The first light of dawn broke through.
A ray of sunlight slipped past the window lattice, landing precisely on a corner of the balcony where a peony bud lay tightly closed. As if answering the sun’s call, the bud trembled faintly, as though welcoming the warmth.
Before long, the sun had fully risen, bathing the living room in a soft golden glow.
In the kitchen, the brand-new refrigerator gleamed under the sunlight, its surface dazzlingly reflective.
Meanwhile, in an endless expanse of pure white space, Su Cheng stood with his hands clamped over his mouth, cheeks puffed out in urgency as he frantically searched for an exit. He was desperate to return—because he still held a mouthful of "life potion" between his lips.
Since the potions from that world had no effect on him, and Gu Ruoxue had been stingy about lending him one here, he had no choice but to take a reckless gamble.
His plan was simple: hold a sip of the potion in his mouth while crossing back, then swallow it once he returned. Maybe then it would work.
Sometimes, even he thought this scheme was a little too clever for its own good.
Whether it would actually succeed, he had no idea.
But as long as there was a sliver of hope, he was willing to try. What if it worked?
After being "physically" hypnotized by Ji Qingyi, he had crossed back into this familiar white void once more.
But this time—
The floating door was nowhere to be seen.
"Where did that damn door go?" Su Cheng muttered, still covering his mouth as he scanned the space anxiously. Finally, at the edge of his vision, he spotted a door left slightly ajar.
Overjoyed, Su Cheng rushed toward it without hesitation. The moment he stepped through, a wave of dizziness crashed over him, plunging his consciousness into darkness.
……
In the bedroom, Su Cheng lay motionless on the bed, his breathing slow and steady.
Strangely, a trail of scalding liquid trickled from the corner of his mouth, sliding down his jaw and disappearing into his collar.
Suddenly, he jolted awake, instinctively clamping a hand over his lips to keep the burning liquid from spilling.
Then—
A pungent medicinal taste shot straight to his brain. Su Cheng grimaced, fighting back nausea as he glanced around before bolting out of the room.
Only after confirming he was back in his original world did he finally swallow the bitter liquid, gasping for air. For a moment there, he had nearly suffocated.
It took him a while to recover. He stood, trying to assess any changes in his body, but was disappointed to find nothing but exhaustion and weakness. His condition hadn’t improved in the slightest.
"Could it be… this potion really does nothing for me?" Su Cheng murmured to himself.
Though he couldn’t understand how a potion from what felt like a "dream" had been brought into reality, he was certain this hadn’t been an ordinary dream. Every detail of that other world remained vivid in his memory.
Even now, a dull ache throbbed in his neck.
The mystery eluded him, but he had no time to dwell on it. The harsh truth was undeniable—he was still weak, sluggish, and ravenous.
"All that for nothing." Su Cheng collapsed onto the sofa, his gaze drifting listlessly toward the balcony. The afternoon sun slanted in, so bright it stung his eyes.
He felt utterly drained, half-convinced he hadn’t slept at all. Eventually, he resigned himself to reality.
With a sigh, he pushed himself up and headed to the balcony, intending to tend to the flowers. But the moment he stepped outside, the sight before him froze him in place—
The peony had bloomed.
The tightly closed bud had unfurled, revealing lush, vibrant petals—fiery red, delicate pink, snow-white—all interwoven in a breathtaking display.
Deep within the flower, pollen glimmered under the sunlight, radiating vitality.
"It… bloomed…" Su Cheng whispered, mesmerized by the sight.
A gentle breeze snapped him out of his daze. Only then did he notice the dampness on his slippers. Looking down, he realized it wasn’t water but a small puddle of dark red blood.
"What the—?"
Su Cheng glanced up at the ceiling, but there were no leaks. Then, on instinct, he touched his nose.
His fingers came away sticky.
Alarmed, he rushed to the bathroom to tend to the wound. Yet no matter what he tried, the nosebleed refused to stop, gushing out as if a dam had burst.
After several frantic minutes of stuffing cotton balls up his nostrils, the bleeding finally slowed. But Su Cheng soon discovered a far worse problem.
In the mirror, he saw himself—nose pinched shut, his entire body flushed an unnatural shade of red, steam practically rising from his head. He looked like a boiled lobster, absurdly comical.
"Is this the potion’s side effect?" Su Cheng closed his eyes, trying to sense any internal changes. But all he felt was the same exhaustion and weakness—except now, his entire body felt like it had been steamed alive.
To make matters worse, his health-monitoring smartwatch began vibrating wildly, its alerts growing increasingly urgent.
He knew what it meant: his body was on the verge of collapse.
At this rate, Ji Qingyi would storm in any minute. But what could he do now?
In this state, he looked like he was knocking on death’s door.
Su Cheng scrambled into the shower, turning the water ice-cold in a desperate attempt to cool himself down.
It barely helped. Worse, he noticed his skin was starting to peel—flakes sloughing off and swirling down the drain with the water.
"Pah."
Something hard clattered onto the bathroom floor. Then another. And another.
His teeth. They had all fallen out.
……
BANG!
The front door was kicked open as several black-clad attendants stormed in, followed closely by a visibly panicked Ji Qingyi and Liu Qingyue.
But the scene in the living room brought them all to a stunned halt. Even the usually unflappable head of the Ji family and her attendant gaped in disbelief.
There, draped in a bathrobe and lounging leisurely on the sofa, was Su Cheng—holding a wine glass, elegantly swirling a pour of milk inside.
Yet what truly shocked them wasn’t his relaxed demeanor.
It was his appearance.
Gone was the sickly pallor. In its place stood a man reborn—radiant, flawless skin, striking features, a tall and poised frame, and eyes that sparkled like stars.
Every inch of him declared: I, Su Cheng, am back.
As everyone stared in stunned silence, Su Cheng raised her glass of milk in a toast to the crowd, took a composed sip, and then stood up gracefully. With a confident smile curling at her lips, she lifted her chin and declared to everyone present, "Ladies and gentlemen, as of this moment—I am terrifyingly strong!"
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
or! A blessing for those who struggle with love, a guidebook for dating novices. Quickly match with your dream goddess! Complete walkthroughs earn rewards, and perfect walkthroughs unlock limited achievements!】 Shen Yi, an ordinary office worker, accidentally downloads a mini-game called Dating Simulator. The mini-game is simple: randomly search for dating targets, simulate dates, and receive rewards upon successful confession. Rewards include but are not limited to money, attributes, and skills. The higher the evaluation, the better the rewards, with perfect ratings unlocking mysterious achievements. Shen Yi plans to use this mysterious mini-game to continuously pursue targets and improve himself, making his life better and better. ...... However, after several successful walkthroughs, Shen Yi suddenly notices something strange - the targets he previously simulated dating seem to be searching for him in real life?
y came from. The chests contained supplies, currency, class-change scrolls, skills, talents… and even godhood! The laws of the world were completely rewritten. This became a world where everyone gambled with their fate! Some people, despite having nothing, opened a divine artifact and rose to the top, eventually ruling the world. Others went bankrupt, opened nothing but worthless junk, and leaped from skyscrapers in despair. Lin Ye arrived in this world from another reality, utterly bewildered. “What is going on? Why is everyone a gambling addict?!” “Opening chests? No way. I refuse to gamble. I’ll start with myself!” Until— On his first chest, he obtained a Mythic Talent: Void Incarnation! He could become completely intangible, pass through all things, and reduce everything to nothingness! … On his fiftieth chest, he obtained a Mythic Weapon: Blade of Karma! With a single slash, karma shattered, twisting the universe and overturning the myriad phenomena of creation! … On his ninety-ninth chest, he obtained a Mythic Divine Treasure: Primordial Purple Energy! It could split open the heavens and earth, create all things, and evolve countless worlds with a single thought! Lin Ye: “Now that I think about it… shouldn’t someone have told me that every chest is guaranteed to contain something Mythic?!”
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?"
