Luo Tian could never have imagined that his grandfather would pass away, leaving such a mess for the Luo family.
He couldn’t bring himself to believe that the grandfather he had respected since childhood had secretly fathered illegitimate children, hiding it from the family for so many years. Not only that, but those children had now become a threat to the main family, his grandmother, and the entire household.
The past two years had been incredibly difficult for Luo Tian. Luo Quan had warned him to trust no one during this time—not even Liu Yiyi.
“You understand the concept of a whale fall, don’t you?” Luo Quan said, handing Luo Tian a cigar. It was the first time Luo Tian had ever smoked one.
“The Luo family has been a pillar in the Capital for decades. If we fall, countless people will be waiting to take their share. The Liu family may have their roots in Sichuan and Chongqing, but their largest branch is in the Capital. I don’t need to spell it out for you, do I?”
Luo Tian wasn’t stupid. Luo Quan’s message was clear: Could he guarantee that the Liu family wouldn’t take advantage of the situation? Who wouldn’t want to profit from such chaos?
Even some of the Luo family’s former allies were now backing the illegitimate children. When it came down to it, they wouldn’t hesitate to stab the Luo family in the back.
However, neither Luo Quan nor Luo Tian had anticipated that the Liu family would openly side with the Luo family. In fact, Liu Yiyi’s father even flew to the Capital to discuss a marriage alliance between their children.
The reasoning was obvious. The Luo family was like a massive tree with deep roots. While some wanted to topple it, others wanted to preserve it.
After learning about the situation, Liu Yiyi had pleaded with her father. But the Liu family saw things more clearly.
Even if the illegitimate children took control of the Luo family, their supporters—like leeches—would only be waiting to drain the family’s assets.
There’s no such thing as a free lunch. Those who supported the illegitimate children were only doing so to carve up the Luo family’s wealth. The illegitimate children likely understood this, but refusing the support would leave them with no chance against Luo Quan and Luo Sheng.
In contrast, by supporting Luo Quan and Luo Sheng and solidifying the marriage alliance between Liu Yiyi and Luo Tian, the Liu family stood to gain far more than by fighting over scraps with a pack of wolves.
Both the Luo and Liu families understood this. A marriage alliance was the best choice for both sides, especially since Luo Tian and Liu Yiyi were already fond of each other.
However, an unexpected turn of events occurred. Over the course of two years, Luo Quan and Luo Sheng not only prevented the Luo family from collapsing but also cornered the illegitimate children and their supporters. Desperate, they targeted Luo Shiya, Luo Muqi, and Luo Tian.
When Luo Tian saw Luo Sheng arrive with a rescue team, he immediately asked about Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi. To his horror, he learned that they had been left behind in favor of saving him.
“Uncle, have you lost your mind?” Luo Tian shouted angrily. “After all these years in business, don’t you understand that two is greater than one? Trading them for me—I’d rather die!”
Luo Sheng didn’t respond. He simply left some of his men to protect Luo Tian and rushed off with the rest.
The good news was that Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi were safe.
The bad news was that a boy named Mo Xuan had been severely injured while saving them.
It was the first time Luo Tian had heard Mo Xuan’s name, and the first time he saw his two cousins sitting like lifeless dolls, their eyes hollow.
That day, Luo Tian confronted his grandmother for the first time. By the time Luo Quan arrived, Luo Tian was trembling with anger, while the old lady stared silently out the window.
Even though Luo Quan strongly disagreed with the decision, she was still his mother. All he could do was pull Luo Tian aside.
“I know you don’t agree with this. I opposed it too and had a big argument with your grandmother,” Luo Quan sighed, patting his son’ shoulder. “But I’m proud of you. You’re just like me. Still, what did you say to her? I know her well—even if she’s in the wrong, she wouldn’t stay silent.”
“Oh, I said, ‘You went abroad to study, so how come you’ve dug up those old-fashioned ideas and wrapped them around your head?’”
Luo Quan’s mouth twitched. This brat really had a sharp tongue.
“And I said, ‘If you ever do something like this again, I’ll make sure your son has no heirs, even if it costs me my life…’”
That day, Luo Tian got a thorough beating with a cane from his father. You can insult the old lady all you want, but don’t drag me into it!
Luo Tian knew one thing for certain: Even if he hadn’t been involved, he couldn’t claim innocence. As a beneficiary, he had no right to say it had nothing to do with him—that would be shameless.
So he had always planned to make it up to Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi. He even considered giving them the entire Luo family once they were older.
Aside from his desire to live a carefree life, Luo Tian carried a deep sense of guilt toward them.
When Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi returned from Shanghai, Luo Tian went out of his way to treat them even better.
The sisters never blamed Luo Tian, so their relationship with him remained as warm as before.
Until one day, when Luo Tian brought them gifts and nearly got hit by a vase as soon as he walked in.
Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi seemed to have gone mad, smashing everything in the house. Luo Tian trembled as he saw the madness in their eyes.
The cousins he had known all his life now felt like strangers.
Luo Sheng shook his head helplessly, while Shen Qingyun was away on business.
“Shiya, Muqi, how about this? I’ll adopt Mo Xuan into the Luo family and treat him as my own son,” Luo Sheng said, his expression complicated. “If either of you wants to marry him in the future, I won’t object. This is my fault…”
“No need!” Luo Shiya cut him off coldly. “Muqi, let’s go to our room.”
Luo Muqi gave her father a cold look and followed her sister upstairs. Luo Tian wanted to say something, but the look in their eyes silenced him.
Naively, Luo Tian thought his cousins were just venting their anger. Little did he know that Luo Shiya was already planning her next move…
After Luo Shiya calmed down, Luo Tian offered to personally find Mo Xuan.
“Cousin, you don’t need to worry. We’ll handle his situation ourselves,” Luo Shiya said calmly, not looking up from her study materials.
Luo Tian scratched his head and said earnestly, “Shiya, I’ve heard he’s lost his memory. Let me take him for treatment—anywhere, at any cost. I’ll cover it all.”
“It’s fine, cousin,” Luo Shiya replied without lifting her head. “Just leave it be. If you still consider me your cousin, don’t interfere with Mo Xuan’s affairs—neither you nor Uncle should get involved.”
Luo Tian knew he couldn’t persuade her, so he sighed in resignation. He couldn’t understand what his cousins were plotting.
He had heard that Mo Xuan’s family treated him poorly, except for his grandmother. If Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi cared so much about him, why were they so indifferent now?
Looking back and seeing Mo Xuan after so long, Luo Tian couldn’t help but mutter, “I was so naive…”
“What?” Mo Xuan paused, chopsticks in hand, and looked at him curiously.
Luo Tian waved his hand and asked, “How long are you planning to stay this time?”
“Shiya and Muqi want to wait until the baby is born,” Mo Xuan replied after a moment’s thought. “Wei'er and Xue'er are already enrolled in kindergarten, so we’ll probably be here for a while.”
Luo Tian shuddered. Between the pregnancy and postpartum recovery, those two would likely stay in the Capital for over a year.
Thinking about the fiery temper of his wife at home, Luo Tian couldn’t help but feel like fate had dealt him a tough hand.
Not long after Luo Shiya started university, she not only chose to pursue a double major but also took the initiative to learn how to manage the family business.
Luo Tian was quite pleased with this decision, as it meant he could confidently hand over the family estate to his sister. This would not only help ease his guilt but also allow him to kickstart his early retirement plan.
However, he soon realized that he might have been a bit too optimistic...
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?"
shall grant"] ["Inscribing the glory of our race upon tombstones"] ["All that is threatened, I shall protect"] How his younger sister sees her brother: A brother who only makes eye contact once a day, mostly fading into the background as he tinkers with who-knows-what in his room all day. Their life paths should have remained largely separate. Until one day. Su Qi created an equipment card for his never-met "online girlfriend." His sister fell into silent contemplation upon receiving the "white stockings." [Card can be upgraded] [Upgrade by fulfilling any of the following conditions] [Condition ①: Consume one hundred higher-tier cards] [Condition ②: Complete one 'Heart-Pounding Adventure'] What constitutes a Heart-Pounding Adventure? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Beginner Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to admire it.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Easy Level): Equip the card, invite 'Su Qi' to touch it, and analyze the equipment's texture.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Entry Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to...] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Challenge Level): Freely combine the words 'Brother' 'Out' 'Brother' 'Me' 'Please' into a complete sentence...] "Please help me analyze both teams' mistakes in this match, brother..." His sister exhaled in relief—surely... surely there couldn't be anything more difficult? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Suicide Mission Level): Sneak a peek at the names of the galgames in 'Su Qi's' hidden E-drive folder]
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
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.
