Early in the morning at the office, Shen Yi was revising the proposal he hadn't finished the day before. Taking time off was nice at first, but coming back was like walking into a crematorium - various tasks were in complete disarray, disturbing his peace of mind.
The vacation days were scattered about, and working days were mentally chaotic, making it feel like a bargain hunt, desperately trying to piece things together.
"Shen Yi, you need to submit your proposal tonight, the client needs it tomorrow," Little Liu from the neighboring desk said casually as he walked past Shen Yi's workstation carrying some files.
Shen Yi heard him but didn't even look up, just mumbling a response. Little Liu didn't seem to mind, letting out a snicker before walking away with his head held high.
Liu Changjiang pulling this kind of stunt was within Shen Yi's expectations. The reason was simple - it was all about the time off.
The company policy stated that only one person per team could take regular time off, with special arrangements possible for schedule adjustments. Since Shen Yi had applied one day earlier, it disrupted Liu's plans, and he had secretly begun to harbor resentment toward Shen Yi.
Liu Changjiang was a petty person with a narrow mind, always keeping score and fond of tattling - your typical office troublemaker. Every workplace has one, and everyone knew what he was like, mostly choosing to keep their distance.
"Xiao Shen, the previous version needs some minor adjustments, the team leader is waiting for the report."
Just as Shen Yi had managed to push Liu Changjiang out of his mind, another voice caught his attention, and he quickly responded:
"Oh, sure, Wang Ru, I'll get right on it."
Wang Ru was a young married woman who had helped Shen Yi a lot when he first joined the company. She was generally kind to everyone, always smiling before speaking, and was quite popular in the company.
Unlike with Liu Changjiang, Shen Yi didn't dare slack off when she made requests, immediately nodding in agreement.
But just as he sat down, someone from the Planning Department came looking for him, urging him about the brand promotion draft that was due Monday.
Shen Yi froze, checked his phone, and realized - damn, today was Monday.
Recalling last week's team arrangements, this draft was supposed to be Liu Changjiang's responsibility.
The Planning Department staff waved off Shen Yi's explanations - they didn't care who wrote the draft, they just needed it from Team Three on time, everything else was irrelevant.
After they left, Shen Yi sat at his desk and realized what had happened - that bastard Liu Changjiang had taken emergency leave today, deliberately leaving this mess for him to deal with.
After gritting his teeth for a while, Shen Yi gave up. This wasn't the time to be angry - he had a huge pile of work to handle and time was tight, leaving no room for extra emotions.
Office work was strange like that - some days you're killing time browsing the internet, other days tasks pile up one after another, like suddenly remembering to do the dishes when food's already on the table, or realizing your nose is running only after it reaches your mouth.
Ten-thirty at night.
Shen Yi stood up and stretched, trying to work out his stiff muscles.
"That's it for this goddamn shift today!"
The client's proposal was done, and the team leader's report materials had been placed on his desk long ago - he could finally go home.
As for the Planning Department's draft, whoever wanted to write it could write it - he sure as hell wasn't going to. Shen Yi coldly smiled as he grabbed his bag and clocked out without hesitation.
He wasn't the type to let people walk all over him - his kindness was reserved only for those who were kind to him in return. For someone else, Shen Yi might have quietly taken the hit and helped out, but Liu Changjiang definitely didn't qualify.
Shen Yi had managed to complete his own work even after taking time off yesterday to move houses, so what right did Liu Changjiang have to deliberately dump his work on him under the guise of taking leave?
The subway stopped running at 10:50, and Shen Yi hurriedly caught the last train, finding a seat while clutching his laptop bag.
He could already imagine the team leader's fury tomorrow, but he didn't care. At worst, he'd be accused of not being a team player. After working there for over two years, he had no ambition for promotion anyway, so let them yell.
Finding a seat, Shen Yi pulled out his phone to relax with a game.
"Teamfight Tactics, let's go!"
After graduating from university, intense competitive games had become too demanding, and Shen Yi gradually started preferring casual games.
Games he could start and stop at any time, preferably with auto-play features, something he could just tap occasionally to relieve stress.
"Nice! Eat that!"
Shen Yi muttered excitedly under his breath as his composition was unstoppable, crushing everything in its path.
"Damn, what luck, how did they manage to chase me down?"
But before he could celebrate for long, another player desperately chased him down with a three-star legendary unit, sending him to eighth place.
Putting down his phone in frustration, the subway coincidentally arrived at his stop, and Shen Yi grabbed his bag and followed the crowd out.
After an eight-minute walk, Shen Yi opened his door and collapsed onto the bean bag chair, not wanting to move anymore.
This was his new home that he'd just moved into yesterday, so it still looked neat and organized, a far cry from his previous dump - the difference was like heaven and earth.
His previous apartment, though close to the company, was small and expensive. Shen Yi felt the burden was too heavy and had been wanting to move but couldn't find the time. He finally managed it during his time off, only to return to a pile of work at the office, making him even more exhausted than before.
Curled up in the soft chair, Shen Yi opened a food delivery app and casually ordered dinner, having not eaten since being busy since noon.
While waiting, Shen Yi thought about playing another round of TFT, but remembering the lucky player from before made him lose interest, like he'd swallowed a fly.
Feeling bored, Shen Yi opened the App Store, looking for a casual idle game to play.
His finger scrolled through the rankings, seeing all familiar faces - either games he'd played before or types he had zero interest in.
"These rankings are getting worse and worse..." Shen Yi muttered while scrolling down.
Just then, a pink APP caught his attention, something he hadn't seen before, sitting right at the hundredth position - the very last spot in the rankings.
"Dating Simulator, just made it to the charts?"
The rankings only showed the top hundred, so this APP had clearly fought its way up from among thousands, suggesting it must have some merit.
Of course, what really caught Shen Yi's attention was the app's icon - a pink heart pierced by Cupid's arrow.
However, unlike normal Cupid's arrows that pierce two hearts, this arrow had a string of hearts skewered on its shaft, making the whole Cupid's arrow look rather crowded and strange.
'What is this, a kebab?' Shen Yi couldn't help but joke, but his curiosity was piqued nonetheless.
With one tap, Shen Yi started the download, casually reading the description while waiting for the progress bar to fill.
[Dating Simulator! A blessing for the romantically challenged, a bible for dating novices, hurry and match with your dream goddess! Earn rewards through successful dating strategies, unlock exclusive achievements with perfect runs!]
Looking at the description, Shen Yi had a strange expression, "Sounds pretty legit, hope it's not pay-to-win..."
The simulator wasn't large, and it quickly showed the download was complete.
Exiting the store, Shen Yi decided to try it immediately, skipping the reviews as usual.
Developers these days were quite crafty with fake reviews, and there was nothing worse than getting excited by glowing praise only to find garbage after downloading.
Clicking the icon, a pleasant melody played, followed by a flash of white light that made Shen Yi's vision blur momentarily before the APP loaded completely.
His body felt strangely hot for an instant, so brief he wasn't sure if he'd imagined it. Before he could think about it further, a simple window popped up, prompting him to name his character.
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...
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
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!
lan, the Luo family, tracked him down - along with the babies in their arms. Mo Xuan stared pensively at the paternity test results from over a dozen top institutions, both domestic and international, showing a 99.99% match between himself and the two baby girls. At 23, Mo Xuan, a doctoral student, had become the father of two three-year-old children. The kicker? The mothers weren't even the same person! He gradually realized he was being lured step by step into an elaborate trap designed by these two yandere sisters. "Be good, little Xuan. Sister's life belongs to you entirely." "Brother, if you try to run away, I'll have no choice but to tie you up." Mo Xuan: "Do whatever you want, ladies. I give up."
