After school, on his way home, Lin Mo walked along the road. "Sister Chu is going on a business trip for a few days. Can you ask Auntie Zheng if Chu Miaomiao can stay with you?"
Xie Yuling turned her head to look at Lin Mo upon hearing this.
"Why didn't she tell me?"
"Because I'm closer."
A perfectly reasonable answer.
Xie Yuling thought for a moment before casually asking, "What if my mom says no?"
Lin Mo shrugged. "Then I’ll have to stay at Chu Miaomiao’s place for the time being and escort her to and from school every day."
At this, Xie Yuling’s footsteps faltered.
With Fang Jun absent today, Xie Yuling was more relaxed than usual.
Without hesitation, she elbowed Lin Mo lightly and then said calmly, "My mom will definitely agree. Miaomiao is so cute and well-behaved, after all."
"Alright, talk to her tonight and let me know once it’s settled."
Lin Mo naturally didn’t want the final say—he didn’t want to be blamed if things went wrong.
It might also strain Xie Yuling and Chu Miaomiao’s relationship.
Back home, Xie Yuling finished washing up and lay down on her bed.
She had already discussed it with her mom earlier, and her mother was more than happy to have Chu Miaomiao stay over for a few days.
Of course, her mom didn’t know that if she refused, Lin Mo would end up staying at Chu Miaomiao’s place instead.
Xie Yuling didn’t want that.
She picked up her phone, about to ask Chu Miaomiao about the arrangements, only to find that Chu Miaomiao had already sent a message earlier.
"Yuling, my mom’s going on a business trip for a few days. Can I stay at your place? I’ll pay for my meals."
Too polite.
"What meals? Just come over. My bed is big and soft, (^▽^)"
"But will Auntie be okay with it? I don’t want to intrude."
"I already asked my mom. She likes you a lot and would love to have you stay with us."
Once the two settled the matter, they started discussing how many days she’d stay, what to bring, and what wasn’t necessary.
They chatted late into the night, like kids excited for a spring outing.
The result? The next morning, Xie Yuling showed up with half-dark circles under her eyes when she met Lin Mo downstairs.
"Did you go thieving last night?"
"Of course not. I stayed up too late talking to Miaomiao and didn’t get enough sleep."
As she spoke, Xie Yuling yawned.
Seeing her exhausted state, Lin Mo flicked his finger lightly.
A wisp of spiritual energy flowed into Xie Yuling’s body, dispelling her fatigue.
Over time, she’d no longer feel tired.
......
Two days later, Chu Miaomiao arrived at school dragging a suitcase behind her.
Lin Mo stared at the luggage and couldn’t help but ask, "Why did you bring a suitcase to school?"
Chu Miaomiao answered matter-of-factly, "I’m staying at Yuling’s place tonight, so of course I need to bring stuff."
"Then why didn’t you just drop the suitcase off at Xie Yuling’s place last night and go straight home with her today?"
Chu Miaomiao froze.
"Huh? That was an option?"
Great, this silly girl hadn’t thought of that.
"Did Xie Yuling tell you to bring it this morning?"
Chu Miaomiao nodded blankly.
Alright, two silly girls.
Lin Mo returned to his seat, and Jiang Yunlu turned to look at him.
"Why did Chu Miaomiao bring a suitcase?"
Lin Mo glanced at Jiang Yunlu’s probing expression and grinned.
"She’s staying at my place."
Jiang Yunlu froze, her words stumbling.
"S-staying at your place?"
Seeing her nearly short-circuit, Lin Mo took pity and decided not to tease her further.
"Yeah, in my building. She’s staying with Xie Yuling—after all, Xie Yuling’s the little landlady."
The title "little landlady" was well-known in Class 8, thanks to Fang Jun’s enthusiastic promotion.
Hearing that she was staying with Xie Yuling, Jiang Yunlu’s tense heart slowly relaxed.
But she also felt a bit helpless.
Lin Mo walked home with Xie Yuling every day, and now Chu Miaomiao was joining them.
But on second thought, having Chu Miaomiao around Xie Yuling might not be a bad thing for her.
Lin Mo didn’t bother dwelling on Jiang Yunlu’s overthinking.
But the next moment—
"By the way, do you want to watch a movie together on Saturday? Li Shaoan’s Life of Pi?"
"Sure, let’s go."
Lin Mo had never watched it before—he’d only learned about it through reviews later.
He thought the film had some depth to it, so he agreed without hesitation.
Jiang Yunlu then turned to Wang Qin. "You’re coming too, right?"
"Of course! Finally, an invite for me. I wouldn’t miss it."
Wang Qin grinned at Jiang Yunlu.
Jiang Yunlu stuck out her tongue, slightly embarrassed.
Wang Qin, of course, knew exactly what Jiang Yunlu was thinking. She leaned in and whispered, "Don’t want me there?"
Jiang Yunlu’s face flushed instantly.
"That’s not it! I think you should come."
"I bet the little landlady and the little neighbor will be there too. If I don’t go, who’ll back you up?"
As Jiang Yunlu’s strategist, Wang Qin could see that her friend was caught in a whirlpool—either rise above it or sink deeper.
But the odds of rising weren’t high.
Especially after what had happened to Lin Mo recently.
Though the rumors had been quashed, Lin Mo had made it clear—he wouldn’t date anyone in high school.
So Wang Qin had warned Jiang Yunlu: Lin Mo’s going to string you along for three years. Or rather, he’s stringing everyone along for three years.
......
"So, you’re planning to string everyone along for three years?"
Lin Mo shook his head.
"Of course not. Do you think people are fish? Between strangers, relationships form easiest."
Fang Jun, sitting beside Lin Mo on the rooftop, blinked in confusion.
"Huh? Why?"
"Because when you don’t know someone, curiosity drives attraction—it’s reckless affection.
That’s why childhood friends often lose to sudden new encounters.
Once you’re familiar, you know their strengths and flaws. The novelty fades, and if you still get together, it’s about endurance—because you’re tolerating not just their good sides, but their bad ones too."
Lin Mo spread his hands.
"Maybe I’ve shown a lot of good traits, but I know my flaws too. They like me because I’m strong, because I’m smart—but what if those things stop being strengths?"
At this moment, Lin Mo wasn’t thinking of himself as a cultivator.
He was just the same person he’d been before—back when no one had liked him.
This was a hurdle in his heart.
Of the three girls closest to him now, Chu Miaomiao depended on him the most.
If anyone would still be around in three years, it’d probably be her.
As for Jiang Yunlu—a prodigy, a star. He wouldn’t be surprised if she gave up on him at any point.
And then there was Xie Yuling.
The little landlady had her own advantages and momentum. Right now, she was the furthest ahead in "conquering" Lin Mo.
Lin Mo looked up at the sky.
"Bro, I want to be a harem king."
"Bro, you’re already on the path to destruction."
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...
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.
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
