Ye Chuan looked somewhat bewildered at the little girl standing before him, especially after hearing her words. For a moment, he didn’t know how to respond.
"So, last night when those female ghosts were screaming, you actually got curious and opened the door?"
"You really aren’t afraid of a jump scare right in your face, huh?"
Ye Chuan thought that if this were a horror movie, people like her would definitely be the first to die.
She looked like a naive, sweet little girl—the kind of cannon-fodder side character.
"So, what exactly are you trying to say?" Even though she had seen something unusual, Ye Chuan remained calm. He had never intended to hide anything in the first place.
It wasn’t important, nor was it necessary.
"I want you to protect me," the girl said, clasping her hands together and giving Ye Chuan a pitiful look, as if silently pleading, Don’t abandon me.
She resembled a stray kitten.
"I have no obligation to protect a stranger. And what can you offer me in return?" Ye Chuan shook his head. He wasn’t about to drag around deadweight for no reason—that would just be asking for trouble.
Hearing his words, the girl lowered her head. "I… I don’t have anything except cuteness and money."
Ye Chuan twitched his lips. This girl was cute, but also pretty full of herself.
However, at the mention of money, his ears perked up immediately.
"How much money do you have?" he asked.
"A lot. If you help me escape from here, I’ll give you half of the inheritance I’m supposed to receive in the future," the girl said.
"How much?" The word "inheritance" made Ye Chuan feel like this wasn’t something simple.
"About 300 million?" She counted on her fingers, sounding uncertain.
Ye Chuan was stunned.
How much?!
Even he couldn’t stay composed. How could this little girl casually drop a number like 300 million?
Are you sure you’re not talking about in-game currency?
But soon, Ye Chuan realized another problem—he himself had no idea how to leave this place.
This was just a holographic adventure for him, yet these people seemed to have been dragged into this world out of nowhere.
He didn’t even know if these people existed in reality.
After some thought, Ye Chuan decided to ask about her world. "Just out of curiosity, what year is it where you’re from? And which city?"
The girl blinked, confused by the sudden question. "It’s 1099 in the Blue Star calendar. I’m from City B."
Ye Chuan: "…"
What the hell?
"I’m from the year 2025," Ye Chuan said, which left the girl stunned for a few seconds. But she quickly pieced it together and hesitantly asked,
"Does that mean… we’re from different timelines?"
"Seems that way." Ye Chuan suddenly felt a sharp pang in his chest.
Damn it.
A golden goose worth 300 million—and she’s not even from his world!
He almost wanted to mimic Lan Xiaoke’s habit of scratching his head in frustration.
So frustrating. Ye Chuan felt like the king of impatience.
"Then… is this valuable to you?" The girl pulled a gold bar out of her small handbag.
"Oh?" Ye Chuan instinctively took it and felt its weight—it was solid.
"Got any more?" he asked. Gold prices had been skyrocketing lately, and this one bar alone was worth a fortune.
He could save it to make wedding jewelry for Luo Xi later.
"Just one more. I was originally going to give it to Laifu to make a gold pendant," the girl explained.
"Who’s Laifu?"
"A husky," she said, tilting her head and mimicking a dog’s paw. "Woof!"
Ye Chuan: "…"
Seeing his silence, she quickly waved her hands. "I-I didn’t mean to call you a dog!"
Though the loss of 300 million stung, Ye Chuan consoled himself by imagining it was Zimbabwean currency—different economies, different values.
Still, gold was gold, no matter the world.
"I’ll take the gold bar. In exchange, I’ll keep you safe for the next few days. Fair deal?" Ye Chuan asked.
The girl nodded eagerly, like a chick pecking at rice.
"What’s your name?"
"Tian Xiaotian."
"Then stick with me." As soon as Ye Chuan said this, Tian Xiaotian immediately sidled up to him, practically clinging to his arm.
"Too close," Ye Chuan said, giving her a sidelong glance. What was she doing, sticking to him in broad daylight? There weren’t even any ghosts around.
"Oh."
Now that he’d been paid, Ye Chuan didn’t mind having a little tagalong. As they walked, he chatted with Tian Xiaotian and learned that their worlds were actually quite similar.
Only minor historical details differed—basic knowledge and common sense were the same.
"Big Boss Ye Chuan, were you also pulled into this place while sleeping?" Tian Xiaotian asked curiously.
"I came here on purpose," Ye Chuan replied casually.
"On purpose?!" Tian Xiaotian was dumbfounded. Who in their right mind would willingly enter such a terrifying place?
Ye Chuan didn’t elaborate. "I’m interested in those ghosts, so of course I’d confront them at night… If you’re scared, don’t follow me."
"I’ll follow."
Tian Xiaotian wasn’t stupid. Almost everyone here was helpless against the ghosts, but this guy was hunting them. Of course she’d latch onto him.
"Everyone else seems to be scavenging for supplies. Shouldn’t we do that too, Boss?" Tian Xiaotian asked.
"What’s the point of scavenging?"
"Apparently, you can craft weapons and upgrade your dorm to defend against the ghosts," she said, checking messages in a group chat.
"If I just kill all the ghosts, problem solved, right?" Ye Chuan said.
Tian Xiaotian blinked. Huh… that does make sense.
A true boss—his way of thinking was on another level.
Unbeknownst to them, as Ye Chuan and Tian Xiaotian conversed, more eyes were watching him—
[This guy must be a high-level player. No idea how he got into this instance.]
[I don’t think so. I can’t see his level—might not even be a player.]
[Daytime content is so boring. Can we release a few ghosts to spice things up?]
[Better not. Last time we did that in the Ghost Dorm instance, not a single player survived.]
[Tsk. Wonder if he’ll slaughter all the ghosts again on the second night.]
Then, an administrator chimed in—
[Relax. I’ve unlocked special permissions—other high-level players can now enter this instance.]
[Hah, now it’s getting interesting. I love watching gladiator fights.]
[Can’t wait. I want to see bloodshed now.]
……
Ye Chuan and Tian Xiaotian explored every floor but found nothing noteworthy—except for a door on the first level. When Ye Chuan probed it with his senses, he detected only emptiness inside.
In short, there was nothing there.
"Hey, you two—have you joined any teams yet?" Just as they were walking, several people blocked their path.
"N-no?" Tian Xiaotian answered instinctively.
"So it's just the two of you? Then hand over all your supplies." Upon hearing that Ye Chuan and Tian Xiaotian had no team, the group exchanged glances and grinned.
It was as if they'd stumbled upon easy prey.
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
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?
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
