"Did he take the bait?" Fang Zhiyi asked Little Hei without turning his head.
Little Hei stared intently: "He took it, he took it. His eyes are practically spitting fire right now."
"That's good." Fang Zhiyi smiled.
Seeing him smile, Sun Xiaomei was a bit puzzled: "What are you smiling at?"
Fang Zhiyi looked at her: "Nothing, I just thought of something happy."
"What happy thing?" Sun Xiaomei was very satisfied with Fang Zhiyi after spending these past few days with him. Not only did he understand her well, but he could also accurately help her roast those colleagues of hers and that best friend.
She just didn't know why he hadn't confessed his feelings to her yet. Was he shy?
Fang Zhiyi immediately changed the subject: "Hungry, right? I'll treat you to some local specialties today."
Looking at the small hole-in-the-wall restaurant beside them, Sun Xiaomei frowned. She didn't say anything, but her opinion of Fang Zhiyi shifted slightly.
The two continued to talk, but the conversation lacked the earlier enthusiasm. Fang Zhiyi counted silently in his head: "Thirty, thirty-one, thirty-two, thirty-three..."
"Eh? Zhiyi, you're here?"
The stone in Fang Zhiyi's heart dropped, but he turned around with feigned surprise: "Lin Zhou? Where have you been lately?"
Lin Zhou glanced at the girl and flashed his watch somewhat smugly: "Where else? Doing some engineering projects with my Big Brother. And this is?"
Fang Zhiyi moved to introduce them, but Sun Xiaomei took the initiative: "I am Sun Xiaomei."
"Hello, hello. I'm Lin Zhou, Zhiyi's brother. We grew up together."
Fang Zhiyi was overjoyed inside. Yes! Just like that!
These two people before him shared a specific characteristic: if they saw a best friend or brother living happily, they would do whatever it took to break them up and take their place. This was the most fundamental trait of a "tiger's thrall"—a parasite.
"Zhiyi, how are you doing so poorly that you're eating at a place like this?" In reality, Lin Zhou might not usually be able to afford much better, but with a girl present, he couldn't afford to lose face.
Fang Zhiyi looked at him with a complicated expression.
Seeing his expression, Lin Zhou instantly felt he had guessed correctly.
"Say, haven't you found a job since you got fired? Do you want to come work with my Big Brother?"
Fang Zhiyi turned his face away.
Sun Xiaomei froze upon hearing this. Did this mean the Fang Zhiyi before her had no money? And had been fired? Her favorability toward Fang Zhiyi instantly plummeted by a large margin.
"I'm going to the restroom." Fang Zhiyi stood up as if to escape. Lin Zhou was delighted inside; this was exactly how it should be!
Fang Zhiyi deliberately gave the two plenty of time to talk. Sure enough, when he came out, the way Sun Xiaomei looked at him had changed.
Lin Zhou, on the other hand, said: "What took you so long? Hurry up and sit down to eat." He continued to act as if he were the host.
Fang Zhiyi couldn't be bothered to pretend anymore. He leaned in close to Lin Zhou's ear and said: "Lin Zhou, you cover the bill in a bit. I just... realized I didn't bring any money."
Lin Zhou exaggeratedly raised his voice: "You came out on a date without money? Nice one, brother!"
Sun Xiaomei's face went completely cold.
Seeing his goal achieved, Lin Zhou quickly patted Fang Zhiyi's shoulder: "It's fine, I'll treat you. Who told us to be brothers, right? You can roll with me from now on!"
After the meal, with Sun Xiaomei present, Lin Zhou actually did pay the bill. However, when Fang Zhiyi said he was heading in a different direction, Sun Xiaomei's reaction was cold.
Fang Zhiyi didn't mind. What he wanted was to destroy the goodwill he had accumulated over the past few days; otherwise, being entangled with this creature would be troublesome.
"Lin Zhou, could you walk Xiaomei home for me?"
Lin Zhou thumped his chest: "No problem!"
Watching the two walk away, with Lin Zhou buzzing around Sun Xiaomei like a fly, Fang Zhiyi finally let out a sigh of relief.
What happens when two parasites get together?
Lin Zhou certainly didn't disappoint Fang Zhiyi. After badmouthing Fang Zhiyi quite a bit, he won Sun Xiaomei's approval. The two of them roasted Fang Zhiyi together, criticizing everything from his hairstyle to his way of speaking, which ironically gave them a common language.
Lin Zhou still had some money on him. To suppress Fang Zhiyi and to save his own face, he generously paid for Sun Xiaomei several times. Sun Xiaomei, taking advantage of the situation, immediately warmed up to him.
In just a few days, they hurriedly confirmed their relationship.
Fang Zhiyi had a hand in this as well. To ensure they didn't take a break, he frequently contacted both of them, just to remind them to complain about him.
So, when Lin Zhou stood before Fang Zhiyi with Sun Xiaomei looking happy on his arm, Fang Zhiyi was inwardly thrilled. It really worked!
Lin Zhou patted Fang Zhiyi's shoulder: "Brother, sorry about this. I actually didn't want to... but you understand, right?"
Sun Xiaomei pinched him: "What are you saying? He and I were just ordinary friends to begin with!" She was now very glad that Fang Zhiyi hadn't confessed to her during those few days.
Listening to Fang Zhiyi's blessings, Lin Zhou walked away with his head held high like a victorious rooster. How many years had it been! How many years! Finally, there was a time when Fang Zhiyi was beneath him!
He also knew how to put on a show effectively, so he always had his "Big Brother" on his lips, and he even gritted his teeth and took out a loan to buy a second-hand luxury car. Perhaps due to their matching natures, Sun Xiaomei actually fell for Lin Zhou.
Fang Zhiyi, for his part, hoped the two of them would stay locked together forever.
His life became much quieter now. Because he acted destitute, Lin Zhou looked at him with a face full of superiority and sometimes even took the initiative to come and show off, seemingly having forgotten that the money in his hand came from mortgaging his house.
But once the novelty wore off, Lin Zhou's calculating heart became active again.
The reason was that his money had bottomed out.
He also discovered something: when he went on dates with Sun Xiaomei, he was always the one paying. Although Sun Xiaomei would also pay, it was always for small things, like a bottle of water or a pack of tissues.
Previously, he had been immersed in the excitement of dating, and especially the excitement of crushing Fang Zhiyi, so he had been almost obedient to this seemingly nice girlfriend, enjoying the way Sun Xiaomei worshipped him.
"Sigh, brother, what do you think I should do?" Lin Zhou looked distressed. As the freshness faded, his true nature resurfaced.
Fang Zhiyi, meanwhile, looked like he was constipated.
Little Hei was laughing uncontrollably: "Hahahaha, I didn't expect this! He actually has to deal with this move!"
"That day we talked about marriage, and despite my family's situation, she actually asked for a bride price of 380,000..."
"She's so materialistic. She wants this today, that tomorrow..."
"I used to think she was pretty good, but now she seems a bit selfish. When I eat with her, she only buys me a drink! On Valentine's Day, she asked me to give her a designer bag, and she gave me an ugly hat, saying she made it herself and it represented her heart."
lity and could only live as an ordinary mortal. He only wished to live a peaceful life. Yet he didn't know— The dog he adopted, because it ate his food, became a legendary demon king. The kitchen knife he casually forged became a peerless divine weapon, causing numerous experts to fight desperately for it. The young disciple he took in became an immortal lord that led an era, due to cultivating the techniques Ye Feng taught him. Even the skeletons he looked down on the most were ominous demon kings that suppressed countless worlds. Many years later, looking at the void shattered with a punch, Ye Feng murmured to himself: It turns out the peerless kings were myself all along...
nto another world, I bought a slave for the first time, never expecting the silver wolf girl to be so cute... Lin Feng: I know it's cold, but you don't have to sneak into my bed! Yuna: Just sharing body warmth, if you dare do anything naughty, I'll definitely...
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
