Xie Yuling and Chu Miaomiao stood at the school gate, watching from afar as Jiang Yunlu and Lin Mo got into the car.
It gave off a sense of déjà vu, like powerless wives watching their husbands leave.
Jiang Yunlu saw them too, simply smiling and waving before getting into the vehicle.
Only after the car disappeared around the street corner did Xie Yuling withdraw her gaze, crossing her arms over her chest, her tone betraying no emotion.
"It seems this really is Lin Mo's first time going to Jiang Yunlu's house."
"Mhm."
Chu Miaomiao responded quietly, her fingers unconsciously picking at her backpack strap.
"Jiang Yunlu's dad probably won't like Lin Mo."
Xie Yuling turned her head, a meaningful smile playing at the corner of her lips.
"Mhm."
"If my dad were here, he definitely wouldn't like Lin Mo."
Xie Yuling's tone grew more certain.
"Huh?"
Chu Miaomiao looked at Xie Yuling in confusion.
Xie Yuling didn't explain. She just continued speaking to herself, her voice carrying a hint of provocation mixed with a trace of loneliness that was hard for others to detect.
"But I still like Lin Mo very much."
These words were like a needle, gently pricking Chu Miaomiao.
She gripped her backpack strap tighter, summoned her courage, looked up, and met Xie Yuling's gaze:
"I... me too."
"I know." Xie Yuling smiled, a smile full of sharp determination to win. "But the final winner can only be me."
"I don't believe that." Chu Miaomiao's voice wasn't loud, but it was firm.
The two girls, both allies and rivals, watched the Bentley fade into the distance.
Inside the Bentley, the ride was so smooth one could hardly feel it moving.
Jiang Yunlu shifted her gaze from the two girls outside the window to Lin Mo.
She stole a glance at him. He was looking down at his phone, the contours of his profile distinct against the flowing light and shadow outside the window.
An impulse surged in her heart.
She really wanted to ask him what he was thinking—about her, about Xie Yuling, about Chu Miaomiao.
But the words reached her lips only to be swallowed back down.
A strong premonition told her that once she asked, the current delicate balance would be broken, and her relationship with Lin Mo might end right there.
Forget it, forget it.
She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the turmoil in her heart.
However, what followed was a sense of nervousness.
Bringing a boy home for dinner felt... weird.
As this concept swirled in her mind, her cheeks began to burn uncontrollably.
She quietly shifted her body, wanting to be closer to Lin Mo, but then felt that might not be reserved enough.
Just as she turned to look at Lin Mo on the other side, he spoke first.
"What? Nervous?"
"I... I... I am not!" The girl, having her thoughts exposed, tied her tongue in knots, her face turning red enough to bleed.
"Good." Lin Mo put down his phone, his gaze landing on her face written all over with guilt, making her hair stand on end.
"Stop the car at the mall ahead. Let me out."
"Huh?!"
Jiang Yunlu's mind went blank with a buzz. She instinctively almost jumped out of her seat.
"Why do you want to get out? Aren't you coming to my house for dinner?"
The girl's voice went from surprise in the first half to grievance in the second, carrying a sobbing tone. Her nose soured, and her eyes instantly reddened.
Emotions surged like a tide.
He actually likes those two more, doesn't he?
So now he's finding an excuse to get off.
The girl's thoughts ran wild like a runaway horse; the more she thought, the more aggrieved and sad she became.
Just as her tears were about to fall, a finger flicked—neither too light nor too heavy—against her forehead.
Thwack.
A very crisp sound.
It was a good melon.
Jiang Yunlu covered her forehead, tears in her eyes, looking at Lin Mo blankly.
"What kind of nonsense is going through that head of yours?" Lin Mo looked at her, amused by her verge-of-tears appearance.
"It's my first time visiting your house for dinner. How would it look if I went empty-handed? I have to buy something. It's basic manners."
Jiang Yunlu froze, the tears still clinging to her eyelashes, forgetting to fall.
So... that's it?
A wave of warmth surged from the bottom of her heart, instantly washing away all the grievance and insecurity, replacing it with an indescribable shyness and warmth.
She hadn't thought of that at all.
"N... no need, just you coming is enough," she muttered softly, burying her face even lower.
Lin Mo shook his head, his tone leaving no room for argument. "You can say no need, but I must buy something."
It was a matter of upbringing.
Seeing his serious expression, Jiang Yunlu's heart skipped a beat.
Eventually, blushing, she whispered to the driver in the front row, "Uncle Zhao, please stop at the mall ahead."
"Alright, Miss."
The car turned smoothly, gliding straight into the B3 underground parking lot of the mall.
Uncle Zhao parked the car in front of the elevator lobby.
"Miss, when you're done shopping, just let me know which elevator, and I'll be right there."
"Okay, sorry to trouble you, Uncle Zhao." Jiang Yunlu's voice was polite and courteous as always.
Uncle Zhao didn't say much. He nodded, watching the two get out.
He didn't leave immediately. Instead, he waited until the figures of the young couple disappeared into the bright halo of the elevator lobby in the rearview mirror before silently driving the car away to an inconspicuous spot in a remote corner of the parking lot.
Engine off. Handbrake on.
The entire parking lot was quiet, save for the low hum of the ventilation ducts.
Uncle Zhao took out his phone and immediately dialed Jiang Chengshan's private number.
The phone rang for a long time. Just as he thought it was about to hang up automatically, it was answered.
From the receiver came a dull, rhythmic chopping sound. The collision of the blade against the cutting board and the minced meat was clearly audible.
"President Jiang," Uncle Zhao said respectfully.
"What is it?" The voice on the other end was even deeper, carrying a hint of displeasure at being disturbed.
"Miss and Mr. Lin went to the supermarket to buy a gift for the visit. I am currently in the parking lot."
The chopping sound on the other end paused briefly.
"Did Yunlu take him there?" Jiang Chengshan's voice betrayed no emotion.
"No, Mr. Lin proposed it himself." Uncle Zhao didn't embellish or omit anything; he described everything he heard and saw in the rearview mirror.
Of course, this included Jiang Yunlu blushing, feeling aggrieved, and getting flicked on the forehead by Lin Mo.
The sound of chopping meat on the other end became noticeably louder; President Jiang was evidently using a lot of force.
Uncle Zhao subconsciously moved the phone a bit further away.
He could even imagine his Chairman, usually decisive and ruthless in the business world, currently wearing an apron with a face as black as the bottom of a pot, chopping the kitchen knife up and down furiously.
After a long while, the noise on the other end subsided, replaced by a deep breath suppressing anger.
"I got it. At least the kid knows how to behave. Just wait for them to come back."
"Yes! President Jiang!"
The call ended. Uncle Zhao gripped the steering wheel and let out a long breath of turbid air, his face filled with a helpless mix of crying and laughing.
He shook his head.
"If I had such a precious daughter, that cutting board would probably have been chopped to pieces by now."
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?"
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
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)
