#also pre-relationship - he was jumping from even higher balconies

[elekinetic]

What part of the Star Wars sequels was your LEAST favorite and what is the thing you would change first in a rewrite

r3ylo. they so very very very badly dropped the ball with their relationship and their characters, specifically ben. oh my god. and listen listen listen, you had PERFECTLY GOOD LEGENDS CONTENT TO RECYCLE RIGHT THERE. i mean b3n solo is already a hodge podge of ben skywalker (luke's son) and jacen solo, so lets just fucking give him jacen's name and reskin rey as jaina solo, jacen's twin sister.

we give jaina rey's kindness, headstrong leadership, and reservation. we make her a little more jaded bc hello, her twin brother left their family and destroyed their uncle's temple to go become a sith lord. that would make anyone a little pessimistic.

we'd follow jaina, who works as part of the resistance under her mother, leia. standard child of divorce stuff: feels like she'll never live up to the expectations of her mother, longs for freedom outside of the diplomatic role she's been assigned, holds her mother to a higher standard than her dad (is it really an ella nancysglock idea if there aren't themes of strained daughterhood & motherhood?) jacen showed force sensitivity from a young age and got whisked off to train w uncle luke while jaina stayed with her mom and learned the politics. (imagine one of our opening scenes being jaina in full diplomatic getup on one of the republic planets, slipping out of a meeting and pulling off her robes, wiping off her makeup. she's just about to jump a balcony to sneak out when she hears a very familiar older female voice say, "you might as well walk out the front door if you're gonna be so obvious about sneaking out." leia. of course.) the first act of ep 7 finds jaina discovering her force-sensitivity. when she goes to find luke in ep 8 (a la rey), there's the added dynamic of "you never knew me as well as my brother" and luke seeing so much of his sister (and han to an extent) in jaina.

rey + ben's soul-bondy thing would be a twin sense thing for jacen and jaina (like what is vaguely established between luke and leia in the ot). luke + jacen would have even clearer narrative parallels (male twin luke brought to the light, male twin jacen brought to the dark). jacen would be a more sympathetic villain bc jaina's draw toward him and care for him are pre-established, as well as the reason their relationship is strained. we'd spend time throughout the trilogy unpacking their complicated dynamic via those soul bond vision communication things that started between r&b in tlj.

now im sure ur thinking, "but ella, one of the best themes of the sequels (which was terribly mishandled) was that you didn't have to be born into a special family to be a hero, that you can choose your family and make a difference no matter who you are!" to that i say: yes. 100%. which is why we're giving finn & poe actual storylines. the other big theme of the sequels is legacy, right. what does it mean to be a skywalker, a solo? thats why we see rey, a nobody, rise to heroism and take on the skywalker name while ben, who was born into the family, fall from grace and struggle with morality (in theory). i think we can do this better though. lets have jaina and jacen BOTH be born into the skywalker family (bc hey, it is the skywalker saga) and watch them struggle with light and dark. lets take that "dark rey" shit from tlj and push it further. lets see jacen seduced by the dark and pulled toward the light because he still cares about his sister. lets see jaina raised in the light and tempted by the freedom of the dark side.

lets also see jaina and finn choose each other as chosen siblings. lets see finn develop a real dynamic with jacen. (finn is a real protagonist in this as well, im just not talking about his role in the story as much in this post. but trust, he is a huge part of the story.) lets see more of leia & poe's mother/son dynamic. lets push those ben/poe parallels further.

tldr. replacing rey & ben with jaina & jacen solo so they're twins now. obviously no romance. finn & poe get bigger storylines and there are much deeper themes about family, chosen AND blood.

#star wars #star wars (ella's version) #fuck yeah new tag #thank u for asking me this ratt #is anyone wanted to ask me more abt this id love u forever

[spielzeugkaiser]

Even regular Jaskier jumps out of windows from time to time, but witcher!Jaskier? There have been some high tempo chases over the roofs through the years. (I'm not sure what happened here, but Geralt thinks it's Jaskiers fault. It probably is)

#bear!Jaskier #geraskier #jaskier #geralt of rivia #the witcher #witcher!jaskier #I feel like Jaskiers sheaningans get only worse as a witcher and ofc he drags Geralt into it #also pre-relationship - he was jumping from even higher balconies #also the whole thing about angry husbands screaming that Jaskier is responsible for some bastards #makes them go 'HMMmMMMmMMmMMm' #although I feel like Jaskier is NOT telling people why that wouldn't work #since he is laying low and all that #you'd think - oh now that he is actually with Geralt he's more settled :) but NO #they're even more unhinged #also Jaskier is an incredible good free climber - I just have to add - since we had all that sleeping on trees and good balance stuff #(also psssst you've never seen where the perspective is off in the bg just pssssst)

[hellogoodbye14]

“It was supposed to be me” - Pre Acotar Rhys

Warning ⚠️ : I apologise before hand for the pain this might cause. It certainly caused me to cry even while writing it.

Side note: It was also really fun for me exploring Rhys’s relationship with his family before he came into power.

Drawing Credit: @patchesdraws

“One more time, Rhysie please.”

Rhysand couldn’t help but sigh and look at the heavens above for help. Honest to cauldron, eleven years ago the higher power decided to send this little hellion girl his way. A girl who literally with one look could get him to do anything.

Why did the cauldron have to bless her with those violet beseeching eyes, he didn’t know.

“Nugget, you know mother said no.”

“Oh come on… what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”

Rhys raised an eyebrow at her.

“You learned that from Cass didn’t you?”

Elara simply snickered in response.

“Alright fine, but keep quiet while we’re heading to the balcony okay? Don’t want to wake ma up.”

Elara bent down on one knee and redid the knots of her laces. She stood up, tightened her pony tail, lifted her chin, and settled her arms in a power move?

“What are you doing?”

“This is my superhero move. I’m ready for my mission.”

Rhys couldn’t help but snort at that.

“Superhero move?”

“Yeah, everyone does it before the start of a mission.”

“No they don’t.”

“Yes they do.”

Rhys sighed at his sister and shook his head, “I’ve never seen anyone do it.”

“You’re too busy doing all your dramatic entrances to notice brother.”

Rhys gave her a mock glare, “You know what, maybe we don’t need to sneak out for flying tonight.”

“Okay okay I’ll be good, geez. Sensitive much?”

Rhys cracked the door open and peeked into the hallway. It was all clear, using a hand signal he motioned Elara to follow.

Rhys took the lead as they kept close to the wall, using the shadows as cover. They silently hurried down the hall and just as Rhys was about to push the right door of the balcony, Elara stopped him.

He looked back at her in question, but she simply pointed towards the left door. He assumed that she wanted him to use that side instead.

They made it to the balcony and Elara looked absolutely elated.

“Why did you make me push the left?”

“Oh because the right one has a squeeky hinge. I tried to oil it but it had little effect.”

Rhys stared at her in shock, “How often do you sneak out?!”

“Shh!! keep it down will you? I get bored and you’re always so busy at the Illyrian camps now. A girl has to entertain herself.”

Rhys pulled her in for a quick hug and kissed the top of her head, “Sorry nugget, I want to be here more often but you know how father can get.”

Elara smiled up at him with understanding, “I know, I get it. Doesn’t change the fact that I still miss you.”

Rhys wiggled his eyebrows at her, “Well I could probably learn from you and sneak out of Illyria more.”

Elara snickered and stepped away from his embrace to summon her wings. Without any fear whatsoever she ran and jumped off the ledge while doing a fancy flip.

Rhys shook his head and muttered as he took his flight, “and she says I’m dramatic and extra.”

Nyria smiled as she looked out the window. The sight of her daughter flying, and doing canon-balls mid air made her laugh. Her skill was brilliant already and she felt a roaring pride settle within her. Her son, who was so serious of late, so so engrained in his duties as heir was goofing around too for once.

Only with Elara did he now let that guard down.

“He should be preparing for the meeting tomorrow, instead he’s flying around the city like an adolescent.”

Nyria huffed and glared over her shoulder at her mate who now stood behind her.

“He’s been working hard, you know this. Give him this at least.”

“I can’t afford to be soft on him Nyria. You know best how this world can be.”

“I don’t want to rehash this argument again Rynar.”

————————————————————————

“Gained a tad bit of weight there Beron sweetling?”, said the mischievous High Lord of the Day Court.

Helion was probably one of the only High Lord’s Rhys liked and he truly did bring life to these god awful meetings every now and then.

Azriel stood like a statue besides him, but even he shared an amused glance with Rhys. If they weren’t standing behind their High Lord, neither would have dared even that.

Tamlin had made his way towards Rhys as soon as he entered the foyer for the meeting. Rhys wanted to ask him why he hadn’t joined their training session two days ago but decided to leave it after seeing a hollowed look in his eyes.

If Beron was cruel to his sons, Tamlin’s father and brothers were ten times worse. It was for this reason alone he had decided to befriend him, that and he seemed different to the other royalty in Prythian. Rhys was sure he could find a friend in him.

“Hello.”

“Hey, I’m sorry I couldn’t make it.”

“Its all good, you okay?”

Tamlin offered a small smile and nodded.

Rhys’s father noticed their conversation and gave him a glare before turning towards the other High Lords.

“Let’s begin the meeting shall we?”

The High Lord of the Spring Court, tapped his fingers on the table in an unpleasant rhythm.

“Why must you always take charge?”

Rynar simply offered the high lord a bored look, “I wasn’t aware it would be a problem. If you’d like to call the meeting”, he flourished his hand, “then by all means.”

This was going to be a long meeting alright.

————————————————————————

Nyria jumped at the sudden crash of the door against the wall.

Her mate stormed into the office and a somber Rhys followed him in, gently closing the door behind him.

“How many times do I need to tell you, you are not to help that boy!”, Rynar yelled. If he kept this up, Nyria was sure he’d have a sore throat by tomorrow.

“What happened?”, she asked.

“Your son is adamant on befriending that Spring Court Heir.”

“Father, he is abused at home. I am only helping him learn how to protect himself, that is all.”

“Rhysand, listen to me and listen to me well. There is no one you can trust or should trust. The Spring Court specifically, given the chance they will stab you in the back.”

“I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.”

Rynar’s power started to rumble in agitation, he never had the precise control one should have had with such immense power. Her son, seemed frustrated too. The stars in his eyes winked out and she could feel his power waking up from its slumber. A slumber he worked hard to put it to.

A power so deep, so never ending that even the slightest release could decimate the city.

“Rynar…”, she warned him.

He turned his angry eyes towards her and shook his head, “No. I listen to you every time but no more I -“

He stopped as the door opened and Elara stepped in.

“Papa, I need your help.”

“Elara, not now.”

Elara simply ignored her father and continued,

“I was training by myself near the eastern forest and this red hound was stalking me.”

“What?!”, yelled out both Rhys and Rynar.

Nyria didn’t bother because she could spot her daughters lie from a mile away. She was here only because she heard Rhysand being yelled at. This was an excuse to divert her fathers attention.

Rynar moved towards her, and patted her arms checking for any injuries, while he did the checking, Elara winked at Rhys.

The panicked look from Rhysands face disappeared and he offered her an amused smile.

“Are you okay Ely?”

“I’m okay but I do think you should check the area Papa.”

“I’ll go with you sweetheart. Rhysand stay here, the emissary of the Day Court will be here soon.”

Rhys watched in amusement and awe as her his little sister led their father away.

“One person in this universe who has the power to rule that man.”

Nyria snickered, “and she definitely knows how to use that power.”

He turned to look at his mother, hoping to see her good spirits directed at him. Instead, she offered him a grim look.

He groaned, “Not you too ma.”

“He’s not entirely wrong Rhys. The spring court does not have a good reputation.”

“If we never give someone a chance then we leave them to continue the cycle. You’re the one who told me this.””

“I did and I am proud of you Rhys, but I do not want you to be hurt either. I am your mother, I worry people will take advantage of you.”

Rhys was going to speak but she held up her hand, “However, you can make your own judgement and if you believe that the boy needs help then you do it. I’ll handle your father.”

Rhys smiled and she smiled back as the stars in his eyes returned. He moved to the sofa she was on and laid down with his head in her lap.

She ran her fingers through his hair and enjoyed this moment with her son. It didn’t come often now that he was leading the Illyrian legions after the war while also taking on some of Rynar’s duties.

“I do love you Ma.”

“Of course you do. I’m a very loveable person.”

Rhysand snickered, grabbed her hand and kissed her palm.

“I love you too Rhys,” she placed her hand right above his beating heart, “always remember your kindness will always be your biggest strength. Remain true to your heart and there’s nothing you can’t do, can’t achieve.”

“I will. I just might give father a heart attack while I do that.”

“He does care in his own way Rhys.”

Rhys simply let of a “hmm”. To change the subject Nyria smiled down at him and said, “Did you know, I almost named you Nyx.”

Rhys’s eyebrows met his hairline, “Really?”

She snickered, “Yeap I could only think of two names that would go with your ‘unique’ family name. When I saw you, you looked like a Rhysand, My Rhysand.”

“Nyx is nice too.”

“Yes, maybe you could name your son Nyx.”

Rhys shook his head, “The possibility of me finding someone who would want to be with me and have a child with me is zero.”

Nyria smacked his shoulder.

“Ow!”

“You’ll find her and she will be perfect. I’m going to enjoy watching you hopelessly fall in love and be an absolute mess.”

“Ma I - “

“Besides you have to find her, I already made so many dresses for her. You wouldn’t let my work go to waste now would you?”

Rhys was about to say something but there was a knock at the door. Before even answering, the door swung open. Nyria rolled her eyes at the soon to be future general of the Night Court.

“Do come in Cassian.”

“My beloved Lady Nyria, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.”

Nyria snickered, “What happened now?”

“I saw your terrible excuse of a mate is what happened.”

“Cassian!”

“What? Am I wrong?”

“Rynar is actually very kind when he wants to be.”

Cassian and Rhys just snorted.

“What brings you here Cass?”, asked Rhys who now got up from the couch and greeted his brother.

“Your father wanted a report and your mother promised me a coffee cake.”

“I did?”, asked Nyria with a raised brow.

“Pretty please?”, asked Cassian who unlike Elara had the worst puppy dog face.

“Alright, stay for dinner and ask Azriel to come as well. I have missed you boys.”

Cassian stood ten feet taller with that, always shining under Nyria’s care and attention.

————————————————————————

Rynar had winnowed into the camps to check on the legions progress.

Rhys had been training one new cohort for the past few weeks and was honestly exhausted. The hard work however was paying off as the legion demonstrated their skills to their High Lord with great aptitude.

Rynar simply nodded at the end and moved along to oversee Cassians legion.

By the end of the night, his father stopped by Rhys’s quarters.

As Rhys made the peppermint tea his father preferred, Rynar went through legion reports.

“Your sister and mother will be visiting you in five days. You may take a few days off.”

Rhys looked up in surprise, his father never once gave him a few days off. Rynar must have sensed the surprise in the deafening silence and looked up at his son.

“You have worked hard these last few decades Rhysand. Your training is complete and I have nothing more to teach you as heir, so yes… you can have a few days off.”

Rhysand opened his mouth but no words came to him, he tried again.

“Uh thank you sir.”

“Stop with the gasping fish look and bring me my tea already.”

Rhys finished stirring the sugar and brought it to his father. He sat on the near chair and waited for further instructions… only they never came.

“Well you definitely make better tea than Ely does.”

Rhys shared a rare smile with his father, to say Elara was an absolute disaster in the kitchen was an understatement. She was even worse than Mor was.

“I think she once managed to burn down instant made noodles.”

Rynar laughed and Rhys was shocked to hear the sound. His father laughed but never with him, only did he let that side out with Elara or mother at times.

“Ah yes, I remember that. Nuala had come running in as if the city was under attack, turns out it was my daughter setting fire to our kitchen.”

The conversation flowed after for a while and this was by far the one and only conversation Rhys could remember having with his father which didn’t revolve around training, their court or war.

He found that he liked it. Maybe… maybe now that he was trained, he could finally have a relationship of sorts with him.

He went to bed settled, he had a decent conversation with his father and he was finally going to meet Elara and his mother in a couple of days.

————————————————————————

Tamlin had arrived the next day on the borders of Illyria for his training session.

The session went alright but Rhys had noticed a couple of extra bruises on his arms. He didn’t ask though, Tamlin always shut down when asked. He would open up when he wanted to and Rhys wanted to give him time to process it.

“Will we be training again on weeks end then?”, asked Tamlin.

Rhys was in the process of picking up his weapons.

“Actually my sister and mother are visiting so I won’t get the time. We’ll definitely meet next week though.”

Tamlin nodded, “Will they be coming here?”

Rhysand usually would have never specified their safe houses in Illyria but he found himself trusting Tamlin. He was a friend and it was okay.

“Actually, I’m planning on meeting them halfway at one of houses near the river.”

Tamlin let out a short laugh, “Eager to meet them?”

Rhys offered a smile in return, “Yeah. Besides I want to make sure they reach safely to the camp after entering Illyrian grounds.”

Tamlin simply nodded.

As they said their goodbyes, Rhys noticed Tamlin avoiding his gaze. Rhys felt a pang of sympathy, times at home must have gotten worse.

Rhys clapped him on his shoulder, “Things will get better Tamlin, you’ll see.”

————————————————————————

God damn it. If Rhys needed something done, he really couldn’t trust anyone else to do it. The new commander was an absolute idiot and now Rhys had to train the new unit.

To top it all off, the weather was unforgiving today, the cold unrelenting on its mission to freeze everyone over.

What pissed him off most was the fact that he couldn’t meet his mother and sister halfway.

He kicked a stone as the men did their drill. His mood was sour but he’d meet his family soon and it would be okay. He made sure to keep the fire going in the cabin so that his mother and Elara could relax in the warmth. He even made Elara’s favourite pie with the help of Azriel and Cassian.

Just as the men switched their positions, swearing and shouts came from near the river. Rhys frowned, what was going on?

A young captain came running in his direction, panting and his eyes wide in horror.

“Sir.. sir, uh you need to come with me.”

Rhys ran alongside the captain and rushed towards the crowd that now had gathered around the bank.

Rhys pushed through the men, and while he did so they turned sorrowful eyes towards him.

Rhys didn’t know why but his heart was beating wildly out of his chest. A dreadful feeling creeping up his spine, a feeling that all was wrong.

He made his way through the last of the men and his heart dropped. Laying on the wet bank of the river was a young girl with raven coloured hair. Her back was turned to him and… and her wings were cut off. As if they had been, sawed off brutally. Her limp hand was extended towards another woman, a woman who’s tanned bloodied skin looked starkly pale against the snow on the ground. Her breathing was shallow, so shallow.

He heard a soft murmer, “Rhys.”

Rhys let out a deafening roar, a roar of anguish as he recognised the voice. A voice which sung him to sleep as a young boy, a voice that reprimanded him on many occasions, a voice that told him of unconditional love.

His scream let out a blast of energy which decimated the nearby tree’s.

He ran towards her and skidded on the ground as he knelt down to turn her on her mutilated back.

“No, no, no Ma.”

Nyria looked up at him with tears escaping her eyes, her lips blue from the freezing river.

She barely croaked out the words, “Rhys my boy…”

“Someone get the healer!”, he roared at the men.

Many turned and ran to get help.

“Rhys I… I don’t have.. much time. Only the bond is keeping me…. Elara.”

Rhys turned in horror towards the younger girl, who even unconscious was reaching out to her mother. He let out a sob and moved to his sister.

He gently turned her and saw his tears drop down on her bloodied face.

“Elara please, Ely please. Please wake up.”

His hands ran over her face, his tears and his damp sleeves clearing the blood caked on her beautiful face.

“No! God No!”

He put his two fingers searching for a pulse , praying to the mother that he could find the feeling of his sisters beating heart. He couldn’t.

He screamed and screamed in anguish. He hugged her limp body to his and rocked back and forth.

“Please.. please.”

He looked up crying, screaming, “Its not her time! You hear me?! It’s not her time.”

“Please! Anything, I’ll give anything please.”

He prayed, he yelled, he begged to anyone who could hear.

“Nugget wake up, I’m begging you, please wake up.”

She didn’t, his sister was gone. She was impaled, her wings taken from her, her body cold. Rhys couldn’t breathe, couldn’t do anything to stop the tears, the pain.

His power rumbled, out of control and he didn’t care. He could hear the healer checking his mother and he carefully laid Elara down. His hands cupping her face as he kissed her forehead and rested his own against hers.

“I’m sorry Ely, I’m so sorry.”

Rhys sobbed, uncaring of his men watching him.

“Sir..”

The healers voice reached him and he turned towards her. Her grim eyes said enough.

He shook his head, “No”.

A tear went down her face, “Your mother… I’m sorry there’s nothing I can do.”

Rhys shook his head again, “Do something! Do anything! You’re a healer, this is what you fucking do. Please, I’m begging you.”

He continued to beg until he heard his mother, “Rhys come here.”

He moved and held her against him.

“Ma just hold on okay? We will get you healed. Just hold on.”

With all the energy she could muster, she raised her hand and rested it against his cheek. He held it and squeezed.

“Don’t let this change you. Fight through and be true to yourself Rhysie.”

“Mom please just hold on, please. I can’t -“

“Yes you can, you’re my pride and joy. You’re my happiness. Stay true Rhys.”

“I love you so much son.”

“I love you Ma.”

“Stay true.”

And with those words, her eyes drifted close and her hand fell to the floor. Rhys hugged her close and sobbed into her neck. An scream filled with anguish released and his power, in a sonic echo blasted through the camp. The mountains rattled and shook the snow from their summit.

He repeated the same words over and over as he rocked his mothers lifeless body,

“It should have been me.”

Taglist:

@lovecyria

@thebonecarver

@emikadreams

@snickerdoodlechittybangbang

@heartless--aromantic

#acotar #acowar #acosf #acomaf #rhysand #feysand #feyre and rhysand #high lord rhysand #azriel #cassian #mor #illyria #illyrian #pre acotar fic

[yukiversity]

[2.0] My Dream Guy Became A Dog [c1]

Su Xiaotang was a bland, fat and round female shut-in.

She opened a Taobao shop during her university days, called “You Look Like You’re Very Tasty”, which sold all sorts of snacks.

While she initially set it up to pass time and earn some extra cash, she didn’t expect this shop to have such good business under her management. By the time she was in her second year, Su Xiaotang could already earn enough to cover her tuition and living expenses, and was known amongst her classmates as Little Miss Moneybags.

After graduating from university, while everyone else was busy looking for jobs, Su Xiaotang stopped being a reseller of snacks. Instead, she rented an apartment with two rooms and a living area to buy wholesale, and continued running her snack shop until today.

Although this shop had allowed her to earn plenty and become rich in her own right, it had also made her roll further and further along the road of being bland, fat and round…

[Su Xiao Tang: sorry hun, there’s no more stock for the cranberry cookies~]

[I await hangrily: but I saw that there was still a bag left!]

[Su Xiao Tang: I’m really sorry, I just opened it up and ate it all (*^_^*) ]

[I await hangrily: 0.0 ...]

Her hair untied and extremely messy, Su Xiaotang did not portray a good image as she sat with crossed legs on her chair, throwing cookies into her mouth with her chubby hands. She was in the middle of convincing the buyer to buy another type of snack when her phone rang.

Her close friend, Li Ranran, had some bad news for her.

“Don’t blame me for not telling you ahead of time, but our university class reunion is tomorrow night. You better clean yourself up properly!”

“Huh? Do I have to go? That’s so troublesome, I have to wash my hair, change my clothes…”

“SU, XIAO, TANG! Do you want to be a shut-in until the day the sun dies and humanity is wiped out?” Li Ranran yelled from the other end of the phone.

The corners of Su Xiaotang’s mouth turned downwards as she held the phone a bit further away. “I really don’t want to go…”

“You don’t have a choice. How long has it been since the last time you went outside? If you keep living like this, you’ll devolve into a primitive caveman! I heard from the class pres that our class has plenty of high spec guys who are still single, so think about it! It’s a good opportunity! You might even find a boyfriend…” Li Ranran paused as if she was struck by a thought and softened her voice. “Um… Do you not want to see that bastard, Song Minghui?”

Li Ranran’s temper flared just by mentioning the name. “You sacrificed so much for that son of a bitch, you spent so much on him, you even funded the tuition fees for his master's degree. Then what did he do? Started working and snagged himself a younger girl from his company. What did I tell you? You can’t trust those country boys, they’re only out for your money. All those posts on Tianya Forum and they still didn’t deter you…”

While Li Ranran raged on the phone, Su Xiaotang cheerfully made another successful transaction. As she confirmed the delivery address with the buyer, she said to her friend, “Ranran, he already returned that money, with added interest too. Anyway, the past is in the past. I don’t want to go to the reunion because I’m lazy, not because of anything else.”

“What do you mean, ‘the past is in the past’, so what if he returned the money? What, did he think of you as a credit card? So he can get an advance and pay back later? You can’t settle this with just a bit of money!”

“Okay, okay! I’m busy right now so I’m going to hang up. I’ll be there on time tomorrow bye~” Su Xiaotang said rapidly, and hurriedly hung up before Li Ranran could say anything else.

*

When Song Minghui said he wanted to break up, it would be a lie to say she wasn’t upset.

Despite the lack of firework-like romance, she had started dating him with the intention of marriage and had been serious about their relationship. You’d be upset if you raised a dog from birth but it ran off with someone else, right? Even more so if it was a man you were in a relationship with for so long.

However, if you were to ask just how upsetting it was, it would only be around how upset you would be if a buyer bought a packet of snacks from you, ate half the packet, and then came back demanding a refund.

The times of major upheavals and memorable moments in her life were all given to a man named Fang Jingshen. From high school to university, she had a crush on him for a solid seven years. Her crush lasted until graduation in their fourth year, when her nanshen finally got a girlfriend--who just happened to be her roommate, Shu Tian, the campus belle. The two seemed to be perfectly matched, and were envied by many others…

As a measurement of how upset that made her, she felt despairing limbo, emptiness… it was as if she would never eat something delicious again in her life.

Then, not long after, Song Minghui confessed to her. He said that her chubbiness was very cute, and that he really liked her, and asked if she wanted to try being together with him.

So they became a couple too.

That was until half a year ago, when Song Minghui straightforwardly told her he had found his true love and made the move to break up. A few days later, he transferred ￥30,000 into her account with the intention to not have anything more to do with her. Of course, it was also because he didn’t want other people to talk about how he still owed her money.

Although Fang Jingshen and Shu Tian had broken up after just a few months together, Su Xiaotang wasn’t naive enough to think she would have a chance once Fang Jingshen was single again. She didn’t hold any hope to start with, which is why her one-sided love merely remained one-sided and his relationship with Shu Tian only cut off her prospects of looking upon him from afar.

*

The next day.

There was half an hour left before the reunion when Su Xiaotang finally forced herself to wash her hair and put on a set of her most comfortable clothes. While she was thinking about whether she had anything else to prepare, a round husky jumped over from her balcony and lay at her feet, panting and aggressively wagging his tail at her.

This ‘round weapon of mass destruction’ she owned made Su Xiaotang very perplexed.

She had left her dog alone at home once, however, he not only made a mess in the bedroom and living area, but also managed to open the door to her stockroom. When Su Xiaotang came home that night, she found the place to be as if a tornado had ripped through, leaving a mess of destruction in its wake. Yet the culprit for the mess had the gall to come up to her, wearing an expression of innocence and acting cute with his tail wagging happily, making her so angry she was very tempted to just eat the thing…

After that incident, Su Xiaotang tied him up with a chain the next time she needed to go out. But because the damn animal was so full of energy, she later found that the chain had rubbed off a circle of fur and had chafed the dog’s skin.

Su Xiaotang had a sharp tongue but a soft heart, so she couldn’t bring herself to tie the dog up again. Instead, she tried to take him along whenever she needed to go out. Thank goodness she barely left the house anyway.

Now, seeing that Su Xiaotang looked like she was heading out, this foolish dog immediately pattered over and tried to join in with her on the fun. First he rubbed against her leg, then he put both paws up on the door, clearly desperate to go out too.

Seeing that his owner was still standing in the same place, the dog confusedly yelped at her and went to pull her pant leg.

Exasperated, Su Xiaotang had no choice but to make a phone call to Li Ranran.

“Hello? Xiaotang, have you arrived yet? I’m already at the restaurant!”

“I’m just getting ready to leave, but I don’t know what to do with Meatball. Does the hotel allow dogs?”

Li Ranran knew all about how energetic Meatball was, so hearing Su Xiaotang say this didn’t surprise her at all. “Give me a min, I’ll go ask for you!”

“Okay.”

A while later, Li Ranran happily told her, “Xiaotang, it’s all good, you can bring Meatball along. The manager is a close friend of one of our classmates, and he said that it’s fine as long as you keep a firm hold over him.”

“Alright, I’ll be there in roughly twenty minutes,” Su Xiaotang said as she patted Meatball on the head.

“Give me a call when you arrive, I’ll pick you up at the front doors.”

*

When Su Xiaotang arrived at the restaurant’s doors, Li Ranran excitedly made a mess of Meatball first, before eyeing Su Xiaotang up and down with a look of disgust. The desire to kick Su Xiaotang back home was very obvious in her eyes.

“Didn’t I tell you to clean yourself up properly? And yet you come here looking like this?”

Su Xiaotang was afraid of the cold, so she was already wearing a down jacket at the beginning of winter. She was fat to start with, and now she looked more like a ball.

“I did wash my hair! These clothes were washed yesterday as well…” Su Xiaotang replied weakly.

Li Ranran couldn’t stop sighing. “What do you want me to say about you, Su Xiaotang? Are you a woman at all! Can’t you spend some time on your own appearance? Just what do you spend all that money you’ve earnt on! I’m starting to regret calling you over. Oh man, you haven’t seen what that bastard Song Minghui looks like right now. It’s as if he’s at the top of the food chain. The woman beside him too, wearing brand names from head to toe and shining like a beacon. Apparently she’s the daughter of some higher up at his company? So he’s also climbed up a bit in the ranks. I was hoping you would be able to counterattack, but if you’re going in there looking like this, it would definitely be a KO for you. Also, Su Xiaotang, tell me honestly, did you put on more weight? What happened to losing weight…”

Girls will dress themselves up for their admirers, but there isn’t a guy who will even look at me as a woman, Su Xiaotang grumbled internally.

She had no desire to dress herself up because she didn’t have admirers, which led to having no admirers because she didn’t dress herself up, which then circled back to not wanting to dress herself up. It was a continuous loop that could not be broken.

“I live for myself, so why does it matter how other people are?” Su Xiaotang mumbled.

Li Ranran did not want to say anything more to this blockhead, because she knew Su Xiaotang wasn’t pretending to be open-minded; it was just that she had become a true airhead from being a shut-in for so long.

*

There were already ten or so people inside the reserved private room when the two (and dog) arrived. Some were chatting and singing in twos and threes, while another group was playing mahjong.

“See her? That’s Lin Xue! Looks like a pretentious bitch, doesn’t she!” Li Ranran gestured in the direction of the mahjong players. Su Xiaotang followed her line of vision and sure enough, there was Song Minghui, playing mahjong with a woman snuggled up tight against him.

Song Minghui had also raised his head at that moment and saw them. He swept his eyes over Su Xiaotang, then quickly looked away, as if he couldn’t bear to have her in his sight; utter disgust was clear in his eyes.

Although Su Xiaotang was fat, her face wasn’t wide, and her five sense organs were actually quite nicely grown. During the peak of her crush on Fang Jingshen back in university, she would spend a fair bit of time on her appearance too, leading to how Song Minghui described her as ‘chubby but cute’ when he first confessed.

But the Su Xiaotang now looked a lot worse than she did back in the day. Wearing a ￥300 down jacket from Taobao and thermal pants despite being fat, with hair pulled back into a low bun because she didn’t like static, her appearance could be summarised with one word: loser.

Su Xiaotang’s face was very easy to recognise, so it didn’t take long before a classmate realised who she was. Then, after seeing the dog by her feet, they excitedly asked: “Su Xiaotang, is this your dog? It’s a husky, right?”

“Yeah.” Su Xiaotang nodded and found a place to sit down.

“He’s so cute, what’s his name?” She was suddenly surrounded by several women.

“Meatball.”

Meatball wasn’t shy with strangers at all, and was especially happy with all the attention given to him by these beauties, who would rub his fur and feed him nice things. He was evidently having a better time at this gathering than his owner was.

”Like owner, like dog. Su Xiaotang, your dog’s physique is so similar to yours!” someone said. It was unknown if this comment had intentional connotations or not.

Su Xiaotang laughed it off without thinking much of it, but Li Ranran was not happy. “Zheng Fang, what the hell did you mean?”

Li Ranran wouldn’t care too much if someone else had said it, and would think of it as a well-meant joke; but this person was from the same hometown as Song Minghui, and had chased after Song Minghui at one point, although she did not succeed.

“It was a joke~” Zheng Fang looked like she didn’t mean it seriously, then purposefully asked, “Su Xiaotang, where are you working at right now? Unless you’re still fussing over that little shop of yours?”

Zheng Fang was working at this city’s top construction company, with a monthly income of ￥8,000, and had asked her question with a tone of superiority.

“Haha, that’s right.” Su Xiaotang continued to smile.

Li Ranran couldn’t take it any longer and interjected: “Xiaotang’s snack shop is really popular, okay? Her monthly net income is at least ￥20,000, and at times like double eleven and end-of-year sales she can earn over ￥10,000 a day…”

Zheng Fang’s facial colour changed as she listened to Li Ranran and shut up.

Lin Xue decided to give her two cents too: “I didn’t realise snack shops could earn so much money! If I knew earlier I would’ve opened one myself, hahaha…”

Of course a rich missy like her wouldn’t need anything like that, it was obvious she was showing off her status. After all, a gossipy classmate had just teasingly told her about Song Minghui’s relationship with this fat woman.

Her giggles made Li Ranran get goosebumps, and she immediately looked over at Song Minghui, saying: “Hah, why else would a certain someone be so shameless when they chased after Xiaotang?”

Zheng Fang finally got the chance to sneer, “Hah, who would be interested in her if it wasn’t for her ￥20,000?”

Sparks crackled in the room between the parties involved.

The person in question was still happily playing with her dog as if she didn’t realise what was going on, but discreetly held a furious Li Ranran down in place.

It was not as if she wasn’t upset, it was just that she had become immune to these comments. Su Xiaotang had tried to lose weight before, but because of her digestive system, what could be done when she would gain weight even if she ate nothing and only drank water everyday? She had been at her thinnest during her university days, and that was the end of it.

At that moment, the door to the private room creaked open and a few people, who didn’t seem like her classmates, walked in.

Jiang Hua, the class president, immediately went up to greet them. “We were just talking about why you guys haven’t arrived yet!”

“Alright everyone, let me introduce you to our medical faculty’s top students! Not many from our class were able to make it today, so I called people over from another class too!”

Medical faculty?

Su Xiaotang, who had been nestled in a dark corner, felt like she was a wilting little sapling which suddenly got a huge bucket of fertiliser dumped on it, and was instantly full of spirit again!

STAFF

Neves: translator

Neves’s translation notes: while I had to take some liberties and rephrase some lines with appropriate English meanings, I feel like it's important to explain that Su Xiaotang's name is written as 苏小棠 in Chinese, while her Taobao name is 酥小糖, which is read the same way as her real name. To differentiate between the two, but also keep the original punniness, I chose to use 'Su Xiao Tang' for her Taobao name.

#yukiversity 2.0 #chinese novel #translation #an jiu #my dream guy became a dog #安就 #我男神变成了狗 #[2.0 MOD] #[2.0 HE] #neves #ichiwonki