"Huh, Ning Yu, are you going out?"
Shen Qianqian was originally sitting on the sofa, reading comics and munching on snacks. Days off school were nothing short of paradise for her.
"Yes."
Ning Yu casually put on a baseball cap and prepared to open the apartment door.
Shen Qianqian was about to say, "I want to come too!" when she suddenly caught a glimpse of her sister's murderous glare.
It took her only 0.5 seconds to realize: This was a situation she shouldn't be part of.
"No problem! I'll just stay home and be a good girl!"
Shen Qianqian very wisely interpreted Shen Yiyue's gaze.
Ning Yu walked out the door and extended her hand to Shen Yiyue.
Was... she asking to hold hands?
Shen Yiyue had just finished putting on her shoes for going out when she saw Ning Yu smiling and extending her hand.
After hesitating for a moment, she stepped out and took Ning Yu's hand, the action feeling very natural.
Come to think of it, they had held hands before, but wasn't it normal for girls to hold hands?
Walking outside, they wouldn't attract strange glances or pointed fingers from others.
But if two boys were holding hands... they would likely receive odd looks from passersby. Why was that?
Feeling the warmth in Ning Yu's hand, Shen Yiyue thought, despite Ning Yu's always cool lips, her hands always seemed to be warm.
This hand-holding was different from before, as it was now between lovers.
She stole a glance at Ning Yu and noticed her expression was very natural, without any trace of nervousness or shyness, just holding her hand openly.
It was probably just her being too nervous. Every time someone passed by, her heart would race, wondering if others were watching them.
But soon, Shen Yiyue got used to the feeling. The two of them walked through the Ark base, looking just like ordinary sisters.
Not many people paid them much attention.
"Where do you want to go?"
The two had arrived at the central open platform, below which were various functional areas of the base.
"I... I'm fine with anything..."
Shen Yiyue was still daydreaming when she suddenly snapped back to reality upon hearing Ning Yu's question.
"What are you nervous about? Is this your first date?"
Ning Yu noticed her unnatural demeanor.
"Though there aren't really any dating facilities in the Ark. No movies, no good food, just a casual stroll."
She began analyzing where they could go.
"W... well, of course..."
Hearing the word "date," Shen Yiyue felt a little sweet, as this was indeed her first date.
Back in school, she had always been a model student, never thinking about such things.
She had heard that in college, there would be plenty of free time to seriously fall in love, to experience a pure romance untainted by societal concerns.
But just as she reached her senior year of high school, the apocalypse arrived.
But maybe that wasn't such a bad thing.
Shen Yiyue glanced at Ning Yu beside her, whose silver hair was gently lifted by the breeze.
Luckily, she met Ning Yu.
"Wait! So... Ning Yu, this isn't your first date?"
Shen Yiyue suddenly realized.
"Ning Yu, you said you've only ever liked me..."
Ning Yu was momentarily speechless, as she had indeed "dated" others before, for the sake of missions.
But such "dates" usually ended with someone's life.
"Well... how should I put it? In the past, for work reasons, I've had to 'pretend' to date others."
Ning Yu didn't intend to deceive Shen Yiyue but chose her words carefully, telling the truth without revealing her assassin identity.
"Oh! I get it!"
Shen Yiyue suddenly seemed to understand.
Ning Yu raised an eyebrow, wondering if Shen Yiyue had guessed her assassin identity.
After all, her terrifying methods of killing and torture, combined with the need to "pretend" to date in certain situations, made it easy to deduce.
But that was fine; even if Shen Yiyue knew about her assassin identity, what would it matter?
Ning Yu didn't think Shen Yiyue would start fearing her because of it.
"Ning Yu, did you used to be one of those... rental boyfriends from novels?"
Shen Yiyue said confidently, revealing an answer that nearly made Ning Yu lose her balance.
Uh... she had overestimated Shen Yiyue's "intelligence."
Ning Yu decided to go along with it and improvised:
"Yes, back then, when I was in school and struggling financially, I did that to make a living. You're so smart, Yiyue."
Ning Yu put on an expression that said, "I can't hide anything from you," and then asked:
"Would you... mind?"
"Of course not."
Shen Yiyue shook her head.
"Because Ning Yu, you said you've only ever liked me. I believe you."
This was indeed the truth, but it still made Ning Yu feel a pang of guilt. Maybe she should find a better opportunity to tell Shen Yiyue more about her past.
But revealing too much at once wasn't beneficial. After all, there was plenty of time ahead, and she could take things slowly.
As they arrived at the square in the Ark's functional area, Ning Yu and Shen Yiyue noticed a crowd gathering toward one spot.
It was nearing evening, and most people had finished work, ready to have dinner.
Some Ark jobs continued after dinner, but they came with higher pay.
However, most people had ordinary jobs, so they usually returned to their apartments to rest in the evening. To some extent, this had formed a kind of order similar to the previous world.
This was one reason the Ark provided a sense of security.
"Let's go check it out?"
Ning Yu suggested to Shen Yiyue, as they weren't sure what to do in the base.
"Okay~"
Shen Yiyue didn't really care where they went or if anything interesting happened. To her, just walking hand in hand with Ning Yu was enough to feel immense happiness.
Following the direction where the crowd was gathering, Ning Yu's sharp eyesight allowed her to spot the center of the crowd from a distance.
In the cleared circle was a young man holding a guitar.
So it's this guy, Ning Yu thought with a smile. She didn't expect him to be so popular in the Ark now.
The young man casually tuned his guitar and began strumming.
A murmur of anticipation rose from the crowd, indicating that some had come to listen to him multiple times.
【The traveler wandering in endless desert, seeking a grave out of despair】
【Just as he's about to stop, a hummingbird's song reaches his ear】
It was a song they hadn't heard before, a melancholy tune with a touch of sorrow, and the young man's voice had a deliberately rugged tone, making it sound quite appealing.
Ning Yu held Shen Yiyue's hand as they stood among the crowd, quietly listening along with all the passersby.
In the apocalypse, this was one of the few moments of peace people could enjoy.
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)
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
and couldn't return to the real world. Finally, I gave up and decided to go with the flow, only to discover that writing a diary could make me stronger. Since no one could read it, Su Luo wrote freely, daring to pen anything and everything. Female Lead #1: "Not bad. This diary helped me steal all the protagonist's opportunities. I just want to get stronger." Female Lead #2: "I don’t care about reaching the peak of the cultivation world. Right now, I just want to enjoy the chaos." Female Lead #3: "What? Everyone around me is a spy? I’m the Joker Demon Lord?" ... It’s so strange. Why is the plot completely off track, yet the ending remains the same? Are you all just messing with me?!
Explosive Plot Song Gua crossed over into another world, bringing along a whole crew of his doppelgangers—all of them mischief-makers. This was a world where everyone could choose a class. Song Gua became a "Bondweaver," capable of borrowing power, while his doppelgangers took on a wide variety of classes, covering just about everything. The number of doppelgangers grew day by day, each one a talented individual with a charming way of speaking. Under Song Gua's brilliant leadership, they would "greet" each other daily and engage in friendly "sparring," pulling off one major scheme after another on Earth. Sometimes they were bandits—stealing bosses, plundering mines, snatching resources. Sometimes they were saviors—descending like divine warriors to face world bosses threatening to massacre cities. Sometimes they even went undercover, infiltrating various major factions to stir up trouble from within, keeping their enemies constantly on edge. To prevent their doppelganger abilities from being exposed, Song Gua made them wear masks with mahjong tile patterns and don Taoist robes in various colors. "Remember, in front of outsiders, call me 'The Dice.'" "Got it! Boss!" "Not 'Boss'—it's 'The Dice.' Think about the vibe, pay attention to the vibe." "Yes! Boss!" "For crying out loud..." From then on, whenever they appeared, they would have their own theme song playing: ~Hey~ paying respects at the mountain stronghold at night~ whose arm is draped over whose shoulder~ gather your courage and follow along...
