"This won't do."
"You've already helped me so much—how can I take something from you too?"
Xia Muzhu repeatedly refused, yet she made no move to return the stun gun to her bag. After tonight’s incident, she felt she truly needed this self-defense weapon.
"No need to pay. This product is still in its promotional phase anyway. How about this—you can be one of our trial users. Let’s add each other on WeChat, and you can give me feedback on how it works. Consider that your payment for the stun gun."
As he spoke, Lin Yu pulled out his phone and switched to the QR code interface for adding friends.
"Oh, sure."
Xia Muzhu nodded and promptly took out her phone to add Lin Yu. After putting her phone away, she recalled his attire the first time they met and asked curiously,
"Promotions?"
"Last time at the bar, you were wearing a school uniform. How did you end up doing sales now?"
Lin Yu pocketed his phone and gave a bitter smile.
"No choice. My parents passed away early. I have to find ways to support myself while studying."
"Ah?"
Xia Muzhu let out a soft gasp of surprise, then quickly covered her mouth, her expression apologetic.
"I’m sorry."
"It’s fine."
Lin Yu smiled carefreely.
"Supporting myself with my own hands feels pretty good, actually."
Hearing this, Xia Muzhu regarded him with newfound respect, though her heart ached even more.
How tragic—still in school yet already bearing the full weight of life alone. She couldn’t imagine how hard his daily struggles must be.
"Where do you live? Do you need me to walk you home?"
Lin Yu offered kindly.
Xia Muzhu pressed her lips together. She didn’t want to trouble this unfortunate boy further, but the empty streets and the thought of the white-haired man possibly still lurking nearby stripped her of the courage to venture into the darkness alone.
After a moment’s hesitation, she nodded and gave Lin Yu an apologetic smile.
"Then I’ll trouble you."
"No trouble at all."
Lin Yu waved his hand, his smile warm and bright...
...
"Hey, how old are you?"
"Twenty-four. And you?"
"I’m eighteen. By this time next year, I should be in university."
"Is that so? How are your grades now?"
"Not great yet, but I’ll work hard. I believe I can get into a decent university—maybe even a first or second-tier one."
"That’s wonderful. Once you get into university and find a job, everything will start looking up."
"Yeah, that’s what I think too!"
Lin Yu nodded in agreement.
"By the way, about the stun gun—it’s best not to brandish it openly like I did. You’re a girl, and often, even if you have a weapon, it’s hard to intimidate a man. It’s better used as a hidden weapon. Wait until they’re close, then zap them!"
"Of course, that’s an exaggeration. This stun gun packs a punch, but it won’t cause real harm. At worst, it’ll leave them numb and unable to move."
After explaining, Lin Yu concluded firmly,
"Don’t worry—just use it. Nothing bad will happen."
Xia Muzhu nodded solemnly, then looked at Lin Yu and smiled.
"You’re so thoughtful. Whoever becomes your girlfriend will be very lucky."
"Uh..."
Lin Yu scratched the part of his face not covered by his blond hair, looking slightly embarrassed.
"That’s still far off. I plan to start dating at sixty. By then, we’ll all be old—just two seniors living together, skipping the messy parts of romance and marriage, straight to a happy life. Sounds perfect, right?"
"Pfft."
Xia Muzhu burst into laughter at his absurd words, covering her mouth as she giggled. After a while, she lowered her hand, her sea-blue eyes sparkling with amusement.
"You’re hilarious."
...
Under the moonlight, the two walked and chatted until they reached Xia Muzhu’s neighborhood.
Standing at the entrance, Lin Yu frowned at the wide-open gate.
"Hey, why is your neighborhood’s gate left open like this? Aren’t you worried about intruders?"
At this question, Xia Muzhu’s smile faded. She sighed, her tone resigned.
"The original property management ran off with everyone’s money at the start of the year."
"After that, a resident connected us with a new management company—but it turned out the resident was a scammer. The 'new management' was just a few people in security uniforms pretending for a few days."
"Once they collected all the fees, they vanished too."
"After being cheated twice, some residents refused to pay any more fees. The neighborhood’s been without management ever since."
"What scumbags."
Lin Yu couldn’t help but curse, then asked worriedly,
"With no management, aren’t you afraid something might happen?"
"Of course we are. Families with kids have been trying to convince the holdouts to pay, but they’re too traumatized. It’s been dragging on like this—no one knows when it’ll end."
Xia Muzhu shrugged.
After walking Xia Muzhu to her building and memorizing the location, Lin Yu turned to leave—only for her to call out to him.
"What’s up?"
Lin Yu looked back curiously.
"Wait here. I’ll be right down."
Xia Muzhu hurried upstairs without another word.
Seizing the moment, Lin Yu quickly scanned the surroundings, noting the layout and nearby buildings to avoid confusion in an emergency.
While observing, he realized the building’s access door was broken.
This unsettled him deeply.
An unguarded neighborhood was bad enough, but a broken door too? That was downright dangerous.
No way.
Lin Yu rubbed his chin.
He’d have to find someone to fix that door soon.
lan, the Luo family, tracked him down - along with the babies in their arms. Mo Xuan stared pensively at the paternity test results from over a dozen top institutions, both domestic and international, showing a 99.99% match between himself and the two baby girls. At 23, Mo Xuan, a doctoral student, had become the father of two three-year-old children. The kicker? The mothers weren't even the same person! He gradually realized he was being lured step by step into an elaborate trap designed by these two yandere sisters. "Be good, little Xuan. Sister's life belongs to you entirely." "Brother, if you try to run away, I'll have no choice but to tie you up." Mo Xuan: "Do whatever you want, ladies. I give up."
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'!"
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
