The wine glasses were filled, and the eight of them raised their cups.
Meng Wenzhou grinned and said, "Let’s toast to Su Yang’s new house!"
"Come on, bottoms up!"
Everyone downed their drinks in one go. Su Yang smiled and said, "I won’t bother with formalities—thanks for celebrating with me!"
"Hey, we’re all close friends here. No need to be so polite."
"Alright, enough talk. Let’s eat!"
As Su Yang’s voice trailed off, the group dug in enthusiastically, clearly starving.
After a while, Lu Yun leaned in and whispered to Su Yang, "You bought another place?"
"Yeah, in Nanlin District. I can move in next week."
"So you won’t be living in Senhai Manor anymore?"
Su Yang shook his head. "Nah, I’ll switch between the two, depending on the situation."
"That’s luxurious. Another penthouse?"
"Nope, a villa."
"A vi—"
Su Yang’s reply left Lu Yun speechless.
"Eat up," Pan Ning interjected calmly, placing a slice of peppercorn-seasoned pork kidney into Su Yang’s bowl.
Su Yang blinked, then chuckled. "I can serve myself, thanks."
"Hmph."
Lu Yun’s face twitched almost imperceptibly. Without thinking, she picked up a piece of abalone and dropped it into Su Yang’s bowl.
The once-lighthearted atmosphere instantly turned subtle.
Liu Bo glanced over, stifled a laugh, and went back to eating. Han Xiaoyu and Xia Keke pretended not to notice, focusing on their food. Tang Ziyun peeked, stuck out her tongue slightly, and continued eating. Meng Wenzhou, however, shot Su Yang a confused look.
Su Yang frowned and blinked in response.
"What’s with the eye contact? You two got something going on?" Pan Ning suddenly asked.
Su Yang froze, then forced a laugh. "Huh? Did we?"
"I’ve seen you two exchanging glances all night. Are you guys… gay?"
Su Yang leaned closer to Pan Ning and muttered, "You should know whether I’m gay or not."
"What if you’re bi?"
"I—what kind of nonsense is that? Come on, let’s have another round!" Su Yang hastily raised his glass to change the subject.
The group ate and chatted for another hour until they were stuffed, polishing off two bottles of Moutai.
If Pan Ning was present, no alcohol ever went to waste.
After dinner, Meng Wenzhou pulled Su Yang aside to the restroom.
Once outside the private room, he immediately asked, "What was that about earlier?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know exactly what I mean. My sister putting food in your bowl is one thing, but Lu Yun too?"
"Well, we’ve known each other for ages. It’s just a friendly gesture, no big deal."
"Something’s off. From what I’ve seen, the way she looks at you isn’t just ‘friendly.’ That kind of gaze doesn’t lie."
"Uh…"
"Man, you’ve got some serious luck with women. I was thinking of pursuing Lu Yun, but seems like I’m out of the running."
"Honestly? She does have feelings for me."
"‘Feelings’? That was full-on heart eyes."
Meng Wenzhou sighed, looking genuinely dejected.
"Whatever. I won’t compete with you. But you can’t have both Pan Ning and Lu Yun. Life doesn’t work that way."
Su Yang gave an awkward smile. "I know."
"Good. So… which one do you like more?"
"Uh, that’s a tough one. Can I say both?"
"Get outta here!" Meng Wenzhou laughed, shoving him playfully.
After the restroom break, Su Yang quietly settled the bill. The group then left the restaurant.
"Hey, Liu Bo, where are we staying tonight?" Su Yang asked.
"I booked the best guesthouse in Shima Town. Just follow me after drinks."
"Got it."
They strolled along the riverbank in Shima Town, lined with bustling bars on both sides.
This was the liveliest time of night in the ancient town.
The eight of them weaved through the crowd.
Liu Bo pointed to a bar a few hundred meters ahead called "Blossom Court." "Let’s go there. I’ve been before—decent vibe, not too rowdy."
"Sure."
Soon, they reached the entrance of Blossom Court. Though called a bar, it was more of a tranquil, traditional-style tavern.
A short wooden staircase led up to the glass door. Inside, mellow folk music played as patrons lounged at dimly lit tables, chatting and drinking in a laid-back atmosphere.
Many visitors to the town sought exactly this kind of slow-paced relaxation—a cozy tavern, a breeze, and good company.
A waiter in a vest greeted them. "Welcome to Blossom Court. How many in your party?"
"Eight. Got a window booth?" Su Yang asked.
"Right this way."
They followed the waiter to a riverside booth. The wooden window swayed gently in the night breeze.
Su Yang, as usual, took the innermost seat.
Lu Yun hesitated for a split second, but Pan Ning had already slid in beside Su Yang.
With a quiet sigh, Lu Yun sat next to Tang Ziyun instead.
They ordered two crates of beer and some fruit platters.
As they waited, five people—three men and two women—entered the bar.
One of the women wore a sleek black deep-V off-shoulder top paired with a figure-hugging tulle pencil skirt.
It was Xia Li.
Su Yang, facing the entrance, spotted her immediately. He raised an eyebrow at Meng Wenzhou.
Meng Wenzhou turned and grinned. "What a coincidence."
"I have a feeling they’ll sit near us."
Meng Wenzhou chuckled. "I believe it. Your luck with women is unreal. They’ll definitely come over."
Sure enough, Xia Li’s group approached.
Spotting Su Yang and Meng Wenzhou, Xia Li paused, then smiled. "We meet again!"
Su Yang grinned back. "Third time today, right?"
"Yep." Xia Li turned to the waiter. "We’ll take the table next to theirs."
"Of course. This one seats six, though it’s not by the window."
"That’s fine."
Once seated, Xia Li waved at Meng Wenzhou. "Long time no see, Meng."
Meng Wenzhou nodded. "What brings you to Shima Town, Xia?"
"I came here with a friend to discuss some business. We finished dinner early, so we thought we'd stop by a bar for a drink. Didn’t expect to run into you here."
"Actually, I spotted you earlier during dinner."
"Oh, really? Why didn’t you call me over?"
Meng Wenzhou chuckled, "You were deep in conversation—didn’t want to interrupt."
"Come on, Meng Wenzhou, if you’d just called my name, I’d have dropped everything to share a drink with you the second I knew you were next door."
"You’re too kind, Xia Keke. But now we’ve got the chance, haven’t we?"
"Haha, true enough. Since fate’s brought us together, why don’t we merge tables?"
"Sounds good to me. What do you think, Su Yang?" Meng Wenzhou glanced at Su Yang.
Su Yang nodded with a smile. "No problem at all."
"Waiter! Over here, please."
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
pression Bureau] Transported to a fantasy world overrun by demons and monsters, Gu Qingfeng becomes a jailer in the Demon Suppression Prison of the Great Yan Dynasty's Demon Suppression Bureau. From this point on, bizarre cases frequently occur in the Demon Suppression Prison, once known as hell on earth and infamous for its gloomy, terrifying atmosphere! Why do the demons and monsters in the prison wail miserably every night? Why has the corpse demon, capable of transforming into various beauties, donned black stockings and switched careers to become a foot massage therapist? Why has the eye demon, expert in soul-snatching and illusions, turned into a VR headset? Why is the fox spirit performing otaku dances? Are all these occurrences a twisted expression of demonic nature, or a descent into moral depravity? After peeling away layer upon layer of mystery, all clues ultimately point to a jailer named Gu Qingfeng. Gu Qingfeng: "Hehehe... My dear demons and monsters, whose card shall we flip today?"
lan, the Luo family, tracked him down - along with the babies in their arms. Mo Xuan stared pensively at the paternity test results from over a dozen top institutions, both domestic and international, showing a 99.99% match between himself and the two baby girls. At 23, Mo Xuan, a doctoral student, had become the father of two three-year-old children. The kicker? The mothers weren't even the same person! He gradually realized he was being lured step by step into an elaborate trap designed by these two yandere sisters. "Be good, little Xuan. Sister's life belongs to you entirely." "Brother, if you try to run away, I'll have no choice but to tie you up." Mo Xuan: "Do whatever you want, ladies. I give up."
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.”
