Shen Qingling smiled. Song Zhining was quite interesting—not at all the aloof, privileged young lady he had imagined.
The young man sat by the window, gazing at the scenery outside.
There was still some time before they reached the school, so he put on his headphones to listen to music, shutting out the noise of the outside world.
"Host, Song Zhining's affection level for you has reached 85. I have to admit, you really have a way with people."
"This girl’s not bad. She’s practically falling for you just by overthinking things."
"After all, she’s only a B-tier character, and she hasn’t been influenced by the male lead yet. There’s still a good chance of successfully winning her over."
"Naive girls like her are easy to handle. Complicated people, though—that’s another story."
Shen Qingling and System 077 chatted idly, unaware that someone had recognized him and secretly snapped a photo, posting it online.
Jiangcheng was the second-largest city in China after the capital, economically prosperous and home to the highest number of universities in the country. Because of this, college students could be seen everywhere.
Jiangcheng had a forum app for students called "Serendipity."
At first, only Jiangcheng students posted and browsed there, but over time, it evolved into a nationwide platform for gossip, casual chats, and making friends. Occasionally, discussions about the entertainment industry or supernatural events would pop up too.
The app was somewhat like a hybrid of Reddit and old-school forums from Shen Qingling’s world.
[OP: Guess who I just ran into! Shen Qingling, the guy trending on Weibo right now, is sitting right next to me!]
[L1: Holy crap, it really is him. He looks even hotter in person—did you use any filters?]
[L2: Everyone knows cameras make people look worse. OP’s pic is clearly raw, and Shen Qingling’s looks are undeniable.]
[L3: Weird, how come no one’s talked about him before? Someone this handsome should’ve been famous ages ago.]
[L4: Jiangcheng University student here (raises hand). Actually, there have been posts about him before, but people always accused them of being heavily photoshopped lol.]
[L5: If I hadn’t seen his photos on Weibo today, I wouldn’t have believed someone could actually look like this.]
...
Shen Qingling’s phone suddenly buzzed. He opened it to see a message from a contact named Chu Jiaojiao.
Chu Jiaojiao...
Shen Qingling remembered her. In the original story, she was his childhood sweetheart.
They had both grown up in the same orphanage. Once, a couple came to adopt a child, and Shen Qingling gave the opportunity to Chu Jiaojiao.
After being adopted, Chu Jiaojiao gained a normal life, but the two never lost touch.
Her new home wasn’t far from the orphanage, so Shen Qingling would wait for her every day to walk to school together. Her adoptive parents knew him well, and the two grew up side by side.
Shen Qingling had been good to her, reserving what little tenderness he had for her alone. Yet she never appreciated it.
In the original story, she accepted a bribe from Gu Yijin and, after Shen Qingling was framed, publicly accused him of sexually assaulting her—repeatedly.
She claimed she was timid and weak, afraid no one would believe her because Shen Qingling was a top student with an impeccable reputation. The version of him she painted was a hypocritical, twisted rapist.
Chu Jiaojiao’s tearful performance on camera won her widespread sympathy and deepened public hatred for Shen Qingling.
They had attended the same elementary, middle, and high schools, only parting ways in college.
Former classmates who knew how close they were—how inseparable they’d once been—found her accusations all too believable. Many girls had even envied Chu Jiaojiao for receiving Shen Qingling’s care and affection.
So when she spoke, no one doubted her. Why would a childhood friend lie?
Because of Chu Jiaojiao’s slander, the rumors became accepted as truth. Everyone went from suspecting to fully believing that Shen Qingling had attempted to kidnap and rape Song Zhining.
Shen Qingling didn’t know—nor did he care—what Chu Jiaojiao truly felt about the original host. After what she did in the story, forgiveness was off the table.
This time, his arrival had altered events, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t already conspired with Gu Yijin behind the scenes. Given the chance, she would still betray him.
In his eyes, Chu Jiaojiao was already condemned. There would be no redemption.
Shen Qingling tapped open her message. To his irritation, she was still pinned at the top of his contacts. He quickly removed her from the favorites list.
She didn’t deserve the spot.
[Jiaojiao: Qingling! You’re trending on Serendipity’s hot posts! A classmate of mine snapped a pic of you on the bus, haha. Everyone’s saying how hot you are!]
Shen Qingling lowered his gaze, a cold smirk forming. If not for knowing the original plot, Chu Jiaojiao’s facade would’ve been flawless—no one could’ve guessed her true nature.
Outwardly, she was a lively, innocent girl, full of admiration and dependence for Shen Qingling. But in reality... just 100,000 yuan was enough to buy her betrayal, to sell out their years of friendship and bury him alive.
Some childhood bonds were truly cheap.
Just then, the system chimed: "Detected potential target for conquest: Chu Jiaojiao."
A character panel appeared before Shen Qingling.
[Name: Chu Jiaojiao]
[Goddess Tier: A]
[Identity: Shen Qingling’s childhood sweetheart]
[Personality: Selfish, vain, two-faced]
[Plot Relevance: 30%]
[Ending: Insufficient points to unlock]
"Ding! Side quest triggered: Obtain Chu Jiaojiao’s remorse value. Reward: Points. Host, will you accept the side quest?"
"100,000 points for Chu Jiaojiao’s remorse?"
Shen Qingling frowned. Having to deal with a woman like her was bad enough—why was there a side quest about her too?
"Correct. Chu Jiaojiao and the original host share an inseparable bond. She is one of the key figures responsible for his tragic fate, so her remorse holds significant value to him."
"Fine, I’ll take the quest. No reason to pass up 100,000 points. Sooner or later, she’ll dig her own grave—Gu Yijin will definitely try to buy her off to undermine me."
"So the host must not only win her affection but also extract her remorse, turning her into a useful pawn. However, gaining the affection of such a selfish woman won’t be easy."
"Not easy? I wouldn’t say that."
In his view, the original host had spoiled her rotten. What she needed was a taste of indifference—a slap before the candy—to realize how bleak her life would be without Shen Qingling.
[Shen Qingling: Noted.]
He replied with just two words, nothing more.
Chu Jiaojiao frowned at his curt response.
She wasn’t angry—just puzzled.
Although Shen Qingling was usually indifferent toward women, he had always been gentle with her—never replying to her in such a cold tone.
What was going on today? Had something happened to put him in a bad mood?
That couldn’t be... Shouldn’t he be happy after saving someone?
Chu Jiaojiao sent another message.
[Chu Jiaojiao: Qingling, what’s wrong? Are you upset?]
[Shen Qingling: No.]
[Chu Jiaojiao: Then why are you only giving me three-word replies? You’ve never been like this before. How about you come visit me at my school this weekend?]
After sending that, Chu Jiaojiao smirked disdainfully.
She knew Shen Qingling too well—no matter what happened, the moment they met, he would treat her with the same unwavering devotion.
Just a simp.
Countless women couldn’t even dream of getting close to the campus heartthrob, yet he bent over backward for her, reduced to nothing more than a backup option—a pathetic simp. How could she not revel in that?
ver to a world of cultivation and returned invincible. Modern medicine is child's play compared to elixirs; technological might crumbles before true cultivation. My name is Qin Ning, Earth's sole cultivator!
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
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?"
y came from. The chests contained supplies, currency, class-change scrolls, skills, talents… and even godhood! The laws of the world were completely rewritten. This became a world where everyone gambled with their fate! Some people, despite having nothing, opened a divine artifact and rose to the top, eventually ruling the world. Others went bankrupt, opened nothing but worthless junk, and leaped from skyscrapers in despair. Lin Ye arrived in this world from another reality, utterly bewildered. “What is going on? Why is everyone a gambling addict?!” “Opening chests? No way. I refuse to gamble. I’ll start with myself!” Until— On his first chest, he obtained a Mythic Talent: Void Incarnation! He could become completely intangible, pass through all things, and reduce everything to nothingness! … On his fiftieth chest, he obtained a Mythic Weapon: Blade of Karma! With a single slash, karma shattered, twisting the universe and overturning the myriad phenomena of creation! … On his ninety-ninth chest, he obtained a Mythic Divine Treasure: Primordial Purple Energy! It could split open the heavens and earth, create all things, and evolve countless worlds with a single thought! Lin Ye: “Now that I think about it… shouldn’t someone have told me that every chest is guaranteed to contain something Mythic?!”
