Young Master Cao was invited into the house.
Little Wang heard the commotion and came out of his room.
Sporting a single black eye, Little Wang instinctively took a defensive stance upon seeing Cao Cheng, exclaiming in shock:
"What are you doing in my house?"
"Look at you, kid. I’m just here to check on you, brought some gifts to help you recover," Cao Cheng said with genuine sincerity.
Little Wang scowled: "I don’t need it. You’re not welcome here."
Little Wang was standing his ground.
Cao Cheng understood.
After all, even a dog acts tough when it has backup.
In his own home, with Aunt Wang nearby, the kid thought Cao Cheng wouldn’t dare lay a hand on him—so he got cocky.
But…
Does he never leave the house?
Cao Cheng feigned surprise: "Do you never go outside?"
Little Wang didn’t catch on: "What do you mean?"
"What I’m saying is, don’t you ever go out to internet cafes? Aren’t you afraid of being caught alone? Since when do you talk to me like that?" Cao Cheng asked, pretending to be puzzled.
"…" Little Wang’s confidence wavered.
Aunt Wang’s expression darkened: "Cao Cheng, what are you implying? Are you threatening my son?"
"Not at all."
Cao Cheng chuckled: "Aunt Wang, don’t misunderstand. I know you’re upset, but hear me out. What I mean is, if Little Wang ever runs into trouble outside, and I happen to be around, I’d help him out. We’re neighbors, after all."
"As the older brother in this courtyard, I can’t just stand by and watch the younger ones get bullied by outsiders."
"But Aunt Wang, look at how your son’s treating me—I came bearing gifts, and this is the attitude I get? If that’s the case, next time I see him in trouble, I might just walk away. Wouldn’t want my kindness thrown back in my face."
"Helping someone only to be scolded for meddling?"
"And Aunt Wang, don’t say I never looked out for the younger ones."
Hearing this,
Aunt Wang glared at her son: "What nonsense are you spouting? Since when do you decide who’s welcome here? Hmph."
"Xiao Cao, don’t take it to heart."
Cao Cheng set down the gifts and waved it off: "I’m not bothered. But Aunt Wang, I don’t know your temperament, but if my own younger brother spoke to a guest like that, I’d give him a beating."
"I’m not trying to stir trouble—this is about discipline."
Cao Cheng adopted a serious tone:
"Let me break it down for you."
"Boys need strict discipline from a young age."
"Otherwise, they’ll suffer for it later. Take today’s incident at the internet café—he lost big time. If he hadn’t cursed at that guy’s mother, would he have ended up in a fight?"
"And if there was no fight, would you have had to pay all that money?"
Aunt Wang’s face grew darker.
Her mood soured further.
He had a point…
The thought of those thousands spent made her blood boil.
Little Wang paled: "Cao, you—"
Aunt Wang pointed at him: "Shut your mouth and get back to your room!"
Little Wang flinched, shot Cao Cheng a glare, and slunk away.
Cao Cheng sighed with a faint smile and pressed on: "Aunt Wang, don’t be too upset. Today’s incident was minor—just some money."
"Problems that can be solved with money aren’t real problems."
"But think about it—how old is he? He’s still dependent on you."
"Once he’s on his own, studying, working, living alone—life’s hard enough. What if he picks a fight with the wrong person?"
"Fights are one thing. Breaking things just means paying up."
"But if someone gets seriously hurt? Tsk tsk tsk… That’s not just about money anymore. He could end up behind bars."
"And worse than him hurting someone? Him getting hurt."
"Aunt Wang…"
"Uncle Zhou… passed too soon. You raised these two kids alone, especially this boy—he’s the only heir to the Zhou family, your hope for old age. If something happens to him, what will you do?"
"When your time comes, how will you face Uncle Zhou?"
"If that day comes, this family… it’ll fall apart."
"So…"
"Aunt Wang, discipline him now. Don’t go soft."
"There are too many stories of mothers ruining their sons with indulgence, especially without a father around. If you don’t step up, it’s over."
"He’s only eighteen—you don’t have much time left. Once he’s in college, it’ll be too late."
"Beat him now while you can. Every beating counts!"
"…"
Aunt Wang’s eyes burned with fury.
Her fists clenched tight.
Her face cycled between rage and dread.
That little bastard Cao Cheng was annoying, but… he wasn’t wrong.
Losing money today was nothing—just an apology to the café owner.
But if someone got stabbed over his foul mouth?
Unthinkable.
All because he couldn’t keep his curses to himself.
"Aunt Wang."
"You seem to get it now, so I’ll stop. Don’t want to overstay my welcome."
"I’ve delivered the gifts and my apologies. I’ll get going."
"See you at the gossip hub later." Cao Cheng smiled and stepped out.
Aunt Wang snapped back to reality.
She didn’t know what "gossip hub" meant, but assumed he meant the neighborhood entrance.
"Thank you, Xiao Cao."
"Ah, Aunt Wang, no need for thanks. Sure, we bicker, but that’s what neighbors do—it’s part of life. But when it matters, we look out for each other."
Aunt Wang nodded. "True."
"Alright, no need to see me out. Focus on teaching your son. Strike while the iron’s hot—today’s the best time. Wait too long, and you’ll lose the excuse."
Aunt Wang agreed: "Makes sense."
"Keep your steps, Aunt Wang."
Cao Cheng turned and headed downstairs.
Aunt Wang watched him disappear around the stairwell.
Then—
BANG!—she slammed the door shut and marched off to fetch the feather duster…
Soon, agonized screams filled the house.
Downstairs, Cao Cheng winced at the sound: "Yikes… She actually went through with it? Aunt Wang’s… impressively decisive. Maybe I’ll hire her as a janitor when I start my company."
"With her around, the place’ll be spotless."
"Decision made."
Flick—he lit a cigarette.
Couldn’t bear to listen any longer.
"Little brother… I’ve done all I can for you."
"You’ll thank me someday."
Off to the gossip hub.
Huh.
Almost 9 p.m., and the usual crowd of women was gathered, fanning themselves in the evening breeze.
Cao Cheng squeezed onto a stool and "borrowed" a fan.
The woman whose fan he snatched scowled.
Quick to distract, Cao Cheng announced:
"Hey, have you heard? The Wang family’s place is echoing with screams—blood-curdling, carry-for-miles kind of stuff."
The fanless auntie blinked. "Wang family? Wang Youtian’s?"
"Ah, my bad—not the Wangs. The Zhous. Aunt Wang’s place."
"Ooooh."
The crowd nodded in collective understanding.
An elderly woman asked, "I heard about this. The Wang family—pah, no, the Zhou family—someone from their household went out today and apparently lost quite a bit of money."
"Why? What happened?"
Everyone was curious.
As for the reason, no one knew.
None of them were hitting the mark.
That’s where Young Master Cao came in.
Holding a feather fan and waving it leisurely in front of his chest, Young Master Cao chuckled with an air of wisdom. "I happen to know a thing or two about this matter. Would you all care to hear it?"
"Go on."
"We’re listening."
"Come on, Young Cao, spill it already."
A sharp-eyed older sister handed him a handful of sunflower seeds.
Cao Cheng took the seeds and began, "Well, it all started with Little Wang—no, wait, Little Zhou, Aunt Wang’s son. And it also involves Zhou, Aunt Wang’s daughter, who has a boyfriend..."
villain is the number one simp for the book's leading female protagonist, Shen Wan'er. As expected, he later becomes a tool for the main character to show off and slap faces, ultimately meeting a tragic end with his family ruined and his life in shambles. Fortunately, he awakens the [Universal Pure Love System], which allows him to earn points by performing acts of pure love. To change his fate, Gu Yan makes a decisive choice to seek warmth and companionship with the book's biggest villain—Cold Qingqiu. ........... My name is Leng Qingqiu. To find the murderer who killed my parents years ago, I deliberately blinded myself so that everyone would lower their guard around me. Just as I was secretly accumulating power and capital according to my initial plan, a man walked into my world. "Lengleng, Qingqing, Qiuqiu, which nickname do you prefer?" I don't like any of them. You'd better leave quickly! "Why aren't you saying anything? How about I call you my baby wife?" Leng Qingqiu thinks to herself, this man is truly annoying! (Stubborn pure love warrior + single female lead + true pure love + 1v1)
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
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)
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.
