"Silly kid."
"Don’t think things are that simple."
Lin Yu rubbed Xia Yueshan’s little head again, admonishing him:
"You’re still young, and your body hasn’t fully developed yet."
"If you really went up against a fully grown adult, even two of you wouldn’t stand a chance."
Faced with Lin Yu’s earnest advice, Xia Yueshan curled his lips dismissively and said,
"That’s just because they’re weak."
"Doesn’t mean I am."
"Lin Yu, you don’t get it."
"In my Jeet Kune Do class, I’m practically unbeatable."
"Even the high schoolers who’ve trained for years can’t take me down."
As he spoke, Xia Yueshan swiftly demonstrated a few moves, as if to prove his strength, before continuing:
"With what I’ve learned in class, plus those moves you taught me?"
"Even the coach doesn’t dare spar with me now!"
"Yeah, right."
Lin Yu rolled his eyes, dismissing Xia Yueshan’s claims as typical middle-schooler bravado.
No way.
A middle-schooler beating high schoolers was already hard to believe.
But the coach too?
What is this, a martial arts novel?
Lin Yu’s expression was full of disbelief, his face practically screaming, "I’m not buying it."
Xia Yueshan bristled at Lin Yu’s skepticism. He stiffened his neck, about to argue, but then abruptly backed down.
After a moment’s thought, Xia Yueshan decided to let it go.
After all, moves like the "Monkey Steals the Peach" weren’t exactly something to brag about.
Slinging an arm around Xia Yueshan’s shoulders, Lin Yu glanced back at the sleek white supercar, his emotions a tangled mess.
But mostly, he felt relief.
Thank goodness Xia Yueshan had shown up. Otherwise, in that impulsive moment, he might’ve actually gotten into the car with the third female lead—Qing Mo—and then what? A lifetime of luxury handed to him on a silver platter...
Lin Yu clicked his tongue and turned back to Xia Yueshan’s still-childish face. Suddenly, the kid looked downright irritating.
Ah, forget it.
Lin Yu exhaled softly.
True strength came from within.
Relying on others was never a solid plan.
Especially when it came to Qing Mo.
She was the least reliable of them all!
Right now, she was into him because he treated her with indifference and rough tactics.
But what if that changed?
If he ever actually fell for her and stopped being harsh, would she lose interest?
If that happened, he’d be doomed.
The roles would reverse.
He’d be the one clinging to her while she coldly pushed him away.
Tsk.
Just the thought of it was enough to make his stomach twist.
Lin Yu shook his head slightly, his resolve hardening.
No matter what, he couldn’t give in to Qing Mo.
Even if he ended up tangled with Xia Muzhu or Tang Manman, it’d still be better than falling into Qing Mo’s hands.
At least their feelings for him were genuine.
With that realization, Lin Yu’s annoyance toward Xia Yueshan faded. Smiling, he pulled the boy closer and started walking.
Xia Yueshan followed along, but his gaze wasn’t on the road ahead—it was glued to the white supercar parked at the school gate. Even as his neck craned nearly 180 degrees, his eyes sparkled with fascination.
Clearly, that car had him spellbound.
They walked for a while longer until, with a roar of its engine, the supercar finally drove off. Only then did Xia Yueshan reluctantly turn back to Lin Yu and ask:
"Lin Yu, what were you doing by that car earlier?"
Lin Yu thought for a second and decided to tell the truth. After all, the most absurd lies were the ones no one believed.
"Nothing much."
"Just a young, beautiful, and wealthy woman in the car wanted to be my sugar mommy. I said no."
Xia Yueshan’s face went blank. Without turning his head, he just side-eyed Lin Yu and asked flatly:
"Do I really look that stupid to you?"
"Pretty much, yeah."
Lin Yu grinned, pinching Xia Yueshan’s cheek playfully.
Arm still around the boy’s shoulders, Lin Yu suddenly felt a prickle of unease—like he was being watched.
Turning toward the source of his discomfort, he spotted two shadowy figures in a dimly lit alley.
Realizing they’d been noticed, the two men quickened their pace toward him.
Lin Yu stopped walking, dropped his arm from Xia Yueshan’s shoulders, and turned to face them squarely, instinctively shielding the boy behind him.
"Go ahead," he murmured over his shoulder.
Xia Yueshan sensed the tension too. Instead of arguing, he kept his voice low:
"Should I call the police?"
"No. Just go."
Lin Yu refused gently but firmly, urging him to leave.
For some reason, the closer those two figures got, the more Lin Yu’s nerves frayed. A cold sweat had already broken out on his skin.
In front of them, he didn’t feel like a capable adult—more like a helpless kid, even weaker than Xia Yueshan.
Xia Yueshan obeyed and slipped away. Lin Yu kept his eyes locked on the approaching men, ready to bolt if things turned ugly.
Who were they, anyway?
Enforcers from the Fire Scorpion Gang?
Unlikely. A small-time gang like that wouldn’t have thugs with this kind of presence.
More likely, they were hired by Qing Mo’s unfortunate "shield"—the guy she used to ward off suitors.
Or maybe Qing Mo herself had sent them?
Had she finally lost patience?
Was she planning to lock him up somewhere?
As Lin Yu ran through possibilities, the two men stepped out of the alley and into the glow of the streetlights.
Zhao Dahu?
Recognizing the taller, bulkier of the two, Lin Yu relaxed slightly. At least tonight wouldn’t be a problem.
But then his eyes landed on the other man—short, wiry, and unfamiliar—and his tension spiked again.
The closer the man got, the more uneasy Lin Yu felt.
It was like standing near a wolf. Even if it didn’t mean you harm, you still couldn’t relax.
When they reached him, Lin Yu got a clearer look.
Neither showed any hostility. Zhao Dahu, of course, was no surprise.
The short, lean stranger had a sharp, almost ruthless face, but he wore a friendly smile.
Yet despite their harmless expressions, Lin Yu’s nerves refused to settle.
Something about that man screamed danger. Compared to Zhao Dahu, he was the polar opposite.
Zhao Dahu could carry a corpse on his back without making Lin Yu flinch.
But this guy?
Just standing there, he radiated menace.
But this guy was different. He just kept smiling amiably, making me worry that in the next second he might pull out a knife from somewhere and stab it into my gut!
nto another world, I bought a slave for the first time, never expecting the silver wolf girl to be so cute... Lin Feng: I know it's cold, but you don't have to sneak into my bed! Yuna: Just sharing body warmth, if you dare do anything naughty, I'll definitely...
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
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)
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
