What does it feel like to act like a thief in your own home?
At the noon meal, Li Mo kept his head down, shoveling rice into his mouth, sensing something off about his parents. He had only been home for a day—had their parental love really evaporated this quickly?
"Is it just my imagination?"
Li Mo subtly shifted his chair closer to the "ice block" beside him.
Hm?
Old Li and his beloved wife, Xueqin, twitched their eyelids and immediately cast scrutinizing glances his way.
"???"
Young Li was utterly baffled. Sure, love could fade, but did it have to fade into treating their own son like a criminal?
What the hell was going on?
To make matters worse, Ying Bing, out of sheer habit, took a sip of water from his cup, nibbled on his chopsticks, and then used them to pick up food for him.
Miraculously, her jade-like lips managed to hold back the words "stupid little brother" or "childish brat" before they could slip out.
"Li Mo, eat."
Parents: "?"
"!!!"
Young Li leaned back in tactical retreat.
What was with their stares? Were those literal flames burning in their eyes? The intensity of their gaze felt more oppressive than the Golden Crow's projection.
Ah, this was what they called bloodline suppression.
Li Mo quickly finished his meal. There was no way he could stay in this house any longer.
"Where are you planning to go?"
"Just... out for a walk. Bing and I haven’t been home in a while. Thought we’d look around."
"Fine, but be back before dinner."
Watching Li Mo and Ying Bing walk out together, the couple exchanged a glance, both seeing the gravity in each other’s eyes.
Little Bing used someone else’s cup to drink tea?
And used her own chopsticks to serve him food???
Something was nine-tenths—no, twelve-tenths—wrong here!
Li Dalong wore a solemn expression. "My instincts were right. These two are different from the last time they came home."
"They grew up together. Isn’t this kind of thing normal?" Gu Xueqin wasn’t quite ready to accept it.
"Remember how they barely spoke a word to each other when they left for Qingyuan Sect?"
"Hmph. That brat even kept it from his own mother."
"Tonight, we’ll check his room. If he’s not there... we’ll have to pay our respects at the Ying family’s old residence."
......
Meanwhile.
Li Mo finally relaxed once he stepped out of Li Manor’s street, strolling alongside Ying Bing through the bustling town.
Winter had set in, and even the sunlight felt devoid of warmth. Yet the streets were alive with noise and excitement—commoners hauling New Year’s goods in carts, some even banging gongs and drums or setting off firecrackers to welcome home loved ones returning from afar.
The festive atmosphere was already in the air.
"Why does my birthday always coincide with New Year’s?"
Li Mo couldn’t help but grumble. Every year, his birthday took a backseat to the celebrations.
Ying Bing gazed at the lively streets, her lips pursing unconsciously as she lowered her eyes.
Truthfully, she didn’t like New Year’s.
"Then this time, I’ll celebrate your birthday with you."
"!"
Li Mo froze, staring at her in stunned silence. Despite the clamor around them, the world suddenly felt quiet.
"Let’s go." Ying Bing turned her face away.
And so, the two wandered through Qinghe County, the place where they had grown up, moving from the noisy streets into quieter, emptier paths where fewer people lingered.
Li Mo’s eyes flicked toward the pale hand swaying slightly beside him. It looked like the moon reflected in a well—something he wanted to reach out and grasp.
But unlike the unreachable moon in the well, the "ice block’s" hand was right there.
Or so he thought.
The moment his fingers stretched toward hers, her hand dodged to the other side, slipping away.
"Hm?"
Li Mo glanced up at her flawless profile, but her expression remained unchanged, as if nothing had happened.
A coincidence?
He tried again, but each time, her hand evaded him by the narrowest margin.
"?"
Li Mo took a deep breath.
Gathering his focus, he flexed his fingers, waiting for the perfect moment—
But this time, before he could even move, the "moon in the well" floated right into his palm.
"????"
"Childish brat."
Ying Bing felt the warmth of his hand and let a faint smile curl her lips, no longer suppressing her amusement.
Li Mo blinked, realizing he’d fallen victim to the "ice block’s" sneak attack.
How could he let this slide?
Yet the soft, delicate sensation in his palm seemed to have a mind of its own.
Pathetic!
Hand in hand, they walked along the riverbank for a while longer. The buildings around them grew sparse, the surroundings quieter, the sound of flowing water crisp in the air.
"Li Mo? Ying... Ying girl?"
"You two...?"
A startled voice interrupted the moment.
Li Mo looked up to see a familiar figure.
"Fengzi? You’ve put on some weight."
Zou Yongfeng had been his childhood friend—the kind he’d climbed trees with to steal bird eggs and tossed firecrackers into neighbors’ water jars with. Though they’d eventually betrayed each other to save their own skins, their bond had remained strong.
But after Li Mo was dragged off to study at a private school, they’d seen each other less.
Now, Zou Yongfeng seemed awkward, standing there with restless limbs.
It was like suddenly running into the friend you’d once played in the mud with, only to find out they’d become a billionaire. The sheer unreality of it made everything feel distant.
"Quick, call him ‘brother.’"
Zou Yongfeng nudged the woman beside him, who obediently greeted Li Mo before hesitantly glancing at Ying Bing.
"...Sister-in-law?"
Li Mo felt the small hand in his grip curl slightly. Smiling, he asked, "Fengzi, you’re getting married?"
"Married? I got married at the start of the year. I’m about to be a dad soon."
"Ah?"
Li Mo noticed the slight swell of Zou Yongfeng’s wife’s abdomen.
Though Fengzi called him "brother," he was actually a year older.
In Li Mo’s memory, Fengzi was still the snot-nosed brat who’d been universally despised alongside him. Now, in the blink of an eye, he was about to become a father.
It was... jarring.
"Why did you move here?" Li Mo recalled that Zou Yongfeng hadn’t lived in the western part of town before.
Zou Yongfeng hesitated before answering, "Brother Mo, are you and Sister-in-law... planning to visit the Ying family’s old residence?"
The hand in his suddenly clenched tightly.
Noticing the pallor creeping into Ying Bing’s profile, Li Mo understood.
Beyond the western street lay the edge of Qinghe County.
And the ruins of the Ying family’s home.
It was from those blood-soaked ruins that his father had brought back the sole survivor—Ying Bing.
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.
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.
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)
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
