The dagger flew from her hand, streaking through the air like a silver flash, its sharp whistle cutting through the silence as it shot straight toward Lin Han, who sat slumped on the ground.
Its speed was so blinding that it left only a faint afterimage in its wake.
Lin Han’s pupils shrank to pinpricks.
That same dagger, which had just been aimed at Liu Yuan’s back, was now hurtling toward him!
The shadow of death instantly engulfed him.
Every hair on his body stood on end as a wave of icy terror drowned him, choking the breath from his lungs.
He wanted to dodge!
He desperately tried to move!
But the earlier impact had been too severe—his body ached, his limbs weak and unresponsive.
All he could do was watch helplessly as that lethal glint rapidly expanded in his vision.
"Referee!"
"Save me!"
"I surrender!"
Lin Han’s scream was shrill, distorted by sheer terror.
He pinned all his hopes on the rules.
According to regulations, if a contestant lost the ability to fight or faced mortal danger, the referee had the authority to intervene and stop the match!
Yet…
The referee below the stage stood frozen, his face twisted with… hesitation?
He had seen Liu Yuan’s movement. He had heard Lin Han’s plea.
But he didn’t act!
Lin Han’s mind screamed in despair.
Why?!
Why won’t you save me?!
Is it because he’s from the capital?
Because you people hate those from the capital and want him dead, is that it?!
The referee’s gaze was conflicted, as if weighing something.
Or perhaps he judged Liu Yuan’s attack wouldn’t be fatal?
But Lin Han couldn’t process any of that in this split second.
Fear, like ice-cold water dumped over his head, shattered his last shred of composure.
A warm, uncontrollable wetness gushed from between his legs.
The damp heat spread rapidly.
On the stage floor, a dark stain expanded outward from beneath him.
He… had pissed himself.
The pungent scent began to permeate the air.
And just as his consciousness teetered on the edge of collapse—
Thunk!
The sound of metal piercing flesh—no, piercing the ground—rang out.
The dagger, hurtling at deadly speed, hadn’t impaled him.
Instead, at an impossibly precise angle, it grazed the inside of his thigh and embedded itself deep into the floor between his legs!
The hilt quivered from the impact, emitting a faint hum.
The cold metallic scent pressed against his skin.
A fraction of an inch more…
Lin Han stiffly lowered his head, staring at the blade mere inches from his most vulnerable spot.
His face was ghostly pale, lips trembling too violently to form words.
Relief at surviving?
No—only deeper terror.
He sat slumped in his own mess, gasping like a fish out of water, his eyes hollow.
The audience stared, stunned, at the shocking scene on stage.
At the contestant who had wet himself in fear, and the dagger planted squarely beneath him.
Liu Yuan, meanwhile, acted as if she’d done nothing noteworthy.
She didn’t even spare Lin Han another glance—the pathetic figure on the ground wasn’t worth her attention.
She picked up her phone again, slender fingers tapping away.
[Liu Yuan: Done. Where should I meet you, brother?]
Finally, the hesitant referee forced a stiff smile and hurried onto the stage.
He carefully sidestepped the dark puddle.
"Lin Han, are you… alright?"
Lin Han didn’t respond.
His mouth hung open, vacant eyes fixed on the ceiling, body still trembling faintly from fear and exhaustion.
The damp stickiness clung to his skin.
Shame and terror intertwined, threatening to shatter his mind completely.
The referee frowned, reaching out to pull him up.
"Nggh—"
Lin Han made a garbled noise, his body limp as a ragdoll even when lifted.
The referee’s expression darkened.
With no other choice, he signaled to the staff below.
Soon, two medics in white uniforms rushed onto the stage with a stretcher.
Their faces flickered with surprise at the sight.
Blood on the stage was common, but a contestant pissing himself from fear? That was a first.
Still, professionalism kicked in, and they swiftly loaded Lin Han onto the stretcher.
As they lifted him, a flicker of awareness returned to his eyes.
He saw the countless stares from the crowd below.
Shame erupted like a volcano.
"AAAGH—!"
A wordless scream tore from his throat as he clawed at his face, thrashing violently on the stretcher as if trying to escape or vent his humiliation.
The medics quickly restrained him and carried him offstage.
Only once the stretcher vanished into the hallway did the referee clear his throat and announce, voice steady:
"This match’s winner—Contestant A-55, Liu Yuan!"
The commentator, obligated by his paycheck, awkwardly chimed in:
"A… tense match comes to an end! Liu Yuan has defeated the capital’s Lin Han with overwhelming skill!"
"Though the, uh, process was unexpected, her strength is undeniable!"
He struggled to steer the narrative away from the unsightly spectacle.
Stagehands quickly mopped up the mess.
The puddle was wiped away, and the dagger—yanked from the floor—was tossed carelessly aside.
Lin Han could retrieve it himself later.
[A-55, Liu Yuan]: 131 - 30 = 101 points (Though the opponent was weak and posed no real threat, playing on her phone was overly disrespectful and showed complacency. Needs improvement.)
[A-102, Lin Han]: 104 - 50 = 54 points (Performance was otherwise decent; defeat wasn’t due to lack of skill. But courage must be honed—currently unfit for serious combat.)
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
nto another world, I bought a slave for the first time, never expecting the silver wolf girl to be so cute... Lin Feng: I know it's cold, but you don't have to sneak into my bed! Yuna: Just sharing body warmth, if you dare do anything naughty, I'll definitely...
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
