In the taxi.
An Yi was driving while Lin Chen sat in the back, neither speaking.
Lin Chen gazed out the window, his already cold expression growing even more stern.
An Yi hummed a tune, glancing at Lin Chen through the rearview mirror before smirking. "What, still sulking?"
Lin Chen remained silent for a long moment before finally murmuring, "Thanks."
They both knew why.
If An Yi hadn’t stopped him, he might have made a decision he’d regret for the rest of his life.
An Yi waved it off with a chuckle. "You’ve got a real problem. You act all cool and collected, but the moment you lose your temper, you’ll say anything."
Lin Chen didn’t respond, continuing to watch the scenery flash by outside.
"So… are you from the Underworld?" An Yi probed casually.
The mission for the Asura’s Legacy was only 2/9 complete.
In just a few months, he’d already secured Zhang Fan and Fang Jueming.
Bai Xiu was just waiting for his Destiny Points to rise, and Shangguan Qianqian had already become his subordinate—so she shouldn’t be too difficult either.
Compared to them, Lin Chen was the real challenge.
Their relationship wasn’t as hostile as when they first met, but getting this stubborn soldier to willingly call him "Boss" wouldn’t be easy.
An Yi had a hunch that the key to Lin Chen’s main quest, [Wolf King’s Revenge], lay with the Underworld.
Lin Chen replied flatly, "Stop prying. It’s none of your business."
"Come on, I won’t tell anyone!" An Yi said with a grin.
Lin Chen simply closed his eyes and refused to speak.
"Tch, what a poker face."
An Yi sighed and slammed on the brakes. "We’re here."
"Thanks."
Lin Chen opened the door and stepped out without another word.
An Yi glanced up at the brightly lit room on the second floor, lost in thought.
That must be Qin Yao’s room.
Wonder what she’s doing?
Tap tap!
The sound of knuckles rapping on glass snapped him out of it.
An Yi rolled down the window to see Lin Chen’s icy face staring back at him.
"Why aren’t you leaving?"
An Yi:
Back at the rental apartment.
The bedroom light was still on.
Curious, An Yi pushed the door open and couldn’t help but smile wryly.
Shen Muxuan was curled up on his bed, fast asleep, looking as adorable as a kitten.
"This girl… why does she keep sneaking into my bed? And she didn’t even change out of her hanfu—how is that comfortable?"
An Yi scratched his head and sighed before expertly pulling out his inflatable mattress.
Just then, the system notification chimed.
Ding! Side Quest [Scumbag’s Desire]! Reward: Evil Power Value +50!
"Scumbag?!"
An Yi was furious.
This damn villain system had no bottom line—how could it assign such a shameless quest?!
But the real kicker? 50 Evil Power Value.
An Yi swallowed hard.
Evil Power Value was the foundation of his strength. His resolve wavered.
[Scumbag]
Objective: Hold hands with a target for 12 hours!
Penalty: Shorten by five centimeters!
An Yi:
"Holy hell!!"
Five centimeters?!
If he failed three times, would it just… disappear?!
"SCREW THIS DAMN SYSTEM!"
It had crossed a line he couldn’t ignore!
Cold sweat drenched his back as he glanced at Shen Muxuan on the bed. Without hesitation, he lunged over and grabbed her hand.
"Mmm…"
Shen Muxuan stirred, blinking sleepily before her eyes widened in surprise. "An Yi? You… you’re back?"
"Uh, yeah. Back."
An Yi held her hand awkwardly.
"Where’ve you been? You didn’t come home for two days."
She pouted slightly, but her eyes sparkled like stars.
An Yi deflected, "More importantly, why are you sleeping in my bed instead of your own room?"
"B-because it’s hot! My room doesn’t have AC," she answered matter-of-factly.
An Yi smirked. "Really? It’s almost October. And the AC isn’t even on."
"It is hot! It just is!"
Shen Muxuan’s cheeks flushed as she lightly punched his chest in protest.
"Alright, alright. You’re burning up. Go back to sleep."
Still holding her hand, An Yi teased before whispering soothingly.
"Mm."
She smiled, biting her lip before snuggling closer and drifting off again.
As he watched her sleep, hand in hand, thoughts of Lan Ruoxi surfaced, leaving An Yi conflicted.
Was he a scumbag?
No, no.
By the rules of his homeland, the Ancient Continent, this didn’t count! He wasn’t even from this world!
With that rationalization, he fell asleep guilt-free.
The next morning, sunlight streamed in.
Still half-asleep, An Yi felt his nose tickling unbearably.
"Achoo!"
He sneezed awake to find Shen Muxuan grinning mischievously—she’d been teasing him with a strand of her hair.
"Lazybones, wake up! It’s already 10!"
An Yi yawned.
He’d only gotten back at dawn, severely sleep-deprived. Four hours of rest wasn’t nearly enough.
"My hand’s numb… you’ve been holding it all night," Shen Muxuan said, lifting their intertwined fingers.
"Absence makes the heart grow fonder."
She’d thought it was just a saying, but after two days apart, he’d become so clingy he wouldn’t even let go of her hand.
The moment Shen Muxuan tried to pull away, An Yi’s eyelid twitched violently. "DON’T LET GO!"
Five centimeters were at stake!
If she let go now…
His future happiness would be gone forever!
"Fine, fine. I won’t let go."
Shen Muxuan’s lips curled into a sweet smile.
Who knew this blockhead could be so romantic?
An Yi exhaled in relief, sweat beading on his forehead. Seven hours and twenty minutes left. Almost there.
Still drowsy, he focused and activated Mind-Calming Technique!
After one cycle, his mind was crystal clear!
"As expected of a technique passed down by Elder Cheng, a top-tier expert. Impressive!"
"Um, An Yi…" Shen Muxuan hesitated.
An Yi blinked. "What’s up?"
She pointed at the blanket. "You… lost a lot of hair."
An Yi’s eyes nearly bulged out of his skull at the sight of the strands scattered across the sheets.
"GODDAMMIT!
MY LUSCIOUS LOCKS!"
Still gripping Shen Muxuan’s hand, he scrambled into the bathroom in a panic.
"Wait, why are you dragging me along?!"
Shen Muxuan yelped as he hauled her inside.
After checking his reflection—still handsome, with sharp brows and bright eyes—An Yi sighed in relief.
Phew. Even with hundreds of hairs gone, it’s not noticeable. My face is still flawless.
"That sleazy Elder Cheng, tarnishing the reputation of top-tier experts.
Trash Mind-Calming Technique!
I’m giving it to Bai Xiu!"
"An Yi… can you step out for a sec?" Shen Muxuan whispered, face burning as she pointed to the door.
"Huh? Why?"
She squirmed, voice barely audible. "I… I need to use the bathroom."
An Yi:
"Uh… can you hold it for a bit?"
The moment the words left his mouth, even he felt like a scumbag.
But the thought of five centimeters steeled his resolve.
Seeing the desperation in his eyes, Shen Muxuan softened.
But then, her beautiful eyes brimmed with a hint of grievance, those glistening orbs fixed on An Yi as she pleaded in a pitiful tone, "You—could you please go out? I—I really can't hold it anymore."
--
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
ial death, also known as "shè sǐ" in Chinese, generally refers to... well, never mind, it's not important. My name is Ye Cheng, and I'm about to experience social death firsthand. ... 【Host, your mission is to confess your love to the young lady of the Dongfang family, the current student council president, in a way that will be unforgettable for everyone at the freshman ceremony!】 【Host, assist the girl with a sprained ankle in front of you to reach the infirmary, and fulfill the wicked thoughts in your heart!】 【Host, act on your desires and punish the arrogant young lady before you mercilessly!】 【Host, follow your instincts—abandon shameful surrender, begging, or groveling, and ruthlessly criticize the domineering, ill-mannered young lady in front of you!】 【Host...】 Ye Cheng: "Here, here, you take this host role—I quit!" Wait, why is the girl with a sprained ankle the daughter of a mafia boss? And what kind of punishment method is this for the arrogant young lady? Also, who the heck said anything about wicked thoughts in my heart? Come out here, let’s settle this one-on-one!!! ... The haughty student council president, the scheming mafia princess, the fragile yandere young lady, the airheaded maid-in-waiting, the mixed-blood loli/...
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
