After seeing Cheng Jun off, Shen Yi headed straight home.
Earlier, he had noticed Cheng Jun sitting on the sofa, repeatedly opening and closing the ride-hailing app on her phone.
Her hesitation was obvious, so he simply played along and made up an excuse to escort her.
Once home, he tidied up the mess before settling down to open his simulator.
This had become an indispensable part of his daily routine.
With just three or four hours of minimal effort, he could easily pocket over a hundred thousand. Why not?
The holographic screen unfolded, and his consciousness immersed itself.
Scenes flickered into view, and the simulation began.
When Shen Yi opened his eyes again, it was already past three in the afternoon.
"Damn it!"
He scrambled to his feet, grabbed his keys, and rushed out the door.
Driving out of the neighborhood, he headed to the nearest gas station to refuel.
Gripping the steering wheel, he reflected on the simulation.
Today’s subject had been unusually temperamental, forcing him to exhaust all three attempts before barely scraping through.
The session had dragged on so long that it was already afternoon by the time he finished.
His original plan had been to wrap up early and pull off a surprise visit—to drop by Jingyuanli and attend one of Shu Yunyi’s lectures.
But now, not only had he missed the class, if he didn’t hurry, he’d miss dinner too.
After filling up, he swung by the supermarket to stock up on meat and vegetables.
Entering the university campus, he carried the grocery bags straight to the faculty apartments.
Keying in the passcode, he pushed the door open and glanced around—perfect timing. Shu Yunyi wasn’t back yet.
He swapped his shoes, tied on the apron hanging by the kitchen wall, and began prepping the ingredients with practiced ease.
5:30 PM.
Shu Yunyi hurried back, her heels clicking against the pavement.
The past few days had worn her out.
Waking up early for jogs and lesson planning had taken a toll after such a long break from teaching.
Her calves ached from standing all day, and exhaustion clung to her every step.
Along the way, she exchanged greetings with professors and lecturers.
Her return to teaching had stirred some buzz, and everyone seemed eager to acknowledge it.
She was used to the attention—it would fade once the novelty wore off.
In the elevator, she thought to herself:
I’ll just order takeout tonight. Too tired to cook.
My legs feel like lead. How long will this soreness last?
"Ding."
The elevator doors slid open. Shu Yunyi dragged her weary body to the apartment and unlocked the door.
Before she could even kick off her shoes, the rich aroma of food hit her.
Her fatigue vanished in an instant. Barely managing to toe off her shoes, she dashed to the kitchen, beaming.
"Xiao Yi!"
"I knew it had to be you!"
She threw her arms around him from behind, pressing her cheek against his back.
Shen Yi, mid-stir, nearly flung the contents of the wok out from the sudden jostle.
"Hey, hey—kitchen fumes aren’t good for you. Go sit down and rest."
"Dinner’s almost ready. Wash up and get ready to eat."
Shu Yunyi reluctantly let go, her whole body relaxing as she stepped out, humming cheerfully.
After changing into slippers, she settled on the sofa and fiddled with her lesson plans. But restlessness soon pulled her back to the kitchen doorway.
Leaning against the frame, she watched Shen Yi move about with quiet fondness.
This was her man.
After a moment, she spoke up:
"Need any help?"
Shen Yi, crouched to retrieve a soup bowl from the cabinet, gestured to the rice cooker.
"Soup’s done, and the rice is ready."
"Could you scoop two bowls?"
Truthfully, he had everything under control—there was little for Shu Yunyi to do.
But since she’d offered, he assigned her a small task. It wasn’t about necessity; it was about letting her feel involved.
Taking charge wasn’t bad, but mutual effort kept relationships thriving.
At the dining table, dishes were laid out, and Shu Yunyi had already set the utensils.
Shen Yi emerged with a large bowl of tofu and seaweed soup.
"Here comes the soup!"
"Move back a bit—careful, it’s hot."
…
Afternoon tea had been lively.
By evening, Fu Nanzhi outright invited Cheng Jun to her place to sample her mother’s cooking.
Cheng Jun hadn’t seen Ji Shulan since her study abroad days, only exchanging occasional messages.
The sudden invitation flustered her, and she initially declined repeatedly.
But Fu Nanzhi had a solution—she pulled out her phone and announced she’d already told Ji Shulan to prepare ingredients.
Cornered, Cheng Jun had no choice but to accept.
The sky, cloudless all day, now stretched clear and vast under the night.
Mid-Autumn Festival approached.
The moon hung like a jade platter, scattering silver across the stars.
In the garden of Peaceful Lake Residence, the two sat admiring the moonlight after dinner.
Ji Shulan brought over tea:
"Zhuyun, have some tea to help digestion."
Cheng Jun accepted it with both hands:
"Thank you, Auntie. Won’t you join us?"
Ji Shulan smiled, watching them as if transported to years past—two children playing on the floor.
"No need."
She waved.
"I’ve still got cleaning to do. You youngsters chat."
"Help yourselves to more tea when you’re done."
With that, she left.
Once alone, Cheng Jun raised her cup.
"Auntie looks just as youthful as a decade ago."
Fu Nanzhi chuckled.
"She’d be over the moon if she heard you say that."
"You have no idea—she’s always complaining about wrinkles here, dull skin there."
"And if you argue, she blames you for stressing her out."
Cheng Jun laughed in agreement.
"Classic Auntie."
As childhood friends, their rapport reignited effortlessly.
Conversation flowed endlessly.
After a lighthearted exchange, Fu Nanzhi blew steam from her cup and ventured:
"Zhuyun… what are your thoughts on love?"
Cheng Jun froze.
"Love?"
A bitter smile surfaced. Her own experience amounted to one fleeting chapter—hardly enough to form a philosophy.
"Yeah," Fu Nanzhi pressed gently.
"Just chatting. No grand insights needed—even sharing your own story works."
Cheng Jun sighed, her voice tinged with melancholy.
"What story? If I had to put it into words…"
She paused, gazing at the moon—its glow unwavering, indifferent to observers.
Softly, she murmured:
"I once admired the moon so often, I began to believe it was mine alone."
"But one day, I realized it shone just as brightly for others. Jealousy took root, and I turned away, vowing never to look again."
Her expression wavered, emotions adrift.
"Eventually, I understood—though the moon was never mine, for a time, its light did touch me."
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
