Lin Chengze was in a rather pitiable state. Having missed his first stroke of luck, he was exhausted, starving, and suffering from excruciating back pain. He wandered around, desperate to find work to sustain himself, but people took one look at his wretched appearance and shook their heads in refusal. Fortunately, fate still smiled upon him—an elderly woman, moved by his plight, took him in for the night and even mended his torn clothes.
Overwhelmed with gratitude, Lin Chengze swore an oath to repay the old woman someday.
As if his connection with the Liu family wasn’t entirely severed, the next day, the kind-hearted woman, pleased by his charm, offered to introduce him to a menial job. Lin Chengze didn’t refuse, especially when he learned the position was at the Liu residence. He was stunned.
However, unlike before, he entered the Liu household this time as a lowly servant, assigned to menial tasks from the start. He had almost no chance to interact with Vice Minister Liu, his wife, or their daughter, Liu Ning. Yet Lin Chengze remained undeterred—this was his first step toward establishing himself.
With his silver tongue, Lin Chengze gradually won over the other servants, and his reputation began to rise. One day, Liu Ning overheard her maids gossiping about the new servant and grew curious. She stole a few glances at him and was pleasantly surprised. Cleaned up, Lin Chengze was strikingly handsome—almost like a refined scholar, if not for his servant’s attire.
That day, she didn’t lift the curtain to greet him, so their paths didn’t officially cross.
During a family banquet, Lin Chengze was finally permitted to assist in the inner courtyard. There, he caught sight of Vice Minister Liu, his wife, and their daughter, Liu Ning. The moment he saw Liu Ning, his heart raced—she was breathtakingly beautiful.
Liu Ning noticed him too, and when their eyes met, she lowered her gaze shyly.
Lin Chengze’s ambition flared. If he wanted to rise above his station, winning over the young mistress was the key.
Soon, the guests arrived—mostly Vice Minister Liu’s colleagues. But it seemed they were still waiting for someone, until the gatekeeper bellowed, "Censor Sha has arrived!"
Everyone rose to greet the elderly statesman. Though retired, Censor Sha was a revered figure who had served three dynasties. Though his official rank wasn’t high, many owed him guidance and favors, so he commanded deep respect.
Lin Chengze stood to the side, waiting attentively while plotting his next move. But when he glanced up, he saw someone he never expected.
Fang Zhiyi!
Dressed neatly—though not extravagantly—Fang Zhiyi looked every bit the learned scholar, a far cry from Lin Chengze’s current state.
Lin Chengze was shocked but knew he couldn’t speak up. He could only hope Fang Zhiyi would recognize him. Judging by the scene, Fang Zhiyi must be accompanying the old man. If he could put in a good word for him, things would move much faster!
Lin Chengze’s mind buzzed with possibilities.
Yet, even as the banquet began, Fang Zhiyi didn’t spare him a glance.
"Master Sha, who is this young man?" Vice Minister Liu inquired.
"Ah, this is the very person I wished to introduce to you all today," Censor Sha replied with a chuckle.
"Oh?"
"We’ve long heard Master Sha speak of a great talent he wished to present to us. Surely it can’t be… this youth?"
"Master Sha, you must be jesting."
But Censor Sha’s solemn expression silenced them—he was not a man who joked.
Lin Chengze was equally dumbfounded. A great talent? That fool?
Without hesitation, Fang Zhiyi dipped his finger in water and wrote a few strokes on the table. The curious guests crowded around, then gasped in awe.
"A prodigy! Truly a prodigy!"
"This old man has failed to recognize true greatness!"
Lin Chengze, standing too far to see, fidgeted like a monkey with an itchy backside. His restless movements caught the steward’s eye, who promptly smacked him. "Stand still! Have you no sense?"
Glaring at the steward’s retreating figure, Lin Chengze clenched his teeth. Just you wait!
As the guests exchanged pleasantries, drank, and feasted, they even raised their cups to Fang Zhiyi.
Growing desperate, Lin Chengze coughed loudly.
"Cough."
No one paid him any mind.
"Cough! Cough!"
A nearby maid turned to look.
Noticing Liu Ning also observing Fang Zhiyi, Lin Chengze panicked. Fang Zhiyi, look at me! Look at me!
"Cough! Cough! Cough!"
This time, everyone turned. Lin Chengze’s face flushed red from the effort.
"Vice Minister Liu, I’ve heard rumors of a contagious illness called lung cough spreading lately. Could it be…?" Fang Zhiyi covered his nose and mouth.
At his words, the guests recoiled from Lin Chengze.
Lin Chengze froze. Had Fang Zhiyi recognized him or not?
"Guards! Remove him at once! Do not disturb our guests!" Vice Minister Liu, humiliated, shot Lin Chengze a glare.
As the steward dragged him away, Lin Chengze cried out, "Ah-Yi! Fang Zhiyi!"
Fang Zhiyi squinted in confusion.
"It’s me! Ah-Ze!"
Vice Minister Liu hesitated. "Young Master Zhiyi, do you… know this man?"
Fang Zhiyi slapped his thigh as if just noticing him. "Ah, yes! We’re from the same village."
The guests exchanged knowing glances. Lin Chengze shook off the steward’s grip and smirked. With Fang Zhiyi’s status, his own standing would surely rise.
"I’ve been looking for him. When we first arrived in the capital, he dragged me to dine without paying, then slipped away while I was relieving myself. The vendor chased me instead—quite the ordeal. Ah, what a shameful memory."
Lin Chengze gaped. Was he really airing this in front of nobles?
Censor Sha stroked his beard, amused. "What I admire about this young man is his honesty. Let me clarify—though he was penniless at the time, he never forgot this debt. I personally accompanied him to repay the vendor and compensate the injured party." He cast a disdainful glance at Lin Chengze. "Such integrity is rare. Pity he shares a hometown with this sort."
The guests’ expressions turned icy, including Liu Ning’s. Now she recognized him—the man who had once stopped her carriage!
"You—I—" Lin Chengze, usually quick with words, found himself speechless. Fang Zhiyi hadn’t lied, yet something felt off.
"My household has no place for such scoundrels! Throw him out!" Vice Minister Liu slammed the table, then hesitated. "Unless… Young Master Zhiyi has other thoughts?"
Fang Zhiyi feigned reluctance. "Ah, well… he is my fellow villager, after all…"
Taking the hint, Vice Minister Liu relented. "For your sake, he may stay—but only to chop wood in the back courtyard!"
Lin Chengze was hauled away, the steward delivering a final kick. "Think I didn’t see you glaring? Serves you right!"
Meanwhile, Fang Zhiyi effortlessly charmed the so-called elites, his wit leaving them in awe. It was a masterclass in social maneuvering.
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
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.
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."
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)
