Midnight
Su Cheng was pouring concentrated coffee liquid into a glass on the dining table, stirring it with a spoon, and then downing it in one go. Judging by the several coffee packets on the side table, this was his fifth cup of coffee for the night.
After finishing, he practiced his moves again. An hour later, he sat alone at the dining table, lost in thought.
The competition was drawing near, and he had to pay for his previous mistakes. He needed to start over, and this time, he had to be even more demanding. He had to make the most of every minute!
The process was tedious, but he was enjoying it nonetheless, repeating the same actions over and over, striving for perfection.
But the next moment, Su Cheng retrieved an envelope from his system space. Inside was just a single sentence: "May you remember the goodness and efforts of others, not for the sake of repayment, but to believe in the warmth and brightness of the world. Please, no matter what happens, do not give up, because your future belongs only to you."
Su Cheng stared at the envelope for a while, then looked away and returned to his practice...
This was the last letter from the orphanage director, sent to him after he left the welfare home.
The message was clear: his future was his own, and he just needed to choose his own path.
However, he didn't like owing favors. His upbringing had taught him that if he owed someone a favor, he should repay it as soon as possible.
And this immense kindness naturally needed to be repaid.
The orphanage and the outside world were like two different realms.
If one had to describe it, it would be the difference between black-and-white and color.
The children inside were mostly disabled or suffered from various strange illnesses.
Without exception, they all were.
Those who were physically healthy had long been adopted.
However, this was his refuge, a place of compassion and kindness, and the site of his happy childhood.
So, he had an unwavering goal.
Only when this goal was achieved could he start living for himself.
Now, this goal was about to be realized!
Although he could use a deus ex machina to directly win the championship, he still wanted to try his best through his own efforts.
"It's already five o'clock."
Su Cheng glanced at the wall clock and sighed. Then he cleaned up the remaining coffee liquid and leftovers on the table, filled the trash can, and headed to the bathroom to wash up.
Su Cheng knew the importance of balancing work and rest.
So, he decided to reward himself.
Thus, he grabbed some toilet paper from the bathroom, walked into his bedroom, closed and locked the door, pulled the curtains, unbuckled his belt...
And slept for half an hour.
"Ring ring~"
The alarm rang, and he got up, changed into his school uniform, wiped the computer screen with toilet paper, and booted it up. His hands deftly tapped the keyboard, his eyes focused and serious.
He decided to reward himself with a game of Yasuo.
Being an orphan, playing Yasuo was a very reasonable thing to do.
Even if he was called an orphan, he didn't care.
Because he was one.
Half an hour passed, and Su Cheng's typing speed gradually slowed. Finally, he stopped.
It was six o'clock.
Then he rewarded himself with an hour of review time.
There was an exam this morning, so he couldn't neglect his studies. He brewed another cup of coffee, sipped it while reviewing, and even had a piece of bread for breakfast.
By seven thirty, Su Cheng put down his pen, stretched, tidied up his appearance, and stood up to head out.
He took the trash bag with him, planning to throw it in the nearby trash can.
Today, he decided not to ride his bicycle but to take the bus instead, as he could catch a quick nap that way.
His pace was slow as he looked out the window at the passing scenery, his heart calm and unperturbed.
"Ah~"
Su Cheng yawned as he stood at the bus stop.
No doubt, he was very tired.
So, he took out his thermos from his backpack. Today, it was filled with black coffee.
It was very bitter but also very energizing.
After taking a sip, he bit into a piece of 100% pure dark chocolate and savored the extremely bitter taste.
When he was young, the staff would occasionally give him a piece of this.
He had just happened to come across it while buying coffee yesterday, so he bought some. It was worth mentioning that it had an excellent alertness effect.
The bus arrived, and he got on, sitting in the corner at the back, closing his eyes to rest and enjoy this brief respite.
The bus swayed for a while before finally stopping at the gate of his school. He got off and walked through the school gates.
As he walked, various girls in pleated skirts passed by, and he found them pleasing to the eye.
Entering the campus, Su Cheng headed towards his classroom.
There were still about ten minutes until eight o'clock.
Today's classroom was as quiet and serious as yesterday's.
He sat down and took out his book to start reading.
However, he still didn't notice the several girls in the class who were watching him, each with different expressions.
For instance, the girl with the braided ponytail in the front row openly watched Su Cheng, who was oblivious to the world and immersed in his studies, nodding appreciatively.
Clearly, Su Cheng's attitude this time had left a deep impression on her.
She then became even more focused on her review.
Xuan Ying in the front row was holding a book, turned her head to glance at Su Cheng, then turned back to look out the window, her eyes blinking, not knowing what she was thinking.
As for Li Guanqi, she frowned at Su Cheng's increasingly haggard face.
Strangely, her cheeks puffed up, as if she was a little angry.
Finally, she lowered her head to look at a strange book in her hand.
Why strange?
Because it wasn't a textbook or notes, but rather a kind of strange web novel setting book.
It was a book she had ordered online a few days ago, titled "The Basic Laws of Protagonists."
Various laws of web novel protagonists.
For example:
She was currently on the first page.
1. Protagonist Position Law: If at school, the protagonist is always in the second to last window seat.
(PS: Back row by the window, the birthplace of the king.)
She glanced at Su Cheng's seat and immediately checked it.
2. Protagonist Outburst Law: "At crucial moments, the protagonist always works a hundred times harder than everyone else, even to the point of recklessness."
She looked at Su Cheng's tired appearance and checked it again.
3. Protagonist Luck Law: "The protagonist is constantly surrounded by romantic luck, loved by everyone, with cars even bursting their tires, always attracting many admirers."
She looked at the girls secretly watching Su Cheng, Xuan Ying and Zhao Yan, and checked it again.
4. Protagonist Background Law: "An orphan with an imperfect childhood, but despite this, he is not defeated by life and still loves life, treating others with kindness."
5. Protagonist's Golden Finger Law...
6. Protagonist Trouble Creation Law...
……………
20. Protagonist Invincibility Law: "The protagonist will succeed in anything he sets out to do. Even if an accident occurs, he will ultimately receive far richer rewards than expected."
Seeing this last rule, Li Guanqi stopped her actions, then raised her eyes to look at Su Cheng.
This time, she didn't check it but closed the book and put it in her drawer, then took out her notes to start reviewing.
…………………
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
] [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!"
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!
