Ji Cheng hadn’t expected Ming Xiaowei to sleep for a full half hour.
The bus was almost at their stop.
Ji Cheng pressed her lips together and shifted her shoulder slightly, but the other girl’s head remained firmly planted against it. Left with no choice, Ji Cheng gave a sharp jerk.
This time, Ming Xiaowei stirred, her head lurching forward. Ji Cheng’s pupils constricted as she quickly grabbed the handrail, just in time for Ming Xiaowei’s forehead to collide with her arm.
In that instant, Ming Xiaowei jolted awake. She rubbed her forehead, blinking in momentary confusion when she noticed Ji Cheng’s arm.
"Thanks," she mumbled, shaking her head as if to clear the lingering grogginess.
Ugh, was it because I barely rested in the last world that I’m so sleepy in this one?
Ji Cheng withdrew her hand, lowering her gaze.
"We’re almost at the stop. Time to get off."
"Oh, right." Ming Xiaowei checked her phone’s navigation—sure enough, they were nearly there.
She scrambled to her feet, gripping the handrail while rubbing her bleary eyes.
As soon as the bus stopped, Ming Xiaowei stepped off, stretching with a long yawn.
She glanced sideways to see Ji Cheng walking away without so much as a backward glance. Huffing quietly, Ming Xiaowei trailed after her.
Ji Cheng accepted a stack of flyers from a woman in a work uniform.
Not daring to follow too closely, Ming Xiaowei bought a serving of spicy potato skewers from a nearby stall and watched from a distance as Ji Cheng handed out the flyers.
"How much can she even earn from distributing all those?" Ming Xiaowei asked Si.
"A little over a hundred," Si replied, giving a rough estimate.
Ming Xiaowei’s potato skewers slipped from her fingers and hit the ground.
"That’s even less than what I’d make hauling bricks."
Then again, it made sense—even if Ji Cheng tried manual labor now, she probably couldn’t handle it.
Halfway through her task, Ji Cheng spotted Ming Xiaowei lurking by the street like a thief. The moment their eyes met, Ming Xiaowei pretended to be engrossed in her phone, feigning nonchalance.
Did she really come all the way downtown just to watch me hand out flyers?
Ji Cheng couldn’t make sense of Ming Xiaowei’s behavior.
Even if she’d suddenly become a fan, this level of clinginess was absurd.
It was downright baffling.
Still, spotting Ming Xiaowei didn’t prompt Ji Cheng to approach her. Flyer distribution wasn’t hourly work—the sooner she finished, the sooner she could call it a day.
Two hours later, Ji Cheng wiped her sweat with a tissue and noticed Ming Xiaowei had already downed five or six bottles of water.
Her lips twitched. After collecting her payment from the woman in the work uniform, she finally walked over to Ming Xiaowei.
"Why did you follow me out here?" Her voice was cool, though it carried a faint hint of sweetness that hadn’t been there before.
Ming Xiaowei blinked.
"I had nothing to do at home."
It was the truth—she was genuinely bored. As a guy, she wasn’t into dramas or variety shows, and while she’d enjoyed anime back in his more innocent days, things were different now.
Not because he’d lost his innocence, but because… well, reasons.
Ji Cheng arched a brow at the answer, giving a slight nod. "That’s a passable excuse, I suppose."
In this world, Mo Qing’s personality was far more reserved. Based on that single remark, Ming Xiaowei couldn’t begin to guess her current mood.
She’s probably happy, right?
"Let’s go. We still have time."
"Wait, what? Are we doing tutoring now?" Ming Xiaowei was stunned, checking her phone—it was barely past five.
But after following Ji Cheng for three or four minutes, she watched as the other girl entered a bubble tea shop. Ming Xiaowei hurried after her, observing as Ji Cheng exchanged a few words with the cashier, scanned a payment code, and then turned to sit across from her.
"What did you order?" Ming Xiaowei asked cautiously.
"Our number’s near the front, so it shouldn’t take long. No rush. After this, I plan to grab dinner at school before heading to your place. How does that sound?" Ji Cheng glanced up from her phone screen, meeting Xiaowei’s gaze.
Ming Xiaowei’s heart skipped like a startled deer.
She’s asking for my opinion?
Sniff… I’m so touched.
"Sounds good to me," Ming Xiaowei agreed without hesitation.
Not just coming over—why stop there? Go ahead and claim her entirely, no problem.
It definitely wasn’t because this orange-flavored version of Mo Qing was especially to her taste.
Lost in her chaotic thoughts, Ming Xiaowei only snapped back to reality when a cup of freshly squeezed orange tea appeared in front of her.
"Wait… you got one for me too?" She hadn’t seen that coming.
"Of course. Let’s go—the bus stop’s nearby." Ji Cheng cradled her own drink and strode out first.
Ming Xiaowei hastily grabbed her cup and followed.
On the way home, she made sure to text Auntie Zhang not to prepare dinner, even giving her a week off.
"But Miss, what will you eat?"
"I’ll go to the school. Don’t worry about it." Ming Xiaowei sent the reply, then snapped her phone shut and turned to Ji Cheng, who was gazing out the window.
Why look outside when you could look at me?
She grumbled internally.
Finally, she managed to send Auntie Zhang away. It wasn’t like she was doing anything bad—Auntie Zhang wouldn’t snitch to her father, right?
Probably not.
Ming Xiaowei wandered back to school in a daze. Ji Cheng bought a flatbread at the cafeteria, so she bought one too.
Ji Cheng then went back to the dorm to grab something before finally noticing Ming Xiaowei trailing behind like a ghost.
"What’s with the spacing out? Let’s go."
Ji Cheng’s attitude had softened quite a bit compared to before.
Ming Xiaowei didn’t even register the change.
To save time, Ming Xiaowei pulled Ji Cheng onto shared bikes. The bike lane was nearly empty, and Ming Xiaowei’s long hair fluttered in the autumn breeze.
So refreshing.
But as it turned out, spacing out while doing anything was a bad idea.
Ming Xiaowei successfully got into an accident.
Well, a shared-bike accident, that is.
She ended up flat on the ground, her once-pristine white stockings torn, her knees scraped raw and bleeding, the bruises already turning a sickly mix of blue and black. It looked downright gruesome.
Ming Xiaowei gritted her teeth. "Who the hell left such a huge rock in the bike lane?!"
Ji Cheng hurried to help her up. The poor girl’s dark hair was a mess, her eyes red, one leg trembling uncontrollably—no surprise, given how much it hurt.
If she could, Xiaowei suddenly wished she could turn back into a zombie.
"Pay attention when you’re riding. Is this the place?" Ji Cheng glanced around. The area ahead was nothing but a stretch of villas.
Ming Xiaowei was in too much pain to speak, so she just nodded.
Ji Cheng steadied her against a tree.
"What?" Ming Xiaowei stared at her with rabbit-red eyes.
Ji Cheng met her gaze expressionlessly, then turned and crouched slightly, knees bent.
"Get on."
Her voice was as cool and detached as ever. It wasn’t a request—it was an order.
How embarrassing!
Ming Xiaowei hesitated.
But then she grinned and wrapped her arms around Ji Cheng’s neck.
With a little hop, she was on.
This site is about to undergo a major upgrade, adding more books and timely chapter updates.
] [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!"
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
end. Thus one must continue to cultivate, and become a saint or great emperor, in order to prolong one's life. Chen Xia, however, completely reversed this. Since his transmigration, he has gained immortality, and also a system that awards him with attribute points for every year he lives. Thus between the myriad worlds, the legend of an unparalleled senior appeared. "A gentleman takes revenge; it is never too late even after ten thousand years." "When you were at your peak I yielded, now in your old age I shall trample on you." - Chen Xia
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
