Li Ming motioned to the second warden with a slight tilt of his chin, signaling her to wake Tan Qingqing.
The second warden curled her lips in disdain, thinking to herself, What’s the point of pretending now? If she’s your woman, wake her up yourself instead of trying to keep up appearances. Tch!
But she only dared to think it. Stepping forward, she gave Tan Qingqing, who was deep in sleep, a firm shake.
Tan Qingqing felt the push and, in her dazed state, tumbled face-first into a mountain of clothes. She flailed her limbs, struggling to get up, but couldn’t find her footing.
From Li Ming and the second warden’s perspective, Tan Qingqing suddenly started swimming in place on the bed, her face twisted in panic—yet her eyes remained tightly shut.
The two exchanged a glance, their expressions mirroring shock.
Seeing Tan Qingqing’s wild thrashing about to send her tumbling off the bed, Li Ming rushed forward and caught her. He pinned her down, restraining her flailing limbs against the mattress.
"Tan Qingqing! What are you doing?! Wake up!" Li Ming’s voice boomed in her ear.
Finally roused from her nightmare, Tan Qingqing’s eyes flew open. The moment she saw Li Ming still holding her down, she burst into tears.
"WAAAH!!! HELP ME!!!"
Her shriek echoed through the cell block, jolting awake the other inmates. They craned their necks, peering curiously through the observation slots to see what the commotion was about.
The second warden, fed up, stepped forward and—SMACK!—slapped Tan Qingqing hard across the face, cutting off her wails mid-scream.
"What the hell are you screaming for?! Can’t you see people standing right here? Who are you calling for help?! Lost your damn mind?! Sit still!" The second warden planted her hands on her hips, berating Tan Qingqing without mercy.
Terrified into silence, Tan Qingqing immediately clamped her mouth shut, not daring to let out another sob.
Li Ming, who had been shoved away by Tan Qingqing, felt a twisted satisfaction watching her get hit. Screaming for help the second she opens her eyes—if the second warden hadn’t been here, people would’ve thought I did something to her!
Clearing his throat, Li Ming addressed the second warden.
"Alright, now that she’s awake, step outside for a moment. I need to ask her a few questions."
"Yes, Warden!" The second warden obeyed, exiting the cell. By now, she was convinced Li Ming had no special relationship with this inmate—otherwise, why would Tan Qingqing react like that upon seeing him? With no juicy gossip to be had, she left without a second glance.
"What are you all gawking at?! Get back to sleep!" The second warden’s sharp reprimand carried down the hallway, making Tan Qingqing flinch again.
Li Ming studied Tan Qingqing’s pitiful state and felt a twinge of sympathy. Sitting across from her, he hesitated before speaking.
"Tan Qingqing, the reason I came to see you is because I met a woman named Tan Chengcheng outside. You know her, don’t you?"
Tan Qingqing had been curled up on the bed, trembling like a helpless canary, tears streaming silently down her cheeks.
But the moment Li Ming uttered Tan Chengcheng’s name, she bolted upright, locking eyes with him. Her lips parted, but no sound came out.
It wasn’t that she wasn’t curious how Li Ming knew Tan Chengcheng—she was terrified to ask. She dreaded hearing something unbearable from his lips.
Li Ming took her reaction as confirmation. The "family" she had been counting on to get her out was none other than Tan Chengcheng.
Choosing his words carefully, Li Ming recounted what he had witnessed.
"Tan Chengcheng met with a certain Director Zhang at Jade Pavilion for a meal. But their discussion didn’t go well—they parted on bad terms. Tan Chengcheng stormed out, and Director Zhang said something along the lines of, ‘No one else can handle this matter, and no one else would dare.’ He told her to think carefully. If I had to guess, this ‘Director Zhang’ is the big shot you didn’t want to name, isn’t he?"
Li Ming spoke calmly, ensuring every word sank in.
Tan Qingqing’s face grew paler with each sentence, her body beginning to tremble uncontrollably.
Li Ming continued.
"If I’m not mistaken, this Director Zhang is Zhang Wenhai, isn’t he? If he’s your last hope, then I’m afraid you’re in for disappointment. Chances are, you won’t be getting out."
At this, Tan Qingqing’s fingers clenched around the fabric of her clothes, tears spilling freely. Her lips quivered from the force of her shaking.
"I don’t know what conditions Zhang Wenhai demanded from Tan Chengcheng, but judging by how furious she was, it wasn’t something money could solve. You might want to prepare yourself for the next 25 years here."
Li Ming’s tone remained gentle, devoid of any threat or malice. Yet to Tan Qingqing, his words felt like a bucket of ice water dumped over her in the dead of winter.
"C… can I… make a phone call…?"
Tan Qingqing forced the question out through her fear.
Seeing her wilted demeanor, Li Ming was certain his assumptions were correct. He had no issue letting her make the call and pulled out his phone, handing it to her.
But just as Tan Qingqing took it, Li Ming tightened his grip, stopping her. Meeting her confused gaze, he lowered his voice.
"You can make the call—but on one condition."
"Wh… what condition?" Tan Qingqing stammered.
"You can call, but it has to be on speakerphone. If you agree, then go ahead."
Tan Qingqing swallowed hard. After a moment’s hesitation, she nodded. Speakerphone shouldn’t be a problem—she already believed 80-90% of what Li Ming had said. Otherwise, how would he know Tan Chengcheng and Zhang Wenhai’s names?
Only then did Li Ming release the phone.
Tan Qingqing dialed a number, and when "Tan Chengcheng" automatically appeared on the screen, her heart sank further.
Li Ming already has her number… He wasn’t bluffing. I really might be stuck here…
Her hands shook so violently she nearly dropped the phone, letting it slip onto her lap.
Li Ming, noticing her struggle, helped her press the call button and turned on speakerphone.
A prerecorded message played:
"Hello, you’ve reached Qingcheng Pharmaceuticals. We specialize in distribution partnerships, seeking collaborative opportunities for mutual success. I’m Tan Chengcheng. Thank you for your call—please hold, and I’ll answer shortly. If I’m unavailable, I’ll return your call as soon as possible. Once again, thank you for contacting us…"
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
ver to a world of cultivation and returned invincible. Modern medicine is child's play compared to elixirs; technological might crumbles before true cultivation. My name is Qin Ning, Earth's sole cultivator!
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.”
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
