Xia Shunlin's face was so dark it looked like you could wring water from it.
Xia Yusheng felt as if he had plunged into an icy abyss, a chill spreading through his entire body.
It was true that their Xia family coveted Jiang Chengshan's Tianyun Century Group.
But it was also true that Xia Yusheng genuinely liked Jiang Yunlu.
He had invested so much, pursued her for so long, and in the end, he was given a death sentence over some trivial, insignificant report.
Why?
A massive wave of resentment and unwillingness, like a venomous snake, instantly swallowed his reason.
Xia Yusheng abruptly raised his head, his bloodshot eyes locking fiercely onto Lin Mo.
It was him!
If not for him, how could he have ended up in such a state!
Seeing his murderous expression, Lin Mo understood perfectly.
He didn't speak, just leisurely picked up the watermelon-sized raw jadeite ore from the table with one hand, weighing it in his palm.
The motion was gentle, as if he were holding not a stone, but an actual watermelon.
"What? Thinking of starting something?"
Boss Li, who had been watching the drama from behind, felt his eyelids twitch.
He had moved that piece of rough earlier; it was heavy, easily forty or fifty pounds.
Yet this young man held it with one hand, not a flush on his face or a change in his breath, his arm as steady as if it were welded in place.
What kind of arm strength was that?
Looking at the stone in Lin Mo's hand, Xia Yusheng suddenly recalled a scene from a movie where a character attacked someone not wearing a helmet.
He subconsciously touched his own head. The blood that had rushed to his temples moments ago instantly drained away.
In the end, he just lifted a finger to point at Lin Mo. "I'm not wearing a helmet today, so I won't stoop to your level. But don't get cocky, Lin Mo. I'll settle this with you."
With that, he grabbed his father Xia Shunlin's arm and practically fled in disgrace.
"Dad, let's go!"
Xia Shunlin knew their face was thoroughly lost today; staying would only mean more humiliation.
Starting a fight here? What would that do to the Xia family's reputation?
As for the rest, he could ask about it later.
He could only let his face remain livid, allowing his son to drag him away.
At the doorway, Xia Yusheng, still unwilling, whipped his head around and threw Lin Mo a final, vicious glare with all his might.
That look seemed to say: You're dead.
Before leaving, Xia Yusheng turned back to glare at Lin Mo one more time.
Oh, still glaring, huh?
Tsk tsk.
Lin Mo watched his sore loser act, the corner of his mouth quirking up slightly.
He placed his other hand behind his back and slowly snapped his fingers.
"Snap."
The crisp sound was drowned in the surrounding crowd's murmurs, utterly inconspicuous.
Xia Shunlin, who had just taken two steps, suddenly stiffened.
He felt a sudden, intense heat flare up from the inside pocket of his suit jacket!
Thump!
A muffled explosion erupted from his chest!
The smell of something burning instantly filled the air.
Xia Shunlin felt as if a branding iron had been pressed against his chest, a searing pain. He looked down to see a hole burned through the chest of his custom-made suit worth tens of thousands, thin black smoke curling from it.
His recently purchased Galaxy Series 4 phone from Four Star... had actually...
Exploded!
"Ah!"
Xia Shunlin cried out in shock, forgetting all about dignity as he frantically began tearing off his burning suit jacket.
He threw the jacket to the ground in a panic. The area over the chest pocket was charred black, and even the shirt underneath seemed partially blown apart.
Not far away, the sight of the Xia father and son in such a flustered state left Xie Yuling and Chu Miaomiao utterly stunned.
"It's on fire! Quick! Get some water!" Xia Yusheng shouted in panic.
The owner of a nearby shop reacted swiftly, grabbing a dry powder fire extinguisher and rushing over.
"Don't panic, sir! I'll help you!"
White powder instantly smothered the flames on the suit jacket.
But the shop owner seemed unable to stop in time. After finishing the jacket, he inadvertently pointed the nozzle at Xia Shunlin himself.
"Oops, I see sparks on your clothes too! Dangerous!"
Pfft! Pfft!
Two dense clouds of white smoke accurately coated Xia Shunlin from head to toe, draping him in a thick layer of white frost. He looked like a radish freshly pulled from a flour bin.
Xia Shunlin stood frozen, his face still wearing the earlier panic, now rendered utterly ridiculous by the white powder. His mouth hung slightly open, unable to utter a word for a long moment.
The surrounding crowd of onlookers fell silent for an instant before bursting into barely suppressed snickers.
Clearly, this shop owner had probably overheard Xia Shunlin's earlier remarks about gambling on stones being disreputable, and was using this as an excuse to spray him.
After all, he was putting out a fire—that counted as an emergency intervention. You'd even have to thank him.
Xie Yuling secretly glanced sideways at Lin Mo out of the corner of her eye.
She saw Lin Mo looking completely unperturbed, as if the farce before him had nothing to do with him. But the slight upward curve at the corner of his lips gave everything away.
Her heart skipped a beat.
She knew it was him.
Chu Miaomiao on the other side had also figured it out long ago. Not as subtle as Xie Yuling, she simply nudged Lin Mo's arm gently with her elbow, her eyes full of mirth, though she also said nothing.
Lin Mo neither confirmed nor denied it, just gave her a faint glance.
Both girls, each thinking only she had seen through Lin Mo's little trick, stood on either side of him, sharing this unspoken secret.
Watching as Xia Shunlin, under the crowd's pointing and whispering, squeezed out of the throng with his son in utter disarray, Lin Mo finally withdrew his gaze.
"Alright, the farce is over. Let's head back."
"Huh?" Chu Miaomiao was the first to object. "We're going back already? We just got here."
“Yeah, let's look around a bit more,” Xie Yuling chimed in. She still wanted to see other novel things.
Looking at their expectant eyes, Lin Mo thought for a moment and suggested, "Then how about we go check out Lili Square? I'm quite curious about that place."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Xie Yuling's face instantly turned pale, and she shook her head like a rattle-drum.
"No!"
Her reaction was so intense that even Chu Miaomiao was startled, tilting her head to ask, "Why not?"
Xie Yuling didn't want Chu Miaomiao to know how terrifying that place was, so she stammered, finding an excuse. "That... that place is really run-down! There's nothing good to see there!"
She remembered that place spewing black smoke, terrifying.
That damned place, she never wanted to go there again in her life.
Lin Mo noted her fear, smiled, and smoothly defused the situation in a light tone.
"Alright then, we won't go. Let's call it a day and head back."
Chu Miaomiao raised her hand with a suggestion. "How about going to my place? I'll cook something delicious for you!"
That was a good suggestion.
Lin Mo thought for a moment and nodded. "That works too. Anyway, our Yuling here still has to be responsible for sketching the drafts next."
Hearing that, Xie Yuling didn't refuse either. After all, drawing was much better than going to Lili Square.
The three of them also left the stone gambling hall, hailed a taxi, and went straight back to Chu Miaomiao's place.

for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?

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?"

【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)

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.