He was talking about the renovation of his own house. When Fang Zhiyi found out about it at the time, he patted his chest and promised to help them with the renovation.
Fang Zhiyi smiled. "Sure. But it just reminded me of something."
Fang Wenxia and her husband both looked at him.
"Didn't I say before that I know how to skim coat walls? A few days ago, I met a buddy whose family is in the renovation business. I was thinking, how about I talk to him for you? Since we're close relatives, we'll use all the best materials, and of course, the price will just be at cost."
Fang Wenxia's eyes lit up. "Big brother, really?"
Fang Zhiyi frowned. "When have I ever not meant what I said?"
Fang Wenxia and Li Jianguo exchanged a glance. That was true; Fang Zhiyi, this easy mark, always foolishly helped out every single time.
"Then we'll have to trouble you, big brother. Once the renovation is done, I'll treat you to drinks! You're like my own blood brother!" Li Jianguo affectionately threw an arm around Fang Zhiyi's shoulders, and Fang Zhiyi's face was full of smiles.
"Oh, Wenxia is here?" Hearing the voices, Liu Mei walked out of the room. When she saw Fang Wenxia and her husband, her face immediately broke into a wide smile. "Why didn't you let us know in advance? I haven't prepared any food. Wait right here, I'll go buy some groceries right now."
"Um, sister-in-law, please don't go to any trouble. We're just visiting and will leave soon. Mainly, the kid missed his uncle." Fang Wenxia's lies rolled off her tongue effortlessly as always.
Fang Zhiyi was very generous. "You're here, so you'll stay to eat. What's the big deal? Go, buy the best! And get a good bottle of liquor!"
Liu Mei froze for a moment. Buy a good bottle of liquor too?
Seeing her just standing there, Fang Zhiyi's expression darkened. "Go buy a bottle of that... that thousand-yuan-a-bottle stuff. My brother-in-law and I are going to have a few drinks! Hurry up and go!"
Liu Mei nodded and left, but after she turned around, her brows remained furrowed. A thousand-yuan bottle of liquor? Even though they were always warm and hospitable to relatives, wasn't that a bit too expensive? They barely had any money left this month anyway.
But after thinking about it, although it pained her wallet, there was nothing she could do.
"Big brother, really, why drink such expensive liquor? Money is hard to earn." Fang Wenxia said, though her smile was tinged with a hint of disdain.
Fang Zhiyi acted as if he didn't notice. "What are you talking about? Your sister-in-law and I both have jobs. Spending is spending, right?"
Li Xiaojun was running around the house, imitating the sound of a train whistle, being incredibly noisy. But Fang Zhiyi acted as if he couldn't hear a thing, just bragging to his sister and brother-in-law exactly like the original owner of his body used to do.
Fang Wenxia couldn't go three sentences without mentioning her own child, her words oozing with a sense of superiority.
Inside his room, Fang Ning also knew that his annoying aunt's family had arrived. Whenever they came, his parents would buy good food to entertain them, praise that jerk of a younger cousin, and take the opportunity to belittle him and his sister.
Fang Ning's eyes were gloomy, a lump of frustration blocking his chest.
As expected, his bedroom door would soon be casually pushed open by his dad, put on display for his aunt and the others, accompanied by complaints about how much trouble he usually was.
But he waited for a long time, and the door was never pushed open, which surprised Fang Ning a bit.
Had they left? He tiptoed to the door and pressed his ear against it. Outside, Fang Zhiyi's voice could still be heard, occasionally mixed with his aunt's chiming in. He sighed and was about to step away when he suddenly heard his sister crying.
Although Fang Ning was rebellious, he knew that as an older brother, he should protect his sister, so he opened the door and walked out.
He saw his sister standing there crying, holding her favorite rag doll. The doll's arm had been completely ripped off, cotton stuffing scattered all over the floor, while that Li Xiaojun was hiding in Li Jianguo's arms, making faces at Fang Ting.
"You little..." Fang Ning strode forward. He seemed to see his younger self; back then it was the same, his older cousin had broken his pen, and he couldn't do anything but cry. But it was different now; he had plenty of strength!
But he was suddenly blocked by Fang Zhiyi. He looked defiantly at his father in front of him. Fang Zhiyi didn't look at him, but just placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
Fang Ning was somewhat puzzled.
"Look at this child, actually breaking his sister's thing. Hurry up and apologize to your sister," Fang Wenxia scolded hypocritically.
Li Xiaojun smiled cheekily. "Sorry~"
Fang Wenxia then looked at Fang Ting. "Your brother apologized to you, hurry up and say it's okay."
Fang Ting looked at her rag doll, her eyes red and swollen, just sobbing softly.
Fang Zhiyi suddenly spoke up. "It's fine, they're just kids, it doesn't matter."
Hearing this, a massive sense of disappointment surged in Fang Ning's heart. His parents always said that it was fine when it came to other people, but did their own children deserve to be wronged?
However, Fang Zhiyi squeezed his shoulder once more. Fang Ning could only stand silently in place, looking at his sister with heartache.
Fang Zhiyi let go of him, walked over to Li Xiaojun, and smilingly pulled out a hundred-yuan bill. Li Xiaojun's eyes instantly lit up. Sure enough, his uncle was still the same uncle! So generous!
"Xiaojun is really impressive, having such great strength. Keep it up in the future! This is a reward from your uncle!" Fang Zhiyi stuffed the hundred-yuan bill into his hand. "Make sure you keep it safe, don't let your mom and dad take it away."
"Oh my, big brother, look at you, why give a child so much money," Fang Wenxia laughed.
What a fool.
At this moment, Liu Mei, who had rushed back, pushed the door open and saw this scene. She felt a bit uncomfortable in her heart, but for the sake of saving face, she still smiled and brought all the groceries in, then urged Fang Zhiyi to hurry up and cook.
During the meal, Li Xiaojun still wouldn't settle down. He was either tossing pieces of fat onto the floor in disgust or haphazardly digging through the dishes on the table with his chopsticks. Fang Ning watched with cold eyes, only able to take a deep breath to suppress his inner anger.
Fang Wenxia and Li Jianguo turned a blind eye to it.
"Hey, Fang Ning, go fetch me a bowl of rice." Fang Wenxia ordered Fang Ning around very naturally.
Fang Ning just took the bowl and silently went to serve the rice. Fang Zhiyi noticed his daughter taking small bites of the greens in her bowl, so he quietly placed a piece of meat into her bowl. Fang Ting looked up at her father in confusion, and Fang Zhiyi winked at her.
Fang Ting lowered her head again; beside her sat her broken doll.
Liu Mei started discussing children with Fang Wenxia again, praising Li Xiaojun for being lively and having a fair complexion, before looking at her own children with distaste.
"Look at them, I don't even know how these two grew up like this. It's not like we mistreat them day to day, yet they are so dark and skinny. I don't know who they take after." Saying that, Liu Mei even put a chicken wing into Li Xiaojun's bowl. "Xiaojun, eat some more."
Li Xiaojun just took one bite and threw it on the table. "I don't want to eat anymore! I'm full!"
"Alright, alright, if you're full, go play!" Liu Mei displayed a level of patience and tolerance entirely different from how she treated her own children.
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
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.
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
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."
