He was the strongest among the three.
"Go for it, Qiang!"
"Alright, I’ll carry you guys!"
The game began with one of them dribbling forward. Though he charged into the half-court at full speed, it still seemed painfully slow in Lin Mo's eyes.
Lin Mo shot Su Mingzhao a glance—whether the latter understood it or not didn’t matter—before darting forward.
Qiang, holding the ball, saw Lin Mo rushing toward him and prepared to cross him with a swift dribble before sidestepping past him.
But before Qiang could react, the ball was already gone.
Huh... where’s my ball?
However, the other two were also keeping an eye on Lin Mo.
The moment Lin Mo stole the ball, they closed in on him.
Trapped between them!
That was the only way to pin him down.
Yet Lin Mo simply flicked the ball behind his back and launched a long pass to Su Mingzhao, who was sprinting ahead.
"If you miss this, you’re licking my shoes!"
Su Mingzhao shuddered, sped up, caught the ball, and went straight for a layup.
Though Su Mingzhao wasn’t exactly popular in Class 8, the crowd still cheered when he scored.
But most of the cheers were for Lin Mo’s assist.
Su Mingzhao landed and quickly fell back on defense, the weight on his chest slowly lifting.
But then one of the opponents walked up to him, glaring.
"Almost forgot about you. You think just because Lin Mo’s here, you can stand tall?
I’ll crush you like an ant!"
Yet Su Mingzhao’s composure only steadied further.
"Save it for Qingming Festival when you’re talking to your ancestors!"
Class 18 knew they couldn’t let this continue. They quickly restarted the game, aiming for a fast break.
The trio’s coordination was solid, weaving quick passes between them.
But Lin Mo, like a bolt of lightning, intercepted and shot.
A mid-court shot—no way it would go in.
As the ball soared, Qiang instantly realized it wasn’t a shot but a pass.
Su Mingzhao dashed forward and scored another layup.
Class 8 erupted in cheers; Class 18 groaned in despair.
Everything had been overturned by Lin Mo’s arrival.
The score gap rapidly narrowed.
Lin Mo didn’t steal every ball, allowing the opponents to score twice.
But the difference kept shrinking.
By the end of the second quarter, Lin Mo had cut the lead to just five points.
Class 18 returned to their positions under immense pressure.
Their P.E. teacher had been Coach Long.
But Coach Long was gone, so their classes were now taught by substitutes from other classes.
Without Coach Long’s strategies, they had no answer for Lin Mo.
Even if they had one, stopping Lin Mo was impossible.
As Lin Mo stepped off the court, someone handed him a drink.
It was Fang Jun. "As expected of Mo the Great."
Lin Mo sidestepped Fang Jun and took the sports drink Jiang Yunlu offered instead.
The same one he’d drunk from before.
"That’s harsh. At least take mine once in a while."
Fang Jun pouted.
"Ugly people get rejected~"
Lin Mo took a symbolic sip.
Ma Li watched him and forced a smile. "You’re really carrying us."
"Then hurry up and recover. Want me to give you acupuncture? It’ll speed things up."
The mention of acupuncture made even the burly Ma Li shrink back.
"I think my recovery’s fine as is. No need for needles."
Compared to Class 8’s relaxed mood, Class 18 was grim.
Just moments ago, they’d been confident of an easy win. Now, despite still leading, they dreaded the third quarter.
"What if we elbow Lin Mo?"
One of them suggested.
But the idea was shot down immediately.
"Are you insane?! That’s Lin Mo! You wanna end your life right here? You won’t even make it out of school if you try that!"
Lin Mo heard every word. If they actually elbowed him,
he’d show them what a true elbow king looked like.
Unsurprisingly, Class 8 surged ahead in the third quarter.
Class 18 only managed four baskets, most of them lucky shots.
By the end, their morale was shattered, and the fourth quarter was pure garbage time.
But it didn’t matter.
With evening self-study still far from over, everyone returned to class to work on homework.
Lin Mo had just sat down when he noticed Chu Miaomiao peeking at him over her novel before lowering her gaze again.
Probably done with homework and killing time with fiction.
After school, Xie Yuling waited by Class 7’s back door.
Class 8 had grown used to seeing her there.
Though rumors swirled at school, Xie Yuling didn’t care, and neither did Lin Mo.
So it was as if they didn’t exist.
Plus, with Fang Jun tagging along after school, things stayed uneventful.
On the way home, Fang Jun chattered to Xie Yuling about Lin Mo’s performance in the game.
As usual, Fang Jun did most of the talking while Xie Yuling gave minimal replies.
Only after they parted ways did Xie Yuling speak a bit more.
Today was no exception.
Once Fang Jun headed off, Xie Yuling finally spoke.
"I heard you and Jiang Yunlu signed up for mixed doubles badminton."
"Yeah, what about it?" Lin Mo answered bluntly, waiting for her next question.
Xie Yuling hesitated but pressed on.
"Why mixed doubles?"
"Because Jiang Yunlu wanted a guaranteed championship. If she loses in women’s singles, at least she’d win with me in mixed."
Xie Yuling studied Lin Mo’s face—no hint of a joke.
"You’re that good at badminton?"
"Good enough to win men’s singles if I bothered. But I can’t be bothered."
Xie Yuling recalled what two classmates had said earlier:
"That Lin Mo just coasted. Jiang Yunlu went all out, panting like crazy, while he barely moved."
"I dunno, I aimed for Jiang Yunlu’s weak spots, but Lin Mo kept returning them."
"Just luck."
If Lin Mo was as skilled as he claimed, maybe it wasn’t just luck.
Xie Yuling glanced at him, deciding he really was just lazy.
"Then why did you agree to partner with Jiang Yunlu?"
Oho—tricky question.
Lin Mo shrugged. "She paid the friend fee. Gotta treat paying friends well."
Xie Yuling looked up at him.
"So you’re hinting I should pay a friend fee too?"
"Don’t twist my words. You brought it up."
At the foot of the stairs, Xie Yuling unlocked the door and stepped ahead of Lin Mo.
Then, just as he followed, she suddenly turned around.
Leaning down.
"Will this count as a friend fee?"
Shenhe’s cliffhanger!
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.
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?!
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
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?"
