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 school belle recognized by the whole school, a genius girl from the kendo club. She also has a hidden identity, the youngest legendary demon hunter. Chen Shuo just transmigrated and found himself turned into a weak, helpless little vampire. He was caught by Su Xiyen and taken home at the very beginning. Since then, Chen Shuo's life creed only had two items. "First, classmate Su Xiyen is always right." "Second, if classmate Su Xiyen is wrong, please refer back to item one." Many years later, Chen Shuo, who had turned back into a human, led a pair of twins to appear in front of all the vampires to share the secret of how he turned back into a human. "It's simple, I tricked a female demon hunter into becoming my wife!"

ose... to cooperate with the protagonist! Shen Yuan: I have a system! Protagonist: What? System: Holy crap, you're just spilling it out like that? Shen Yuan: Let's team up, we'll split the system rewards! Protagonist: Fifty-fifty split? Shen Yuan: No way! Protagonist: What!? I'm the one getting beaten up, and I don't get half? Shen Yuan: Forty-sixty split, I get forty, you get sixty! Protagonist: Deal! Big brother, come on, hit me! As long as it doesn't kill me, beat me like you mean it! Shen Yuan: Don't worry... I will definitely protect all of you! No one but me can lay a finger on you! Guard our Heaven's Chosen Ones! I'm the only one allowed to bully them!

young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."

rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!