Midnight.
After wishing Chu Lintian a Happy New Year, Chu Miaomiao received another thick red envelope. Hugging Hajimi, she went back to her room.
Chu Lintian didn’t make much of an occasion out of traditional festivals.
When the time came,
say the blessings,
hand out the lucky money,
and finish the routine.
That was it.
She even reminded Chu Miaomiao, “Go to bed early. Don’t stay up late writing those weird things of yours.”
Hugging Hajimi, Chu Miaomiao lowered her head and obediently pretended to agree.
“Mm-hmm.”
What she was really thinking was that she could still write another two thousand words for tonight’s update.
She had quietly uploaded the novel she was currently working on.
Her readers were already going crazy in the comments, begging for the next chapter.
She couldn’t disappoint them.
And, of course, she absolutely couldn’t let Lin Mo see what she had written.
Unfortunately, the more you fear something, the more likely it is to happen.
The moment she entered the room, Chu Miaomiao stopped in her tracks.
The desk lamp was on.
Lin Mo was sitting at the desk with one hand on the mouse. The document on the screen was her novel.
Hajimi poked its head out of her arms, took one look, and quickly ducked back in.
Lin Mo flipped through several pages, his tone utterly serious.
“Hmm. Why doesn’t this male lead look anything like me?”
Chu Miaomiao’s shoulders hunched.
Lin Mo opened the outline as well.
“Why doesn’t this female lead look anything like you? Why does she look more like... Yunlu?”
Chu Miaomiao immediately lunged for the mouse.
“Stop reading!”
Lin Mo moved the mouse aside.
Chu Miaomiao missed and ended up sprawled against the edge of the desk, her face bright red.
Of course, she wasn’t about to admit that she had written it that way on purpose.
The readers liked it, and she liked writing it too.
Besides, a character like Jiang Yunlu—good at fighting, great figure, straightforward personality—needed practically no changes to fit perfectly into a novel.
Convenient.
Extremely convenient.
But aloud, she only mumbled, “I hadn’t figured out the character designs yet. I just felt that using Yunlu’s would make the story more interesting.”
Lin Mo opened another document.
Inside was yet another female lead profile. She was cold, collected, collected rent, and knew how to put people in their place.
She also blushed at critical moments.
Lin Mo stared at it for three seconds without exposing her.
Some things were better left unsaid.
Chu Miaomiao’s hand was already on the plug, preparing to shut the computer down the old-fashioned way.
Lin Mo turned around, a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.
“Happy New Year, Miss Meow-Meow.”
Chu Miaomiao froze. She set Hajimi down, her face flushing slightly, and nodded.
“Happy New Year, Lin Mo.”
And then the two of them...
System: Hurry it up! We’ve got places to be. Who’s next?
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Although Yangcheng was a first-tier city, if people in an urban village wanted to set off fireworks, there was no stopping them.
Some people carried fireworks to the entrance of the ancestral hall. Others stood on rooftops, shouting “Happy New Year!” Their voices overlapped, layer upon layer.
By the window, Xie Yuling wasn’t cultivating.
She sat in a chair, holding a cup of hot water and watching the outside world.
She had originally planned to meditate.
But not long after closing her eyes, she opened them again.
It was too noisy tonight.
More importantly, she had calculated the time.
Would Lin Mo come?
The thought had barely surfaced before she pushed it back down.
It wasn’t as if she was waiting for anyone.
She was merely keeping vigil for the New Year.
Yes, that was all.
A slight sound came from behind her.
Xie Yuling didn’t turn around.
“I suspect you’re actually waiting for me, but I have no evidence.”
Xie Yuling held her cup, lightly tapping her fingers against its side twice.
“You sneak into young women’s bedrooms every day. Aren’t you afraid I’ll call the police and have you arrested?”
Lin Mo pulled out his phone, went straight to Liu Zheng’s number, and held it out to her.
“Go ahead. Call Liu Zheng. If you want, you can even ask for some higher-grade Oriental Leaf tea and have them come arrest me.”
Xie Yuling couldn’t keep a straight face and let out a laugh.
“You’re pretty shameless.”
“Can’t help it. I have connections.”
“Who’s your connection?”
“My Little Landlady.”
Xie Yuling placed her cup on the windowsill and turned around, throwing a punch.
Her fist landed on Lin Mo, but it carried no real threat.
She hadn’t intended to hit him seriously.
It was soft and feeble, with barely any force behind it.
Lin Mo casually caught her by the wrist.
Xie Yuling tugged, but couldn’t pull free.
She looked at her hand, then at Lin Mo.
“Let go, you big bully.”
“Hmm, yes, I’m a big bully. And this big bully wants to...”
A moment later.
Xie Yuling leaned against the window. Her hair was slightly disheveled, and the hot water in her cup had stopped steaming.
“Happy New Year, Little Landlord.”
“Hmph!”
“You actually dare to hmph at me?”
“Ah! I surrender! I surrender!”
“Happy New Year, my Big Tenant.”
Xie Yuling looked timid and submissive, but there was a trace of sweetness in her smile.
System: Damn, you’re really busy. At this rate, you won’t be sleeping at all tonight.
“Heh! Ha!”
In the training room, Jiang Yunlu was still practicing martial arts.
Her parents had already gone upstairs to resume their battle, but she wanted to continue cultivating.
It was New Year’s Eve.
Adults had their adult activities.
She had hers.
Train.
Keep training.
After all, she had merely been a spectator at Lilin Square. Although she had been deeply shaken by what she saw, that sense of helplessness still lingered.
In the face of beings far more powerful than herself, she seemed utterly incapable of doing anything.
She had managed to suppress that feeling during the day, but at night, it became impossible to hold back.
When she used to play badminton, she hated it when people said that talent determined one’s limits.
She didn’t believe that.
She had trained until her palms blistered, until her legs cramped, until even her coach told her to rest.
Now that she was cultivating, she still held the same belief.
If she couldn’t catch up, then she would train more.
If training more still wasn’t enough, then she would increase the intensity again.
That way, she would be able to keep up with Lin Mo.
“Oh? Miss Jiang is working hard.”
The moment she heard that voice, Jiang Yunlu turned and pounced without the slightest hesitation.
Her fist arrived first.
Lin Mo tilted his head and dodged it.
Jiang Yunlu followed with an elbow strike and a knee. Her transitions were quick, and her movements were much cleaner than before.
Lin Mo only retreated, never striking back.
The more she attacked, the angrier she became—not because Lin Mo kept dodging, but because she couldn’t even touch him.
The gap between them was too great.
So great that she couldn’t even deceive herself.
She had even calculated how many moves she could last if she treated Lin Mo as an opponent.
The answer was ugly.
Possibly not even one.
It frustrated her.
Very much.
Her eyes reddened, an uncommon sight.
Lin Mo could only stop moving and let her little fists land on him.
But when her fists struck, Jiang Yunlu withdrew her qi.
“Why aren’t you dodging?”
“If I keep dodging, I’m afraid someone might start crying.”
“Who’s crying?”
“Is there a third person here?”
Jiang Yunlu gritted her teeth and punched him again.
This time, the blow was even lighter.
“No one’s crying! I was just thinking about how I’m supposed to catch up to you when you’re this strong.”
“You say that as if you haven’t already caught up.”
“I haven’t! You...”
She was halfway through her sentence when Jiang Yunlu realized what he meant. The tips of her ears turned red.
“Shut up.”
“I’m complimenting you.”
“That’s your idea of a compliment?”
“Then I’ll put it another way. Jiang Yunlu, you’ve improved a lot.”
“That’s too formal. Say it again.”
“I like you.”
Her face flushed, and she punched Lin Mo once more.
“It’s New Year’s. Aren’t you supposed to be with your grandmother?”
“Grandma fell asleep, so I came back to see you.”
“Well, at least you have a conscience.”
“Of course I do. So shouldn’t you say something?”
She placed her hand against Lin Mo’s chest and said softly, “Happy New Year, Lin Mo.”
“Happy New Year, Jiang Yunlu.”
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)
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?"
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
