her glass first, and Zhou Yi clinked his against hers. The conversation flowed effortlessly between them.
As the alcohol took effect, Xie Tingwan grew more uninhibited—not drunk, but just loose enough to pour out the words she’d kept locked inside.
She desperately needed an outlet.
"You know, I’m exhausted. Ever since my mother passed, it’s like my fate was rewritten overnight. I went from being my father’s favorite daughter to… an outsider."
"There’s no place for me in the Xie Family anymore. After he married that mistress, his affection went solely to her children. I’m nothing to him."
"No matter how well I perform, no matter how many accolades I earn, in his eyes, I’ll never measure up to my brothers. Just because I’m a woman—unfit to inherit the Xie Family. That’s how it’s always been. But I refuse to accept that."
"I won’t lose. I’ll prove to him that I’m his most exceptional child."
"The Xie Family will be mine."
Her grip tightened around the glass as she spoke, her determination unshaken even for a second.
Zhou Yi frowned, a pang of sympathy in his voice.
"You’ve had it rough all these years, haven’t you?"
Xie Tingwan paused, her gaze softening as she looked at him.
"Rough? Absolutely. From the moment I entered high school, my life hit fast-forward. But that’s what I wanted—the sooner I graduate, the sooner I enter Tianhua."
"I was always top of my class in high school, though I slipped to second a couple of times. People called me brilliant, but the truth is, I just worked harder than them."
"Studying was exhausting. Staying at the top was exhausting. Once, when I came in second, my father was immediately disappointed. Just one slip-up, and he wrote me off. But my brothers? They’ve never even taken first place."
For Xie Tingwan, there was no other choice.
If she didn’t fight for first place, she’d never capture her father’s attention—nor secure her place in Tianhua.
No matter how grueling the path was, she gritted her teeth and pushed through.
Countless sleepless nights were endured by sheer willpower alone.
"Zhou Yi, I’ll admit—when you took first place from me, I wasn’t happy. Every time I earned an honor, I’d make sure my father knew. It was the only time he’d spare me a few extra minutes of patience. For me, it was a rare opportunity."
Her initial dip in affection for Zhou Yi hadn’t been out of vanity—it was because his victory had cost her a chance to speak to her father.
"I’m sorry. I didn’t realize first place meant that much to you."
"Don’t apologize. You earned it. I was outmatched. And honestly… meeting you has made me happier than any academic rank ever could."
She meant every word. Knowing Zhou Yi had brought her genuine joy.
"You’re graduating soon. Has your father mentioned letting you into Tianhua?"
"All my effort wasn’t for nothing. He wants me to join Tianhua Real Estate—to assist my eldest brother in managing it."
"So he does trust your capabilities."
"But he doesn’t love me."
The moment those words left her lips, even Zhou Yi felt a pang of sorrow.
At its core, Xie Tingwan’s obsession with becoming the Xie Family heir stemmed from two things: ambition and her father.
Everything she’d done was to earn Xie Chengren’s approval.
Zhou Yi offered comfort. "You’ll find someone who loves you deeply one day."
Xie Tingwan chuckled. "Maybe. I’ve never really thought about it. Even if I did, my father would only arrange a marriage with some ‘suitable’ family. Love wouldn’t be part of the equation, so I’ve never held much hope for it."
Zhou Yi took a sip of wine, his eyes fixed on the faint blush coloring her cheeks.
"What if that person were me?"
Xie Tingwan froze.
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?"
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...
ng to die together with you." Lin Xuan is dead, his body thrown into the river by his scumbag lover and her accomplice. She, the president of the Su Group, is decisive, ruthless, and ice-cold. For three days and three nights, she had his body fished out of the river, and without hesitation, she kissed the bloated corpse of Lin Xuan. She laid down beside him in a cold coffin, their fingers intertwined, a smile lingering on her lips as she closed her eyes. The noble and cold-hearted woman, only bending for one man—Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan, with his golden finger, is reborn and returns to the day of his wedding to the treacherous woman. Su Qiang comes to steal the bride. Lin Xuan's eyes light up, eager to pledge his loyalty on the spot, but instead, her kiss transfers a glass of drugged wine into his mouth, causing him to pass out... 【Male Protagonist with Single Female Lead】【Yandere Tycoon】【Action-Packed】【True vs. Fake Heir】
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
