Zhou Yi always felt he owed You Man a great deal.
A woman like You Man wouldn’t necessarily be pleased by money, nor would she accept it.
Zhou Yi thought about taking her out to buy some gifts tonight and spending more time with her.
She loved it when he put thought into things for her—what she truly needed was companionship.
He gently ruffled her hair and said,
"Come to my place tonight, okay? I’ve missed you."
"Of course! I’ve missed Xiao Yi too. It’ll be nice to finally see what your home looks like."
"Then after my lecture this afternoon, let’s go out and wander around. Come to think of it, I’ve never even taken you shopping before."
"Anything’s fine, as long as I’m with you."
You Man’s happiness was visibly growing, and she couldn’t resist kissing Zhou Yi again, her beautiful eyes sparkling with a soft, enchanting warmth, like a tender spring breeze.
That kiss ignited something in Zhou Yi, and he pressed her against the office desk, deepening the kiss.
"Xiao Yi, th-there are people outside... not here..."
"I’ll just kiss you, nothing more."
Blushing furiously, You Man still found herself wrapping her arms around his neck and returning the kiss.
Their breaths grew increasingly ragged, and soon she was panting, her skin glistening with sweat.
"I... I can’t, Xiao Yi... I can’t... breathe..."
Only then did Zhou Yi relent. He leaned close to her ear and murmured,
"Was Sister Man worried someone might walk in and see?"
"I was worried it might reflect badly on you."
"Nothing bad about it."
With a smirk, he undid the first button of her blouse.
You Man bit her lip, her gaze sultry, torn between stopping him and giving in.
Truth be told, the thrill of it was... intoxicating.
Zhou Yi braced his hands on the desk, caging her in his arms.
He glanced down, then raised an eyebrow with a lazy grin. "Sister Man’s wearing black today, huh?"
That roguish smile was utterly irresistible to her.
You Man was mortified. She turned her face away and whispered, "Didn’t you say last time you liked black?"
Zhou Yi chuckled wickedly. "Oh? So Sister Man came prepared today?"
Only then did she realize what she’d implied. Flustered, she explained, "No, I just bought a lot of black recently, and today happened to be one of those days."
"Still means you got them for me, right? No need to be so shy. I only said that last time because you happened to be wearing black."
"It’s because you wore it that I thought black looked good. From now on, wear whatever you like—I’ll love it all, as long as it’s you."
Another masterclass in sweet talk.
Zhou Yi’s words were honey to You Man’s ears, and she immediately brightened, thoroughly charmed.
She pushed him down into the office chair and straddled him, leaning close to his ear. "Tonight, I’ll let you pick properly."
Zhou Yi’s blood rushed south. He took a deep breath, steadying himself.
"With that kind of talk, Sister Man, I can’t wait."
"But not in the office. It’s not appropriate."
Zhou Yi feigned disappointment, teasing her.
"And here I thought the floor-to-ceiling window behind us would come in handy."
You Man tapped his forehead. "Stop that! Do you want to scare me to death at this height?"
Zhou Yi caught her hand and kissed it. "Just joking. I’d never do that to you—I couldn’t bear the thought of anyone else seeing you. The office door’s locked, so don’t worry."
"When did you lock it? I didn’t see you get up."
"It’s controlled by my phone. After that surveillance incident, Jiang Ruolan had the locks replaced."
At the mention of Jiang Ruolan, You Man’s expression faltered. She forced a small smile.
"I see. Miss Jiang is... very capable."
"What, jealous?"
"No. You need someone like her around. I’m not so unreasonable."
You Man lowered her eyes, her mood dimming.
She just felt inadequate. Compared to someone as accomplished as Jiang Ruolan, she was ordinary—unable to offer Zhou Yi any professional support.
If only she could be more exceptional.
She longed to do something for him. Loving someone meant wanting to give endlessly.
All she could manage was taking care of him in daily life.
Even tidying his office felt like a meaningful contribution.
She wasn’t the type to accept kindness without reciprocating. Zhou Yi had helped her open her own shop, giving her a better life—she didn’t know how to repay him.
And she loved him.
Loving him only made her want to give more.
Yet she couldn’t find the right way.
Zhou Yi comforted her. "Sister Man, you have your own strengths. Don’t compare yourself to anyone. When it comes to matters of the heart, no one holds a candle to you."
You Man felt a little better. It seemed Xiao Yi still cherished her most.
Zhou Yi pressed on gently. "Let me ask you this—if I weren’t successful today, would you still love me?"
Without hesitation, You Man replied, "Of course! It’s not your money I care about."
"See? Loving someone isn’t about how accomplished they are. When we fell for each other, we had nothing."
"I love you for who you are—your kindness, your gentleness, the quiet strength in your bones, and the way you never back down from life’s challenges."
"It has nothing to do with whether you can handle my work or where you went to school. No matter how impressive others are, they’ll never be Sister Man."
"Sister Man is one of a kind. To me, you’re irreplaceable."
077 would’ve given Zhou Yi a standing ovation.
It jotted down in its handbook:
"A skilled player must master the art of sweet nothings."
Zhou Yi’s words struck You Man’s heart. Her eyes welled up, deeply moved.
Xiao Yi must’ve been a gift from the heavens, lighting up the shadows of her unhappy past.
She wiped her tears. "I’m not as wonderful as Xiao Yi says."
"What I think is what matters. Nobody else’s opinion counts."
You Man laughed through her tears and hugged him tightly.
"Xiao Yi, thank you for loving me. Thank you for coming into my life."
"Alright, no more crying. If you go out with red eyes, people will think I bullied you."
Zhou Yi dabbed her tears away, coaxing her until her smile returned.
After You Man left, Zhou Yi attended his lecture.
Once class ended, he headed out to meet her—until Su Ning called out to him.
"Zhou Yi."
"Hm? Su Ning, what’s up?"
They stood in the hallway as Su Ning brought up Kong Xiaohe.
"You asked me about Kong Xiaohe the other day, right? I found out a bit more and checked with my brother. Thought I’d fill you in today."
Zhou Yi’s demeanor shifted instantly.
"Thanks for going through the trouble, Ningning."
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
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?!
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...
