"You've gotten even thinner, child. Did you not eat properly during summer break?"
Lin Dongmei spoke while pulling fifty yuan and two brand-new pens from her pocket, then forcefully pressed them into Ye Ruoxi's hands.
"Take it! This is from me—a thank-you!"
"You're a role model for our Xiao Yang."
"High school textbooks and materials are expensive—don’t deprive yourself."
"And these pens—our Xiao Yang saw you using one last time and loved it. I bought extras, so here are two for you. Consider it borrowing some of your top-scorer’s luck!"
Ye Ruoxi wanted to refuse.
But Lin Dongmei was stronger, and far more insistent.
"If you don’t take it, you’re looking down on me!"
Ye Ruoxi’s fingers curled around the money and the two pristine pens.
Something inside her chest burned faintly.
"Thank you, Auntie," she murmured.
"What’s there to thank? We’ll be counting on you to guide Xiao Yang at school."
"That boy’s not as quick as you—just knows how to grind through things the hard way."
Lin Dongmei patted her son’s back.
Su Yang flushed, scratching his head with an awkward chuckle.
He looked at Ye Ruoxi, wanting to say something, the way he used to in middle school.
But the words dissolved before they left his lips.
The girl before him seemed unchanged from her junior high days.
And yet, everything about her felt different.
She was taller, thinner.
Her chin sharper, her lips pale.
But her eyes—amid the noisy crowd—were like two quiet black stars, impossible to meet directly.
Looking at her, he felt an inexplicable ache, and something else, something warm…
---
The fifty yuan and the two pens didn’t stay with Ye Ruoxi for long.
Zhang Cuilan found them the moment she got home.
"Well, well, Ye Ruoxi. Young as you are, you’re already cozying up to boys for money?"
Zhang Cuilan pinched the bill between her fingers, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Was it Su Yang? Or some other stray mutt?"
Ye Ruoxi didn’t bother explaining.
She just wanted the pens back.
Lin Dongmei had bought them specifically for her.
Zhang Cuilan saw right through her.
With a sharp snap, she broke both pens in half right in front of Ye Ruoxi.
Then tossed them into the trash.
"Let me make this clear. I raised you. Every single hair on your body belongs to me."
"You want money? Earn it with your labor!"
Ye Ruoxi stared at the shattered pens in the bin. Her heart turned colder.
But she said nothing.
---
High school was more demanding than junior high.
By day, Ye Ruoxi was a sponge at school, absorbing knowledge voraciously.
By night, she became an emotionless machine, working tirelessly at home.
Zhang Cuilan had grown lazier with her spicy noodle stall.
Instead, she’d taken on piecework from relatives—trimming loose threads for a local garment factory.
Piles of clothes, reeking of chemical dyes, cluttered their tiny living room.
Every day after school, Ye Ruoxi sat before that mountain of fabric.
Snip. Snip. For two or three hours.
Until her vision blurred and her fingers stiffened.
Her reward? Just enough money from Zhang Cuilan for the next day’s meal.
High school life was tense.
Ye Ruoxi grew even quieter than before.
She sat perpetually in the classroom’s corner.
An isolated island.
Her lunch was always a cold steamed bun.
And a bowl of cafeteria soup, nearly devoid of vegetables.
Around her, classmates buzzed about celebrities, video games, and fledgling romances.
Those belonged to another world.
One that had nothing to do with her.
---
The first monthly exam results sent shockwaves through the grade.
Ye Ruoxi was first again.
And her scores? Nearly perfect in every subject.
Su Yang remained second.
Staring at the names on the rankings, separated by an uncrossable gap, he felt something new: helplessness.
He couldn’t catch up to her.
No matter how hard he tried.
She didn’t belong here.
She belonged somewhere far beyond.
Their homeroom teacher, a young woman fresh out of college, admired Ye Ruoxi’s brilliance but noticed her isolation.
She wanted to help her integrate.
"Study groups!" the teacher announced. "Top students will assist those struggling."
Her first pick was Ye Ruoxi.
"Ye Ruoxi, as our class’s top scorer, you’ll lead Group One. Alright?"
Every eye turned to that corner.
Ye Ruoxi stood.
"Teacher, I decline."
Her voice was soft but firm.
"I don’t have the time."
Then she sat back down.
The classroom fell dead silent.
Then came the whispers.
"Who does she think she is? Just because she scores well?"
"So arrogant."
"What a freak."
The teacher’s face flushed with embarrassment.
Su Yang watched Ye Ruoxi’s rigid posture, his chest tight.
He knew it wasn’t arrogance.
She simply had no energy left—for anything beyond surviving.
---
The ostracism grew sharper after that.
At lunch, girls would stroll past her table, voices loud.
"Look, the genius is eating her sad little bun again."
"Fairies like her survive on dew, don’t they?"
Ye Ruoxi never reacted.
She just lowered her head further.
Eat faster. Finish this bun.
Then solve two more problems.
If she could just escape this place, it would all end.
---
Then came the 800-meter run in gym class.
For most girls, it was a nightmare.
For Ye Ruoxi, it was torture.
Years of malnutrition and exhaustion left her weaker than most.
She gritted her teeth and ran.
Crossing the finish line, her vision blackened. She nearly collapsed.
Staggering back to the classroom, she slumped at her desk, too drained to move.
Sweat soaked through her uniform.
She just needed to sleep.
Just for a moment.
Around her, classmates chattered and laughed.
But she fell into a heavy, dreamless slumber.
Su Yang sat nearby, watching.
Her thin shoulders, trembling faintly.
The pallor of her face, drained of color.
He thought of everything she’d endured these past two years.
The cruel taunts.
The solitary figure at the cafeteria’s free soup station.
His mother’s words:
"Son, Ruoxi’s a good kid. A kid who’s had it hard. Look out for her at school."
Something swelled in his chest—anger, sorrow.
And another feeling, one he couldn’t name.
The urge to shield her.
Suddenly, he understood.
What he felt for Ye Ruoxi wasn’t just neighborly concern.
Wasn’t just classmate camaraderie.
It was something deeper.
A deeper, more intense emotion seemed to take root and grow within his heart.
He noticed how thin her school uniform was.
The window was open, and the autumn wind drifted in, carrying a faint chill.
He hesitated for a long time.
His fingers clenched, then loosened.
Finally, he stood up.
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!"
shall grant"] ["Inscribing the glory of our race upon tombstones"] ["All that is threatened, I shall protect"] How his younger sister sees her brother: A brother who only makes eye contact once a day, mostly fading into the background as he tinkers with who-knows-what in his room all day. Their life paths should have remained largely separate. Until one day. Su Qi created an equipment card for his never-met "online girlfriend." His sister fell into silent contemplation upon receiving the "white stockings." [Card can be upgraded] [Upgrade by fulfilling any of the following conditions] [Condition ①: Consume one hundred higher-tier cards] [Condition ②: Complete one 'Heart-Pounding Adventure'] What constitutes a Heart-Pounding Adventure? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Beginner Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to admire it.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Easy Level): Equip the card, invite 'Su Qi' to touch it, and analyze the equipment's texture.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Entry Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to...] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Challenge Level): Freely combine the words 'Brother' 'Out' 'Brother' 'Me' 'Please' into a complete sentence...] "Please help me analyze both teams' mistakes in this match, brother..." His sister exhaled in relief—surely... surely there couldn't be anything more difficult? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Suicide Mission Level): Sneak a peek at the names of the galgames in 'Su Qi's' hidden E-drive folder]
Explosive Plot Song Gua crossed over into another world, bringing along a whole crew of his doppelgangers—all of them mischief-makers. This was a world where everyone could choose a class. Song Gua became a "Bondweaver," capable of borrowing power, while his doppelgangers took on a wide variety of classes, covering just about everything. The number of doppelgangers grew day by day, each one a talented individual with a charming way of speaking. Under Song Gua's brilliant leadership, they would "greet" each other daily and engage in friendly "sparring," pulling off one major scheme after another on Earth. Sometimes they were bandits—stealing bosses, plundering mines, snatching resources. Sometimes they were saviors—descending like divine warriors to face world bosses threatening to massacre cities. Sometimes they even went undercover, infiltrating various major factions to stir up trouble from within, keeping their enemies constantly on edge. To prevent their doppelganger abilities from being exposed, Song Gua made them wear masks with mahjong tile patterns and don Taoist robes in various colors. "Remember, in front of outsiders, call me 'The Dice.'" "Got it! Boss!" "Not 'Boss'—it's 'The Dice.' Think about the vibe, pay attention to the vibe." "Yes! Boss!" "For crying out loud..." From then on, whenever they appeared, they would have their own theme song playing: ~Hey~ paying respects at the mountain stronghold at night~ whose arm is draped over whose shoulder~ gather your courage and follow along...
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?
