The meal was devoured like a whirlwind.
Between bites and sips,
Cao Cheng gathered from their chatter that Old Cao wasn’t having an easy time—every night, he had to wait on someone, brewing soup like a servant.
What’s the difference between that and being a housemaid?
Middle-aged and still doing nanny work.
Tsk.
Really regressing in life.
Serves him right.
Running off with that widow.
But it was clear the two had a decent relationship, and a divorce didn’t seem imminent.
……
After the meal,
Cao Cheng brewed a pot of purple tea, filled a thermos for himself, and left the rest for them to steep.
Then he left the house, giving them space for their… detoxification.
Not just this "Third Sister."
Even "Fourth Sister" Ren Yuege, after over a month without drinking it, probably had built-up impurities. This round would involve some cleansing too.
Though her reaction would likely be milder than Third Sister’s—nothing as intense as the first time.
September arrived.
The evenings carried a hint of coolness now, comfortable, perfect for retirement living.
“Little Cao’s here?”
“Come, sit by me.”
“Here, have some sunflower seeds.”
“And candy…”
Cao Cheng took the candy, eyeing the group of middle-aged women skeptically. “Wait, are y’all holding a tea party at this hour? Since when does that involve candy?”
One auntie laughed. “A distant nephew of mine got married today. Brought back some sweets to share.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful! Congrats…” Cao Cheng offered a perfunctory blessing, then asked, “What were you all laughing about earlier? I could hear the cackling from a mile away.”
To his surprise, his casual question sent the women into another fit of giggles.
Cao Cheng was baffled.
Grinning now, infected by their mood, he pressed, “What’s so funny? Is there something the mighty Cao isn’t allowed to know? Spill it.”
One sister, her face flushed with laughter, wheezed, “Little Cao, do you have a girlfriend?”
“Not at the moment,” Cao Cheng shook his head.
The auntie snorted. “Then we can’t tell you. You’re too young.”
The hell?
You’ve never even seen it.
I could whip it out and scare you to death.
But Cao Cheng got the gist.
These women had definitely been sharing some… colorful jokes earlier.
As the saying goes, gossip about the Zhangs and the Lis—
That’s just code for measuring dick sizes.
These aunties? Not a wholesome bunch.
Gathering at night for some collective indecency!
……
With Cao Cheng’s participation, the conversation took a slightly more respectable turn.
After all, the man was a paragon of righteousness.
Too noble to indulge in raunchy banter with middle-aged women.
His radiant positivity rubbed off on everyone, shaming them out of vulgar topics and steering things back to normalcy.
“Little Cao, you graduated but don’t work? What do you live on?” one auntie asked curiously.
Cao Cheng smiled. “Who says I don’t work? I studied computer science. I just freelance from home on my laptop. With a computer, you can work anywhere.”
“Huh?” The aunties didn’t understand but were impressed anyway.
Another asked, “Computers make it that easy? You can earn money at home? Doesn’t the company worry you’ll slack off?”
“Yeah, who manages you? How do they pay you?”
“Little Cao, could folks like us—retired or stay-at-home—earn with computers too? I’ve got one at home… Just enough for groceries would be nice. Teach us, won’t you?”
This topic tapped into their blind spots, curiosity, and greed.
Cao Cheng didn’t hold back—these were core members of the Jiangbei Neighborhood Watch, after all. He dropped a few buzzwords. They didn’t grasp the details, but it sounded impressive.
Their gazes toward him shifted instantly.
For years, the neighbors had assumed Cao Cheng was a slacker. Turns out, he was dabbling in high-tech.
They’d have to lecture their own kids later: Look at Cao Cheng, making money at home right after college. And you? Just gaming on the family computer. I’ll beat your ass, you little—
……
Truthfully, Cao Cheng wasn’t lying.
He did work from home.
He’d upgraded his old junk laptop during his PR campaign days. Lately, he’d been coding in his spare time.
He was even developing a browser game.
Like Happy Farm.
No such game existed domestically yet, and Cao Cheng was on it.
He knew exactly how viral—and profitable—it would be.
Once his first stock market windfall hit, he’d start a gaming company, milk the trend dry, and build his reputation.
In business circles,
clout is currency.
Without it, even waving cash won’t get you into investment rounds.
……
The conversation veered from computers to stocks.
Nearly every auntie dabbled—or had family who did.
“Little Cao, do you trade stocks? My husband does it at home and loses money like it’s his job. Can’t even criticize him—he blew up at me earlier. We just fought over it,” one sister sighed.
Cao Cheng said, “I know a bit about the market. From what I’ve seen, it’s been decent lately. How’s he losing?”
“Who the hell knows.”
She scowled. “No luck for wealth, yet he insists on playing trader. Down over 100k already…”
At “100k,” the aunties erupted—offering advice, brainstorming solutions.
But it was mostly schadenfreude.
Nothing beats watching others lose money!
Only Cao Cheng, ever the kind soul,
couldn’t bear their suffering.
Out of respect for his fellow Jiangbei Neighborhood Watch elites, he offered a tip:
“Actually, I do have some insider info. A finance expert I know hinted that a bull market’s coming.”
He leaned in, conspiratorial. “Keep this hush-hush.”
The sister gasped. “A bull market? Really? Is your expert reliable?”
“Absolutely. He’s the father of my college buddy’s… friend’s relative. Very close connection,” Cao Cheng said gravely.
“……”
“……”
Close?
Bitch, we’re closer than that.
Seeing their skepticism,
Cao Cheng doubled down. “Trust me, the bull’s coming. Soon. It’s already forming. Miss it, and you’ll regret it.”
The sister eyed him. “Then… have you bought in?”
“No,” Cao Cheng admitted.
“……” She rolled her eyes. Then why the hell should I listen?
He explained, “Only because I’m broke. If I had cash, I’d go all-in. Believe me—have I ever steered you wrong?”
That much was true.
His track record earned him some credibility.
But while they might buy it, others would laugh.
A bull market?
The index has been flat at 1600 for five years.
Do you know what hell we’ve endured?
The elder sister hesitated for a few seconds before nodding. "Alright, I’ll trust you this once. I’ll talk to my husband about it later."
"Don’t worry, those who trust me always make money!" Cao Cheng assured her outright.
The aunties around them chimed in with questions of their own.
Truthfully,
Cao Cheng had told them all this for the sake of emotional gains.
Whether they listened to him or not, they’d either feel positive afterward or drown in regret.
Those who followed his advice and profited would naturally provide positive emotions.
But those who ignored him would live to regret it for the rest of their lives.
Cao Cheng never lost.
...
After chatting for a while,
Cao Cheng’s sharp eyes caught sight of several figures lurking outside the neighborhood—skulking, sneaking, surveying the area.
His vision was keen, and he recognized them instantly: a few of the same lackeys from that gang of troublemakers he’d dealt with before.
They’d been released!
Coming back for revenge?
This time, though, they seemed smarter—instead of charging into the neighborhood, they were loitering outside, keeping watch and scouting the place.
Cao Cheng grinned.
Who’d have thought that stepping out for a chat would lead him straight to these walking experience points?
Tonight…
was bound to be a fruitful night.
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)
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!
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
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."
