After playing the piano for a while to soothe his mood, Ye Shuang stood up and walked to his computer, ready to begin his daily writing session.
"Recent results have been pretty good—seems like more readers are tuning in," Ye Shuang mused after finishing his writing and skimming through the latest comments. He closed the author dashboard, though most readers just closed the page after reading. "If only they could help recommend my book when they’re looking for something to read..."
"Ah, even some free gifts to boost engagement would be nice," Ye Shuang stretched and figured it was about time to head to school.
Just then, his phone rang again.
Glancing at the screen, he saw it was another local number.
Zhao Mengyao had just been chewed out by him, and given her personality, she probably wouldn’t call back so soon. Answering the call, it turned out to be the phone shop owner, informing him that the battery for the button phone had arrived and could be replaced now.
"If that’s the case, I’ll skip school for now," Ye Shuang decided, still intrigued by what might be hidden in that phone.
Driving to the shop, the owner quickly replaced the battery.
Older phones had removable back covers, and the batteries could be swapped out in seconds.
Ye Shuang held down the power button, and soon the handshake logo appeared on the screen.
"It’s booting up—so it really was the battery," he muttered. After paying, he returned to his car.
Tapping through the phone, he searched for any valuable information. The inbox had a trash folder, and when he accidentally opened it, he found a single message lying inside:
[This isn’t your concern. Just follow the plan. The child’s family won’t notice. Remember—delete this message after reading.]
Ye Shuang: "..."
So, it wasn’t the Zhou family after all?
He sat in silence for a while, turning the small phone over in his hands before combing through its contents again—but found nothing else.
"Guess I’ll have to find a chance to question that trafficker. But they’d never admit it, and since they’re already serving time… snitching wouldn’t even get them a reduced sentence." After some thought, he tucked the phone away.
So why did Bai Yuyou disappear?
If she vanished, who stood to gain the most?
"Hmm…" Ye Shuang suddenly thought of Alice, but after a moment, he shook his head.
Headache.
Shifting gears, he drove toward Yinshan Academy.
Along the way, he spotted a familiar figure—a girl with shoulder-length hair holding a cup of milk tea, surrounded by several men who seemed to be talking to her.
The men’s outfits didn’t exactly scream "upstanding citizens," and Ye Shuang frowned before signaling and making a U-turn.
...
"You’re a student at Yinshan Academy, right? And you’ve got the latest Huawei flagship—how about lending us some cash, huh?"
"Bro, that’s the HuiFan Master Edition—over ten grand and still hard to get."
"Whoa."
Surrounded by these men, An Shiyu remained utterly unfazed. She sipped her milk tea with one hand while the other stayed tucked in her pocket.
Only when the cup made a [slurp~] sound—signaling it was empty—did she lazily speak up.
"Borrowing money? Sure."
"Hand me your phone," An Shiyu stretched out her hand.
The man blinked. I’m asking you for money, and you want my phone?
"How else am I supposed to lend you cash without your phone?" An Shiyu’s eyes, half-hidden under her straight bangs, carried a hint of disdain. "Large transfers require identity verification."
"Fine." The man handed over his phone, unconcerned about any tricks—after all, she was surrounded. It wasn’t like she could ninja-flip over a wall or swing away like Spider-Man.
After tapping on the phone for a bit, An Shiyu handed it back. "Scan your face."
"Okay."
"Done." She returned the phone. "Take a look."
The man took it back, then froze. "Fifteen thousand?!"
His throat bobbed as he stared at An Shiyu in disbelief. "This much?!"
"How much? Fifteen grand?!" The others crowded around, equally stunned.
An Shiyu gave a casual hum.
"That’s a 150,000-yuan loan I just got you from an online lending platform. Don’t mention it—spend it freely. My treat."
"Online loan?!"
The men snapped out of their daze, eyes bulging. "Holy shit, you took out a loan for me?!"
"Problem?" An Shiyu asked.
"You—do you even know how deadly those loans can be?!" The man slapped his thigh in agitation.
An Shiyu stayed calm. "Money’s money. What’s the difference between borrowing from me or a platform?"
"Borrowing from you doesn’t need to be paid back!" he yelled.
"Tch." An Shiyu clicked her tongue, looking at him like he was an idiot. "Then don’t pay back the platform’s either. Simple."
The men exchanged glances. Huh. That kinda made sense. They were lone wolves anyway—what could anyone do once the money was spent?
"I got you all that cash—how about tossing me a thousand for my trouble?" An Shiyu said.
"Sure thing!" The man, now holding 150,000 yuan, suddenly found a thousand insignificant. With a grand wave, he scanned her the money.
Beep.
"Hahaha! Dinner’s on me tonight, boys!"
"Woo!"
"Bye." An Shiyu waved lazily as the men left.
Just then, a car pulled up to the curb. An Shiyu tilted her head and spotted a familiar figure stepping out.
"Pervert Uncle? What are you doing here?" She raised an eyebrow, clearly not expecting Ye Shuang to show up.
Ye Shuang walked over, glancing at the retreating group before asking, "You okay?"
"About what?"
"I drove past and thought you were being harassed by some thugs." Seeing her relaxed demeanor, he chuckled. "Friends of yours?"
An Shiyu’s eyes turned into dots. "Friends… well, they were nice. Gave me a thousand bucks."
"Why would they give you money?"
"Who knows?" She shrugged. "Maybe they struck gold somewhere?"
"That so?" Ye Shuang couldn’t shake the feeling something was off.
"Come on, I’ll drive you to school."
"Nope."
"Huh? Why not?"
"I’ll go later. Got something super important to do first," An Shiyu said.
"Super important?"
"Need any help?" Ye Shuang asked.
An Shiyu thought for a second, then nodded. "Actually, yeah. Means you can buy an extra one."
"An extra… one?" Ye Shuang blinked.
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
tions: attribute allocation, analysis, proficiency, and simulation. Specializing in mechanical alchemy, from crafting sorcerous battle armor to handcrafting mechanical maidens, his mechanical legion conquers endless realms... Relying on his wits, he begins with a student-teacher romance, wins over a female director, enslaves a female assassin and a underworld queen, becoming the husband of a Grand Duchess... He enslaves the Goddess of Magic from the divine realm, developing his power simultaneously in both the Wizard World and the Realm of Gods...
