Most high school students eat another meal after returning from evening self-study.
But tonight, Jiang Yunlu sat at the dining table, staring at the food in front of her without any appetite.
"What's wrong, sweetheart? Don't you like the dishes tonight? Tell me what you want, and I'll make it for you," her father asked.
Jiang Yunlu forced a smile and shook her head. "No, it's just that I don't feel very hungry today."
Under her father's concerned gaze, she picked at a few bites before leaving the table and retreating to her room.
Jiang Chengshan saw everything clearly.
His daughter was definitely troubled by something.
Inside the room, the girl in pink pajamas sat on her bed, hugging a giant rabbit plushie.
"Why? Why do I feel so awful?"
"They're just a landlord and a tenant, so why does seeing them walk to and from school together make me so upset?"
A boy she had only known for about two weeks was stirring emotions in her like never before.
Knock, knock, knock!
The sound of someone rapping on her door interrupted her thoughts.
Jiang Yunlu wiped her face and called out, "Who is it?"
"Little Yunlu, it's your aunt!"
Relieved to hear her aunt's voice, Jiang Yunlu replied, "Come in, Auntie."
The door slowly opened, and a woman wearing a face mask sauntered in, closing and locking the door behind her.
She flopped onto Jiang Yunlu's bed without ceremony.
"Little Yunlu, already facing troubles in your first year of high school?"
Jiang Yunlu curled her lips into a sweet smile. "No, why would you say that?"
"You’ve never been good at hiding things. That forced smile of yours hurts my heart. My idiot brother could tell you were upset, but as a clueless man, he sent me to check on you. So, what's going on?"
Jiang Yunlu shook her head. "It's nothing serious, Auntie. I can handle it."
The woman sat up and gently pulled Jiang Yunlu into a hug.
"It's okay. I’m on your side, and I won’t tell your dad. So, is it bullying?
Hmm, probably not—you’d fight back if that were the case.
So… is it a boy you like?"
The sudden guess startled Jiang Yunlu.
She immediately waved her hands in denial. "No! That’s not it! Don’t make things up, Auntie!"
But the woman just laughed. "See? I hit the mark. Come on, tell me—is he handsome?"
Cornered, Jiang Yunlu buried her face in her plushie.
"Tell me, and as a trade, I’ll share the story of the first boy I ever really liked."
Gossip is human nature.
At this, Jiang Yunlu peeked out with one eye.
"How about it? It’s a fair deal. Your aunt here has twenty years of experience in the romance department."
"You’re only twenty-four! And I’ve never seen you date anyone in my whole life."
Jiang Yunlu glanced at her aunt’s figure—not as explosive as Chu Miaomiao’s, but still curvaceous, likely from her love of fitness.
"Twenty-four is still old enough to have been in high school and liked someone."
Seeing Jiang Yunlu remain silent, Jiang Chengyue decided to bait the hook first.
"In my first year of high school, there was a bespectacled boy in my class—the top student in the whole school. He was tall and brilliant, but such a nerd. No matter how many hints I dropped or how close I got, he acted like he was blind..."
"What happened after that?"
Jiang Yunlu was hooked. The worries of young girls are often alike.
She felt the same way about Lin Mo—wanting to get closer but sensing an invisible distance between them.
"After that? His grades were too good, so he got moved to the advanced class. We barely saw each other after that."
Her aunt lay back on the bed, peeling off her face mask to reveal delicate features.
"You must’ve had plenty of suitors in high school, right?"
"Sure, but none of them shone as brightly as he did in my eyes."
"So… was he your ‘white moonlight’?"
Jiang Chengyue sat up and poked the girl’s forehead playfully. "You little rascal, do you even know what ‘white moonlight’ means?
It’s a beautiful memory from the past—something so perfect that even the real person couldn’t live up to it now."
As she spoke, she chuckled softly.
After some coaxing, Jiang Yunlu finally opened up about how she met Lin Mo.
But she carefully omitted details like him defeating the drill instructor in an arm-wrestle or buying her snacks—some secrets were hers to keep.
Jiang Chengyue’s eyes sparkled with gossipy delight.
No drama was as thrilling as her little niece’s love life.
"So, you’re not sure if you’re just intrigued or actually like him, huh?"
Jiang Yunlu nodded, then shook her head.
"Today, I saw him walking home with the landlord, and my heart ached. I think… I might really like him."
Jiang Chengyue clapped her hands. "Oh no! You’ve fallen into the river of love!"
The girl’s face flushed. "Auntie!"
"Fine, fine. You’ve just dipped a toe in."
"So… what should I do?" Anxiety crept into her voice.
Jiang Chengyue thought for a moment. "From what you’ve said, does he treat you well?"
After some hesitation, Jiang Yunlu nodded.
"He does."
One look at her niece’s expression told Jiang Chengyue there was more to the story.
But no matter—she, Jiang Chengyue, ace reporter, would uncover the truth eventually.
"In that case, you should observe him a bit more. Just because he walks to school with his landlord doesn’t mean anything.
The boy’s side isn’t the issue—it’s the girl’s parents you should worry about."
Jiang Chengyue decided to ease Jiang Yunlu’s worries a little.
Hearing this, the girl did seem to relax slightly.
"But from what you’ve said, this boy seems popular with girls. Be careful, little Yunlu—don’t let some playboy trick you."
......
"Achoo!"
Lin Mo rubbed his nose. "That’s weird. With my current physique, I shouldn’t be catching a cold."
After returning from Xie Yuling’s place, where he’d had a late-night snack, Lin Mo resumed his cultivation.
Now, with just a flick of his wrist, he could condense water into a sphere—far more efficient than converting spiritual energy.
But the real breakthrough was his movement technique.
Lin Mo pushed open the door without making a sound.
His divine sense expanded outward, scanning the surroundings. Xie Yuling was still awake, studying.
What a grindset queen.
Dressed in casual clothes and slippers, Lin Mo stepped outside.
In a city like Yangcheng, even at 3 or 4 a.m., people were still out eating supper.
Right now, it was only midnight—prime time for nightlife.
The moment Lin Mo descended the stairs, he activated his invisibility.
This was one of the Seventy-Two Transformations, a divine ability he had mastered early on.
With invisibility, the possibilities were endless.
For example… heh heh~
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...
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
Heart] Chen Yi traversed the cultivation world for eight hundred years, charging his way to the Tribulation Transcendence stage. Just as he was outwitting his 81st Heavenly Tribulation to ascend to immortality, he was suddenly pulled into a chat group called the "Multiverse Transmigrators Support Group." To his surprise, the group was filled with nothing but fresh-faced newbies who had just transmigrated. [Help! I transmigrated into a disgraced concubine in the cold palace, and the tyrant emperor is about to execute me!] [I ended up as a cannon-fodder villain, and the protagonist is still chasing me—WTF!] [I woke up as the protagonist’s father, but I’m about to be sacrificed in a ritual! What do I do? Urgent!!!] Chen Yi stared at the chaotic flood of desperate pleas in the group and fell into deep thought. "Seriously? You drag me into a newbie transmigrator chat group… only after I’m one step away from becoming an immortal?"
th】 【No prior gaming knowledge required】【The First Cultivation + Game Design Novel on the Platform】 In a world where the righteous path dominates and crushes the demonic sects, Lu Ze unlocks the "Son of the Demon Path" system. Killing righteous cultivators now grants him power-ups. Wait—deaths in illusions count too? As a former game designer, Lu Ze decides to give the cultivators of this world a little—no, a massive—shock... Sect Elders: "What is this 'Escape from the Demon Sect' game? Why have all our disciples abandoned cultivation to play it??" Elite Disciples: "You're saying... mastering 'Demon Slayer' can help us counter demonic schemes?" Reclusive Masters: "Why did I leave seclusion? Ask that backstabbing rat who ambushed me in 'Eternal Strife' yesterday!" Rogue Cultivators & Civilians: "'Immortal Abyss Action' is addictive! You can even earn spirit stones by loot-running..." Sect Prodigy: "My Dao heart is unshakable... except for that cursed black hammer." Royal Scions: "Can skins have stat boosts? I’ll pay 10,000 spirit stones for one!!" Sect Leader: "WHO IS CORRUPTING MY DISCIPLES?!!!"