Just as Fang Zhiyi had predicted, once Lin Zhou got his hands on the money, he didn't give a second thought to anything else. Instead, he felt a surge of excitement. On his meandering way back, he inexplicably splurged a significant amount, even upgrading himself to the latest model of mobile phone.
"It's fine. I'll just give the rest to Fang Zhiyi, and I'll earn it back in no time!" he consoled himself.
With this mindset, Lin Zhou spent money with even more reckless abandon. He had never held this much cash in his life. When he made payments, he felt as though the onlookers were gazing at him with worship. The sensation made him feel as if he were walking on air.
Fortunately, he made it home before he spent it all. Taking advantage of the fact that his father hadn't returned yet, he stashed away his purchases and sat waiting for Fang Zhiyi to come home.
He waited until nightfall, but Fang Zhiyi did not return.
His phone calls also went unanswered.
Lin Zhou began to panic.
He went to sleep with a heart full of anxiety, and his night was filled with nightmares.
Thankfully, on the second evening, Fang Zhiyi finally returned, looking utterly exhausted.
Lin Zhou knocked on Fang Zhiyi's door and couldn't wait to pull out the card containing the money. "Where did you go yesterday? Do you have any idea I waited for you all night?"
There was no worry in his tone, only accusation.
Fang Zhiyi shook his head. "Don't ask." He glanced at the bank card Lin Zhou was offering. "What are you doing?"
Lin Zhou paused. "The money. I want to invest in the project with you." He added mysteriously, "It's quite a lot of money."
Fang Zhiyi put on a distressed expression. "There are no more projects."
"What?" Lin Zhou looked shocked. "Didn't you say there was one more phase?"
Fang Zhiyi covered Lin Zhou's mouth. "Don't say I'm not a good friend, but do you know what I was doing yesterday?"
Lin Zhou shook his head.
"Refunding money. The authorities said the money we earned was all illegal income. It all has to be returned, or else we'll be sued! It's a financial crime!"
Lin Zhou's eyes went wide. "You mean..." He suddenly realized something and lowered his voice. "You mean the five thousand I earned has to be returned too? No way, how can that be? I earned that money."
Fang Zhiyi twitched the corner of his mouth. "We're good brothers, so of course I protected you. That's why I didn't report your name yesterday. They don't know about you. You have to remember, treat this as if it never happened. Otherwise, forget about the five thousand; you'd have to pay a fine, and if things go wrong, you could get detained."
"What?" Lin Zhou grimaced in fear. "Is it that serious?"
"Nonsense," Fang Zhiyi looked melancholy. "I not only paid the fine and returned the money, but I also got fired."
Lin Zhou finally noticed the cardboard box on the floor behind him. It seemed to be true. A wave of gloating satisfaction rose in his heart.
"Remember, I didn't rat you out, so your money is safe, and you are safe. Got it?" Fang Zhiyi acted as if he were looking out for him.
Lin Zhou nodded. It wasn't until Fang Zhiyi closed the door that he suddenly realized something was wrong.
Not only had he mortgaged the house, but he had also spent a lot of money! He had blown through nearly twenty thousand just on the way back today!
He was about to reach out and bang on Fang Zhiyi's door, but he stopped himself in mid-air. It was better not to have contact with him for now. What if this guy sold him out? Seeing how miserable Fang had become in an instant, he didn't want Fang to latch onto him.
If worse came to worst, he would just go invest in the Good Big Bro's project. Yes!
Lin Zhou's eyes lit up. He turned and glanced at Fang Zhiyi's tightly closed door. Just you wait, the day will come when you'll be looking up to me!
"You're pretty ruthless," Little Hei clicked his tongue in wonder.
Fang Zhiyi gave a fake smile. "Thanks for the compliment." He hadn't wanted to go to work for a long time anyway; this was the perfect opportunity to make the act look convincing.
"I'm not praising you." Little Hei hopped around. "I have to say, for a split second, I felt you were more like a minion ghost than he was."
Fang Zhiyi spread his hands. "The simplest way to deal with a minion ghost friend is to cut off all contact, but that wouldn't be fair to the original host... So, the only solution is to be more of a ghost than him."
After a pause, he added, "And I need to clarify, I only provided some guidance. He did this purely to himself. You have to testify for me."
Little Hei rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, I'll testify for you."
Lin's father probably never imagined his son would have the audacity to steal the property deed, so he never checked on it. This gave Lin Zhou time to operate.
Facing the demands of the Good Big Bro, Lin Zhou eagerly threw thirty thousand into the scheme, and then... the Good Big Bro told him the rules had changed. Thirty thousand wasn't enough; he needed to add more. However, Fang Zhiyi had already used a similar tactic, which had given Lin Zhou some experience. Lin Zhou immediately tried to cut his losses and wanted to get his thirty thousand back from the Good Big Bro.
The result was that he didn't get the money and got beaten up instead. The other party threatened to beat him every time he showed his face.
Lin Zhou instantly wilted; he was terrified of villains.
Upon hearing the news, Fang Zhiyi actually became a bit anxious. He was currently waiting at the entrance of a milk tea shop to pick up his order.
Little Hei expressed confusion at this. "Isn't it good that he got beaten up? He looks at least twenty years younger from the beating; he's acting as meek as a grandson now."
"Of course I'm anxious! He still has so much money left!" Fang Zhiyi narrowed his eyes. "Maybe I should..."
Suddenly, a conversation nearby attracted his attention.
"Xuanxuan, he actually contacted his ex-girlfriend! He just doesn't love you!"
"Uh... Xiaomei, he and his ex are in the same company... they were talking about work matters."
"He broke up with his ex, yet he hasn't resigned? He just wants to rekindle the old flame. Listen to me, break up with him!"
The girl called Xuanxuan looked troubled. "Breaking up over something like this, isn't that a bit much? Besides, his current job is really good; his salary is much higher than mine."
"You can't be so materialistic!" Xiaomei said in a serious tone. "You need to find someone who loves you, someone willing to buy you the first milk tea of autumn, someone who lets you have the first bite of cake, not someone you judge by their salary. That kind of man is just playing with women's feelings!"
Fang Zhiyi and Little Hei turned their heads simultaneously. A girl with curly hair was gesticulating wildly. She looked a bit chubby and was speaking to a thin girl with long hair. The long-haired girl looked awkward, her expression mixed with hesitation.
"I bet you, another minion ghost friend. No, a minion ghost bestie," Little Hei said.
Fang Zhiyi didn't comment. He saw the girl's small movements—her hand under the table was clenched into a fist, so tight it was straining. Her eyes held a faint glimmer of jealousy and disdain. He had seen too many people like this; even though the girl hid it well, he could still see through it.
He suddenly felt curious. "What happens to these two in the end?"
Little Hei shook his head, but after locking eyes with Fang Zhiyi for a moment, a look of gossip appeared on both the human's and the system's faces, an expression that said, "I get you." Little Hei disappeared for a moment, and when he returned, he inserted a tentacle into Fang Zhiyi's mind.
] [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.
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
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."
