“How is it, Ye Feng? This dish is something new I recently learned. Let’s see if it suits your taste.”
Xie Yuyan rested her hands on the table, gazing intently at Ye Feng, who was sitting at the dining table still looking a bit dazed, as if nothing had just happened.
“Xie Yuyan... earlier...”
“Hmm?”
“Never mind... it’s nothing.”
Ye Feng let out a heavy sigh, his mood weighed down. He knew Xie Yuyan’s feelings for him were somewhat special, but he had already subtly made it clear to her that he couldn’t involve himself in matters of love.
“I know what you’re worried about.”
Xie Yuyan gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, closed her eyes, and spoke her mind.
“It’s your right to reject me, and I can’t interfere with that. But it’s also my right to pursue what I want. I won’t change my mind just because of what you said. I’ll keep going until you agree. So... be prepared from now on!”
She opened her eyes, her gaze filled with unwavering confidence, as if telling Ye Feng that she would succeed one day.
“You... sigh...”
Ye Feng could only sigh and say no more. As Xie Yuyan had said, while he could reject her, it didn’t mean she couldn’t pursue what she wanted.
“Hehe, so how’s the dish? Give me your honest opinion.”
“It’s really good.”
“That’s great~”
(^～^)
Xie Yuyan smiled with her eyes slightly narrowed, her path forward becoming even clearer in her heart.
......
“What... what’s going on?”
Finally having a day off, Ye Feng opened the system panel in his spare time. At first glance, everything seemed as calm as usual. But when he looked again, he noticed that the number under Xie Yuyan’s progress bar had somehow changed from 20% to 30%. When did that happen?
Seeing the progress change, Ye Feng gradually realized that what he had previously thought was a bug might actually be normal and likely represented something significant, though he still didn’t know what it was.
“It seems to be progressing slower than the upper bar, so it probably isn’t something that increases just by spending time together. And even at 30%, there’s no reward. Does that mean the reward only comes at 100%? That must be it... It seems like a pretty big prize...”
“Ye Feng, what are you looking at?”
While Ye Feng was muttering to himself, Xie Yuyan walked over to the sofa. Seeing him spaced out and distracted, she thought something might be wrong. But when she called out to him, he snapped back to reality, which made her slightly suspicious. She made a mental note of his behavior.
“Huh? Oh, it’s nothing. I was just thinking about some things, that’s all.”
“Is that so...”
Seeing that Ye Feng didn’t want to tell her, Xie Yuyan didn’t press further. She took out her phone and sat on the sofa, playing with it on her own.
“By the way, Xie Yuyan, I might need to go out later.”
“Go ahead...”
“......”
“I might come back a bit late.”
“Okay.”
“Is there anything you want me to get for you...”
“No.”
“......”
Seeing Xie Yuyan’s demeanor, Ye Feng didn’t need to think hard to know she was in a mood.
“What’s wrong? I didn’t say anything out of line, did I?”
Xie Yuyan put down her black-screened phone and shot Ye Feng a glare. It was clear that from the moment she picked up the phone, she hadn’t been using it at all. Her attention had been entirely on Ye Feng the whole time.
“Huh? Oh, it’s nothing. I was just thinking about some things, that’s all.”
Hearing Xie Yuyan’s words, Ye Feng felt a sense of déjà vu. After a moment, he realized she was throwing his own words back at him.
“Sorry, my attitude earlier wasn’t great.”
Ye Feng turned to Xie Yuyan, who was still fiddling with her black-screened phone, and spoke up.
“It’s not because of your attitude... I just... I just wish you’d rely on me a bit more.”
Xie Yuyan put down her phone, lowered her head, and muttered softly.
“I know you have things you don’t want to talk about, and I understand that. But... I don’t want to see you looking so troubled. No matter what difficulties you’re facing, you can tell me. You’re not alone anymore. I can help too.”
“So that’s what it is. I thought you were upset because of my attitude.”
Ye Feng hadn’t expected Xie Yuyan to care so deeply about him, even noticing when he looked troubled.
“I am a little upset... because you’re not being honest with me... And! Why do you suddenly want to go out? What are you planning to do?”
“We’re running low on groceries. I’m going to the supermarket to buy some.”
“I... I want to come too...”
“No, you can’t.”
Ye Feng firmly shook his head, cutting Xie Yuyan off before she could finish.
“You know how special the situation is right now. I can’t put you in danger just for your safety. Let’s wait until this whole gang situation is over, okay?”
“Fine... but be careful on your way.”
“Don’t worry, it’s just grocery shopping. Nothing will happen.”
*Click*
After the door closed tightly, Xie Yuyan lifted her legs onto the sofa, resting her head on her knees and wrapping her arms around her legs as she closed her eyes.
“What could be making Ye Feng look so troubled? Could those punks have done something outrageous to him? No... I need to think of a way...”
As she pondered, a sudden idea struck her, and her eyes widened as if she had thought of something brilliant.
That’s right! I did take a surveillance course before. All I need to do is plant a tiny listening device on Ye Feng without him noticing, and I’ll know everything!
Hehe... The thought of doing something sneaky to Ye Feng is kind of exciting~
Just you wait, Ye Feng. If you won’t tell me the truth, I’ll dig it out myself!
......
“Phew, these groceries should last us a week.”
Ye Feng stepped out of the supermarket carrying bags filled with various ingredients. Now that he had a steady income, he could afford to buy better-quality meat and fish, which was a nice way to improve their meals.
As he walked home, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.
“Maybe I should buy a cake for Xie Yuyan? I think most girls like desserts, right?”
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."
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.
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
