Ye Haoran pulled an accessory from his backpack and tossed it at Zhou Youbai’s feet.
"This earring was bought with the money you gave me daily, plus some of my own savings. I’m returning it now—whether you return it for a refund or throw it away, I don’t care. From now on, we’re even."
With that, Ye Haoran turned and walked away without a second glance at Zhou Youbai’s stunned expression.
His friend beside him clapped in delight.
"Nice! Haoran, you’ve finally opened your eyes. What’s so great about a woman like her? That bossy attitude of hers is downright annoying."
Then, he quickly caught up with Ye Haoran’s strides.
Zhou Youbai hadn’t expected things to escalate so abruptly. In an instant, it felt like she had lost everything.
Her gaze slowly fell on the jewelry box on the ground—a branded earring.
Not exorbitantly expensive, but certainly not cheap either.
Zhou Youbai did the math. The money she had given Ye Haoran during their time together wasn’t even half the price of that earring.
It seemed she had lost a boy who had genuinely cared for her.
Just then, Lin Mo approached, carrying a few pieces of clothing.
"Maybe you should take her home first."
Jiang Yunlu glanced reluctantly at Lin Mo, then at her distraught best friend, before finally nodding. She took Zhou Youbai’s hand and led her away.
Lin Mo and Fang Jun had witnessed the entire scene clearly, while others, being in different sections of the store, had missed it.
"That guy was ruthless. The moment he learned the truth, he cut ties without hesitation."
"Just damage control."
Lin Mo headed to the fitting room, intending to change. His current clothes had become slightly ill-fitting after his recent growth spurt from cultivation.
But the moment he stepped inside, he nearly collided with Chu Miaomiao, who had just emerged wearing a white outfit.
White accentuated curves effortlessly.
And Chu Miaomiao’s figure was now on full display.
Even Lin Mo almost couldn’t withstand the visual impact, hastily slipping past her into the fitting room.
"An E-rank powerhouse—truly terrifying."
Geng Xiao’s awed voice echoed from outside the door.
Lin Mo changed into a white base layer with a blue overshirt. The well-fitted outfit made him appear even taller than before.
As he stepped out, Fang Jun couldn’t resist commenting, "Wow, where did this handsome guy come from?"
Top-tier hype, no doubt.
Meanwhile, Xie Yuling emerged from the adjacent fitting room, dressed in a similar ensemble—denim jeans with a base layer and a button-up shirt.
The coordination was uncanny.
Even Xie Yuling froze for a moment, wondering if Lin Mo had sneakily checked what she was wearing.
Before she could speak, Fang Jun cut in.
"Whoa, did you two plan this?"
"Nope. This combo just looks good."
Lin Mo’s reply came just as Xie Yuling spun around and hurried back into the fitting room to change.
But not before Lin Mo caught the faint reddening of her ears.
Nearby, Chu Miaomiao had changed back into her original dress.
Spotting Lin Mo’s outfit, she shyly approached. "This… looks nice."
"Thanks. Yours earlier was great too."
At his words, Chu Miaomiao immediately lowered her head, murmuring, "R-really?"
Lin Mo reached out and ruffled her hair.
"You need more confidence. Stop keeping your head down all the time."
"Mm."
But Chu Miaomiao still hesitated to lift her gaze. Doing so would only draw more unwanted attention—the kind of leering stares she despised.
Geng Xiao soon reappeared, striding over the moment she noticed Lin Mo’s sharp attire.
"Ta-da! So, how do I look?"
Naturally pretty, Geng Xiao had opted for a low-cut top that highlighted her collarbones.
Though not as generously endowed as Chu Miaomiao, the slight reveal was enough to turn heads.
Lin Mo didn’t even glance her way, retreating into the fitting room to change back.
Fang Jun gave her a once-over and nodded. "Not bad. Solid effort. I approve."
The ultimate perfunctory triple response.
Geng Xiao pouted, though unbothered. "You have no taste."
"Yeah, yeah, sure."
By the time Lin Mo reemerged, Xie Yuling had also changed back.
Lin Mo picked out a few more items and headed to checkout.
As they paid, Geng Xiao suddenly asked, "Where are Jiang Yunlu and her friend Zhou Youbai?"
Fang Jun stifled a laugh. "Earlier, Zhou Youbai was badmouthing her boyfriend, calling him a dog or something—while he was literally here, buying her a gift. He overheard, handed her the present, and dumped her on the spot."
Geng Xiao gasped.
That kind of self-sabotage was next-level dangerous.
She’d never let herself crash and burn like that.
With Jiang Yunlu now occupied, Geng Xiao suggested, "Let’s grab some food. There’s a small food court downstairs with tons of options."
The group’s dynamic barely shifted despite the absence of two. Downstairs, the snack street boasted an array of treats: beef offal skewers, grilled sausages, stinky tofu, sizzling iron-plate tofu, fried chicken, and more.
Lin Mo’s phone buzzed.
"Did you guys leave already?"
A message from Jiang Yunlu.
"Still here. We’re downstairs eating."
"Wait for me? I’ll treat everyone to a proper dinner tonight."
Lin Mo turned to the others. "Any dinner plans? Jiang Yunlu’s coming back and offering to take us out."
An Yuexin, who’d been busy cozying up to Mai Chuwen, raised a hand. "Chuwen and I will pass. She’s got family dinner, and I’m on escort duty."
The rest had no objections.
Lin Mo replied, "No problem. Everyone’s still around. But your friend…"
"I already took her home. She brought this on herself, and she’s too stubborn to reason with."
Lin Mo’s mind flashed to those "chase-your-ex-through-hell" drama tropes.
What started as an ordinary shopping trip had turned into prime entertainment.
For Lin Mo and the group, it was just a spectacle. But Jiang Yunlu couldn’t afford to treat it lightly.
Still, she wanted to salvage the day—even if it was just casual hanging out.
Most importantly, Lin Mo was still here.
Yet she worried: Had Zhou Youbai’s behavior tainted his impression of her?
After all, she’d been the one to bring Zhou Youbai along. If her friend had poor character, wouldn’t that reflect badly on her too?
Hence, Jiang Yunlu’s desperate bid to restore her image.
Little did she know, Lin Mo hadn’t downgraded his opinion of her at all.
Jiang Yunlu was Jiang Yunlu. Zhou Youbai was Zhou Youbai.
If anything, Lin Mo was more curious about what kind of feast awaited them tonight.
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
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)
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
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?
