The three of them arrived at the private room on the third floor.
Pushing open the heavy wooden door, a spacious private room formed by combining two rooms appeared before their eyes.
In the very center was a large round table that could seat over ten people, equipped with a smooth black crystal lazy Susan.
Against the wall was a circle of soft leather sofas. In the corner, a polished vinyl record player stood quietly; it was hard to tell if it still worked.
Several incomprehensible abstract paintings hung on the walls, and various small ornaments exuded an aura of "I'm very expensive."
Lin Mo looked around, understanding dawning on him.
The layout of this place perfectly matched all his stereotypes of those so-called high-end private dining restaurants; everywhere revealed an overly deliberate sense of refinement.
As soon as they entered the private room, another younger waitress walked in quietly, bowing with a smile.
"Miss Chu, shall I arrange the tableware now?"
Chu Lintian waved her hand, a hint of imperceptible exhaustion in her voice, "Not everyone is here yet."
"Alright, then I'll prepare some fruit for you first."
The waitress replied and then quietly retreated, closing the door so gently as if afraid of disturbing the air.
"With this kind of service, won't the service charge be at least fifteen percent?" Lin Mo leaned back in his chair and casually complained.
He had seen those fancy high-end restaurants where the service charge started at ten percent.
Chu Lintian didn't take up his conversational thread. Instead, she seemed to drop all her defenses, sinking into the sofa beside her and letting out a long sigh.
"I heard from Miaomiao that you went to sign a contract this afternoon. What kind of contract requires the chairwoman to sign it in person?"
In front of Lin Mo and Chu Miaomiao, Chu Lintian wasn't as reserved as she was outside.
"Don't mention it."
Chu Lintian rubbed her tight brow, her voice filled with exhaustion.
"The other party is an old partner of the group. Those old foxes are stubborn and unyielding. If I didn't go in person to keep them in check, who knows how long they would drag out this contract."
Lin Mo didn't understand the twists and turns of the business world, but he could tell that the Chu Lintian before him had absolutely nothing in common with those domineering CEOs on TV who went out with eight bodyguards and could bankrupt a company with a single glance.
True, after all, it had only been a few months since she took over the group. Her foundation was not yet stable, so she had to handle everything personally.
The two chatted casually.
Later, Xie Yuling and Zheng Yuan also arrived, leaving only Jiang Yunlu who hadn't shown up yet.
Zheng Yuan walked in briskly and grabbed Chu Lintian's hand as soon as she entered.
"Happy birthday, my big birthday girl! We haven't seen each other for just a few days, but why does your face look thinner? Have you been skipping meals again?"
"I'm fine, it's just that there's a lot going on at the company recently." Chu Lintian replied with a smile, the fatigue between her brows fading a little. "I've really troubled you during this time, helping to take care of our Miaomiao."
"What trouble!" Zheng Yuan waved her hand.
"Your Miaomiao is so well-behaved, obedient and sensible. She saves us so much more worry than our own!"
As she spoke, she specifically glanced at her own daughter.
Xie Yuling felt the malice. Chu Miaomiao was already the "other people's perfect child" in their household.
She rolled her eyes imperceptibly and simply didn't respond. Otherwise, she would just be used as a negative example by her mother and subjected to a round of inhumane public execution.
She squeezed in beside Chu Miaomiao, puffing her cheeks, and complained in a low voice, "Fine then, you guys sneaked over here without even asking me to come along."
"Weren't you supposed to bring Auntie Zheng? We couldn't just let Auntie Zheng come over by herself."
Lin Mo said helplessly.
"And we didn't invite Yunlu either," Chu Miaomiao said cautiously.
Hearing this, Xie Yuling's expression improved a bit.
Good thing they didn't invite Jiang Yunlu, otherwise it would have been troublesome.
Just as Lin Mo muttered this in his heart, there was a commotion downstairs.
Speak of Cao Pi, and Cao Pi arrives.
Jiang Yunlu had arrived too, as Lin Mo's divine sense saw clearly.
Dressed in pretty casual clothes, Jiang Yunlu was pulling the door knocker, knocking loudly on the main door.
"Auntie Lili!"
The door was quickly pulled open. The auntie who had hosted Lin Mo and the other earlier looked at Jiang Yunlu at the door with pleasant surprise.
"Yunlu?! Why are you here?"
The professional smile on her face immediately became genuine.
Her gaze subconsciously passed over Jiang Yunlu's shoulder, looking toward the empty street behind her, a trace of anticipation hidden in her eyes that even she hadn't noticed.
"Auntie Lili, stop looking. My dad didn't come with me today." Jiang Yunlu, with her hands in her pockets, spoke with a grin, instantly seeing through Chen Yunli's thoughts.
Chen Yunli's cheeks instantly grew hot, and she glared at her reproachfully.
"You child, always joking with your auntie. But why did you come here today?"
"I came to attend my friend's mother's birthday banquet."
"A birthday banquet? The only table hosting a birthday banquet today is Miss Chu's. They're on the third floor."
Jiang Yunlu gave an OK gesture, not forgetting to turn back and blink before leaving, "Alright! Then I'll go up first. When I go back tonight, I'll tell my dad that you miss him."
These words made Chen Yunli's just-recovered face blush again.
She wanted to retort, but swallowed her words as they reached her lips. She just waved her hand, her voice lowering.
"Forget it. How long has it been since he came here to eat?"
"Then you should give him a call and ask. Ask him if he's forgotten about this place."
Saying that, Jiang Yunlu headed upstairs.
Chen Yunli watched the direction she disappeared in. The blush on her face faded, replaced by an unnoticed trace of loneliness.
Holding onto the doorframe, she sighed softly and murmured in a voice only she could hear.
"He wouldn't agree anyway."
Going up to the third floor, Jiang Yunlu knocked on the door.
It was Lin Mo who opened the door. "You're here."
After entering, Jiang Yunlu said, "Hello, Sister Chu. Hello, Auntie Zheng."
Having attended the parent-teacher meeting last time, Jiang Yunlu naturally recognized Chu Lintian.
Then, she handed over a squarely wrapped dark blue velvet box.
"Happy birthday, Sister Chu. Wishing you to be eighteen every year, as beautiful as a flower."
Chu Lintian chuckled, amused by her, and took the gift.
"Thank you, student Yunlu."
"Open it and take a look, I picked it out especially for you," Jiang Yunlu urged.
Chu Lintian opened the box as told, and a soft halo emanated from inside.
A brooch inlaid with a sapphire lay quietly in the box.
"It's so beautiful! This is too precious." Chu Miaomiao was very surprised. She knew Jiang Yunlu's family was wealthy, but she didn't expect Jiang Yunlu to give her a sapphire brooch worth hundreds of thousands.
Jiang Yunlu smiled and said, "As long as Sister Chu likes it."
At this time, Xie Yuling bumped Lin Mo's shoulder. "I was only responsible for drawing the design. I feel a bit guilty."
"What's there to feel guilty about? Your drawing is very beautiful."
Saying that, Lin Mo also stood up.
"Sister Chu, there's a gift from me, Yuling, and Miaomiao together for you."
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.
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
e, Immortal Body, Transmigration, System, Progression Fantasy, Academy Setting, Third-Person Perspective. Alternate Title: Transmigrating into a High Martial World and Reading Live Comments. Bad news: I transmigrated. This is a terrifying high-martial world, and my original, pathetically weak body fell into a coma and never woke up. Good news: I got a Popularity Points system upon arrival. I can see live comments and even create an unkillable alternate identity. Starting out, the alternate identity has all stats at 1. The system tells me that to grow stronger, I must participate in the plot, gain popularity points to allocate stats and grow stronger, and ultimately awaken my original body. And so, carrying my original body on my back, I officially entered Huaqing Academy, where the story's protagonist resides. From that moment on, Chen Guan kicked the original plot to pieces. Live Comments: [Doesn't anyone find this mysterious coffin guy creepy? He can summon indescribable grey misty hands.] [Is this guy a hero or a villain? What kind of onion became a spirit?] [By the way, does anyone know who's in the coffin? Shouldn't the debt for saving his life be repaid by now?] [According to unofficial histories, the person in the coffin was Chen Guan's first love. Their love was once passionate and earth-shattering, but they were separated by life and death due to worldly circumstances. What a star-crossed pair.] ... Years later, the world knew of a demon god born from a coffin, shrouded in grey mist, impossible to gaze upon directly. His foremost divine emissary often wielded a scythe, reaping lives like the god of death. As war approached, facing former friends and a boundless sea of enemies, Chen Guan merely raised his scythe. "Would you like to dance as well?"
