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.
iaobai: "Councilor Dad, front me some funds. I want to hire ten thousand professional miners for a project!" [Five-Star Mission Issued: Capture the leader of the Blood Heaven Pirate Gang, who is on the run in the Radiant Star Sector. It is said the gang has over a hundred members. Proceed with caution.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, lend me the family's hundred-thousand-strong Lu Army!" [Seven-Star Mission Issued: Subdue a juvenile Void Dragon Beast.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, I'm taking your tamed Void Dragon Beast King out for a family reunion!" I said, System, don't you have any slightly more challenging missions? You're just not up to par! [Nine-Star Mission Issued: Become the Human Councilor.] Lu Xiaobai: "Dad, there's a small matter I'd like to discuss with you..."
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.
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)
end. Thus one must continue to cultivate, and become a saint or great emperor, in order to prolong one's life. Chen Xia, however, completely reversed this. Since his transmigration, he has gained immortality, and also a system that awards him with attribute points for every year he lives. Thus between the myriad worlds, the legend of an unparalleled senior appeared. "A gentleman takes revenge; it is never too late even after ten thousand years." "When you were at your peak I yielded, now in your old age I shall trample on you." - Chen Xia
