The final sentence struck like a fatal blow.
The female secretary’s face turned from pale to ashen, her body swaying slightly as her lips trembled, unable to utter a single word in response.
She couldn’t defend herself—could only shake her head repeatedly.
"No, I didn’t."
The handcuffed woman slowly, agonizingly slowly, turned her head, her gaze shifting from Lin Mo’s resolute face to her cousin’s bloodless one.
A storm was gathering in her eyes.
At that moment, Lin Mo turned to the old policeman.
"Officer, we’re free to go now, right?"
The old policeman sighed, waving his hand dismissively without a word.
What he really wanted to say was: Kid, just leave already. If you stay any longer, this station might get torn apart—who knows, even the backers behind that shrew might end up behind bars.
This guy’s heart must be pitch black if you dug it out.
Lawyer Xu glanced at Lin Mo and the others, giving a slight nod. "I won’t see you off then. Xiao Zeng is still inside—after all, he’s the only one who got hurt."
Chu Lintian nodded and turned to leave without hesitation.
Such was reality. Whether you were a CEO or some big shot, once you stepped in here, you had to follow the rules—at least on the surface.
As they exited the police station, faint roars and curses echoed from inside.
Lin Mo pulled out his phone, swiping across the screen to dial Xie Yuling directly.
The call connected almost instantly.
"Chu-jie and I are out. Everything’s fine," he said calmly, his voice betraying no emotion.
A soft rustling came from the other end, followed by Xie Yuling’s audible sigh of relief. "Good, that’s good."
Though she didn’t say it outright, the weight that had been pressing on her heart finally lifted.
Next came Auntie Zheng’s concerned inquiries, and Lin Mo could clearly hear Chu Miaomiao’s voice in the background.
Hearing Lin Mo’s reassurance, they all relaxed.
"Come on, I’ll drive you back."
Soon, the car stopped on the main road near the urban village.
"I won’t go up. As for Miaomiao, let her stay at Sister Yuan’s place tonight. That way, I won’t have to wake up early to take her tomorrow."
She stretched lazily, her movements casual yet accentuating her striking curves even under the loose casual wear.
But the weariness that flickered in her expression didn’t escape Lin Mo’s notice.
"Alright, I’ll let them know. By the way, if there’s anything at the company you can’t handle, remember to tell me."
Chu Lintian paused mid-motion before forcing a relaxed smile. "I know."
Lin Mo’s hand hovered on the car door. Suddenly, he turned back, his gaze settling on Chu Lintian’s face—calm yet piercing.
"Stop pretending."
No embellishments, just those simple words.
Chu Lintian’s smile stiffened, as if someone had abruptly peeled away a hardened shell. Her chest tightened without warning.
She averted her eyes, fingers tapping unconsciously on the steering wheel before murmuring after a beat,
"Yeah, I won’t. I’m not shouldering everything alone."
Only then did Lin Mo push the door open and step out.
Chu Lintian didn’t start the car immediately. She simply sat in silence, watching his figure cross through the dim glow of the streetlights until it vanished around the corner.
Then, finally, she let out a quiet breath and drove away.
Lin Mo had just reached the foot of his apartment building when his footsteps halted, and his brows furrowed.
A figure darted out from the shadows of the stairwell, standing rigidly with an expression brimming with urgency and anticipation.
"Why are you here again?" Lin Mo sighed in resignation.
Liu Zheng rubbed his hands together, wearing a look of helplessness and innocence. "I have no choice. If I don’t camp out here for you, how else am I supposed to contact the Northern Profound True Master?"
"Then at least tell me first—what exactly do you all want?" Lin Mo planted a hand on his hip, glaring at him irritably. "I can’t just let the True Master indulge your recklessness, can I?"
The word "recklessness" seemed to strike a nerve in Liu Zheng, who bristled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. His voice shot up an octave.
"Recklessness? How is this recklessness? This concerns the prosperity and stability of society—it’s a matter of utmost importance! We don’t need the True Master to intervene constantly, just once at the most critical moment. Just once!"
Lin Mo fell silent, raising an eyebrow as he studied Liu Zheng’s face, etched with righteous conviction. Finally, he shook his head, unable to harden his heart completely.
"Come upstairs. We’ll talk in detail."
At these words, Liu Zheng’s face instantly lit up, and he eagerly nodded before following.
Once they reached the upper floor, Lin Mo turned to Liu Zheng at the doorway. "Wait here for a moment. I’ll go up and be right back."
Lin Mo went upstairs just to check in and explain that Chu Miaomiao would be staying overnight.
When he came back down, Liu Zheng was still standing at the stairwell, not even attempting to use his little tools to pick the lock.
Lin Mo opened the door and stepped inside.
Liu Zheng’s eyes immediately landed on the tube amplifier placed in the center of the living room.
"Damn, you’re into audio equipment at such a young age?"
"My dad’s into it too," Lin Mo replied casually, not even bothering to pour Liu Zheng a glass of water before sitting down.
Left with no choice, Liu Zheng settled himself across from Lin Mo with deliberate ease.
"Truth is, this matter is serious. Are you sure you want to hear it?"
Lin Mo rolled his eyes. "If you were really that concerned, you wouldn’t have followed me up here. Cut the crap and just say it."
This kid was sharp—but also had zero tact!
Still, it was just as well. Liu Zheng decided to lay it out plainly.
First, he recounted the incident involving Xia Zhi at the safe house in Pengcheng.
Then, he summarized the situation.
"Someone within the Yanhuang Awakening covets Ning Qingcheng’s power—that little girl you and the True Master rescued last time. Just as the True Master said, her body harbors immense energy, and that’s what they’re after.
The problem is, we still don’t know why they want it or who’s pulling the strings behind the scenes."
Lin Mo tapped his fingers lightly against the table.
"You can’t seriously be suggesting the entire Yanhuang Awakening is rotten. If this Ning Qingcheng is such a hot potato, why don’t you just hand her over to the authorities?"
Liu Zheng gave a bitter laugh. "Easier said than done. In their eyes, we’re probably just ants they can crush with a flick of their fingers."
Lin Mo kept tapping the table.
"Doesn’t Yanhuang Awakening have anyone stronger? If the girl’s that important, hasn’t the higher-ups sent reinforcements?"
"They have, but we can’t be sure if they’re trustworthy. Honestly, I’d rather rely on you and the Northern Profound True Master."
It was clear Liu Zheng was a cautious man—maybe a little too cautious.
Even so, it seemed he still wanted to report the matter to the envoys sent by the higher-ups.
But he needed a guarantee—that was why he had come here.
He had come seeking assurance.
Lin Mo stroked his chin, remaining silent for a moment.
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.
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?"
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
] [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!"
