After eating and drinking his fill, Lin Yu noticed the rain outside still hadn’t stopped, so he wasn’t in a hurry to go home. Instead, he decided to browse the supermarket inside the mall.
He strolled leisurely through the supermarket for a long time, picking up various daily necessities. Only when the rain finally stopped did Lin Yu push his shopping cart toward the checkout counter, ready to pay and head home.
One by one, the items were scanned and demagnetized before being packed into shopping bags.
As the last bag of snacks was placed inside, the cashier extended the scanner toward him. Lin Yu pulled out his phone from his pocket, pressed the power button, and prepared to make the payment...
?
After a light press, the phone showed no response. Lin Yu’s thumb twitched slightly as he pressed it again.
???
This time, the screen remained pitch black, completely unresponsive.
Staring at his own bewildered reflection on the dark screen, Lin Yu was filled with confusion.
What’s going on?
Did the phone die from low battery?
That couldn’t be.
It still had 40% charge when he was eating earlier.
Under the cashier’s impatient gaze, Lin Yu offered an apologetic smile, signaling for her to wait a moment. He then held down the power button to force a restart.
After a few seconds, the white hammer logo appeared on the black screen.
Seeing the phone boot up normally, Lin Yu let out a small sigh of relief.
It must have just shut down from low battery. He’d quickly pull up the payment code, pay, and hurry home.
But the moment this thought crossed his mind, the screen flickered faintly before plunging back into darkness.
Lin Yu’s heart sank.
Damn it!
This isn’t right!
This doesn’t seem like a battery issue!
As the screen stayed dead, Lin Yu anxiously held down the power button again.
Ten seconds...
Twenty seconds...
Thirty seconds...
No matter how many times he pressed it, the phone refused to turn on. A memory flashed in Lin Yu’s mind—his phone falling into water earlier that morning.
Oh no.
Did the water fry the damn thing?
Goddammit!
Why now, of all times?
Are you trying to humiliate me?!
Frantically, Lin Yu mashed the power button a few more times, but the screen remained lifeless. His last shred of hope withered away.
With stiff movements, he raised his head and met the cashier’s furrowed brows and impatient glare. Lin Yu forced an awkward, cringe-inducing smile—one so pitiful he wished he could just collapse right there at the checkout counter.
“Uh…”
“Sorry about this…”
“My phone seems to be broken, so these…”
Lin Yu pointed at the four large bags of groceries on the counter. Even with his thick skin, he couldn’t muster the courage to finish his sentence.
The middle-aged cashier clearly knew what he was about to say.
She shot him a disgusted glare before yanking all four bags back and slamming them onto the floor with a heavy thud.
The sound didn’t just land on the ground—it crushed Lin Yu’s chest, making it hard to breathe.
“Sorry about that…”
Lin Yu muttered another apology before scurrying away, his face burning with shame.
“Damn it!”
“Damn it!!”
“Damn it!!!”
“Why is today so freaking unlucky?!”
Lin Yu cursed and stomped his feet in frustration.
What’s wrong with me today?
Did I step on a landmine or something?
This is the worst luck imaginable!
Despite his endless complaints, Lin Yu didn’t stop moving. He hurried through the mall, searching for a phone repair shop.
It was already past 8 PM, and most stores had closed. After wandering around for a while, he finally found one that was still open.
But when he entered, he was told the repair technician had clocked out at 8. Left with no choice, Lin Yu had to leave his phone there and return after school the next day.
Carrying the umbrella he’d bought before entering the mall, Lin Yu stepped outside. With no money left, he had no choice but to walk back to his rented apartment...
...
The hours of torrential rain had practically washed the entire city clean.
Now that the clouds had dispersed and the water had drained into the sewers, only the biting cold from the autumn storm remained, wreaking havoc across the streets.
The dampness in the air amplified the chill, making it even more unbearable.
Most people would instinctively huddle into their coats and walk with their necks tucked in.
But Lin Yu was an exception.
His jacket was left unzipped, and his breath came out in visible white puffs.
He felt like his entire body was burning up, his anger threatening to explode out of his skull.
Recalling the day’s events, Lin Yu’s breathing grew uneven.
First, Tang Manman had shown up at his door early in the morning. Then, he’d been trolled by both teammates and opponents in Summoner’s Rift. After that, he’d been drenched the moment he stepped off the bus, and now his phone was busted.
And to top it all off, he’d been humiliated by that cashier.
“Damn it!”
“Why is today so freaking unlucky?!”
In the darkness, Lin Yu let out a furious shout. Just then, he spotted an abandoned yogurt box at his feet.
Blinded by rage, he stomped on it without a second thought.
SQUISH!
The box burst under the pressure, and the yogurt inside shot out like an arrow, splattering perfectly onto Lin Yu’s brand-new clothes and pants.
A few drops even landed on his face.
For a moment, the night fell silent.
Then, a deafening “F!!!” tore through the air, loud enough to briefly trigger the motion-sensor lights in a distant apartment complex...
...
Lin Yu stormed forward like a raging bull, his fury radiating off him in waves.
Today’s misfortunes had driven him to the brink of madness. Right now, he was a walking time bomb—anything that dared provoke him would pay the price.
He marched in this state for a long time before suddenly stopping at the mouth of a dimly lit alley.
Glancing around at the empty surroundings, his furious expression shifted to shock and disbelief.
This feeling… it was familiar.
Lin Yu narrowed his eyes.
Had he just entered a plot event?
Hah!
Screw your damn plot!
I don’t give a damn anymore!
Lin Yu’s rage burned hotter than ever. Right now, he didn’t care about anything.
Especially since the female lead he’d encounter this time was the third one—the one who had insulted him before.
To hell with this stupid adult manga world.
To hell with the plot and the female leads.
Just drop dead already!!!
Lin Yu was about to storm past the alley and head straight home to sleep.
But just as he lifted his foot, he hesitated and set it back down.
His gaze fixed on the brightly lit main road ahead, and his heart tightened.
Wait.
He had entered the plot, but he hadn’t even seen the third female lead yet.
If things were to follow the original plot, he would undoubtedly run into her soon.
Since he’d already decided to wash his hands of her, it’d be best to avoid even seeing her face.
That meant he couldn’t stick to the original plan—he’d have to take a different route.
Lin Yu’s mind raced as he glanced at the dimly lit alley beside him, his frown still firmly in place.
No, not that way either.
Though he didn’t know exactly how the story would unfold,
a dark, deserted alley was practically the designated spot for a heroic rescue of the damsel in distress. If he wanted to steer clear of the third female lead, this path was absolutely off-limits.
With both routes ruled out, how the hell was he supposed to get home?
Lin Yu turned his head, eyeing the brightly lit main road ahead, then swiveled back to the shadowy alley on his left.
“Tch!”
He scoffed. If both paths carried the risk of bumping into the third female lead, then why not just backtrack?
Screw it—he’d circle the entire city and take Riverside Road home!
Damn it all!
There was no way he’d run into her then.
Whether it was fate or some other convoluted force pulling the strings behind the scenes,
he was dead set on defying it 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.”
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!
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."
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
