The medical checkup took quite a while, and by the time Shen Yi drove home, it was nearly half past eleven.
After bringing Fu Nanzhi back and setting their things down, he immediately had to start cooking—time was tight, as Cheng Jun and Shu Yunyi would be back from work soon.
Truthfully, slacking off and ordering takeout for once wouldn’t have been a big deal, but since they’d already made plans, slacking so soon would feel irresponsible.
Besides, Shen Yi genuinely enjoyed cooking, especially for the three of them. Just the thought of it filled him with motivation.
He poured out the cherries he’d bought, washed them, and placed them in a large bowl before carrying it to the living room.
"Here, try one and see if they’re sweet."
"They were pretty expensive," Shen Yi remarked as he set the bowl in front of Fu Nanzhi.
"Of course they’re not cheap—it’s not the season for them yet," Fu Nanzhi replied, sitting up from where she’d been lounging on the sofa.
She plucked a plump cherry and held it to Shen Yi’s lips, cooing sweetly,
"Husband gets the first bite."
Touched by the gesture, Shen Yi couldn’t refuse and obediently opened his mouth to accept it.
Fu Nanzhi pulled off the stem and watched him expectantly.
"Mmm... not bad, pretty sweet," Shen Yi said after chewing a couple of times and spitting the pit into the trash.
"Oh..."
Only then did Fu Nanzhi pick up another cherry for herself.
"Wait... you weren’t just using me as a taste tester to make sure they weren’t sour, were you?" Shen Yi teased, his earlier warmth fading as realization struck.
"Hmm? Of course not!"
Fu Nanzhi’s expression flickered briefly before she covered her mouth, giggling.
"You..."
Shen Yi sighed and lightly tapped her forehead in mock exasperation.
"I’m going to start cooking. You just relax."
Helpless against her antics, he turned and headed to the kitchen.
Truth be told, when alone, Shen Yi rarely ate fruit. It wasn’t that he disliked it—he just didn’t have the habit.
Most of the time, he simply forgot about it, and when he did remember, he couldn’t be bothered to buy any. The closest he got was snacking on cucumbers back in his hometown—if those even counted as fruit.
Opening the fridge, Shen Yi surveyed the ingredients, planning out the dishes for lunch.
"Alright, let’s do this."
As he mentally mapped out the menu, he began pulling items out and setting them on the counter.
Just then, Fu Nanzhi walked in, rolling up her sleeves.
"I’ll help with prep work."
Shen Yi shook his head.
"No need, just go rest."
"What, afraid I’ll tire myself out?" Fu Nanzhi grinned at him.
"I’m not that fragile. If I don’t pitch in, who knows how long you’ll be stuck in here?"
"Yunyi and the others will be back soon—we can’t have everyone waiting around hungry."
"What about the fruit I just bought for you?" Shen Yi raised an eyebrow.
"A few cherries are enough for now. We can all enjoy the rest together after the meal," Fu Nanzhi said breezily.
"Besides, if I eat too much now, how will I have room for your cooking?"
Shen Yi chuckled.
"Always so quick with the sweet talk."
"Fine, you can wash the vegetables while I handle the meat."
After a moment’s thought, he relented and assigned her a task.
"Got it!"
Fu Nanzhi cheerfully took the vegetables and got to work.
The kitchen was spacious, equipped with both Chinese and Western-style setups—though Shen Yi never touched the latter, having no experience with Western cuisine.
With two sinks, they each had plenty of space. While Fu Nanzhi washed and prepped the greens, Shen Yi rinsed the cutting board and started slicing meat.
Pressing for time, he opted for simple, home-style stir-fries—quick to prepare and serve.
Once Fu Nanzhi finished washing the vegetables, she set them in a colander to drain before turning to rinse the rice for steaming.
Shen Yi minced ginger and garlic, then heated oil in the wok.
Just as he began stir-frying, movement sounded from outside—undoubtedly someone returning from work.
Shu Yunyi soon appeared in the doorway. Her outfit today was understated yet elegant: a beige trench coat over a sweater and jeans, her every movement carrying a distinct grace.
She shrugged off the coat as she walked in, revealing the soft knit underneath, and sniffed the air curiously.
"What’s this? A two-person cooking team today?"
Occupied with tossing the wok, Shen Yi could only nod in greeting.
Fu Nanzhi, wiping the rice cooker’s inner pot before placing it in, smiled and explained,
"We got back late from the checkup this morning."
"Didn’t want to fall behind, so I’m helping out a bit."
"Oh... how was the checkup?" Shu Yunyi draped her coat over her arm, her tone concerned.
"Pretty good, though some results aren’t back yet."
Fu Nanzhi decided to wait until Cheng Jun arrived before sharing the good news, so she kept it vague for now.
Shu Yunyi nodded absently before adding,
"Right. Actually, I’ve been thinking of scheduling a checkup myself lately."
From the moment she woke up that morning, she’d felt different—bursting with energy, not even fatigued after standing through a long lecture.
While she could chalk it up to being well-rested, the memory of last night’s bizarre full-body molting still lingered, leaving her unsettled.
Fu Nanzhi pressed the rice cooker’s start button and turned, puzzled.
"Why? Are you feeling unwell?"
Shu Yunyi’s expression flickered briefly before she replied,
"Not exactly. Just want to make sure everything’s fine."
She felt anything but unwell—in fact, she felt too good, which was precisely what felt off. But that wasn’t something she could easily explain.
Fu Nanzhi hummed in acknowledgment and let it drop. Regular checkups were common, especially for someone like Shu Yunyi, whose university position came with excellent benefits.
Shen Yi plated the first dish and called over,
"If you two want to chat, take it outside. The kitchen’s smoky—don’t let your clothes soak up the smell."
"Nothing left to help with here. Go on."
Fu Nanzhi looped her arm through Shu Yunyi’s and grinned.
"Come on, let’s not distract the chef."
"We can snack on those cherries—they’re huge."
As the two women left, Shen Yi turned back to his cooking.
He’d already finished the stir-fried pork with peppers and now moved on to sautéed water bamboo shoots. To save time, he simultaneously steamed a fish.
Next, he chopped the prepped vegetables for a cold salad, leaving only a tomato and egg soup to round out the meal.
With Shu Yunyi already back, he didn’t want to keep everyone waiting, so he stuck to quick dishes—the fish and salad being minor shortcuts.
Within five minutes, Cheng Jun arrived as well.
Shen Yi sped up, and soon, four dishes and a soup were laid out on the table just as the rice finished steaming.
Setting down bowls and chopsticks, he called out,
"Wash up—dinner’s ready!"
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?!
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."
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
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)
