"Holy shit! Who's there?! Turn on the lights!!" Zhang Ziming shouted in a panic.
The candlelight had been flickering across their faces, but when it suddenly went out, everyone's vision plunged into darkness.
Already spooked by the two ghost stories they'd just heard, the girls in the living room screamed hysterically as the room became pitch black.
Liu Bo had snatched the remote earlier, but someone bumped into him, causing it to slip from his grasp.
In the chaos, no one thought to use their phone flashlights—instead, they fumbled around blindly, searching for the remote.
Then, out of nowhere, the piano nearby let out a sharp, jarring note.
Ding!! Dong!!
The sound was so abrupt, echoing through the spacious living room, that it sent chills down their spines.
"Ahhhh!!" The girls instantly leaped onto the couch, clinging to each other in terror.
Su Yang found himself buried under a pile of people—arms around him, legs draped over his lap, bodies pressed against his sides.
He remained completely still, unfazed. The moment the candle had gone out, he'd seen Liu Bo discreetly toss the remote under the table.
Then he watched as Liu Bo quietly crawled away. The only reason Su Yang could see in the dark was his enhanced 88-point physique, which sharpened all his senses far beyond normal human limits.
He sat there, amused, as Liu Bo tiptoed over to the piano and took a seat.
Su Yang had no intention of stopping him—this situation was too good to ruin.
When the piano played again, Xia Keke shrieked, "Stop it!! You're scaring me!! Please!!"
Finally, Meng Wenzhou spoke up. "Alright, fatso, that's enough."
"Fine, fine." Liu Bo pulled out his phone, turned on the flashlight, and retrieved the remote before pressing the button.
The living room instantly flooded with light.
Everyone squinted, blinking as their eyes adjusted. After a few seconds, Meng Wenzhou and Liu Bo turned to look at Su Yang.
There he was—left arm around Pan Ning, right arm around Tang Ziyun, Han Xiaoyu perched on his lap, and Xia Keke squeezed in beside Tang Ziyun.
Meanwhile, Liu Meng, Shen Yixue, and Zhang Ziming were huddled together at the edge of the couch.
"Damn."
The girls around Su Yang suddenly snapped back to reality and scrambled away—except for Pan Ning, who barely moved.
"You guys are the worst!!" Xia Keke pouted angrily.
"Yeah! You almost gave me a heart attack," Han Xiaoyu added, her cheeks flushed.
Though her embarrassment wasn’t from fear—it was from realizing she’d just been sitting in Su Yang’s lap.
"Yang, how come you didn’t react at all just now?"
Su Yang smirked. "I saw you sneaking over. What was I supposed to do?"
Pan Ning pinched his arm. "You saw him go over?"
"Uh, yeah."
"And you didn’t tell me?"
"You were all clinging to me—when would I have had the chance?"
"Hmph. I think you enjoyed it."
......
Zhang Ziming swallowed hard. He had been scared—especially when the piano started playing.
He glared at Liu Bo and Meng Wenzhou. "You two, why didn’t you give me a heads-up?!"
"Where’s the fun in that? The randomness is the best part."
"Fun my ass! You almost killed me!"
"I thought you weren’t scared?"
"Not when it’s just movies or books! But when it’s happening right in front of you? Hell yeah, I’m scared!"
"Alright, knock it off. This stuff can actually freak people out," Su Yang said, standing up and stretching his neck.
"So… are we still continuing?"
"No way! I’m not even gonna be able to sleep now. What if someone knocks on my door in the middle of the night? I’d lose it!" Xia Keke whined.
"Relax, I was just messing around. There’s no—"
Knock knock knock, knock knock knock!
The moment Liu Bo said that, a sharp rapping came from the villa’s front door.
All ten of them whipped their heads toward the entrance.
"Ahhh!! Ahhh!!" The girls screamed again.
"Goddammit, who the hell is it now?! Cut it out!!" Zhang Ziming scanned the room—everyone was accounted for.
Even Su Yang felt his hair stand on end. "Who’s there?!" he called toward the door.
No response.
A few seconds later—more knocking.
"Are you kidding me?!" Liu Bo mustered his courage and stormed toward the door.
Whoosh!
He yanked it open—only to find a hotel staff member standing outside.
Liu Bo’s raised fist froze mid-air. "Dude, what the hell? Why didn’t you answer when I called?"
The staffer blinked. "Uh… I didn’t hear anyone call me?"
"What do you want?"
"My apologies for disturbing you. Our manager heard that a Mr. Meng and his friends were staying in Villa No. 1, so he sent me over with some late-night snacks."
The young man smiled and stepped aside, revealing a small cart.
"Jesus, you scared the crap out of us. What’s on it?"
"Just some seafood, mostly. Should I bring it in?"
"Yeah, go ahead." Liu Bo exhaled in relief and let the staffer wheel the cart inside.
The server glanced at the group of attractive young men and women on the couch and couldn’t help but think, Rich people really know how to live.
"I’ll leave the cart here. Please enjoy the food at your leisure. Sorry again for the disturbance."
With a polite nod, he turned and left.
"Ugh!! I’m dead!" Zhang Ziming collapsed onto the couch, his forehead dotted with sweat.
"Tell me about it. Even I got spooked," Meng Wenzhou admitted, downing a glass of red wine.
Liu Bo shut the door and walked back, grinning. "Turns out it was just some guy delivering food. Said their manager sent him because he knew you were here, Meng."
"Could’ve given me a heads-up."
After everyone calmed down, Liu Bo opened the containers on the cart—inside were rows of premium lobsters, crabs, and other high-end seafood.
"Perfect timing. I’m kinda hungry. Let’s dig in."
"You sure it’s not poisoned?" Xia Keke muttered, still traumatized.
Meng Wenzhou nearly choked on his wine. "If they poisoned me, this hotel would be done."
"Seriously, what’s your deal? You get special treatment everywhere."
"Nothing crazy. My family’s just got some money, that’s all."
"Money, plus the last name Meng… Wait, is your dad Meng Jianyun?" Liu Meng asked, eyes widening.
Meng Wenzhou shrugged. "Yeah. Not like it’s a secret." He plopped back onto the couch.
"No wonder. The manager should’ve come himself."
"Who’s Meng Jianyun?" Xia Keke asked, clueless.
"Haicheng’s richest man. A top-tier entrepreneur—ranked in the top 20 on last year’s national wealth list."
"Whoa!!" Xia Keke’s jaw dropped as she stared at Meng Wenzhou. "You’re that loaded?!"
"What's so impressive about that? It's my dad who's impressive, not me. Alright, just treat me normally. You probably know me well enough—I'm not one to put on airs. Let's just keep it real. Now, let's eat!"
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
