The air in the tea room seemed to have been steeped in that cup of rock tea worth a thousand gold—heavy, and carrying a trace of imperceptible scorching heat.
Who was Jiang Chengshan?
He was the monarch of a commercial empire, holding full control, his word absolute.
If his group were to go public, adding two zeros to his net worth would be a conservative estimate.
A man like him had long been accustomed to looking down on the masses; how could he possibly tolerate a wet-behind-the-ears brat repeatedly challenging his authority right to his face?
Bang!
With a loud crash, the heavy rosewood table hummed from the impact.
The purple clay tea set on the table jumped violently, splashing a few drops of scalding tea onto the polished surface.
Jiang Chengshan rose abruptly, looking down imperiously at Lin Mo, his well-maintained face now clouded with gloom.
"Lin Mo, do you really think that title of 'School's First,' or even 'Province's First,' is some kind of magnificent all-access pass?"
His voice wasn't loud, but every word seemed quenched in ice.
"Let me tell you, my company's Human Resources department receives at least several dozen resumes from top students like you every single year! If it weren't for the fact that Yunlu has some fondness for you, you wouldn't even be qualified to step through this door!"
These words, had they been directed at any other student, would likely have left them pale-faced and helpless.
However, Lin Mo, who had already stood up intending to end this conversation, slowly halted his steps.
He turned around. The humility and submissiveness belonging to a "good student" peeled away from his face like a mask, piece by piece.
Replacing it was a calm that bordered on mockery.
"What makes you think that I dare to sit here and discuss these things with you relying merely on my grades?"
Lin Mo's eyes changed. They were no longer clear; instead, they revealed the scrutiny and amusement of an adult.
"Old Jiang, do you really think you've investigated me thoroughly?"
Without waiting for Jiang Chengshan to answer, he pulled out his chair and sat back down.
This time, his posture was no longer as disciplined as before.
Lin Mo sat there, his tone and expression no longer that of the polite and humble Lin Mo from ordinary days.
Instead, he was the nearly thirty-year-old, utterly reckless hoodlum from his past life.
The Lin Mo with no rebirth, no system, and no cultivation.
Just a punk.
But also the most real version of himself.
Jiang Chengshan's eyelid twitched. The sudden ruffian aura emerging from the boy made him feel an inexplicable discomfort.
But he wasn't scared by Lin Mo's expression. Instead, he sneered, "Are you trying to bring up the Dajiang Group? So what if you know Chu Lintian?"
He picked up his teacup, blew on the steam, and took a sip, his demeanor becoming composed once more.
His face regained its calm. "Do you think you're really formidable? I only need to say one word, and Chu Lintian will be wary of you. Do you think she will protect you? You merely saved her daughter. It was just a one-time debt of gratitude."
He thought these words would be enough to crush all of Lin Mo's pretenses.
But after listening, Lin Mo didn't show the slightest panic. Instead, he chuckled low in his throat.
He looked up, gazing at Jiang Chengshan's confident face, and asked leisurely:
"Chairman Jiang, everything you said is correct."
"But have you ever considered one question?"
"Why would Chu Lintian... listen to me?"
"Why would Jiang Beihe hand over the Dajiang Group?"
As he spoke, Lin Mo reached out and grabbed the teacup Jiang Chengshan had bought from Jingdezhen at a high price.
It was part of a complete set that Jiang Chengshan liked very much.
Jiang Chengshan watched helplessly as the cup in Lin Mo's palm did not shatter with a loud bang, but rather, as if crushed by an invisible force, silently turned into a handful of fine white ash.
The entire process was terrifyingly quiet.
Lin Mo opened his hand, and the powder drifted down onto the precious rosewood tea table, forming a small grave mound.
Jiang Chengshan took a deep breath, his pupils dilating slightly, his hand unconsciously gripping the armrest of his chair.
Lin Mo had never been a good person.
The reason he still acted civilized was entirely due to the not-too-twisted worldview instilled in him by his family and schools from childhood to adulthood.
But that didn't mean just anyone could badmouth him.
Let alone provoke him.
He gently blew away the last trace of white ash staining his fingertips, watching it drift in the air, dust returning to dust, earth returning to earth.
"Are you threatening me?" Jiang Chengshan's voice was dry and hoarse as he struggled to maintain the last shred of dignity belonging to a superior.
Lin Mo gave a light laugh, a laugh devoid of warmth.
"Threatening?"
He stood up methodically, looking down at Jiang Chengshan.
"If not for Yunlu's sake, do you think you'd be qualified to sit here and speak to me?"
"Or perhaps, you feel that with your trivial worldly wealth, you can do something to me? Or, do you want Aunt Qiong to come and try?"
The moment Lin Mo said this, Jiang Chengshan's face went instantly pale.
"You... how do you know about that?!"
Lin Mo didn't answer. He simply gazed at him calmly with eyes that seemed to see through everything, before dropping one final sentence.
"Because you are nothing more than an ordinary person."
With that, he turned and left, pulling open the door of the tea room and shutting the room full of dead silence and terror behind him.
The conversation in the tea room had indeed ended on a sour note.
However, once he left the tea room, Lin Mo's expression returned to its previous gentleness.
Walking into the living room, he saw Jiang Yunlu and Jiang Chengyue eating snacks bought from the supermarket.
Of course, another bag of snacks had been taken directly to Jiang Yunlu's room.
Seeing Lin Mo emerge, Jiang Yunlu paused her movements, a trace of imperceptible nervousness in her eyes.
"Done chatting?"
"Yeah, done chatting." Lin Mo smiled, sitting down naturally beside them and casually plucking a stick from the Pretz packet Jiang Yunlu was holding in her arms.
The young girl's face flushed slightly, but she didn't stop him.
Sitting opposite them, Jiang Chengyue took all this in, but she didn't stop it either. First love is blooming; what problem could there be?
However, sitting inside the tea room at this moment, Jiang Chengshan could not let it go for a long time.
Because many years ago, someone had said those exact words to him.
"Jiang Chengshan, you are nothing more than an ordinary person. Stop delving into these things."
"Let it go. You're just an ordinary person."
Jiang Chengshan clenched his fists tightly.
He was clearly an entrepreneur ranked among the top in this country.
Yet, he was still just an ordinary person.
Remembering something, he took out a laptop from the cabinet nearby and immediately connected to the surveillance system.
However, within the surveillance system, only one camera showed a signal interruption.
It was exactly the tea room where he was.
He scrolled the time back. When he and Lin Mo entered the tea room, the surveillance was still working fine.
However, right after they finished the tea, the surveillance signal cut out.
Just then, the interrupted signal suddenly restored itself.
The screen showed only him, sitting there with a look of astonishment on his face.
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
y came from. The chests contained supplies, currency, class-change scrolls, skills, talents… and even godhood! The laws of the world were completely rewritten. This became a world where everyone gambled with their fate! Some people, despite having nothing, opened a divine artifact and rose to the top, eventually ruling the world. Others went bankrupt, opened nothing but worthless junk, and leaped from skyscrapers in despair. Lin Ye arrived in this world from another reality, utterly bewildered. “What is going on? Why is everyone a gambling addict?!” “Opening chests? No way. I refuse to gamble. I’ll start with myself!” Until— On his first chest, he obtained a Mythic Talent: Void Incarnation! He could become completely intangible, pass through all things, and reduce everything to nothingness! … On his fiftieth chest, he obtained a Mythic Weapon: Blade of Karma! With a single slash, karma shattered, twisting the universe and overturning the myriad phenomena of creation! … On his ninety-ninth chest, he obtained a Mythic Divine Treasure: Primordial Purple Energy! It could split open the heavens and earth, create all things, and evolve countless worlds with a single thought! Lin Ye: “Now that I think about it… shouldn’t someone have told me that every chest is guaranteed to contain something Mythic?!”
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?"
