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."

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)

ver to a world of cultivation and returned invincible. Modern medicine is child's play compared to elixirs; technological might crumbles before true cultivation. My name is Qin Ning, Earth's sole cultivator!

world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...

iemie, male, Race: Moon. Hobby: Collecting anomalies. At first, he thought he possessed two systems: the Crimson Rainbow Moon and the Clear Cold Frost Moon. One day, he discovered that he himself could also become a system for others, holding the chessboard of fate. The Eighth Epoch, also known as the Eternal Moon Epoch. Humans, witches, elves, bloodline descendants, specters, demons, and spirits together compose a new history. Walking the path on behalf of the moon, before he knew it, Chen Miemie's footsteps were followed by all manner of strange and wondrous anomalies. As time passed, many titles circulated about him—The King in Yellow, Lord of Anomalies, Heart of the Eternal Moon, and more. "Me? I'm just a traveler who enjoys collecting interesting creatures," Chen Miemie said.