Ten minutes later, Su Yang returned home, took a quick shower, and changed into fresh clothes.
After brewing himself a cup of coffee, he leaned back comfortably on the sofa and picked up his phone. The WeChat group chat with his friends had two new additions—Ji Bo and Ye Wan. Su Yang frowned slightly. "Huh? Is Ye Wan coming too?"
"But since she’s Meng Qianyu’s friend, it makes sense. Whatever, the main goal is to find ways to boost Meng Qianyu’s favorability during this trip."
Just then, Pan Ning sent a message in the group.
Pan Ning: @everyone, meet at the plaza in front of Qianxiang Mall at 1 PM sharp to set off. Any issues?
Su Yang: None.
Meng Wenzhou: None.
Liu Bo: Got it.
......
Everyone replied one after another.
Pan Ning sent another message: If you don’t have gear yet, go buy it now. There’s still plenty of time.
Lu Yun: Little Tang and I are already at the mall~ [Photo]
Pan Ning: Ok.
Ji Bo: So nervous and excited!!
Meng Wenzhou: What’s there to be excited about? Never been camping before?
Ji Bo: Nah, it’s just my first time hanging out with you guys. Can’t help feeling pumped!
Meng Wenzhou: You won’t be excited for long~
Ji Bo: Why?
Meng Wenzhou: No reason. You’ll find out soon enough.
Ji Bo: Heh, whatever, as long as it’s fun~
Liu Bo: Hey newbie, shouldn’t you show some appreciation to the group? [Evil grin]
Ji Bo: Heh, I was planning to, but I figured you guys might look down on small change.
Liu Bo: Then just send more?
Ji Bo: ......Fine, I’ll cover some gas money~
After sending this, he spammed the group with over a dozen red packets.
Though most people in the group weren’t short on cash—especially someone like Meng Wenzhou, a super-rich second-generation—grabbing red packets had little to do with wealth. It was more about the fun and camaraderie among close friends.
Su Yang swiftly tapped open the packets.
The first one netted him 35 yuan—decent luck. He smirked and checked Ji Bo’s red packets.
There were 15 in total, each worth 200 yuan and split into 12 shares for the 13 group members.
Su Yang chuckled. "This kid’s got manners."
He opened the rest, rounding up to a total of 321 yuan.
The flood of red packets also drew out Han Xiaoyu and Xia Keke.
Han Xiaoyu: Whoa!! Who’s the generous soul showering us with red packets??
Ji Bo: Yours truly!
Xia Keke: Thanks, boss!!
Han Xiaoyu: Yeah, thanks for sparing some change for us poor working folks. We’re the only ones in this group with actual jobs, waaah~~
Ji Bo: No big deal. I was worried you’d scoff at such small amounts.
Han Xiaoyu: I’ll take anything! Send ‘em, and I’ll grab ‘em!!
......
Liu Bo: Thanks, big spender!
Zhang Ziming chimed in: Thanks, boss!
Han Xiaoyu: Thanks, boss!
Meng Wenzhou: I only got 100-something, so no thanks. But here’s a suggestion—send another 15.
Su Yang: Seconded!
Ji Bo: ......
After some banter, Pan Ning shared the trip’s destination in the group.
Su Yang checked it—a place called Qianye Mountain, located at the border of Tianhai Province and Xia Province, about 390 kilometers from Haicheng. Not too far, but not exactly close either.
He’d heard of it before—a great camping spot with scenic views, mountains, and water. Unlike commercialized tourist areas, it was relatively untouched.
Pan Ning sent another message.
Pan Ning: @everyone, this is where we’re headed.
Meng Wenzhou: That far??
Pan Ning: It’s still within the province. How’s that far?
Meng Wenzhou: I thought we were just hanging around Haicheng.
Pan Ning: Those spots are boring and overdone. We’re going somewhere raw and natural.
Ji Bo: I agree!! So hyped!
Shen Yixue: Yeah, it’s not like we’re busy anyway. Camping, barbecuing, hiking—sounds perfect.
Pan Ning: Right. Here’s the rough itinerary: Depart at 1 PM today, arrive by 6 PM, set up camp and cook. Tonight, drinks and chats. Tomorrow morning, we hike Qianye Mountain, rest after returning, and the day after, hit a hot spring resort to unwind. We’ll head back to Haicheng the following day.
Pan Ning: Even with delays, five days max.
Ji Bo: Can’t wait!! This plan’s flawless—hiking followed by a relaxing soak? Pan Ning, you’re a genius!
Shen Yixue: So excited~
Meng Wenzhou rolled his eyes on the other end of his phone: Not excited!! Can I still back out?
Pan Ning: What do you think?
Meng Wenzhou: [Crying]
Pan Ning: Oh, let’s sort out carpooling now. How many cars are we taking?
Liu Bo jumped in.
Liu Bo: I’ll drive one. I’ve got a Lincoln Navigator—huge and comfy!! Any ladies wanna ride with me? [Eager]
Pan Ning: Perfect. Use that to haul our gear.
Liu Bo: ???
Pan Ning: Problem?
Liu Bo: Heh, none at all. Honored to serve~
Su Yang couldn’t help laughing. Figuring he’d need to drive too, he typed:
—I’ll take one as well.
Zhang Ziming followed up: Me too. Happy to chauffeur. Three or four cars should suffice.
Su Yang: Right. Liu Bo’s ride has space for luggage. You and I can take the others.
Zhang Ziming: [Handshake] My thoughts exactly.
Meng Wenzhou asked: What cars are you two driving?
Zhang Ziming: G63.
Su Yang: DBX707.
Meng Wenzhou wanted to experience Su Yang’s driving speed, but he knew there’d be no seat for him. He didn’t feel like driving, and Liu Bo’s Navigator didn’t appeal either—so Zhang Ziming it was.
He tagged Zhang Ziming: @BlackNightBug, I’m riding with you.
Liu Bo: ??? Bro? You’re ditching me?
Meng Wenzhou: Ji Bo’s with you. Let him navigate.
Ji Bo: Happy to oblige~~
Zhang Ziming: So far, my car has me, Shen Yixue, and Meng Wenzhou. Room for two more.
No one replied for a minute.
Then Pan Ning said: Qianyu, Lu Yun, Little Tang, and I will ride with Su Yang. The rest of you figure it out.
Su Yang was stunned. "Damn, she’s good at this."
Liu Bo: My car seats seven!! Even with luggage, there’s space for one or two more. No need to cram five into one car.
Silence...
Ye Wan, who had been silent until now, finally appeared in the group chat.
She greeted everyone first, then said, "Sorry about that, I was busy earlier and just saw the messages now."
Ye Wan: "I’ll ride with Brother Xiao Chong then."
Zhang Ziming: "You can call me Brother Ziming [cool emoji with head lowered]."
Ye Wan: "Sure thing, Brother Ziming."
Zhang Ziming: "Hehe, so I guess the assignments are all settled now? Anyone else left?"
Liu Bo: "Nope!"
Meng Wenzhou: "Alright, let me summarize: Old Su, Pan, Qianyu, Lu Yun, and Little Tang in one car. Me, Ziming, Yixue, and Ye Wan in another. Fatty Ji Bo, you two take the last one."
Right after sending the message, Meng Wenzhou quickly added: "You two are in charge of our gear—make sure nothing goes missing!"
Ji Bo: "It’s my honor~"
Liu Bo: "[grinding teeth emoji]"
Pan Ning: "Alright, that’s settled. Those who are curious can look up Qianye Mountain beforehand. I’m off to shower—see you all soon."
......
Time flew by, and before they knew it, it was already 12:30 p.m.
Su Yang loaded some of his camping gear into the trunk of his Aston Martin.
After a quick check, he pulled the car door open and got inside.
By just before one o’clock, he had parked his car by the roadside at Qianxiang City.
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!
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)
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."
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?
