Luo Xi and Ye Chuan appeared at a nearby commercial plaza. The area wasn’t particularly bustling, with most of the ground-floor shops already closed, giving off a desolate vibe. Their destination was the third floor, which housed numerous clothing stores. Perhaps due to the many closures in the area, the remaining shops were selling their goods at unusually low prices to attract customers.
Even though it was the weekend, the third floor wasn’t crowded—just a sparse scattering of people. In a few years, even these shops might struggle to stay afloat and eventually shut down.
With the rise of online shopping, traditional clothing stores had indeed taken a significant hit.
"Chuan, you got a new phone?" Luo Xi noticed the Blue Mi in Ye Chuan’s hand as they walked side by side. "How much was it?"
"Two thousand," Ye Chuan replied.
"That’s a month’s rent! Did you pay one month’s deposit and one month’s rent upfront?" Luo Xi knew Ye Chuan’s old phone had been used for years—a secondhand "battle-scarred" model held together with tape. It was a miracle it had lasted this long.
"Three months’ deposit, one month’s rent," Ye Chuan said casually. He trusted Luo Xi completely, but explaining the "system" would be far too troublesome.
"Wow, someone’s struck it rich," Luo Xi teased with a grin. It was rare for tenants in their rundown urban village to pay three months’ deposit upfront, especially for Ye Chuan’s old apartment.
If only he had a few more renters…
Ye Chuan paused in front of a clothing store advertising "3 items for 99 yuan" and pulled Luo Xi inside.
The racks were filled with trendy styles. Ye Chuan began browsing while Luo Xi peered over his shoulder, hands clasped behind her back.
"Buying something for me?" she asked, tilting her head. "These clothes are all pretty cute."
"Not for you," Ye Chuan replied without turning around.
"Another cross-dressing livestream? Didn’t your account get banned?" Luo Xi remembered when Ye Chuan had borrowed her clothes for his streams, even stuffing tissues in the chest area because they didn’t fit properly.
Back then, Ye Chuan had tried every possible way to make money—just none successfully.
Her mom had called it "ambition."
Either he’d strike it big someday, or he’d end up blacklisted for debt.
"…" Ye Chuan denied it. He’d lost interest in livestreaming.
By the time the average person realized an industry was profitable, the golden opportunity was already gone—especially for low-barrier fields.
"Got a new girlfriend?" Luo Xi pressed when Ye Chuan shook his head.
"No way. Just shopping for a tenant." He picked up a white sundress and held it against Luo Xi’s frame. She struck a playful pose, as if modeling.
Luo Xi’s figure was much better than Bai Qianshuang’s—long legs, ample curves—while Bai Qianshuang’s advantage lay in her ethereal beauty. Though Luo Xi was also pretty, Bai Qianshuang had an otherworldly aura, likely due to her cultivation background.
"Yeah, this’ll work," Ye Chuan nodded.
Their heights were similar, so the sizing shouldn’t be an issue.
Except for the underwear.
After selecting five or six items, Ye Chuan haggled the price down from 198 to 138 before leaving the store with their purchases.
By the time they finished their rounds, both were carrying multiple bags—clothes, underwear, even stockings.
Originally, Ye Chuan had planned to buy from the shop he’d visited a couple of days ago, but the owner had apparently gone back to her hometown for a wedding.
Otherwise, he could’ve bargained for a better deal.
That auntie was an old acquaintance.
Pausing mid-step, Ye Chuan spotted a shoe store nearby and headed inside.
"How about these?" He picked up a pair of blue-and-white Adidas Yeezy knockoffs. Comfortable and stylish, these shoes had been hyped up years ago. Nowadays, the counterfeit versions from Putian were often better quality than the real ones, priced at just over 100 yuan per pair.
"Mhm, they’re nice," Luo Xi agreed, nodding at the color and design.
Ye Chuan pointed to a nearby chair. "Try them on."
"Okay." Luo Xi obediently played the role of model. As she sat down, she asked, "Wait, are my feet the same size as your tenant’s?"
"Close enough." Not that Ye Chuan had checked.
Luo Xi slipped them on, took a few steps around the store, and bounced lightly. "Ooh, new shoes are so comfy."
It had been a year since she’d last bought shoes. Though her parents gave her spending money, she preferred to save it—only replacing things when they wore out.
"Good." Ye Chuan paid without bargaining this time.
Luo Xi loved the shoes, but since they were meant for someone else, she started to take them off.
Then she realized Ye Chuan had already packed her old, slightly yellowed sneakers into a bag.
"Hey, Chuan! My shoes—I haven’t put them back on yet!"
"Just wear these," Ye Chuan said, glancing at her.
"But they’re for someone else. What if I dirty them?" She wiggled her ankles, staring at the pristine sneakers.
"They’re for you." Ye Chuan tugged her ponytail before walking out, the bag with her worn-out shoes in hand.
"Let’s go. It’s almost lunchtime."
Luo Xi sat frozen for a second before scrambling to catch up. "Hehe, since when are you so generous? You’re learning, Chuan."
"Just decent, I guess."
"Oh?"
---
That afternoon, as soon as Ye Chuan returned home, his phone buzzed with a notification from the Multiverse App.
[Obtained Bai Qianshuang-related item. Retrieve now?]
"Huh?" Seeing that a new item had appeared, Ye Chuan tapped "No" and checked his inventory. A new icon had appeared.
[Item: Low-Grade Mystic Yin Body
Increases efficiency when cultivating dual cultivation techniques. More likely to attract male attention.
Equippable.]
Ye Chuan: "…"
Good news: It’s a physique.
Bad news: Useless to him.
Or rather, he had no interest in attracting men.
[Spiritual Roots, Physiques, and similar items can be synthesized.]
Noticing this prompt, Ye Chuan dragged his High-Grade Ice Mystic Body and Low-Grade Mystic Yin Body together.
[Synthesize?]
[Probabilities:
Low-Grade:
Mid-Grade:
High-Grade:
Top-Grade:
Peerless: 1%]
Ye Chuan: "…"
One percent?
Should he "pad" the odds first?
But since neither the Ice Mystic Body nor the Mystic Yin Body were useful to him, he went ahead with the synthesis.
[Synthesizing…]
A flash of purple light—
[Congratulations! Obtained High-Grade Fire Mystic Body. Added to inventory.]
[Item: High-Grade Fire Mystic Body
Naturally attuned to fire-attribute spiritual energy. Enhances cultivation of fire-attribute techniques. Reduces damage from fire-attribute attacks…
Equippable.]
"Fire again?"
Ye Chuan was surprised, but since his hot-swappable spiritual root was already fire-aligned, pairing it with a fire physique didn’t seem bad.
Oi, things are heating up.
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
is also known as: "Sword Flying Under the Desk: My School Life" "Balancing Cultivation and STEM Homework" "The System That Taught Me to Take College Entrance Exams While Surviving Heavenly Tribulations" Good news: I got reincarnated. Even better news: I got reincarnated with a system. So, should I chase wealth? Or pursue immortality? Maybe become a superhero for the motherland? But with regrets weighing on this second life, I’d rather fix what I missed before. System: "Host, the cultivation world is full of dangers. You must form your Golden Core immediately!" Lin Mo glanced at the truck he’d just stopped with one hand. "At my level, it’s not like I’ll piss off ‘Little Boy’ or ‘Fat Man,’ right? Whatever—I still have two math problems left. Go play by yourself." System: "How can you still focus on homework at a time like this?! Host! Don’t throw your life away!" Lin Mo stayed silent, burying himself deeper into his workbook.
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!"
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!" "......"
