After leaving the LV store, Su Yang took Lu Yun to a spicy Chongqing-style hotpot restaurant in the nearby commercial district.
Su Yang himself was quite fond of hotpot—it was economical, satisfying, and delicious.
Even though he had money now, he wasn’t interested in indulging in extravagant feasts every day.
Those fancy dishes were enjoyable once in a while, but eating them daily didn’t suit his taste, nor did he see the point.
No matter how rich you were, you should still eat what you liked. He thought it was downright stupid to frequent high-end restaurants just to show off.
It was peak dining hours, and the restaurant was nearly full. Busy waiters hurried back and forth with trays, creating a lively atmosphere.
Su Yang and Lu Yun waited in line for twenty minutes before finally getting a table and placing their order.
They ordered a feast: fatty beef rolls, duck blood, tripe, chicken gizzards, chicken feet, and more.
"Did we order too much?" Lu Yun glanced at the spread and immediately corrected herself.
"I’m not being stingy—I just don’t want to waste food if we can’t finish it."
Su Yang smiled faintly. "Don’t worry, we’re all about not wasting food. I have a big appetite—I’ll definitely finish it."
"As long as you can eat it all, order as much as you want," Lu Yun replied.
Soon, the red oil in the pot began to bubble, and Su Yang started adding ingredients.
"Do you usually eat Chongqing hotpot?" he asked.
"Yeah, I like it too," Lu Yun said.
"Good. I’d feel bad if you were just forcing yourself to eat it for my sake."
"I really do like it," Lu Yun said with a cute smile.
As they chatted and ate, Lu Yun’s face turned red from the spice. Su Yang had already ordered the mildest level of spiciness, knowing she couldn’t handle too much heat.
Watching her pant and stick out her tongue, Su Yang teased, "Is it really that spicy? This is just mild."
"I don’t know why I can’t handle it today. Normally, I’m fine with spicy food."
"Maybe it’s been too long since you last had it. Let me grab you a drink."
Su Yang stood up and headed toward the beverage fridge near the entrance.
But after just a few steps, he froze—someone he never expected to see was walking into the restaurant.
Their eyes met, but Su Yang pretended not to notice and continued toward the fridge.
The newcomer, however, brightened up and called out, "Su Yang? Is that you?"
Su Yang rolled his eyes. ‘Damn it, I pretended not to see you. Couldn’t you just walk away instead of greeting me?’
It was Lin Xiaomo, his ex-girlfriend from college—the one who had once mocked him for being "not good enough." She was the only girl he had ever officially dated.
Beside her stood a tall, muscular man, about 6'1" (185 cm), slightly taller than Su Yang.
The man had a strong build, looked around 25, with a slicked-back undercut, a square jaw, and a bit of stubble. His face was oddly pale, as if he wore makeup.
He wore a rolled-up black T-shirt, knee-length casual shorts, and white sneakers.
His overall vibe was polished but slightly effeminate.
Lin Xiaomo, on the other hand, was dressed provocatively—a tight gray dress that hugged her curves, a white handbag, and small white sandals.
She was undeniably attractive: long hair, a delicate face, big eyes, and glossy lips. Her chest strained against the tight fabric of her dress.
Su Yang turned his back to grab a drink, but Lin Xiaomo walked up and tapped his shoulder.
"Still pretending not to know me? I’d recognize you even if you turned to ashes."
Su Yang sighed and turned around. "What do you want?"
"Can’t I just say hi? We did have a history, you know." She smirked, completely unfazed, her eyes scanning him up and down.
"When did you get so fit? And you’ve gotten handsomer too—did you get plastic surgery?"
"None of your business."
"Who’s this?" the man behind Lin Xiaomo asked, stepping forward.
"Oh, my ex-boyfriend," she said bluntly.
"Ex? The ‘not good enough’ guy?" The man crossed his arms and smirked mockingly.
"Yeah, that’s him. But he’s gotten way hotter since college."
"Doesn’t matter how hot he is. If he’s bad in bed, that’s just how it is. Can’t change genetics unless he gets surgery."
Su Yang glanced at the man, then back at Lin Xiaomo. "This your new boyfriend?"
"Still under evaluation. Not official yet."
The man didn’t react, so Su Yang grinned. "You sure he’s not gay?"
"What the hell? You’re the gay one!"
"You give off major ‘three-second man’ vibes. You’re calling me bad in bed? I bet you don’t last any longer."
Lin Xiaomo burst out laughing.
"What’s so funny? Did I hit the mark? You must’ve tested him already."
"Not yet. But if he really only lasts three seconds, I might as well get back with you."
"Dream on. I don’t have time for this. Bye." Su Yang grabbed his drink and turned to leave.
"Wait!" Lin Xiaomo called after him.
"What now?"
"Add me on WeChat. You deleted me before, so we don’t have each other’s contacts anymore."
"No way. I’m over you. Bye." Su Yang walked off without another word.
"What a pretentious ass," the man muttered.
"So… is it really three seconds?"
"Of course not! You’re really gonna believe that crap?"
Lin Xiaomo covered her mouth, giggling. "Just kidding. Let’s go—I’m starving."
......
Lin Xiaomo and the man were seated by a waiter—coincidentally, right next to Su Yang and Lu Yun’s table.
Su Yang was beyond annoyed. ‘Are you kidding me? Why the hell are they sitting here?’
Lin Xiaomo noticed Su Yang and the pretty girl across from him. ‘Oh, so he’s on a date with a cutie.’
"Hello again! What a coincidence, huh?" she said, grinning at Su Yang.
Su Yang rolled his eyes. Lu Yun, confused, asked, "Su Yang, who is this?"
"Oh, uh… my ex-girlfriend."
Lu Yun gave an awkward smile. "Oh… okay."
"Is this your girlfriend?" Lin Xiaomo asked after ordering, leaning over.
"No, just a classmate."
"Just a classmate? She’s really pretty. What a shame."
"What’s the shame?" Su Yang snapped.
"That she met you—ruining her future happiness."
"Can you just shut up?" Su Yang glared at Lin Xiaomo’s smug face.
He wanted nothing more than to prove his current "capabilities," but he couldn’t say that with Lu Yun sitting right there.
Still, he had no interest in Lin Xiaomo anymore—even if she was skilled in certain areas.
But now, many of his thoughts had undergone a tremendous shift—he wasn’t as keen on competing or proving himself as before.
However, if Lin Xiaomo still insisted on pushing him relentlessly on this topic, he wouldn’t mind making sure she couldn’t get out of bed.

ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!

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?"

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.”

't think I'm that capable, I'm just trying my best to stay alive. I've been kind all my life, never did anything bad, yet worldly suffering spared me not one bit. The human world is a nice place, but I won't come back in my next life. A kind young man, who wanted to just get by singing, but through repeated deceits and betrayals, has gone down an irredeemable path.