The dim lamplight was only as big as a bean, barely enough to illuminate faces.
After spending most of the day together, the two had developed a basic understanding of each other and weren't as unfamiliar as before.
Now they were making casual conversation.
There was no help for it - it was just too boring.
"You seem to be in good shape. Are you an athlete?" Cheng Jun took the initiative to start the conversation.
Shen Yi smiled and shook his head,
"No, I just enjoy exercising regularly."
"Oh..."
Cheng Jun had noticed Shen Yi's physical condition during the day.
"What about you? What do you do?"
Shen Yi asked her in return.
Cheng Jun twisted her fingers while staring at the flame in front of her and said:
"Nothing special. I used to be a shut-in, and now I work at my family's company..."
"Why do I sense some resentment? Isn't it great being a rich kid with family wealth?"
Shen Yi teased her.
"It's not resentment, I just don't like being arranged..."
Cheng Jun didn't deny being from a wealthy family, just shook her head and slowly rested on the table.
"What's wrong with being arranged? My family wishes they had the ability to arrange things for me~"
Shen Yi consoled her.
The class gap between them was vast, and they weren't thinking about the same things.
Shen Yi pursued material wealth because he was already rich in spirit.
His parents loved him deeply, and though they were ordinary people, they provided him with a happy environment to grow up in. He couldn't ask them to do more.
Cheng Jun's family conditions were top-tier, but her spiritual world was barren.
"What did they arrange for you?"
"Oh, plenty - giving up hobbies, changing majors, studying abroad, managing the company - loads of things. None of which I wanted to do. Did anyone ever really ask my opinion?"
As she spoke about this, Cheng Jun's volume unconsciously rose.
It seemed she wasn't as calm as she claimed; there were still some knots in her heart.
People are different after all. If this happened to Shen Yi, he would have laughed himself awake - why bother working like a dog in the company?
But this was a complicated family matter, so Shen Yi didn't say much and changed the subject,
"So what hobby did you give up?"
Cheng Jun sighed and said:
"Painting."
She liked many things - games, movies, pets, novels - but painting was her only true hobby.
If it weren't for her father's intervention, she would have chosen to major in fine arts.
Shen Yi's mouth twitched as he almost said painting was a dead end, but then he thought that since her family was wealthy, having artistic pursuits was normal.
"Do you still paint now?"
"Yes."
"Then how is that giving it up? If you like painting, nothing can stop you."
Cheng Jun fell silent, then sat up straight and changed the subject:
"Enough about me, what about you? Where do you work?"
Shen Yi waved his hand and smiled:
"Nothing impressive, I'm just an ordinary worker, slaving away at the company every day."
Actually, he had already quit his job, but it sounded better than saying he was unemployed.
"You're so capable, your company must be lucky to have you."
"Just getting by."
They suddenly fell silent, neither speaking for a moment.
"Sigh, I wonder how we ended up here."
Cheng Jun said softly.
As night deepened, her mood began to sink, and she felt a bit homesick.
"Not sure, maybe some bored deity," Shen Yi replied.
Outside was completely quiet, with only the wind making any sound.
The small candle on the table had already burned halfway.
"Well, let's get some rest."
Picking up the candle, they both stood up and walked inside.
Only the master bedroom had been cleaned up.
They had opened the windows during the day to air it out, so the smell wasn't too bad now.
The bed only had a mattress - the quilt and sheets had molded and Cheng Jun had thrown them out.
They could only sit on the bed fully clothed, facing each other awkwardly in silence.
"Let's make do for now. Tomorrow I'll go find some bedding and linens."
Shen Yi placed the candle on the bedside table and said to Cheng Jun.
"Mm."
Cheng Jun crossed her arms against the headboard, squeezing out a syllable.
Fortunately, the bed was large enough that they could keep their distance, each person leaning on opposite sides.
The room was so quiet that only their breathing could be heard. Cheng Jun felt somewhat oppressed and couldn't help speaking:
"Shen Yi."
"What is it?" Shen Yi was resting with his eyes closed.
"Nothing, just checking if you were asleep."
Cheng Jun changed the subject, backing away from what she wanted to say.
"Not that quickly. If you're tired, go ahead and sleep first."
In the dim candlelight, Shen Yi could see Cheng Jun's bright, shining eyes, and thought she was getting sleepy.
Cheng Jun fell silent again.
Actually, she was still a bit scared. Although during the day she had established her image and tried hard to prove to Shen Yi that she wasn't useless.
Shen Yi's behavior had relieved her somewhat, but you can never truly know someone's heart.
In this strange environment, in an empty room, with a man and woman alone - it would seem natural if something happened.
Any man might think that way.
Most crucially, if he wanted to force himself on her, Cheng Jun felt she had no means of resistance.
She was still an ordinary girl with romantic fantasies, and didn't want to lose her first time in such a confused way.
"At least he's being gentlemanly..."
Cheng Jun thought hazily.
After spending an entire day both frightened and exhausted, now leaning against the soft bed, drowsiness immediately began to surge.
Shen Yi hadn't guessed Cheng Jun's tumultuous thoughts, but even if he knew, he wasn't in that mood.
Tonight he planned to keep watch for half the night, as he didn't dare fall asleep so easily yet.
This was the first night in this apocalyptic world, so he needed to maintain some vigilance.
He hadn't told Cheng Jun because he could see how tired she was.
Based on her previous behavior, if he had mentioned it, she would certainly have insisted on keeping watch together.
Time slowly passed, and Cheng Jun's breathing gradually steadied.
Shen Yi lowered his head to blow out the candle, carefully went to the window and lifted the curtain to look outside.
Moonlight cast silver light, illuminating the ground brightly.
On the street, there was no movement except for leaves blown by the wind.
Shen Yi stared for a while but didn't notice anything special, so he gave up.
Returning to sit by the window, he still didn't relax his vigilance.
Thanks to his physical gifts, his energy was relatively abundant, and he didn't feel sleepy yet.
...
At dawn.
Cheng Jun suddenly woke from her sleep.
Her mind took a moment to confirm this wasn't a dream - she really had been left in this world.
Before she could contemplate further, an unfamiliar sensation on her body suddenly made her completely alert.
It turned out that at some point she had grabbed one of Shen Yi's arms and was hugging it to her chest, her whole body snuggled up against his side.
Cheng Jun abruptly let go and sat up, embarrassment coloring her cheeks.
After checking that her clothes were intact, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Turning around, Cheng Jun instinctively wanted to get angry, but looking around she realized this really wasn't Shen Yi's fault.
When they went to sleep, they had each taken opposite sides with plenty of space between them.
Now after waking up, they had both moved to one side.
She had even actively hugged Shen Yi's arm - clearly she had unconsciously moved over during the night.
The more she thought about it, the more embarrassed she felt. Fortunately, Shen Yi hadn't woken up, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to face him.
With nowhere to direct her frustration, Cheng Jun could only blame herself.
orn and Humiliation】【Forced Love】 In his past life, Lin Ran was betrayed and murdered by his girlfriend and family, while the yandere female aristocrat, who had treated him as a mere plaything, avenged him by doing in his enemies. Upon seeing the yandere female aristocrat lying in the same coffin, ready to die with him, Lin Ran realized how profoundly mistaken he had been. Reborn, he abandoned the fickle campus beauty and wholeheartedly embraced the yandere female aristocrat's arms. "Ran! If I dig out your eyes and turn them into a specimen, you'll only be able to look at me!" Lin Ran: "Darling, kiss me!" "Ran! If I break your legs, you won't run away anymore, right?" Lin Ran: "Love, hold me tight!" "Ran! If..." Lin Ran: "Hush now! Love me more!" Luo Yao: ... Seeing his scumbag dad: "Take him out!" Seeing his stepmother: "Get rid of her!" Seeing his brother: "Eliminate him!" Seeing his white moonlight: "Send that to Southeast Asia!"
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
e, Immortal Body, Transmigration, System, Progression Fantasy, Academy Setting, Third-Person Perspective. Alternate Title: Transmigrating into a High Martial World and Reading Live Comments. Bad news: I transmigrated. This is a terrifying high-martial world, and my original, pathetically weak body fell into a coma and never woke up. Good news: I got a Popularity Points system upon arrival. I can see live comments and even create an unkillable alternate identity. Starting out, the alternate identity has all stats at 1. The system tells me that to grow stronger, I must participate in the plot, gain popularity points to allocate stats and grow stronger, and ultimately awaken my original body. And so, carrying my original body on my back, I officially entered Huaqing Academy, where the story's protagonist resides. From that moment on, Chen Guan kicked the original plot to pieces. Live Comments: [Doesn't anyone find this mysterious coffin guy creepy? He can summon indescribable grey misty hands.] [Is this guy a hero or a villain? What kind of onion became a spirit?] [By the way, does anyone know who's in the coffin? Shouldn't the debt for saving his life be repaid by now?] [According to unofficial histories, the person in the coffin was Chen Guan's first love. Their love was once passionate and earth-shattering, but they were separated by life and death due to worldly circumstances. What a star-crossed pair.] ... Years later, the world knew of a demon god born from a coffin, shrouded in grey mist, impossible to gaze upon directly. His foremost divine emissary often wielded a scythe, reaping lives like the god of death. As war approached, facing former friends and a boundless sea of enemies, Chen Guan merely raised his scythe. "Would you like to dance as well?"
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
