The chattering inside the house was impossible to hide.
Even Cao Cheng, sitting in the living room watching TV, could hear it.
Though he couldn’t make out the exact words.
Probably reporting on his activities, huh?
These sisters of his.
Up to no good!
...
The next day.
Early morning.
Cao Cheng took Ren Yuege out with him.
She needed to drop off some clothes at the dry cleaner’s.
They got into the BMW.
As they left the neighborhood, they spotted a group of gossipy aunties stationed at the gate.
Cao Cheng hurriedly rolled down the window.
Then stuck his head out and shouted:
"Aunt Wang~~~~!"
"???"
The aunties, who had been sitting around trimming vegetables and sharing rumors, all turned at the sound.
Aunt Wang was among them, mid-sentence when she heard her name. Mouth agape, she looked at Cao Cheng.
Cupping his hands around his mouth, he yelled: "If you go to a vocational college, you’ll never ride in a luxury car! Go retake your exams!!"
The BMW sped off in a flash.
"You little brat… stop right there!"
Aunt Wang hopped in fury.
Chased after them for a good ten meters, clutching a handful of beans.
Jumped and pointed the beans at the retreating car, screaming—though no one could make out the words, it was all censored with asterisks: ‘’
Only when the BMW turned the corner and vanished did Aunt Wang, panting heavily, plop back into her chair and toss the beans into her basket.
Fuming.
So mad it hurt her chest!
At her age, it wasn’t like those things had much use anyway.
But the pain was still unbearable!
The other aunties watched the spectacle, snickering and amused.
Aunt Wang rubbed her chest and spat, "That little brat! What’s so great about him? Just a lousy BMW! Pah…"
Another aunt chimed in, "That’s a 5 Series. My son’s boss drives one. Heard it costs over 700,000."
"..."
Aunt Wang’s face darkened. "S-so what? He’s just a passenger! The car isn’t even his! Pah!"
Yet another added, "But the woman driving seemed really pretty. Is she Cao Cheng’s girlfriend?"
"Pah! Why would anyone date that brat? Must be blind! Pah…" Aunt Wang’s face flushed red with rage.
"If not his girlfriend, why were they out together so early? And the license plate was from Zhonghai—must be a rich, classy wife."
"Pah! That Cao family—father and son, both no good! Pah!"
"..."
The other aunties subtly moved their vegetable baskets away, lest Aunt Wang’s spit ruin their crisp greens.
...
Cao Cheng kept receiving waves of negative emotions.
In no time, it surpassed 30, occasionally ticking up by 1.
Today was a critical hit.
A full-on meltdown!
Cao Cheng clapped his hands, laughing.
Over a thousand!
Over a thousand!
Time for a ten-draw!
Thanks to Aunt Wang and her whole family.
Ren Yuege found it amusing. "Do you have some grudge against Aunt Wang?"
"Nope."
"Any hatred?"
"Nope."
"Then why provoke her?"
"None of your business. Just drive. Take a left up ahead."
"...You little punk!!"
Ren Yuege pouted.
Soon, they reached the dry cleaner’s. Ren Yuege grabbed the clothes from the back seat, paid for express service, and arranged to pick them up the next day.
Once done, they got back in the car.
Ren Yuege asked, "Where to now?"
"Home," Cao Cheng replied flatly.
She blurted out, "Aren’t you going to the square today?"
Cao Cheng smirked. "So you’ve been stalking me too?"
"I—I haven’t! Second Sister mentioned it! Said you spend every day either playing chess or cards!" She instantly threw the family’s resident troublemaker under the bus.
Cao Cheng pressed, "Second Sister? She’s got a temper, huh?"
"How’d you know?"
"Heh~~"
Case closed. That critical hit before must’ve been from Second Sister.
Noted.
Next chance he got, he’d milk her dry.
Second Sister, was it?
Good.
He’d turn her into a laughingstock.
"Let’s go home."
"Okay!"
Today, Cao Cheng had no plans for the square or card games.
With an outsider in the house, he wasn’t in the mood for fun.
Back in the neighborhood, Cao Cheng rolled down the window again.
"Aunt Wang~~~~~~!"
The aunties: "..."
Ren Yuege: "..."
"..." Aunt Wang’s hair stood on end. Why was this brat back already?
She looked up.
Cao Cheng, hands cupped around his mouth: "Make sure to retake those exams! With vocational college, the most lucrative job you’ll get is stand-up comedy!"
No idea what stand-up comedy was.
But it definitely wasn’t respectable.
Aunt Wang brandished her beans, hopping mad. "None of your damn business!"
"I’m just looking out for you…" His voice faded into the distance.
Aunt Wang spat fiercely. "Like hell you are~~~~!"
With that,
she grabbed her basket and stormed home.
Who knew if that brat would circle back for another shout?
What rotten luck.
Didn’t want to see him again today.
Not long after, yelling erupted from Aunt Wang’s house.
Is this how you act after failing your exams? Playing computer games?
How much did that computer cost again?
Wasn’t it supposed to be for studying?
Now you’re shooting things in games?
What kind of shooting?
Turn it off! Study! Go study! You think exams mean you’re done learning?
Never heard of lifelong learning?
Go study.
Right now.
Or I’ll beat you senseless…
And you’re dating too?
You dared to date before your exams?
I’ll skin you alive!
Aunt Wang’s youngest son wailed: I’m not dating anyone!!
Such a heartwarming scene of maternal love—the neighbors couldn’t help but admire it.
...
Noon.
Cao Cheng eyed Ren Yuege. "Can you cook?"
She shook her head. "No. Can you?"
He shrugged. "Who has time for that?"
"..."
A beat of silence.
Cao Cheng declared, "Order some dishes from a five-star hotel. Have them delivered."
"??" Ren Yuege was speechless.
He continued, deadpan, "Aren’t you the older sister? Shouldn’t you take care of your little brother’s meals? I only eat five-star hotel food. Anything else is beneath me. I’m delicate by nature."
Ren Yuege scoffed in disbelief.
But she knew this punk was doing it on purpose.
Trying to rile her up.
She didn’t get why he seemed to resent her so much. Sure, Second Sister had tailed him, but she hadn’t done anything bad. Even if he was mad, why take it out on her?
Besides,
wasn’t he holding onto this grudge a bit too long?
Second Sister’s stalking happened a month ago.
Yet,
Ren Yuege had a sharp intuition—this brat disliked all her sisters, maybe even resented her staying here.
Her instincts were rarely wrong.
It stung a little.
Back in school or at parties, guys would trip over themselves just to talk to her.
Even a single word made their day.
But this brat…
He’d rather sneer?
"Fine. Five-star it is. My treat, little brother. Hmph!"
Cao Cheng said coolly, "Don’t act like I’m doing you a favor. Most people don’t even get the chance."
"Tch~~"
Ren Yuege snorted softly and went straight to her room to call her third sister, Ren Yushang, asking her to look up the contact number for a five-star chain hotel in Sanjiang so she could order takeout.
In this era, food delivery apps hadn’t yet become mainstream, but the industry itself had existed for a long time.
Its origins could be traced all the way back to the Han Dynasty.
It flourished during the Song Dynasty.
And now, in cities like Pengcheng and Yangcheng,
even the smallest eateries often hired a delivery person to handle phone orders and deliveries.
So, as they say, there’s nothing new under the sun—it all depends on whether you can seize the opportunity.
Cao Cheng planned to invest in this industry in the future.
Besides, with his background in computer science and a century’s worth of knowledge from his dreams, his programming skills were generations ahead of the current standard.
As for cooking,
Cao Cheng was no amateur—he was actually quite skilled.
Whether it was due to his unreliable father forcing him to be independent from a young age,
or the experience gained from his century-long dream,
he had a few signature dishes up his sleeve.
He just couldn’t be bothered to cook.
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
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."
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?!
