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.
g Yu was preparing for retirement when her organization decided to eliminate her. She transmigrated to a zombie apocalypse world. However, a tiny unexpected situation occurred: She somehow transformed into an adorable little girl?!
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
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.
