"One point two million."
"Struck gold."
Ye Chuan walked home with Lan Xiaoke, his eyes nearly squinting from laughter as he gazed at his bank balance exceeding a million.
Wang Yanran really was a little rich girl—seemed like he’d need to engage with her more often in the future. Sweet talker and a gold mine rolled into one.
Now that he had money, Ye Chuan began pondering how to handle it. Using it to make more money was unrealistic—after all his past hustles, he knew most businesses these days ended up bankrupting their owners.
Anyone with a bit of ambition usually wrecked their credit.
Real wealth these days came from shady dealings, but Ye Chuan had no interest in that. With his abilities, he just wanted a leisurely life, free from headaches.
Money and power flowed in effortlessly, and his lifespan kept climbing.
Lifespan decreased, strength increased. Strength grew, lifespan lengthened.
Losing lifespan equaled gaining it.
Ye Chuan glanced at his phone and noticed a message from Luo Xi.
Luo Xi: "Chuan Chuan, want some barbecue?"
Luo Xi: barbecue.jpg
The girl had sent a photo of skewered meat, her delicate fingers gripping the sticks as if tempting him over.
Checking the time—past nine at night—Ye Chuan hadn’t eaten yet. Though not hungry, he was craving.
"Might as well drop by." He headed toward the location of Luo Xi’s family’s barbecue stall.
---
The food street was still lively at this hour. When Ye Chuan arrived with Lan Xiaoke, he found Luo Xi bustling around in a small apron.
Her white T-shirt was damp with sweat. Wiping her cheek with the back of her hand, she flashed a sweet smile at him. "It’s a bit busy right now—come help Dad."
"Your father shall assist." Ye Chuan looked around, noticing Luo’s father wasn’t there. "Where’s your dad?"
"Ugh, aren’t you right here?"
"I mean your actual dad."
"Oh… Business is good today, so he went to restock. He’ll be back soon." Luo Xi blushed, realizing she’d misunderstood—their habit of jokingly calling each other "Dad" had thrown her off.
Ye Chuan nodded, then extended his arms. "The emperor is ready for court. Bring forth the royal robe."
"As you wish!" Giggling, Luo Xi untied her apron and draped it over him, tying a neat bow at his back.
"Address me properly."
Rising on her tiptoes, Luo Xi whispered in his ear, "Hubby~"
"Cough… That works too." Ye Chuan’s face reddened.
Ye Chuan expertly grilled skewers while Luo Xi handled orders, payments, and cleaning. Their teamwork was seamless. During lulls, she’d wipe the grease from his face with a chilled towel and massage his shoulders.
"Running a stall is tough. Ever thought about opening a proper shop?" Ye Chuan asked.
"A shop?" Luo Xi shook her head. "It’d be more convenient, but costs would skyrocket. We might end up losing money."
True—most shops ended up just paying the landlord’s mortgage.
Some landlords even hiked rents when they saw a business thriving, forcing tenants out to take over the profitable spot themselves.
"Once I’ve saved up, I’ll get you a shop for your barbecue," Ye Chuan teased.
"No need! You should focus on your own future with that money." Luo Xi disagreed, wanting him to invest in himself.
She believed Ye Chuan deserved a grander stage for his talents.
"Alright." He smiled at her thoughtfulness.
Soon, Luo’s father returned with a tricycle loaded with supplies.
"Dad, you’re back."
"Yeah." Spotting Ye Chuan, Luo’s father greeted him. "Good to see you, Ye Chuan."
Ye Chuan helped unload the frozen goods. When he effortlessly lifted a heavy crate packed with ice and skewers, Luo’s father raised an eyebrow.
Since when did this kid have such strength?
With Luo’s father back, Ye Chuan’s help wasn’t needed. He joined Luo Xi and Lan Xiaoke at a table, treating the barbecue as dinner.
Lan Xiaoke, as usual, could only sniff the aroma in frustration.
"Old Guan." A well-dressed middle-aged man approached the stall during the busy hour.
The man, in his forties, addressed Luo’s father by his surname.
"Boss?" Luo’s father looked surprised. "What brings you here?"
"Lost touch for a while. Saw your barbecue posts on social media." The man chuckled.
"Gotta make a living," Luo’s father sighed.
"And these are—?" The man’s gaze shifted to Luo Xi and Ye Chuan.
"My daughter, Luo Xi, and her boyfriend, Ye Chuan."
"Luo…?" Noticing the different surname, the man seemed to piece things together.
After wiping his hands, Luo’s father sat with the man and introduced him. "This is my former boss."
"Hello, Boss!" Luo Xi waved enthusiastically.
"Nice to meet you," Ye Chuan said.
"Your daughter’s lively." The man smiled at Luo Xi before turning back. "I’m now a regional VP at a Fortune 500 company. Need a director—interested in joining me?"
Luo’s father froze. "You mean…?"
"Yes. Fifty grand a month, plus bonuses."
"That’s…"
"If it’s too low, we can negotiate."
"N-no, it’s more than enough. Just didn’t expect you’d reach out."
"After the company collapsed, I was down for a while. But I need you now, Old Guan." The man patted his shoulder.
"I’m in."
"That’s what I wanted to hear."
---
"What did your dad used to do?" Ye Chuan asked Luo Xi after their conversation. In his memory, Luo’s father had always been in the barbecue business.
"Not sure. Mom mentioned he was in management somewhere." Luo Xi shrugged. Her father rarely spoke of the past—only her mother knew details.
Ye Chuan crossed his arms. "Fifty grand a month? No more barbecues?"
"If he can work nine-to-six for that much, it’d be perfect." Luo Xi grinned.
With her mother’s health improving, life seemed to be looking up.
"Once your dad’s loaded, won’t he spoil you?"
"He’s not a billionaire." Luo Xi laughed. "Besides, I’m almost at marrying age."
"In such a hurry to marry me?" Ye Chuan smirked.
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!
【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
+【Epic Battles!】 "Your Highness, they say Linxi Temple is miraculous. Won’t you make a wish?" "A wish? It should be making wishes to me." "That may be so, but since you’re already here..." "..." "Fine. Then grant this princess a consort to play with." "He must be obedient, devoted, and utterly infatuated with my body—so much so that he’d kneel and kiss my feet." "Your Highness, that’s not a consort. That’s a dog." "Then add clever, witty, heroic, ambitious yet pragmatic..." "Hmm, that’s enough for now. I’ll add more later." After tossing out these words half in jest, Princess Anle departed the temple—only to catch a fleeting glimpse of the Bodhisattva statue smiling at her. Meanwhile, Yang An, fresh out of university, was having a very bad day. Good news: He’d transmigrated into another world with a cheat granting tenfold combat power. Bad news: He’d immediately fallen into the clutches of a certain villainess. Good news: Said villainess possessed peerless beauty and royal status. Bad news: She was absolutely monstrous!!! In the frozen wilderness, Yang An knelt beneath Qin Guo’er’s feet, drenched in sweat despite the cold. Desperately clutching her porcelain-perfect foot—the very one poised to crush his throat—he could only think: How do I survive this?! Need answers NOW!
