Su Ning had thought she would need to carefully build up to it, but the words spilled out before she knew it.
Turns out, confessing wasn’t as difficult as she had imagined.
The atmosphere was just right, and the words came naturally.
After speaking, her grip on Zhou Yi’s clothes tightened—she was still nervous, of course.
"Don’t reject me yet. Let me finish," she said.
"Alright, go ahead," Zhou Yi replied.
Su Ning took a deep breath and continued,
"I had prepared so many things to say, but now I can’t remember any of them."
"You must think I’m ridiculous, don’t you? After hurting you like that, I still have the nerve to confess."
"At first, I never imagined things would turn out like this—that I’d end up liking you."
"But the more I got to know you, the more I fell for you. I couldn’t help myself—my eyes always found you, and I secretly kept up with everything about you. I’ve never been in love before, never liked anyone. Zhou Yi, you’re the first."
"I used to be arrogant and dismissive of other people’s feelings, but you changed me. You taught me to cherish the love others give."
Su Ning truly regretted it now.
Even if she couldn’t accept someone’s affection, she shouldn’t have wounded them with such cold pride. It was cruel.
She understood that now, but it was too late. She had already hurt Zhou Yi in the past, and some things could never be undone.
The saddest thing isn’t when the person you like doesn’t like you back—it’s when they once did.
By the time you turn around, they’re already gone.
Love is hard enough when it’s mutual, but when it’s out of sync, it’s even more tragic.
"I’ve regretted everything from before—so much. I owe you countless apologies, but I know no amount of ‘sorry’ can make up for what I did."
"I’m not saying this because I expect anything. I just wanted you to know how I feel. If I never said it, it would haunt me forever."
"That’s all I have to say."
After Su Ning finished, Zhou Yi gradually came to a stop.
He got off his bicycle, and Su Ning followed suit.
They stood beneath a tree, facing each other.
Zhou Yi looked at her calmly and said,
"Then what kind of answer are you hoping to hear from me?"
His expression was so composed it felt almost cruel.
Su Ning’s eyes reddened. She bit her lip hard, her voice trembling with unshed tears.
"I don’t need an answer. I just wanted you to know. That’s all."
"Don’t lie to yourself. You say you don’t want anything, but deep down, you’re hoping I’ll forgive you."
"Then… will you forgive me?"
Her voice was so soft it nearly shattered.
"No. I can’t forgive you—or maybe I just don’t care anymore. But I can’t pretend nothing happened."
[Su Ning’s regret points +5]
"Then… could you ever like me again? I can change. I’ll become whoever you want me to be."
There was a desperate determination in her eyes. For someone as proud as Su Ning to offer to change herself, it was clear how much Zhou Yi meant to her.
But Zhou Yi shattered that hope just as cruelly.
"No, I won’t."
[Su Ning’s regret points +5]
Su Ning clenched her teeth, refusing to let the tears fall.
The utter indifference in Zhou Yi’s gaze told her everything—he didn’t even hate her anymore.
No love, no hatred. That was the most heartbreaking truth of all.
"You know, it’s a shame," Zhou Yi said. "We liked each other once, but this is how it ends."
"If you’d shown me even a little kindness back then—just a little—maybe things would’ve turned out differently."
"But that one slap of yours woke me up. It also destroyed any chance we might’ve had."
Each word cut into Su Ning like a knife.
[Su Ning’s regret points +5]
This time, the tears spilled over.
Zhou Yi’s words drove home the truth: she had brought this on herself. That was the root of her pain—she had erased every possibility of love between them.
Her heart ached fiercely. Between sobs, she whispered,
"I’m sorry… I’m so sorry. I—I know I was wrong. But I don’t know how to fix it. I just… I just don’t want you to hate me, okay?"
Unable to hold back, Su Ning threw her arms around Zhou Yi. He didn’t push her away, letting her cry against him.
His silence only made her cry harder.
Seeing her distress, Zhou Yi finally spoke. "Life is like a game of chess. Once you make a move, there’s no taking it back."
Su Ning released him, lowering her eyes as tears continued to fall.
Zhou Yi had taught her a harsh lesson.
Sniffling, she pulled a letter from her bag—the love letter she’d written—and handed it to him.
"I understand what you’re saying. But please, take this. It has everything I wanted to tell you."
Zhou Yi accepted it.
Su Ning thought he might open it.
Instead, he tore it apart right in front of her.
She stood frozen, lips trembling as she watched the letter shred in his hands, her tears falling faster.
"You slapped me once. Now I’ve trampled on your feelings. Call it even."
At those words, Su Ning staggered back, devastated.
Even? How could anything ever be even?
She knew it was impossible. Even if the letter was torn, time couldn’t be rewound. Her actions would always exist, their scars etched into their hearts. Nothing could truly balance the scales.
The pain of watching Zhou Yi destroy her letter was no less than the sting of a slap.
In some ways, she almost wished he’d hit her back—it might’ve eased her guilt.
Su Ning knelt, gathering the torn pieces one by one as Zhou Yi watched silently.
He had taken his revenge. Her regret was maxed out. Now, it was time to work on her affection.
"Let’s go," Zhou Yi said calmly. "If we’re too late, the milk tea shop will be full."
Su Ning paused mid-motion, looking up at him in surprise.
"You… you still want to take me for milk tea?"
She had assumed they were parting ways for good.
Zhou Yi crouched beside her, helping collect the remaining scraps.
"I promised you milk tea. Of course we’re going."
The classic "slap then candy" tactic—Zhou Yi had mastered it.
He placed the gathered pieces into her hands, his voice softening with something unreadable.
"Keep these. If I saw your letter around, I might start wavering. I don’t want that."
Su Ning’s breath caught. So he was afraid of relenting. That meant he wasn’t as cold as he seemed—otherwise, a letter wouldn’t affect him at all.
She tucked the fragments into her bag. Zhou Yi handed her a tissue.
"Dry your eyes. I just wanted to upset you a little. I didn’t expect you’d take it so hard."
Su Ning’s emotions were in turmoil.
What did Zhou Yi really mean by all this?

] [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."

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!"