"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.
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."
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.
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
