Fu Nanzhi left with a stack of documents in her arms, their conversation having been brief.
Cheng Jun took a sip of coffee and remained seated, motionless.
Even with Cheng Jun's sharp intellect, she could only tell that Fu Nanzhi hadn’t come simply to catch up. As for her real intentions, Cheng Jun couldn’t quite figure them out yet.
Her words didn’t sound like bragging or provocation—could she really have just come to invite her to dinner?
"Ah..."
Cheng Jun sighed, shaking her damp left hand.
The rain outside seemed to mirror her mood, drizzling softly.
She had promised herself not to dwell on Shen Yi anymore, yet just hearing his name sent her thoughts spiraling.
The mind is the hardest thing to control—the more you resist, the deeper it lingers.
That’s why she preferred sitting here, watching the rain, emptying her mind of everything. The cool mist was soothing.
But life had a way of disrupting her peace.
In the brief moment she let herself drift, thoughts of Fu Nanzhi, her assistant, and work matters all came flooding back.
Just as she finally found some quiet, her mother called, asking her to come home for dinner.
Cheng Jun put down her phone, her mood worsening. It wasn’t that she had issues with her family—she just wanted to be alone for a while, but even that seemed impossible.
Picking up her cup, she stood and muttered to herself before heading back to her office.
"The rain’s getting heavier."
...
"Yeah, it’s been pouring all day."
Cheng Tianwei replied, recalling last night’s weather forecast.
"The news said there’d be heavy rain today and tomorrow."
Wen Ya got up from the couch and reminded her husband,
"Call Zhu Yun and tell her to drive carefully—it’s really coming down."
"Alright, I’ll call now."
Cheng Tianwei stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, pulling out his phone, but then paused and smiled.
"No need—she’s here."
Through the rain, a Porsche’s headlights appeared as it pulled into the garage.
Wen Ya hurried over, grumbling under her breath,
"She’s already here? That girl must’ve been speeding again. No matter how many times I tell her..."
"Save the scolding for later. When she comes in, don’t nag."
Cheng Tianwei warned.
Wen Ya rolled her eyes, dragging out her words sarcastically,
"Fine, you’re the doting father, aren’t you?"
She didn’t even bother pointing out her husband’s contradictions—always the picture of rationality in public, the epitome of an open-minded parent.
Yet behind closed doors, he fretted over every little thing, a complete pushover when it came to their daughter. How he managed to run a company with that temperament was beyond her.
Cheng Tianwei shrugged helplessly.
The doorbell rang—Zhu Yun must be at the door. Both parents moved to greet her, but then Cheng Tianwei’s phone buzzed.
Seeing it was a work call, he had no choice but to answer.
Meanwhile, Wen Ya reached the entrance just as the live-in housekeeper opened the door. Cheng Jun was in the foyer, changing out of her wet shoes.
"Zhu Yun, you’re back! Did you get soaked?"
"Just a little. The rain was too heavy—my skirt got damp..."
"Don’t worry about it. Go upstairs, take a shower, and change into dry clothes."
Wen Ya handed her a towel.
Cheng Jun wiped her legs. Even that short walk had been a struggle in the wind and rain.
Her stockings and shoes squished with every step.
By then, Cheng Tianwei had finished his call and joined them.
"You’re back. I told you to ride with me this afternoon, but you refused."
Cheng Jun shook her head.
"I still had work to finish, and leaving early wouldn’t look good."
"Heh, look at you, all grown up..."
"Your supervisor praised you in the meeting the other day, you know."
Cheng Tianwei teased, feeling a swell of pride.
Lately, despite her mysterious comings and goings, Cheng Jun had shown real improvement. Back when she first started working, she’d resisted every step of the way—showing up on time was a miracle, let alone worrying about appearances.
Cheng Jun scoffed.
"That bootlicker would praise you for farting if he thought it’d get him somewhere. He just didn’t have a reason to flatter me before."
"Watch your language," Cheng Tianwei chided, though his tone was patient.
"Whether in business or life, things aren’t so black and white."
"He’s in that position not because he’s good at flattery, but because he’s competent. Focus on learning from his strengths, not just his flaws."
Then, with a sidelong glance, he added,
"Otherwise, no matter how much he praised you, he’d still be out the door if he didn’t deliver."
Cheng Jun didn’t argue, just murmured,
"Black and white, huh..."
Wen Ya picked up the discarded towel and cut in.
"Save the lectures for later. She’s still damp—don’t let her catch a chill."
Turning to Cheng Jun, she urged,
"Go shower. The housekeeper already laid out fresh clothes on your bed."
"We can talk more after."
Cheng Jun nodded and headed upstairs.
Once she was gone, Wen Ya frowned at Cheng Tianwei.
"Does Zhu Yun seem upset to you?"
"She’s so quiet today—not like her at all..."
Normally, she’d greet them with hugs and kisses, pestering them about dinner.
She’d even swing her arms around her father’s neck, spinning him around until both parents were wrapped around her little finger. That’s how he’d become such a pushover.
"Hard to say," Cheng Tianwei mused, rubbing his chin. He had a hunch but wasn’t sure.
"We’ll ask her at dinner."
"What if she doesn’t want to talk?" Wen Ya fretted.
"You won’t know unless you ask. Just be gentle about it."
Cheng Tianwei said breezily.
"Fine, you’re always right. You ask her, then."
Wen Ya crossed her arms, giving him a look that said she expected him to fail.
At the dinner table, Cheng Jun joined them in loose pajamas after her shower.
"Dig in—it’s all your favorites," Wen Ya said, having prepared extra dishes knowing she’d be home.
She barely touched her own food, too busy loading Cheng Jun’s plate.
To her, this was the fallout of sending Cheng Jun abroad—ever since returning, she’d insisted on "personal space," forcing them to live apart and schedule family meals in advance.
The meal was unusually quiet, the clinking of cutlery the only sound. An outsider might’ve mistaken it for some strict no-talking-at-the-table rule.
When her husband kept eating without a word, Wen Ya kicked him under the table.
Cheng Tianwei cleared his throat.
"Zhu Yun, what’s kept you so busy lately?"
Cheng Jun paused mid-bite.
"Nothing much."
"Well, Auntie Zhang mentioned you’ve been learning to cook from her?"
"Planning to surprise us?"
【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
