On New Year's Eve, Lin Yu woke up early and, following his usual routine for the holiday, began thoroughly cleaning his rented apartment.
Sweeping, wiping windows, taking out the trash...
After a long stretch of busy work, Lin Yu slumped exhaustedly onto the plastic chair behind his desk. Staring at the spotless yet empty apartment, a strange thought suddenly crossed his mind.
What if he hadn’t cleaned?
Would the place feel a bit more lived-in then?
Instead of like this—
where every single item in the room stood alone, isolated.
Just like him.
The sight made his heart ache.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Lin Yu’s posture sagged further, his energy completely drained, as if some demon had sucked the life out of him.
"Maybe I should go out?"
In the midst of this suffocating atmosphere, Lin Yu instinctively wanted to escape.
"But going out just means being alone anyway."
"Watching everyone else walking around in pairs or with their families, celebrating together..."
"Tch!"
"Honestly, wouldn’t staying home be better?"
Clicking his tongue in irritation, Lin Yu suddenly brightened as an idea struck him.
"That’s it!"
"If everyone else is paired up, I can just find someone to pair up with too!"
"Right!"
"I choose you!"
"Come on out, Tang Manman!"
Excited, Lin Yu grabbed his phone and sent Tang Manman a message.
Dragon Overlord: You free?
Dragon Overlord: Wanna hang out?!
...
A minute later.
Staring at the unanswered chat, Lin Yu scratched his stomach and decided to wait a little longer.
Maybe Tang Manman was busy—she’d probably see it soon...
...
Ten minutes later.
"Guess Tang Manman’s really busy, huh."
Lin Yu sighed, then flopped onto his bed, scrolling through his phone while waiting for her reply...
...
Thirty minutes later.
"Damn it!"
Lin Yu abruptly sat up.
"I can’t wait any longer—it’ll be dark soon!"
"Tang Manman must be swamped, right?"
"Forget it, I’ll ask someone else!"
With that, Lin Yu turned his attention to the other names on his contact list.
"Xia Aodi?"
"Nah, not him."
"If he comes out, his sister will be left alone."
"Plus, if I hang with him, he’ll probably mention Xia Muzhu at least twice every three sentences!"
"What’s the point of that?"
"New Year’s Eve is no time to torture myself!"
Skipping Xia Aodi, Lin Yu moved to the second name.
Bamboo Kitten.
Yeah.
She could go kick rocks with Xia Aodi.
Third name.
Qing Mo...
She might actually be a good option.
Lin Yu nodded to himself.
Now that he had some money, this was the perfect chance to repay her and clear things up.
Sure, bringing up something she wouldn’t want to hear on New Year’s Eve might seem inauspicious...
But whatever!
A fresh start for the new year—what could be better?
Exactly!
With that in mind, Lin Yu sent Qing Mo a message.
Dragon Overlord: You there?
Dragon Overlord: Got time?
Dragon Overlord: Wanna meet up?
...
...
After five minutes with no reply, Lin Yu cursed under his breath.
Fine, ignore me!
We’ll talk another time, then!
Next!
"Who else is there?"
Muttering to himself, Lin Yu scrolled through his contacts, rubbing his chin.
"Aside from these few, the only one left is Gu Yue."
The others weren’t close enough to just call up for a random outing.
Whatever!
She’ll do!
Come on out, Gu Yue!
...
Wait, she’s not busy too, is she?
If she is, I’m really out of options!
Heart pounding nervously, Lin Yu opened the chat and sent his message.
Dragon Overlord: You there?
Model Student: Yep!
Seeing Gu Yue’s instant reply, the tension in Lin Yu’s chest instantly eased.
Now this is a reliable underling!
Dragon Overlord: Free right now?
Dragon Overlord: Wanna go out?
Model Student: Sure!
Then—
Sugar Cube: I’m free!
Qing Mo: I can meet. Where?
"Are you kidding me?!"
Lin Yu smacked his forehead.
"Seriously?!"
"Weren’t you two busy?!"
"Couldn’t you just stay busy?!"
Lin Yu was on the verge of a breakdown.
Faced with these three replies, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d somehow turned into a scumbag protagonist.
Ridiculous!
Absolutely ridiculous!
Sugar Cube: I was helping Mom clean earlier, so I didn’t check my phone. Just finished—I’m free all day now! When do you wanna meet?
Sugar Cube: (๑^O^๑)
Qing Mo: I’m in N City right now, but I’ll fly back soon. Where should we meet?
Qing Mo: Your place?
Qing Mo: Or mine?
Model Student: Boss! Boss!
Model Student: Where are we going?
Model Student: I know a great spot~
The barrage of messages made Lin Yu’s head spin.
What the hell was he supposed to do now?!
Frustrated, he grabbed his hair, torn between options.
Logically, he should turn down the first two and stick with the latest invite.
But reject Tang Manman?
Who could bear to do that?
As for Qing Mo—he did have business with her.
And Gu Yue?
He’d just invited her, she’d agreed instantly, and now he’d back out?
That’d be messed up, right?
Totally messed up!
So what now?
Who should he choose?
Rubbing his temples, Lin Yu’s mind raced for a solution.
Soon, he actually came up with a reasonable plan.
First:
Qing Mo said she was in N City and needed to fly back.
N City was far from H City—even by plane, it’d take time. So she could wait; no rush there.
Next, Tang Manman:
She’d just finished cleaning with her mom.
But was cleaning all there was to New Year’s prep?
Of course not!
She’d still have other tasks—putting up couplets, hanging "fortune" decorations, maybe helping her mom make dumplings.
So she could take her time too. He’d meet her later.
But Gu Yue?
She’d replied instantly, meaning she was definitely free now.
So she’d be first.
Then Tang Manman.
Finally, Qing Mo.
This way, he could accommodate all three!
Perfect!
I’m a genius!
With the plan set, Lin Yu sent his replies one by one.
To Qing Mo:
Dragon Overlord: OK.
Dragon Overlord: Message me when you land.
Qing Mo: Got it!
Switching chats...
To Tang Manman:
Dragon Overlord: Manman, finish helping your mom first. No rush—I’ll meet you tonight.
Dragon Overlord: We’ll set off firecrackers!
Sugar Cube: Deal!
Sugar Cube: \^O^/
Switching again...
To Gu Yue:
Dragon Overlord: Get ready.
Dragon Overlord: Meet at the mall!
Model Student: Woohoo!
Model Student: Cute Bear Two raises both hands with a very happy expression (image placeholder since I'm not at home).
After perfectly arranging the trio, Lin Yu let out a long sigh of relief.
Hehe.
Good thing I'm quick-witted...
...
Wait!
Why does this feel like some playboy-level time management skills?!
I swear I'm not a playboy!
【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)
end. Thus one must continue to cultivate, and become a saint or great emperor, in order to prolong one's life. Chen Xia, however, completely reversed this. Since his transmigration, he has gained immortality, and also a system that awards him with attribute points for every year he lives. Thus between the myriad worlds, the legend of an unparalleled senior appeared. "A gentleman takes revenge; it is never too late even after ten thousand years." "When you were at your peak I yielded, now in your old age I shall trample on you." - Chen Xia
esick Sect? Well, at least it's considered a respectable orthodox sect. Wait a minute— What kind of vibe are you all giving off? Shouldn’t this be a love-struck, romance-obsessed sect? Why does everyone here sound more like demonic cultivators? "Master, today he’s getting married. This disciple wishes to descend the mountain and crash the wedding, then toy with him to death right in front of his wife..." "Elder, I only got into your sect through connections, so why won’t you teach me anything?" "Because I also became an elder through connections." Thankfully, Su Ji was just an outer sect labor disciple. Surely, nothing too crazy would— "Junior Brother, you’ve broken through to Qi Refining. Once you sever your useless spiritual root, you can officially become an outer sect disciple." "The Great Dao is merciless. Don’t let a worthless spiritual root waste your essence and spirit, hindering your cultivation." Is this really the Lovesick Sect? ... Three years later, Su Ji sat in the seat of the Lovesick Sect’s sect master, sighing with emotion. His rise to this position all started when his junior sister adamantly insisted on preserving his "spiritual root." "Mmm... Senior Brother, what’s our relationship now?" "Stop talking. Keep going." "By the way, that newly promoted top-tier sect—didn’t they come to buy our Love Beans?" "One top-grade spirit stone per Love Bean—is that really so expensive?" "I suspect they’ve eaten too many Love Beans." "Now they’re lovesick." Well, this really is the Lovesick Sect after all.
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
