Wednesday was the pivotal day.
8 PM was the dangerous hour.
Bai Xing had skipped school the entire afternoon.
If it were any other day, she would never have wasted the precious time she could have spent sitting next to Lu Qing on the same bench in the same classroom.
At this moment, the text message Lu Qing received read:
"Senior, I’m getting ready! Can you pick me up at the Mansion Hair Salon in Chengkai after school? It’s close to the place you picked! I’m just getting my hair done quickly! It won’t take long!"
"..."
Looking at the girl’s over-the-top, battle-ready demeanor, Lu Qing couldn’t help but feel a bit exasperated.
He replied, "Alright, but don’t go overboard. It’s just dinner, after all."
Bai Xing: "Got it, got it!"
Though she said that, she was secretly doubling down.
Bai Xing wasn’t naive. She knew that anyone Lu Qing chose as a partner couldn’t be ordinary.
And when it came to someone he invited out, especially of the opposite sex, the situation was even more delicate. You’d need to be extraordinary to get that kind of invitation.
So, [the women who hover around Senior are definitely not just pretty faces].
That was the lesson Bai Xing had learned.
Now, she sat on the swivel chair at the hair salon, discussing her desired hairstyle with Tony (the manager) while keeping a close eye on her phone, researching the meeting spot Lu Qing had sent her.
"Hmm… a steakhouse, huh?"
She hadn’t expected Lu Qing to choose such a unique place—a Western restaurant called "Yuehui Fine Steak," located in the basement level of Chengkai Center. With an average price range of 300 to 500 per person, it was sparsely populated and didn’t require reservations.
Usually, Lu Qing’s meals at school never exceeded 50 yuan.
Meanwhile, the ingredients he bought for Su Ling were all high-end purchases from Sam’s Club, costing over 200 yuan each, ensuring top-notch quality.
But tonight’s dinner, at a place with a baseline cost of over 1000 yuan, clearly indicated that Meibia’s status was anything but ordinary.
The girl speculated, "Could it be that, aside from her martial arts skills, she’s also incredibly beautiful?"
"No way, right?"
"Artists who pull all-nighters to meet deadlines probably don’t have great skin. Could she really take better care of herself than me? Surely she’s not on Su Ling’s level?"
Clearly, Bai Xing regarded Su Ling as the pinnacle of beauty she had ever encountered—
A one-in-a-million kind of beauty, unmatched by ordinary people.
"And what about cuteness? Could Meibia possibly be cuter than me?"
"Hmm."
"No, no, I don’t think anyone could be cuter than me."
This was something Bai Xing was absolutely confident about.
Even if it was all an act, she knew very well that every expression she made in the mirror had been practiced countless times, every "killer look" refined to perfection.
Without pouring an immense amount of effort into this craft, it would be impossible to radiate that kind of "vitality."
"This is my domain, my unique aura. No one can imitate it."
That’s what Bai Xing believed.
Yes.
In terms of looks, she wasn’t lacking.
In terms of cuteness, she was unmatched.
[The advantage is mine.]
Considering other potential crises…
Considering what she currently felt she lacked…
"Could it be that she has a better figure than me?"
Hmm…
She glanced down at her own stats.
B+, A-, SSS.
"Alright. My chest is decent, my waist is slim, and my legs are unbeatable."
"I should be fine."
Bai Xing felt a bit unsure.
But she thought that her senior wasn’t the type to care too much about such things. If he were truly dissatisfied with her, he would have distanced himself long ago.
"So, in terms of figure, I’m probably not inferior to anyone."
The girl misjudged herself.
"Great. So, it’s a tie on the outside. What’s left is the inside and initiative."
Bai Xing believed that her voice acting skills were, in a way, on par with Meibia’s artistic talent.
Sure, the avatars Meibia created could dominate the scene and overwhelm everyone.
But if she went all out, Bai Xing could probably hold her own by mimicking every female voice—even male voices with a youthful tone.
Even if it was a "6-4 split," with Meibia at 6 and herself at 4, the gap wouldn’t be too wide.
"That’s not a problem."
"Now it’s all about who makes the first move."
Bai Xing’s thinking was clear.
Today, she had been careful to have her senior pick her up.
This meant that when they walked into the restaurant together later, [she would be standing by her senior’s side].
Under these conditions, two scenarios could unfold—
1. Meibia arrives alone early, losing the initiative;
2. Meibia hasn’t arrived yet, and Bai Xing pulls her senior to sit on one side, catching her off guard.
In either case, when Meibia sees the two of them together, she’ll feel like an outsider, as if she’s "crashing a couple’s date," instantly becoming the third wheel.
To orchestrate this scene, Bai Xing had done her homework.
"Now I’ve got the upper hand in information. Senior agreed to pick me up, not her, or bring her with him. That means I’ve already won half the battle."
"Heh, it seems she hasn’t realized yet that wars are often decided before they even begin."
Bai Xing was well-versed in the "art of advance and retreat."
She had upgraded and renamed this strategy "Su Ling’s Way."
Or, to cut to the chase, it could simply be called "Ling’s Way."
"Today, I’ll use the secret techniques I learned from Su Ling to thoroughly study you, this succubus. I’ll show you the terrifying power of an otherworldly demon!"
"Even if I’m just a knockoff demon, I’ll make sure you feel the suffocating pressure! Mwahaha!"
The girl was brimming with confidence, fully prepared.
At that moment, Tony, the salon manager, finalized her hairstyle. "Miss Bai Xing, are you satisfied with your current look? If not, we can redesign it for you."
"No need."
Bai Xing put her phone away, stood up, and looked into the mirror. Under the spotlight, she saw a flawless reflection.
Pure, energetic, cute, fresh, ultra-moe, cool, edgy, avant-garde, girlfriend material—
Makeup: check. Outfit: check. Perfume: check. Skin condition: check. Mental state: check. Mood: check. Stress tolerance: check!
Without Su Ling around, today’s Bai Xing was
Completely OK!
"Great, I’m very satisfied."
She nodded, removed the salon cape, grabbed her bag, and walked to the counter to pay with her membership card.
"Thank you for your patronage, Miss Bai Xing."
She was a high-level VIP here, always coming in for a hairstyle before major events.
For instance, when Hoshizuki Rina hit 1,000 subscribers, she rewarded herself by dyeing her hair the same pink as Rina’s.
That pink wasn’t ordinary—it was a high-end gradient dye with an inner black and outer pink dual-layer effect, costing her over 2,000 yuan.
Now, facing an unprecedented battle—
She took one last glance in the mirror,
Tossed her new "black-pink princess cut" over her shoulder,
Grabbed her black "victory coat,"
And draped her senior’s "exclusive protection" over herself,
Declaring in full form:
"Tonight, I’m invincible."
……
……
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
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)
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!"
