After speaking, Lin Yu didn’t wait for Tang Manman to react. He flashed her an apologetic smile before turning and walking away.
He strode out of the alley and onto the bustling main road, exhaling heavily as if trying to expel all the chaotic thoughts and emotions swirling in his mind along with that breath.
Seriously.
What had possessed him to ask that question earlier?
At least Tang Manman had said she didn’t like him. If she’d said yes...
...Well, he could’ve just used the excuse of having a girlfriend to turn her down.
Rubbing his temples, Lin Yu forced down the strange feelings Tang Manman had stirred in him.
Come on!
Lin Yu, get a grip on yourself!
You’re the moderator of the Pure Love forum!
Keep this up, and you might as well join the NTR forum!
A moderator betraying their own cause?
Watch out, or the forum members will toss you into a pig cage for treason!
Shaking his head to clear Tang Manman from his thoughts, Lin Yu continued walking slowly.
Following the main road, he soon reached a T-junction. Pausing, he stared at the two diverging paths ahead and to the right, once again caught in indecision.
What now?
Which way?
If he kept going straight, he’d reach the residential complex where Xia Muzhu, the second female lead, lived in less than twenty minutes. Then he could proceed with the plan he’d devised during the last self-study session.
That had been his original intention.
But...
Lin Yu glanced at the road on the right, leading back to his rented apartment, and rubbed his face in frustration. Tang Manman had left him too unsettled to carry out the plan now.
He figured it was better to go home, rest, and regroup for tomorrow rather than forcing himself to act in this unstable state. It wasn’t like one day would make a difference.
With a tired sigh, just as Lin Yu was about to follow his instincts and head home, he suddenly remembered something—an intangible, unseen force silently shaping everything around him.
The unique fate of this adult manga world!
Thinking of this force he’d sworn to resist, Lin Yu frowned, questioning whether going home was the right choice.
How strange.
He’d fully intended to see Xia Muzhu tonight, so why was he suddenly reluctant?
Because of an accident.
Because Tang Manman’s unexpected appearance had thrown him off.
That was why he now wanted to retreat home.
"Accident."
"Fate."
Lin Yu muttered these two deeply connected words, his unease growing. Finally, with a determined crease in his brow, he decided to stick to the original plan.
Even if visiting Xia Muzhu wasn’t necessarily the correct move, going now would at least guarantee one thing—her safety.
With that thought, Lin Yu stopped hesitating and strode forward along the straight path toward Xia Muzhu’s neighborhood.
Fueled by his rising anxiety, he quickened his pace, even breaking into a light jog as he neared her complex.
Just before reaching the residential area, Lin Yu halted, spotting a girl in a pale yellow dress carrying a few small bags of fresh groceries by the market entrance. He let out a long breath of relief.
Good.
The worst-case scenario hadn’t happened.
Upon finding Xia Muzhu, Lin Yu didn’t approach her immediately. Instead, he turned to a nearby shop window to adjust the bandage wrapped around his head.
Once satisfied, he took a deep breath, mentally reviewing his plan before stepping confidently toward her.
"Sis?"
"What are you doing here?"
"What a coincidence!"
Lin Yu appeared behind Xia Muzhu, feigning surprise as he greeted her with a smile.
"Lin Yu?"
Xia Muzhu’s eyes lit up briefly before widening in shock when she noticed the thick white bandages around his head.
"You—you’re hurt?" she asked, pointing at his head in alarm.
"Huh?"
"This?"
Lin Yu touched the bandage lightly, as if he’d forgotten it was there, then gave an awkward, apologetic smile.
"Well..."
"Sorry, sis."
"I didn’t want you to find out about this."
"I was just so happy to see you that I couldn’t help coming over to say hi."
"What didn’t you want me to know?"
Xia Muzhu immediately picked up on the hidden implication in his words and pressed further.
"It’s just..."
"Ah, never mind!"
"Please don’t ask, sis!"
Lin Yu hesitated, putting on a show of reluctance to share his secret.
"Lin Yu, just tell me, okay?"
"Don’t make me worry."
Xia Muzhu’s voice was pleading but insistent.
After their night together, she’d already come to see Lin Yu—this kind-hearted, justice-driven high schooler with a tragic past—as a younger brother.
Seeing him injured like this, how could she let him brush it off so easily?
Under her relentless questioning, Lin Yu’s expression grew increasingly conflicted. Finally, with a resigned sigh, he mumbled sheepishly:
"It’s really nothing big."
"Just that after I left your place that night, some thugs ambushed me outside the complex."
"What?"
Xia Muzhu gasped. "Who were they? Why did they attack you?"
"I don’t know."
Lin Yu scratched his head, then after a cautious glance at her, added:
"I think they were sent by that white-haired guy who was following you that night."
"While beating me up, they kept saying stuff like, ‘How dare you ruin our boss’ plans!’"
"If I’ve ruined anyone’s plans recently, it’d have to be his."
Before Xia Muzhu could voice her outrage, Lin Yu cut in weakly:
"I’m sorry, sis. I couldn’t protect the money you gave me either—they took it all."
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!
saw a female celebrity tied up and stuffed in the trunk! Little did he know, countless cameras were aimed at him at this moment - this was a new type of reality show. The first randomly selected passerby was caught in less than an hour. But when Xu Moru was selected, things started to take an unexpected turn. "Damn, this isn't how the script goes. This Xu Moru is too bold, he's not following the rules at all." "Crap, is this guy taking it seriously?" "The female celebrity has been scared to tears!"
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?!
