Early in the morning, as soon as Lin Mo cracked open his door, he was met with the sight of a pretty face puffed up in anger.
It was Xie Yuling.
"Hmph!"
She crossed her arms, cheeks puffed out, and upon seeing Lin Mo, let out a loud, disdainful snort before turning on her heel and stomping away, her ponytail swinging through the air with clear displeasure.
Her demeanor suggested Lin Mo owed her a fortune.
Standing behind her, Lin Mo couldn’t help but sigh.
This girl had no gratitude at all.
After all the effort he put in every night, painstakingly studying Xiao Yan’s methods to nourish her body like Gu Xun'er.
And yet, first thing in the morning, she greeted him with this attitude.
How pitiful.
Xie Yuling deliberately stomped her feet loudly as she descended the stairs, but after a few steps, she paused at the corner, not moving further. Instead, she turned her head to glare at Lin Mo, unmoving.
Her eyes practically screamed: Why aren’t you following me?
Amused by her antics, Lin Mo decided to mimic her earlier haughtiness and let out a mocking snort of his own.
"Hmph! Say ‘Prince, please come downstairs.’"
"Pfft."
Xie Yuling nearly lost her composure, her lips twitching upward before she forcefully suppressed it, quickly turning her head away to leave Lin Mo staring at the back of her head.
"Come down or don’t, I don’t care!"
Her tone was defiant as she stomped down another flight of stairs.
But after waiting for what felt like forever, there was still no movement from above.
The stairwell was so quiet that only their breathing could be heard.
"Prince, please come downstairs."
Her voice was barely louder than a mosquito’s hum.
Lin Mo could no longer hide his smirk and finally took his time descending after her.
Xie Yuling pursed her lips, watching as Lin Mo made his way down.
Once he reached her level, she immediately stepped forward, blocking his path.
"Prince, you haven’t said what gift you’re giving yet."
"No rush. First, draw the designs—a jade bracelet and a pendant. Make them pretty."
Xie Yuling wasn’t stupid; she instantly understood what Lin Mo was planning.
"If I draw them, can you actually carve them? And where are we even getting jade from?"
Lin Mo couldn’t resist reaching out to ruffle her hair.
"So, Chu Miaomiao provides the funds, you handle the modeling, and I’ll take care of the carving. How I do it isn’t your concern."
Recalling Lin Mo’s peculiar talents, Xie Yuling didn’t press further.
Still, she couldn’t help but ask, "Why two designs?"
"One for Sister Chu, one for Auntie Zheng. Speaking of, when is Auntie Zheng’s birthday?"
Xie Yuling nodded. "Mom’s birthday is the day before mine. Guess when mine is?"
Lin Mo replied nonchalantly,
"July 4th, obviously."
Xie Yuling’s smile froze.
How did he know? She’d never told him!
"It’s on your ID card. I saw it," Lin Mo added lazily, as if reading her mind.
Boom!
Heat rushed to her head, her cheeks turning as red as a ripe apple, her ears burning.
The photo on her ID… was so embarrassing.
"You creep!" she sputtered, equal parts flustered and furious. "When did you sneak a look at my ID?!"
"Sneak a look?" Lin Mo spread his hands innocently.
"You left it lying on the table. That’s on you."
"Hmph! I’m ignoring you!"
The morning streets still carried a slight chill.
Though the crowds hadn’t yet gathered, many breakfast stalls were already open.
The two headed straight for "Sha County Grand Hotel" (a humble local eatery).
Not a single word was exchanged between them—not even about where to eat.
Lin Mo sat down and ordered a basket of steamed dumplings and a plate of mixed noodles.
Back in 2013, mixed noodles cost just four yuan, and steamed dumplings were only five.
This combo was practically a luxury.
Xie Yuling, meanwhile, went for a bowl of wonton noodles.
Not the Cantonese style, but still on the lighter side.
Still, no words passed between them—not even about their breakfast choice.
Lin Mo raised an eyebrow at Xie Yuling.
Xie Yuling raised one right back.
Technically, Lin Mo had chosen Sha County, but Xie Yuling felt she could predict his path just by his stride.
She felt sharper than before.
It was a strange sensation, like a clogged river suddenly clearing, her thoughts flowing smoothly and swiftly.
Problems that once baffled her now made perfect sense. Her memory had improved, and even vocabulary came easier.
She glanced at Lin Mo, convinced this had something to do with the boy now digging into his dumplings.
Lin Mo scooped a spoonful of chili sauce into his peanut butter dip—the soul of Sha County’s flavors.
"Why are you staring? Eat."
He nudged the freshly steamed dumplings, still wafting heat, toward her.
"I will! I’ll finish every last one!" Xie Yuling bared her teeth, a far cry from the aloof girl Lin Mo had first met.
After breakfast, they returned to school with ten minutes to spare before morning reading.
The classroom was already half-full—some students buried in books, others whispering, the air buzzing with noise.
As Lin Mo set down his bag, Chu Miaomiao popped up behind him.
Her face was a mix of nerves and excitement as she thrust a bank card at him, the password scribbled on the back.
Her voice was just loud enough for nearby eavesdroppers to catch every word.
"I brought my card. The password’s written on it."
Instantly, curious gazes zeroed in on them.
Lin Mo didn’t bother hiding it. "How much is in here?"
Chu Miaomiao thought for a second. "I don’t remember exactly. Around three million, maybe? Is that enough?"
A boy sipping soy milk behind them choked, spraying his desk.
The chatter in the back of the classroom died instantly, replaced by stunned silence.
Every eye locked onto Lin Mo and the thin card in his hand, disbelief written across their faces.
Three million?
That was pocket change for a high schooler?
Lin Mo merely nodded, his tone as casual as if discussing homework.
"Plenty. More than enough. Might even have extra to make something else for you guys."
"Perfect!" Chu Miaomiao exhaled in relief, her smile radiant as she returned to her seat, leaving behind a room full of shell-shocked students—and one particularly intense stare.
Jiang Yunlu couldn’t help but glance at Chu Miaomiao.
After the last parent-teacher meeting, Jiang Chengshan had mentioned that Chu Lintian was the new CEO and majority shareholder of Da Jiang Group.
So Jiang Yunlu wasn’t surprised Chu Miaomiao had access to such funds.
Heck, she had even more herself.
But she was curious—why was Chu Miaomiao handing Lin Mo that much money?
Her eyes flicked to Lin Mo, though she held back from asking outright.
lities. One day, Qi Yuan was buying groceries when he unfortunately came face-to-face with a monster. Just when he thought he was going to die on the spot, he suddenly heard the monster's thoughts... "This aura, he's definitely not an ordinary master!" "So terrifying, so terrifying." "A fight with my back against the wall, I can't take it anymore." Qi Yuan: Ah, no one told me that my awakened ability isn't telepathy, but rather the stronger my enemies imagine me to be, the stronger I truly become. PS: Zhou Hai in the first chapter is not the protagonist.
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
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.
