Autumn, Jingzhou University, School of Business.
Sunlight streamed through the large windows, gilding the lecture hall with a golden edge.
Ren Qian sat in the first row.
Her back was straight, like a poplar tree facing the light.
On the notebook before her were meticulously organized class notes.
Every character was as neat and precise as if printed, orderly and cool.
She was number one in the entire department.
Had been since enrollment began.
She held that position firmly.
On the podium, Professor Zhao, who taught Macroeconomics, adjusted his glasses.
"The final project for this semester will be completed in groups."
As soon as he finished speaking, a wave of suppressed murmurs rippled through the classroom.
Professor Zhao's courses were notorious for their rigor.
His major assignments could keep half the department pulling all-nighters for a month.
Ren Qian didn't move.
She didn't need to find a group.
Usually, people came to her.
"This year's topic is somewhat special."
Professor Zhao paused for effect.
"Analyze the impact of Xia Country's future ten-year new energy industry policies on the macroeconomy."
The classroom fell silent instantly.
The topic was too broad, too abstract.
It involved too many variables.
And many were merely policy predictions.
Without solid data support, it was difficult to produce a deep analysis.
This was beyond the scope of an undergraduate's capabilities.
"Of course, you may form groups freely."
"However," Professor Zhao's gaze swept across the room.
"There is one group for which I have already predetermined the members."
His eyes landed on the first row.
"Ren Qian."
Ren Qian looked up.
"And, Lu Chenyuan."
A lower wave of discussion, tinged with envy and jealousy, rose in the classroom.
Ren Qian's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
Lu Chenyuan.
That name was known to everyone in the Jingzhou University School of Business.
He was another legend.
One completely different from Ren Qian.
Ren Qian had climbed step by step from an ordinary family to the pinnacle through near-masochistic effort and talent.
She was the undisputed best.
Lu Chenyuan was born in the clouds.
The Lu family was one of Jingzhou's top-tier wealthy dynasties.
He himself was dazzling to the point of being blinding.
Talent, family background, looks.
He possessed everything.
Like the moon in the sky.
Cool, bright, and out of reach.
Ren Qian knew him.
Or rather, knew of him.
They were classmates.
But the two had almost no interaction.
He always sat in the back of the classroom, listening quietly or reading his own books.
Unassuming, not mixing with the crowd.
Yet, he could offer the most precise, most profound insights in every class discussion.
Such an outstanding guy probably had many girls chasing after him.
But he politely declined all advances.
He was as gentle as jade, yet carried an innate aloofness in his bones.
Ren Qian held no particular fondness for him.
In her view, people born with a silver spoon couldn't understand real competition and struggle.
Their excellence was merely the view from the shoulders of giants.
Now, she had to form a group with this "moon in the sky."
For the first time, Ren Qian felt a flicker of uncertainty in her heart.
The group's first meeting was scheduled in a library study room.
Ren Qian arrived ten minutes early.
She opened her laptop, having already outlined a preliminary framework and research directions in a document.
She was used to taking the initiative.
Lu Chenyuan arrived on time.
To the minute.
He wore a simple white shirt and casual trousers, carrying a clean scent.
He sat down opposite Ren Qian.
"Hello."
His voice, like his person, was gentle yet distant.
"Hello," Ren Qian nodded in response.
"I've drafted a preliminary framework."
She turned her laptop towards him.
Lu Chenyuan's gaze fell on the screen.
He read quickly and with focus.
"The framework is good."
He spoke after finishing.
"But the data model could be adjusted."
Without pleasantries, he went straight to the core issue.
"Traditional macroeconomic models aren't fully applicable here."
"The weighting of policy variables needs recalculation."
"Furthermore, we need to consider the forcing mechanism of international energy market dynamics on domestic policy."
His pace wasn't fast, but every word hit a key point.
Clear and logical.
For the first time, Ren Qian felt the pressure of meeting her match.
And a trace of admiration she herself hadn't yet noticed.
"I see."
She retrieved her laptop.
"Then let's re-divide the work."
"Alright."
Lu Chenyuan took out a pen and a piece of paper.
He didn't use a computer.
Instead, he wrote swiftly on the paper.
A clear task breakdown soon appeared.
From data collection, to model building, to report writing.
Every task was detailed down to the person and specific timeline.
"Any questions?"
He slid the paper towards Ren Qian.
Ren Qian looked at it.
The handwriting was strong and forceful, like the man himself—calm and powerful.
"No."
She shook her head.
This time, she was genuinely convinced.
This man wasn't just born with a good family.
He was a true, natural leader.
For the next month,
Ren Qian and Lu Chenyuan became regulars at the library.
The two of them practically took over that small study room.
Neither spoke much.
Most of the time, they worked on their respective tasks in front of their computers.
Only when encountering key issues would they have brief discussions.
These discussions were always efficient and to the point.
Not a single wasted word.
Ren Qian enjoyed this feeling.
It was the intellectual thrill of meeting one's match.
She discovered Lu Chenyuan's knowledge was far broader than she imagined.
He wasn't just proficient in economics.
He had an extraordinary understanding of politics, history, even basic industry.
Discussing problems with him was like conversing with a walking database.
She, too, displayed her capabilities without reservation.
Her data processing skills and analytical sharpness drew approving glances from Lu Chenyuan more than once.
Though those glances were always fleeting.
"My part is done."
Late one night, Ren Qian sent the report section she was responsible for to Lu Chenyuan.
"Mmm, not bad."
Lu Chenyuan's reply came quickly.
Just three words.
But Ren Qian knew that "not bad" from him was already high praise.
She leaned back in her chair and let out a long sigh.
Glancing at the time, it was already 2 AM.
Outside the window was Jingzhou's sleeping night.
She looked at Lu Chenyuan across from her.
He was still focused on his screen.
The screen's glow illuminated his face, making his handsome profile appear even more defined.
It also deepened the melancholic air about him.
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?!
] [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!"
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
