Young Master Cao was the kind of person who remembered favors, not grudges.
When Aunt Wang called him a "weasel" during the New Year, he had jotted it down in his little notebook.
But that wasn’t a grudge.
It was a favor!
Because it was emotional feedback.
For Young Master Cao, as long as there was emotional feedback, it meant they were his "benefactors," his "kindred spirits," and his "family."
So,
Young Master Cao remembered favors, not grudges!
This time, he was going to retaliate—no, repay the favor.
It was also a test of the system’s nationwide data collection speed.
Ever since Young Master Cao left Sanjiang, the emotional feedback from there had been cut off.
And Sanjiang wasn’t part of East China.
But now, with nationwide coverage, emotions from Sanjiang could be collected again.
The results seemed promising.
"You little brat… a dog’s mouth can’t spit out ivory," Aunt Wang snapped, dropping the act and admitting she was petty.
Cao Cheng sighed. "Look at you, always so impatient!"
"Aunt Wang, I’m not trying to criticize you, but how can someone your age be so lacking in composure? I’m just concerned about you. I’m doing this for your own good."
"Pah! What’s it to you? None of your business!"
Aunt Wang spat through the phone, practically drenching the receiver.
Young Master Cao chuckled. "I’m genuinely worried about my little brother, Little Wang…"
"He’s surnamed Zhou."
"Uh—"
Cao Cheng quickly changed the subject. "By the way, Aunt Wang, how did he do on his exams? The results should be out by now, right? It’s already late June!"
"None of your concern. Do you have anything else to say? If not, I’m hanging up." Aunt Wang avoided a direct answer, but her tone said it all.
He definitely bombed.
Cao Cheng grinned. "Maybe he should retake the exams next year? Sanjiang doesn’t have age restrictions for college entrance exams anyway—just treat it like an adult education exam. Fan Jin passing the imperial exams at fifty-four is both a spirit and a cultural legacy. We can’t let our ancestors’ traditions die out."
"What’s one or two failures?"
"We need the spirit of fighting, losing, fighting again, losing again—never giving up!"
"We’re unbreakable."
"We should learn from Fan Jin—it’s never too late, even at fifty-four!"
"…"
Suddenly, Little Zhou’s furious voice erupted from the phone. "Cao, you bastard, stop adding fuel to the fire! Mind your own damn business! What’s my score got to do with you? If I ever run into you, I swear I’ll beat you to a pulp!"
The call ended abruptly.
After some time apart, he had grown.
And gotten bolder.
But he was still the same kid, unchanged.
The emotional feedback confirmed it—his family was still a major taxpayer.
If only life could stay as it was at first sight.
Aunt Wang was still the same Aunt Wang from a year ago.
She hadn’t changed.
Little Wang hadn’t changed.
Nothing had changed!
How wonderful!
…
"What’s so funny?"
"You’re grinning like a troublemaker."
The Fourth came home.
She spotted Cao Cheng’s mischievous smirk instantly and knew he’d been stirring up trouble again.
The Fourth had been swamped lately, especially with summer variety shows in full swing. The demand for behind-the-scenes music talent was sky-high.
Especially these days, when music competitions were everywhere.
Absolute Singing, Super Boys,
Super Girls, Red Song Festival, Extreme Singing, My Show, I Love Remembering Lyrics…
All that stuff.
"The Fourth" ran a small music studio—nothing huge, but it kept her busy.
After all, she was part of the industry.
She didn’t work for money; sometimes she even invested her own, calling it "self-fulfillment."
Really, she was just bored.
Kicking off her shoes and tossing her luggage aside, she walked over to Cao Cheng and eyed his phone with a knowing smirk. "Antagonizing people again?"
Young Master Cao feigned innocence. "What kind of accusation is that? I was just asking about Aunt Wang’s son’s college entrance exam results. You know we’re friendly neighbors. Even though I left Sanjiang six months ago and now I’m thousands of miles away in Zhonghai, I still care about my hometown folks. No matter how well I do, I’d never forget my roots. If I get the chance, I always try to lend a hand."
"Pfft—"
The Fourth laughed.
But she also relaxed instantly.
Work was exhausting.
Even though music was her passion, it still wore her out.
Coming home to this brat and hearing his nonsense actually felt comforting.
It hadn’t even been that long.
She’d only been gone a little over a month, and they’d talked on the phone.
But calls weren’t the same as face-to-face.
Sinking into the couch, The Fourth did what she always did—leaned to the side and plopped her legs onto Cao Cheng’s lap. "My legs are killing me. Wore heels almost every day. Be a good little brother and give me a massage."
Young Master Cao grimaced. "Couldn’t you wash your feet first?"
"They don’t stink."
"But they’re sweaty."
"Liar!"
The Fourth’s face flushed as she huffed, "Just do it, you brat."
Summer stockings…
Well.
They were a bit thin.
Cao Cheng complained but didn’t refuse the free emotional feedback.
As he kneaded, The Fourth melted like a contented cat, eyes half-lidded. "Where’s The Third?"
"At the office, probably."
"Why’s she always there?"
"Maybe she can’t resist my charm. If she stayed home, she’d lose control. So she’s avoiding me." Cao Cheng sighed dramatically.
The Fourth snorted and lifted a foot. "I’ll kick you if you keep talking nonsense."
Cao Cheng dodged, grinning. "She didn’t go the first two days. Yesterday, Second Sister was off, and Eldest Sister actually had a day off too. Mom and Old Cao came back. It was the weekend—everyone was here except you!"
The Fourth pouted. "I’ve got two days off now, but I’m heading to Xiangdong after. Hey, since you’ve got nothing to do, why not come with me?"
Cao Cheng side-eyed her. "Nothing to do? Do you have any idea how busy I’ve been this past month? I finally get some downtime, and all I do is grab some barbecue, go for a drive, maybe hit the yacht club with Wang Haodong."
"Wait, what?"
The Fourth sat bolt upright.
Cao Cheng clarified, "The legit kind. Day trips only."
The Fourth grabbed his ear and hissed, "Don’t play dumb with me. Day trips still mean yacht girls."
"…"
Cao Cheng blinked. "What girls?"
"Yacht. Girls." The Fourth ground out each word.
Cao Cheng gasped. "No way! Wang Haodong never showed me any! That scrawny jerk must’ve kept them to himself. Let me go—I’m gonna confront him!"
"Nice try. You’re not fooling anyone." The Fourth tightened her grip.
Young Master Cao couldn’t take that.
So they "fought."
After some wrestling, she was no match and ended up collapsing into his arms.
…Silence.
Neither moved.
The silence lingered for two seconds.
The Fourth glared in anger and punched Cao Cheng’s chest. "Don’t you dare hang out with Wang Haodong from now on."
Cao Cheng chuckled.
That tone—so nagging, like a mom telling her kid to stay away from certain people.
Unbelievable.
With a grin, Cao Cheng said, "I was just messing with you. I haven’t seen Wang Haodong in ages."
"I don’t care if you were messing around or not. Just stay away from him. He’s no good."
"Honestly, I think he’s alright..."
"I said he’s not, so he’s not."
"Fine, fine. Whatever you say. You’re always right."
"Ugh, you brat… get your hands off me."
The Fourth swatted Young Master Cao’s hand away.
Tch.
Women!
Annoyed, Cao Cheng tossed her aside.
"Ow—!" The Fourth shuddered from the impact and, furious, retaliated with a swift kick.
Cao Cheng’s cultivation technique, "Fleeting Shadow," came in handy—sidestep, sidestep… dodged!
In one fluid motion, he caught her bare foot and pressed hard on a pressure point at the sole.
"Ah—!"
A sharp cry pierced the air.
The aunties in the distance were so startled they scurried away, pretending they hadn’t seen a thing.

tions: attribute allocation, analysis, proficiency, and simulation. Specializing in mechanical alchemy, from crafting sorcerous battle armor to handcrafting mechanical maidens, his mechanical legion conquers endless realms... Relying on his wits, he begins with a student-teacher romance, wins over a female director, enslaves a female assassin and a underworld queen, becoming the husband of a Grand Duchess... He enslaves the Goddess of Magic from the divine realm, developing his power simultaneously in both the Wizard World and the Realm of Gods...

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."

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!

close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"