"Second Sister's back. Wanna watch TV? This drama's pretty good—no surprise it was last year's ratings king... especially Old Chen's performance."
Cao Cheng pointed at the screen. "You have no idea how big he’s gonna get. Dude can even sing..."
It was the weekend, and the markets were closed, so Cao Cheng finally had time to catch up on shows.
Second Sister’s face was icy.
Cao Cheng paused. "Not your thing? How about Soldiers Sortie? Just came out... probably this year’s hit. Trust me, I’ve got a good eye for this stuff. Wanna bet?"
"......"
Second Sister took a deep breath and walked away without a word.
Cao Cheng chuckled. This woman, seriously...
"Didn’t catch the suspect, did you? Vanished into thin air, right?" Cao Cheng suddenly spoke up.
Screech—
Second Sister halted abruptly, the soles of her shoes scraping sharply against the polished floor.
She turned to glare at him.
Cao Cheng just smiled, refocused on the TV, and ignored her.
Second Sister stared at the back of his head, emotions tangled, when something clicked.
Back on New Year’s Eve, he’d brought her food.
Back then, he’d also mentioned a bet—about this very case.
Meaning, while she was eating, this guy must’ve seen the case files.
Cao Cheng hadn’t wandered around, but the office was cluttered with documents, case files piled everywhere.
Maybe...
He’d noticed something?
Sometimes it’s like that—those closest to a case get lost in the weeds, while an outsider’s offhand remark can flip the switch.
Ever seen Young Justice Bao? Same formula.
Conan too.
Sherlock Holmes?
Yep.
All those damn shows.
......
"What do you know?" Second Sister stepped forward, breaking her silence.
Her tone was still frosty.
Unpleasant.
Ignored.
Cao Cheng sipped his coffee, lounging as the drama played.
The killer wouldn’t strike again.
So he wasn’t in a hurry.
She was.
"Every citizen has a duty to cooperate with police investigations," Second Sister said stiffly.
Cao Cheng smirked, side-eyeing her. "Oh, we’re playing the official card now? Sorry, I know nothing, Officer. Wait—should I call you Ma’am?"
Cao Cheng had always been the type to yield to softness, not force.
His stomach had never handled tough things well.
Two lifetimes of that.
So no hard stuff.
And besides,
He treated others as they treated him. Kindness? Remembered.
Disdain? Reciprocated.
No ass-kissing here.
Even if Second Sister stood at 1.75 meters, with legs longer than most people’s lifespans—legs that were, objectively, Cao Cheng’s ideal: straight and honey-toned.
But,
That wasn’t reason enough to grovel.
Second Sister fumed silently.
Cao Cheng gestured around. "This is home, not an interrogation room. If you think I’m involved, arrest me. If not, let me watch my show in peace."
He grinned. "On New Year’s Eve, I gave you a chance. Was gonna share some insights, but you walked off—so cool. But hey, my memory’s decent. Still remember that."
"Had your chance. You blew it."
"Now you wanna ask me outright? What does that make me?"
"Don’t act like I owe you anything."
"If you want something, ask nicely. Can you soften up? Smile? Show some damn courtesy?"
"Spring’s here. Winter’s over. Who’s your cold act for?"
"Me?"
"Think I’ll indulge you?"
His voice was calm, his tone almost playful, but each word was a needle.
After observing her for so long, Cao Cheng had her figured out.
Politely put: she was strong-willed.
Needed taming.
Bluntly? She was just... difficult.
Couldn’t give her an inch.
Otherwise, she’d take a mile.
......
Fists clenched.
The housekeeper, watching the tension between Second Sister and the young master, panicked.
She hurried upstairs to the music room, seeking The Fourth.
But could The Fourth mediate?
She was scared of Second Sister too.
Hearing the commotion, she tiptoed out, lurking at the stairwell’s corner, peeking down, ready to bolt if things escalated.
The Fourth even pulled out her phone, debating whether to text Mom or Eldest Sister.
But then...
Involving Mom would escalate things.
Better to wait. If they really started fighting, she’d call Eldest Sister first, then Mom.
......
No fight broke out, though.
Second Sister wasn’t the screeching type.
And Cao Cheng didn’t argue with women.
Besides,
His words were sharp, but his delivery was smooth. In the end, Second Sister just stormed off—
To the basement gym, where she pummeled a sandbag.
Once she was gone,
The Fourth slid over to Cao Cheng.
"What’d you fight about? So glad you’re alive, thank God," she said, exaggerating relief.
Cao Cheng laughed. "Buzz off. Why thank God? Does he even have jurisdiction here? Thank the Jade Emperor."
The Fourth waved it off. "Whatever. Tell me, what happened? Spill!"
Cao Cheng frowned. "Why do you sound so thrilled? You’re just here for the drama, hoping we’d throw hands, huh?"
The Fourth didn’t deny it. Nodded. "Yep. She’s had it coming. I’ve put up with her for over 20 years. Know how many times she’s hit me? Too many to count... sob."
"......"
That fake crying couldn’t be more obvious.
But it was clear—The Fourth had suffered.
"Ever fight back?"
"I’m the youngest. How?"
"By that logic, I’m the youngest now. Still stood my ground."
"Hence why I said you’re lucky to be alive. I thought she’d hit you—she doesn’t hold back." The Fourth patted her modest chest.
Cao Cheng squinted. "So you saw everything but didn’t help? Just waiting to laugh at me if I got beaten up?"
The Fourth flustered, forcing a guilty grin. "No way! I’d never let you get hurt. You’re my favorite little brother. Sister’s got your back."
"Sure, sure." Cao Cheng shoved her lightly.
The Fourth flopped onto the couch, giggling as she sat back up. Leaning in, eyes sparkling with curiosity: "Seriously, what happened?"
"Sigh."
Cao Cheng exhaled dramatically.
The Fourth pressed, "Well?"
He shook his head, pointing at the TV. "I said Old Chen’s gonna blow up, even drop a song. That he’d dream of sleeping center-stage. Second Sister called me blind, then stormed off. That’s it."
"......"
The Fourth rolled her eyes. "You think I’m stupid?"
Like I’d believe that.
Fine, keep your secrets...
Brat.
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)
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?!
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
