The afternoon sun was just right, warm but not scorching.
Lin Mo had just come out of the teahouse, thinking about taking a casual stroll through the massive city, when his phone vibrated again.
The name Chu Miaomiao flashed on the screen, and Lin Mo slightly raised an eyebrow.
This girl was actually making a phone call, an unprecedented event.
Her usual method of communication was leaving a text message and then quietly waiting for a reply, like a little kitten afraid of disturbing someone.
Calling could only mean one thing—it was extremely urgent.
Lin Mo swiped to answer.
"Lin Mo, Lin Mo!"
On the other end of the line, the girl's voice was quick and urgent, carrying a trace of suppressed caution and panic.
"I'm here. Slow down, what's wrong?"
While comforting her, Lin Mo checked the location of Chu Miaomiao's divine sense mark.
Her aura was steady, she was still at home, and there was no danger.
He felt relieved and listened to what she had to say next.
"Um, I... I want to make a birthday cake for my mom, but I don't want her to know..." Chu Miaomiao's voice was hesitant, sounding incredibly conflicted.
Lin Mo could almost imagine her lying on the table over there, biting her fingers.
He chuckled softly and simply finished the sentence for her.
"So, you don't dare to go out alone, but you want to give Sister Chu a surprise. Therefore, you thought of me and want me to take you, right?"
"Mhm, mhm, mhm!"
The girl's joyful confirmation came through the phone, accompanied by the faint sound of fabric rubbing. She was probably holding the phone and nodding vigorously.
"Alright, I'll come pick you up now."
"Okay!"
Lin Mo took a taxi over to Baixing Park.
Although he often passed by here, Lin Mo had actually never gone inside even once.
Arriving at Chu Miaomiao's door, Lin Mo swept the inside of the house with his divine sense and then rang the doorbell.
Chu Miaomiao's home now had a visual doorbell installed, allowing them to clearly see who was standing at the door.
A moment later, Chu Miaomiao opened the door. She had already changed her clothes, still wearing black to conceal her figure.
Lin Mo looked around the spotless but slightly desolate house and asked with some amusement.
"Sister Chu isn't home, so wouldn't it be fine to just make it at home? Why do you need to go out?"
Chu Miaomiao shook her head. "There are no ingredients at home. I didn't want my mom to know I was making a cake, so I didn't order the ingredients to be delivered."
Lin Mo raised an eyebrow.
This girl's logic was like a ball of yarn tied in a dead knot.
He looked at her calmly and slowly threw out a fatal question.
"If you don't have ingredients, you could have let us buy them for you."
"Huh?" Chu Miaomiao didn't react for a moment.
"I, or Yu Ling and the others, could go to the supermarket and buy all the ingredients you want." Lin Mo enunciated every word, speaking exceptionally clearly, as if teaching a primary school student how to solve a word problem.
"Then, you, could, make, the cake, at home."
Chu Miaomiao's eyes widened bit by bit, and her mouth opened slightly.
She blinked blankly, and blinked again.
Her expression of sudden realization was as if a gear that had been stuck in her brain for a long time finally clicked into place.
She spat out two words as quietly as a mosquito, her cheeks instantly turning completely red, wishing she could dig a hole in the smooth floor and bury herself right then and there.
"Oh, right."
Seeing her embarrassed appearance, the smile in Lin Mo's heart grew stronger.
This girl's thought process was strangely adorable.
For the sake of a surprise, she had managed to plan a simple matter into a secret stealth mission requiring multiple people to cooperate.
He took a step forward and, before she could react, raised his hand and gently rubbed her head.
"Alright, why think so much."
His voice was gentle, carrying a comforting power.
"Today, I'll take you out for a stroll."
Chu Miaomiao's lowered head moved slightly, her tense shoulder line silently relaxing. In her dimmed eyes, specks of light gathered once again, shining brightly.
A hint of slyness flashed quickly across her eyes, so fast that Lin Mo couldn't catch it at all.
"Thank you, brother!"
This "brother" was called out so sweetly and softly, the trailing note carrying a little hook, extremely lethal.
Lin Mo's heart skipped a beat, secretly thinking that this girl was way too foul.
He immediately turned around and, without a word, grabbed Chu Miaomiao's wrist and walked towards the elevator, moving as fast as if fleeing a crime scene.
Taking the opportunity to change the subject.
"By the way, isn't it Sister Chu's birthday today? Where did she run off to?"
"She said she had a contract to sign at the last minute."
Lin Mo understood.
No wonder Chu Miaomiao insisted on going out to make the cake. If Chu Lintian were to suddenly come back halfway and catch her red-handed, the surprise would be completely ruined.
Walking on the tree-lined path of the residential area, Lin Mo casually asked, "So, have you chosen where to go make the cake?"
Just as he finished speaking, he felt the grip on his wrist stiffen.
Lin Mo's footsteps slowed down, and he slowly turned his head.
He saw the young girl behind him standing stiffly in place, the expression on her face as if a pause button had been pressed.
"Don't tell me..." Lin Mo's eyelid twitched. "You haven't thought about this question at all?"
Chu Miaomiao blinked, her blank and innocent eyes silently answering everything.
Lin Mo understood.
This little girl had simply come out based on the initial plan in her head, completely clueless about what the follow-up plan was.
He sighed helplessly.
"Forget it, come with me. Money makes the world go round, I don't believe we can't rent a kitchen."
Lin Mo directly took out his phone to search for the nearest private cake shop, preferably a high-end looking one with its own kitchen.
In 2013, Dazhong Dianping already had quite a solid foundation.
It even ranked second in the group-buying war. Although it was later merged with Choutuan, it was currently the most powerful and popular review app.
And in a big city like Yangcheng, finding a good cake shop wasn't too difficult.
Lin Mo immediately hailed a cab.
The car stopped steadily at an exquisitely decorated cake shop.
Sitting in the car, Lin Mo scanned it with his divine sense. This shop actually didn't have a back kitchen; it was a typical central kitchen delivery model. Damn it!
"Driver, keep going, to Zhongshan Avenue."
"Ah? Are we not going in?" Chu Miaomiao was stunned.
"No need, it's not necessary. You can tell at a glance this shop doesn't have an independent kitchen," Lin Mo said concisely.
Zhongshan Avenue, Cabras Pastry Shop.
Before the car even stopped steadily, Lin Mo's divine sense had already swept over like spilled quicksilver.
Passing through the exquisite glass doors and over the dazzling display counters, it finally locked onto a spacious and bright professional kitchen at the back of the shop.
Found it.
Lin Mo breathed a sigh of relief. The rest would be easy.
Paying and getting out of the car, he pushed open the shop door, and a crisp wind chime sounded.
"Welcome, the pastries in our shop are all handmade by the boss. The boss returned after completing his studies at the Le Cordon Bleu academy in France."
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
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?"
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.
