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.
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
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."
agon king storylines. At the start, I obtained the "Ultimate Lackey System" - the more I act as a lackey, the stronger I become. What else could I do? I chose to become the personal henchman of the ultimate villain, Su Muwan. I provoke all sorts of chosen ones, snatch away their opportunities, and commit every evil deed imaginable. You ask who's behind me? Hmph! You're not worthy of knowing my lady's name! ...... ....... I am Su Muwan, the eldest daughter of the Su family. Since childhood, I've possessed extraordinary talent in martial arts, which led to my arrogant and domineering personality in my past life. I was even foolish enough to repeatedly challenge those favored by heaven, ultimately resulting in a tragic death. In this life, I must behave and absolutely cannot walk the same path again!! However... SLAP!! "So you're the Dragon King, huh?!" When I saw my little lackey swagger over and viciously slap the Dragon King who was hiding his identity, I felt my heart sink. Su Muwan's suspended heart finally died as she watched Qin Luo, her utterly loyal lackey, standing before her. She fainted on the spot from shock. Heaven is determined to destroy me!! (Pure love 1v1, light-hearted, no angst, single female lead, villain, reincarnation, lackey)
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
