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!
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
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.
shall grant"] ["Inscribing the glory of our race upon tombstones"] ["All that is threatened, I shall protect"] How his younger sister sees her brother: A brother who only makes eye contact once a day, mostly fading into the background as he tinkers with who-knows-what in his room all day. Their life paths should have remained largely separate. Until one day. Su Qi created an equipment card for his never-met "online girlfriend." His sister fell into silent contemplation upon receiving the "white stockings." [Card can be upgraded] [Upgrade by fulfilling any of the following conditions] [Condition ①: Consume one hundred higher-tier cards] [Condition ②: Complete one 'Heart-Pounding Adventure'] What constitutes a Heart-Pounding Adventure? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Beginner Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to admire it.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Easy Level): Equip the card, invite 'Su Qi' to touch it, and analyze the equipment's texture.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Entry Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to...] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Challenge Level): Freely combine the words 'Brother' 'Out' 'Brother' 'Me' 'Please' into a complete sentence...] "Please help me analyze both teams' mistakes in this match, brother..." His sister exhaled in relief—surely... surely there couldn't be anything more difficult? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Suicide Mission Level): Sneak a peek at the names of the galgames in 'Su Qi's' hidden E-drive folder]
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.”
