The girls' gossiping about Ye Ruoxi and Su Yang wasn't particularly loud.
Yet their voices pierced Ye Ruoxi's ears like invisible needles, sharp and relentless.
Her explanation came to an abrupt halt.
The tip of her pen froze against the paper.
The faint trace of softness that had briefly touched her focused expression vanished without a trace.
In its place settled that familiar, bone-chilling frost—a coldness sharp enough to wound.
She stiffened suddenly, putting deliberate distance between herself and Su Yang.
Then, with clipped efficiency, she rattled off the solution, stripping away all nuance—just as she’d done before in the library.
She shoved the workbook back toward him.
The motion carried unnecessary force.
"That’s it."
Her voice had regained its usual ice,
laced now with something subtler—a thread of irritation, maybe even panic.
"Figure out the rest yourself."
Without waiting for a response, she turned away, yanked a book from her desk, and buried herself in its pages.
Su Yang remained frozen, staring at the unyielding line of her profile—a wall of pure frost, cutting him off from her world once more.
The tiny spark of joy that had flickered to life in Su Yang’s chest
was doused in an instant, as if plunged into icy water.
Not even a wisp of smoke remained.
Her rigid posture screamed rejection.
He opened his mouth, but no words came.
What had he done wrong?
He lingered like a scolded child, lost and small,
before finally retreating to his seat, workbook in hand.
The math problem that had stumped him all night—
the one Ye Ruoxi’s guidance had nearly unraveled—
now blurred into meaningless symbols.
He didn’t understand.
The warmth between them had shattered into frozen silence.
His gaze drifted back to her, still hunched over her book, refusing to look up.
For the first time, a bitter taste filled his throat—something raw and aching.
Something like hurt.
What Su Yang didn’t know was this:
To Ye Ruoxi, those careless, even well-meaning whispers from the girls
were far more terrifying than outright cruelty.
She stared blankly at the textbook,
its words dissolving into senseless black marks.
The phrases looped in her mind like a taunt:
"Her knight in shining armor."
"They’d make a perfect pair."
Panic clawed at her ribs.
Malice? She could handle malice.
But kindness? Kindness meant connection.
And connection meant entanglement—
a luxury she couldn’t afford.
A danger she couldn’t risk.
What would Zhang Cuilan say?
"Shameless girl, chasing boys instead of studying?"
She could already see the woman’s sneer, her face twisted with contempt.
Su Yang’s warmth was the only light in her pitch-black existence.
But she couldn’t step into it.
That light would expose her—
make her the subject of whispers,
of laughter over dinner tables.
Worse, it might weaken her resolve.
No attachments.
No weaknesses.
She had to climb out of this hell alone,
cutting every tether that might hold her back.
She’d hurt him.
She knew.
She could sense the disappointment and hurt in him when he left just now.
In some corner of Ye Ruoxi's heart, a faint, needle-like pain prickled through.
But she quickly suppressed that pang of sorrow, forcing it down.
I'm sorry.
She murmured silently in her heart.
But please, stay away from me.
For my sake, and for yours.
...
After that incident, Su Yang didn’t seek out Ye Ruoxi for two whole days.
He didn’t know how to face her.
The air in the classroom seemed to freeze over again, returning to the way it was at the very beginning.
No—it was even colder now.
Ye Ruoxi had grown even quieter than before.
Like a snail retracting into its shell after being startled,
she completely isolated herself from the outside world.
She kept her head down while eating, while walking,
as if the ground beneath her feet was her entire world.
Seeing her like this made Su Yang feel worse than if he were the one being ignored.
He began to reflect.
Where had he gone wrong?
He replayed every detail of that day in his mind.
Then, he remembered the hushed whispers of those girls.
And in an instant, he understood.
It was those words that had hurt her.
His so-called "knight-in-shining-armor" act hadn’t brought her protection.
It had brought trouble.
It had made her the target of gossip.
Su Yang’s heart swelled with guilt and regret.
He felt so stupid.
So impulsive.
He thought he was doing what was best for her.
But instead, he had only inflicted new pain.
He wanted to apologize.
But he knew that any words now would ring hollow.
They would only make her push him away even more.
He had to find a quieter, less intrusive way
to tell her that he meant no harm.
That he just wanted her to be okay.
...
Meanwhile, Zhang Cuilan’s initial excitement about her new job had worn off.
Working in the cafeteria was far from as easy as she’d imagined.
Every day, there were endless vegetables to wash and dishes to scrub.
Though meals were provided, the meager wages barely lasted a round at the mahjong table.
Less than two weeks in, she slipped back into her old habits.
She started complaining, slacking off.
When sorting vegetables, she mixed the good with the spoiled.
When washing dishes, she gave them a quick rinse, leaving them still slick with grease.
The cafeteria manager reprimanded her a few times, and though she nodded obediently, she forgot the moment she turned away.
Out of respect for Principal Zhen, the manager couldn’t fire her.
But Principal Zhen took hygiene and food safety extremely seriously.
Zhang Cuilan’s half-hearted efforts didn’t go unchecked—the manager made her redo the work.
Grumbling but not daring to disobey, Zhang Cuilan began plotting.
One evening after self-study ended, Ye Ruoxi was heading home with her backpack.
Zhang Cuilan intercepted her at the foot of the teaching building.
"Ruoxi," she said, her tone uncharacteristically sweet.
"My back’s killing me today, and there are still a few dishes left in the cafeteria. Could you… help me out?"
Ye Ruoxi looked at her.
At that face plastered with a fake smile.
She saw right through it.
"Principal Zhen said my studies shouldn’t be disrupted,"
Ye Ruoxi replied coldly.
It was the first time she had used Principal Zhen as a shield.
Zhang Cuilan’s expression stiffened.
"You’re so stubborn!" she snapped, irritation creeping into her voice.
"Just for a little while! How much time could it possibly take? You're such a good student—missing a bit of study time won't stop you from being top of the class!"
"I'm your mother! Isn't it only natural for me to ask you to help out with a few things?"
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?
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
transmigrates into the role of a villainous rich second-generation kid in an urban fantasy novel, and gets bound to a god-tier choice system. Right at the start, he catches the female lead stealing exam papers! This triggers the villain's choice options! [Choice 1: Pretend you didn't see anything] [Choice 2: Loudly call her out, drawing everyone's attention] [Choice 3: ...] And thus, a twisted villain is born. To avoid getting killed by the protagonist, he has no choice but to take down all the protagonists first. Jiang Che: Nobody understands being twisted better than me!
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?"
