The noodle shop was quite busy at noon.
Lin Mo pushed open the glass door and, with practiced ease, led Jiang Yunlu to a corner table for two.
He pulled out a tissue and meticulously wiped the table clean, his movements unhurried.
"What do you want to eat?"
Lin Mo glanced up at the menu on the wall.
"Um... the one we had last time was good. Was it from here?"
Jiang Yunlu's gaze wandered slightly as she asked in a soft voice.
"Then let’s get the dry-tossed rice noodles again."
Lin Mo stood up to place their order, but Jiang Yunlu gently caught his wrist.
"Wait, here’s the money."
She pulled out a red bill.
Lin Mo pressed her hand down, stopping her. "No need. Someone else is treating us today."
Before she could respond, he was already walking toward the kitchen window.
The shop owner had noticed Lin Mo and Jiang Yunlu the moment they entered.
"Same as last time—two dry-tossed noodles. One with extra noodles, extra meat, and extra roasted pork. The other with fewer noodles but more meat, and extra pickled bamboo shoots."
The owner glanced at Jiang Yunlu, who had her back to the window, and lowered his voice as if confirming a secret code:
"One hundred million?"
That direct, huh?
Still, Lin Mo nodded.
The owner couldn’t help but give him a thumbs-up. "If my son were half as impressive as you, I’d be thrilled."
But then, he slammed his cleaver onto the chopping board, the tip of the blade subtly pointing at Lin Mo.
"No wonder Boss Jiang is so pissed. If I had a daughter like that, I’d want to kill you too. You’re really something, kid."
Lin Mo acted as if he didn’t see the knife and teased, "Not taking apprentices. But I’m surprised—after taking a million, you’re still running this shop."
The owner’s movements froze for a second before he snorted and hacked into a slab of roasted pork with rough, inelegant strokes—but the portions were generous.
"A million doesn’t get you far. My son wants to settle in Goat City, and that’s not even enough for a down payment on a house."
Grumbling under his breath, he piled sliced meat, roasted pork, and braised pork into the bowls until the noodles underneath were completely buried.
"No charge today," the owner muttered, shooting Lin Mo a resentful look before waving him off.
"That girl must be blind to fall for you."
"Hey, I’ve got my charms. When you reach my age, you’ll understand."
The owner didn’t bother arguing. A couple of bowls of noodles were nothing compared to what this kid had already cost him.
Hell, even if Lin Mo brought the girl here every day for three years, the cost wouldn’t come close to what Jiang Chengshan had spent when he rented out the entire shop.
Not to mention the extra million for the "secret recipe."
Lin Mo carried the two overflowing bowls back to the table.
Jiang Yunlu’s eyes widened at the mountain of meat in her bowl.
"Did we get the wrong bowls? There’s so much meat, I can barely see the noodles."
Even though she was a young lady from a wealthy family, she knew how much meat a normal bowl of noodles should have.
"The owner likes me. I helped him make a fortune, so of course he’d hook us up."
As soon as Lin Mo finished speaking, the owner walked over with a bowl of soup and placed it in front of Jiang Yunlu.
"Yeah, this kid and I get along. But he’s not on good terms with another customer of mine."
"Here, little miss. Dry noodles can be a bit dry—have some soup on the house. Made with real pork bones and river snails."
Jiang Yunlu thanked him profusely, flustered by the unexpected kindness.
With so much meat in her bowl, she started transferring some to Lin Mo’s.
"It’s too much. I can’t finish it all."
Lin Mo didn’t mind, digging into his noodles while opening Jiang Yunlu’s lunchbox. Inside were delicate, steaming dishes.
"Don’t worry, just eat."
Jiang Yunlu turned to him and asked quietly, "I get the feeling you’re not afraid of my dad."
Lin Mo chuckled. "Why should I be? He’s not some rural zombie."
Jiang Yunlu tilted her head. "What’s a rural teacher?"
Seems the young lady hadn’t seen classic horror films—and misheard him at that. So Lin Mo played it off.
"Rural Teacher is a sci-fi short story by Liu Cixin. Pretty interesting stuff."
He brushed past the topic, not wanting her to suddenly get curious and look up that old Hong Kong horror flick.
Besides, Rural Teacher was a decent read—no harm in checking it out.
Jiang Yunlu noticed the diversion but thought she’d pieced something together.
"Did my dad... talk to you?"
"Smart girl," Lin Mo teased.
The term should’ve felt distant, but Jiang Yunlu sensed warmth in it.
Words and tone made all the difference. Text couldn’t convey emotion, but face-to-face or voice chats did.
Her cheeks flushed slightly as she hesitantly pressed, "So... what did he say?"
Lin Mo took a moment before answering.
"He offered to fund my studies abroad. Said if I came back and you still felt the same way, he’d let us get married."
Married?!
A woman’s focus was always unique.
The word "married" exploded in Jiang Yunlu’s mind, sending her into a daze.
Her face burned, blood rushing to her head.
Lin Mo nudged her shoulder, worried she might short-circuit.
"Hey, snap out of it."
Jiang Yunlu jolted back to reality.
"Huh? Oh! So... what did you say?"
She braced for his answer, though something felt off.
Lin Mo shook his head.
"I turned him down."
Her heart plummeted into an endless void.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Falling, falling, falling.
Lin Mo recognized the spiral and gripped her shoulders.
"It’s a trap."
The girl blinked, processing his words.
A trap?
A brief moment of clarity later, Jiang Yunlu understood.
"Like the neighbor’s son you told me about?"
Lin Mo nodded. "Same trick, different packaging. That’s your dad’s game."
Hearing this, resentment toward her father flickered in her chest.
Because the trap wasn’t for Lin Mo—it was for her.
If she held on, the plan would fail.
But her father didn’t believe she would.
She looked up at Lin Mo.
"Do you think I can’t last either?"
Lin Mo knew the wrong answer now would bring tears.
"I refused because I don’t want to study abroad."
He ruffled her hair gently.
"I wouldn’t dare ask you to wait that long for me."
shall grant"] ["Inscribing the glory of our race upon tombstones"] ["All that is threatened, I shall protect"] How his younger sister sees her brother: A brother who only makes eye contact once a day, mostly fading into the background as he tinkers with who-knows-what in his room all day. Their life paths should have remained largely separate. Until one day. Su Qi created an equipment card for his never-met "online girlfriend." His sister fell into silent contemplation upon receiving the "white stockings." [Card can be upgraded] [Upgrade by fulfilling any of the following conditions] [Condition ①: Consume one hundred higher-tier cards] [Condition ②: Complete one 'Heart-Pounding Adventure'] What constitutes a Heart-Pounding Adventure? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Beginner Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to admire it.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Easy Level): Equip the card, invite 'Su Qi' to touch it, and analyze the equipment's texture.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Entry Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to...] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Challenge Level): Freely combine the words 'Brother' 'Out' 'Brother' 'Me' 'Please' into a complete sentence...] "Please help me analyze both teams' mistakes in this match, brother..." His sister exhaled in relief—surely... surely there couldn't be anything more difficult? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Suicide Mission Level): Sneak a peek at the names of the galgames in 'Su Qi's' hidden E-drive folder]
u serious?" Chen Feng watched helplessly as his painstakingly trained disciple, fresh off a championship victory, publicly abandoned him. "You had your chance, but you didn’t appreciate it. Now, face the consequences of your choice!" Chen Feng possessed the "Master System," a treasure trove of supreme martial arts techniques, capable of molding ordinary individuals into peerless prodigies. "Legs like yours? A shame not to train in the Crippling Kick." "Ever heard of a palm strike that descends from the heavens?" "Auntie! I see extraordinary bone structure in you—a martial arts prodigy, one in ten thousand." The once-defiant senior disciple, now watching her juniors rise to fame one after another, dominating the internet, was consumed by endless regret.
villain is the number one simp for the book's leading female protagonist, Shen Wan'er. As expected, he later becomes a tool for the main character to show off and slap faces, ultimately meeting a tragic end with his family ruined and his life in shambles. Fortunately, he awakens the [Universal Pure Love System], which allows him to earn points by performing acts of pure love. To change his fate, Gu Yan makes a decisive choice to seek warmth and companionship with the book's biggest villain—Cold Qingqiu. ........... My name is Leng Qingqiu. To find the murderer who killed my parents years ago, I deliberately blinded myself so that everyone would lower their guard around me. Just as I was secretly accumulating power and capital according to my initial plan, a man walked into my world. "Lengleng, Qingqing, Qiuqiu, which nickname do you prefer?" I don't like any of them. You'd better leave quickly! "Why aren't you saying anything? How about I call you my baby wife?" Leng Qingqiu thinks to herself, this man is truly annoying! (Stubborn pure love warrior + single female lead + true pure love + 1v1)
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?
