"Ah Hai, I knew I wasn't wrong about you! You really kept your promise! Hehehehehe, we didn't even exchange WeChat, and I thought you might just stand me up and not show up!"
Lin Mu quickly trotted over to the two of them, her eyes landing on the strange large bag in Lu Qing's hand. She asked curiously, "What's that?"
"A potted plant, for you."
Lu Qing handed over the potted plant he had bought earlier at the flower shop.
"A plant??"
"Yeah."
Lin Mu's face froze for a moment, clearly caught off guard by the gesture.
"Why are you giving me a plant? That wasn't part of our bet."
She took the bag, glancing at the lush green leaves inside, utterly baffled.
"Well, I noticed your shop is filled with all sorts of equipment but lacks any greenery, so I bought you a spider plant. Thought you could use some fresh air."
Lu Qing delivered this very serious explanation with a completely straight face, which even made his younger sister, Su Ling, feel a bit puzzled.
"?"
[So, my brother used the time he was supposed to have lunch with me to go buy a potted plant instead??]
"..."
——「I’m not as important as a potted plant」.
…
…
Lin Mu was beaming.
She happily held the spider plant and placed it in the most prominent spot on the windowsill, right where the sunlight could hit it.
"Hehe, Ah Hai, look at you, being so polite! Coming to spend money and even bringing a gift! Really, I don’t know what to say!"
Being the mischievous little brat she was, Lin Mu didn’t hold back her words, always saying whatever came to mind—
"Though you’re a bit of a playboy, you’re surprisingly thoughtful!"
"? Say that again!"
"...Hey, what’s the big deal!? Kids say the darndest things, if you get mad, you’re just petty!"
"Huh?? Don’t think just because you’re a rich loli you can do whatever you want."
"I can and I will! Just watch me!"
Lin Mu giggled as she ran back behind the counter, gesturing for the siblings to take their favorite seats. "Look, today I’m not taking any other customers. I’ve locked the door, and I won’t open it until you’ve had four cups of coffee~"
"Wow, imprisoning your customers, huh? Your shop’s theme is getting wilder by the day."
"? Are you questioning my business strategy!"
"Not questioning, just criticizing."
"...You!"
The two of them bickered almost nonstop.
Su Ling watched this exchange, feeling a sense of unease:
Why does my brother seem so relaxed and natural around her, unlike how he is at home or outside?
He looks so at ease, so comfortable, and so... himself.
The fatigue on his face disappears when he jokes with Lin Mu.
In this Twilight Café, he seems to find a sense of peace and comfort that’s hard to come by elsewhere.
Su Ling knew that this kind of experience was priceless.
After all, there’s no place where the shop is opened just for one person, and the music played just for one.
If,
for Lin Mu, "Yin Ci P" was like an unattainable dream—a mentor, a role model, someone she admired but dared not approach—
then the brother now disguised as a playboy was someone who was both down-to-earth and deeply intertwined with her life, someone who could penetrate her heart—
someone who could simultaneously "encourage her," "challenge her," "guide her," "control her," "influence her," "observe her," and even "redeem her when necessary."
Yes, no one else could even come close to entering Lin Mu’s life.
And Lin Mu herself didn’t seem to realize that no other customer could possibly understand her as well as he did, or even dissect her every motive.
Would she ever open up to anyone other than "Yin Ci P"?
Hadn’t she noticed that her brother had already anticipated her thoughts and emotions?
This kind of precise approach was undeniably effective.
Without thorough preparation, who could possibly break into the heart of a rich loli?
"She’s so naive."
Su Ling shook her head inwardly.
……
The two of them quickly took their seats.
Today, Lu Qing seemed to have a plan.
He swiftly set up his equipment, opened his laptop, and, under Lin Mu’s curious gaze, connected to the Wi-Fi and launched the premium version of WPS.
He even created a new document and typed three words—
【
"..."
Su Ling, sitting close by, knew that her brother was likely planning to work today.
He intended to use the large chunk of time in the afternoon to write and polish the beginning of his new book, probably to submit it to that editor.
Sure enough, he placed his hands on the keyboard and, before starting, turned his head and said,
"Order whatever you want to eat or drink, I’ll pay later."
"Okay…"
The girl, knowing he was about to enter work mode, nodded understandingly and scanned the QR code on the table with her phone, deciding to order some of his usual favorites.
At that moment, Lin Mu couldn’t hold back any longer. She came up the stairs with a tray, saying, "Here, I made some treats for you... they’re samples! Help me taste them...!"
Su Ling’s eyes sharpened as she looked over.
On the tray were several exquisitely crafted pastries—colorful macarons, caramel cream Danish, chocolate canelés, and other delicacies that were clearly prepared in advance.
This made her frown slightly. "Lin Mu... are you giving away this much food again? This is way beyond the portion for samples."
"Ah, just call me Xiao Mu. I think we’re about the same age, so calling me 'sister' might just confuse things."
Lin Mu happily walked over and placed the treats on the table in front of them, completely unfazed by Su Ling’s concern.
However, there was some debate about the age issue.
Strictly speaking, Su Ling had taken a two-year break from school and hadn’t started college early, so she didn’t know that Lin Mu had also taken a break.
In her network, the mischievous girl never mentioned anything about school, leading to some misjudgment.
But calling a loli "sister" wasn’t exactly a smooth title either.
"Alright, Xiao Mu." Su Ling didn’t dwell on it and simply accepted the suggestion.
Lin Mu, hearing this, was delighted and giggled,
"Great! Now, what should I call you..."
She paused at the table, thinking for a few seconds, then suddenly had an idea!
"Oh! Ah Ling! Perfect, Ah Ling, Ah Hai~ Yeah! I’ll call you Ah Ling, that’s a great nickname!"
"...Enough already."
Lu Qing wanted to say something but held back, thinking: Does your shop also give nicknames to customers?
Suddenly, he felt like the mischievous girl had a natural talent for running a business into the ground.
Just the items on the table in front of them would easily cost over a hundred yuan.
"Hehe, Ah Hai, by the way, what do you want to listen to today? I’ve been practicing a lot of songs, all from anime and games! I’m sure you’ve heard some of them! You pick, I’ll play! For free!"
Lin Mu was eager, completely ignoring the usual boundaries between shop owner and customer.
"No, I need to write today, so I won’t be playing with you. You can practice on your own, play whatever you want, just keep the volume down. I’ll treat it as background music."
"! Ah~? You’re busy?"
Her face immediately fell, clearly disappointed.
"Of course, I can’t always keep you company, can I?"
Lu Qing put on a tough act, speaking to her with a sense of distance. "Go make those four cups of coffee for me—latte, americano, mocha, flat white. Once I’ve paid my debt, we’ll be even, okay?"
"?! Are you serious?" Lin Mu’s eyes widened in shock.
"Absolutely. I lost the bet, and I’m not one to back out of a deal. Plus, you’ve given so much already, I should at least order some drinks to help you recoup some losses."
He glanced at the pastries on the table and muttered, "Though I doubt it’ll make much of a difference."
"..."
Lin Mu had only been teasing him, not actually expecting him to drink four cups of coffee. After all, that much caffeine wouldn’t be good for his heart, and it could overstimulate his nerves.
As a barista, she knew this well.
But since Ah Hai had said so, she couldn’t go against his wishes. So, she decided to approach the problem differently:
"...Alright, I’ll make them, but I’ll go easy on the beans. Oh, and you don’t have to drink four cups every time you come. Even if you just come to eat, or don’t order anything at all, freeloading off me... is, is fine too. I won’t starve."
After speaking, Lin Mu picked up the tray and, under Su Ling's ambiguous gaze, turned and dashed downstairs as if fleeing.
……
……
o a martial world and obtained a system that allowed him to draw one entry per year. Unfortunately, all he drew were useless white-tier entries. The probability for high-quality entries was extremely low, with the highest-tier mythic entry having a mere 0.001% chance! To increase the probability, he had to improve his martial realm, but he lacked the innate talent for cultivation. At the age of eighteen, Chen Yi fell into the hands of a gang and was forced into hard labor. Just as his life seemed destined for a bleak end, on his 18th entry draw, he actually pulled a mythic entry—Simulator! In the simulation, he could also draw one entry every year that passed, and upon ending the simulation, he would inherit all entries and his martial realm! In his first simulation, Chen Yi struggled desperately just to survive, knowing that living one more year meant one more entry draw! Finally, with hair turned white, he drew the entry he had longed for—Low-Grade Innate Talent! "Hahaha! Don't bully the old and poor! Time to cultivate and inherit my cultivation base!" ... From then on, Chen Yi continuously simulated and drew entries, his martial realm soaring higher and higher! Epic, legendary, and even mythic entries were gathered into his collection one after another! "What demon race or devil race? What dark turmoil? I don't know anything about that. They just charged at me screaming 'How can you possibly ascend to immortality?!' and got stuck to my fists, unable to be shaken off. Blind spots, speed bumps... go talk to my simulator. We're all struggling to survive out here. I'm trying so hard, so how are they still alive?"
Explosive Plot Song Gua crossed over into another world, bringing along a whole crew of his doppelgangers—all of them mischief-makers. This was a world where everyone could choose a class. Song Gua became a "Bondweaver," capable of borrowing power, while his doppelgangers took on a wide variety of classes, covering just about everything. The number of doppelgangers grew day by day, each one a talented individual with a charming way of speaking. Under Song Gua's brilliant leadership, they would "greet" each other daily and engage in friendly "sparring," pulling off one major scheme after another on Earth. Sometimes they were bandits—stealing bosses, plundering mines, snatching resources. Sometimes they were saviors—descending like divine warriors to face world bosses threatening to massacre cities. Sometimes they even went undercover, infiltrating various major factions to stir up trouble from within, keeping their enemies constantly on edge. To prevent their doppelganger abilities from being exposed, Song Gua made them wear masks with mahjong tile patterns and don Taoist robes in various colors. "Remember, in front of outsiders, call me 'The Dice.'" "Got it! Boss!" "Not 'Boss'—it's 'The Dice.' Think about the vibe, pay attention to the vibe." "Yes! Boss!" "For crying out loud..." From then on, whenever they appeared, they would have their own theme song playing: ~Hey~ paying respects at the mountain stronghold at night~ whose arm is draped over whose shoulder~ gather your courage and follow along...
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
orn and Humiliation】【Forced Love】 In his past life, Lin Ran was betrayed and murdered by his girlfriend and family, while the yandere female aristocrat, who had treated him as a mere plaything, avenged him by doing in his enemies. Upon seeing the yandere female aristocrat lying in the same coffin, ready to die with him, Lin Ran realized how profoundly mistaken he had been. Reborn, he abandoned the fickle campus beauty and wholeheartedly embraced the yandere female aristocrat's arms. "Ran! If I dig out your eyes and turn them into a specimen, you'll only be able to look at me!" Lin Ran: "Darling, kiss me!" "Ran! If I break your legs, you won't run away anymore, right?" Lin Ran: "Love, hold me tight!" "Ran! If..." Lin Ran: "Hush now! Love me more!" Luo Yao: ... Seeing his scumbag dad: "Take him out!" Seeing his stepmother: "Get rid of her!" Seeing his brother: "Eliminate him!" Seeing his white moonlight: "Send that to Southeast Asia!"
