Lin Yu acted just like yesterday.
He didn’t stop Aunt Qi Meng from crying.
Instead, he silently took a tissue from the box beside him, sat down next to her, and handed it to her.
Chen Qimeng: "Xiao Yu, I just..."
Lin Yu: "I understand. Being betrayed by a close friend, not knowing why she would treat you like that—it hurts."
Hearing this,
Chen Qimeng’s tears became even more uncontrollable.
Drip, drip—like a faucet being gradually turned, the teardrops fell faster and thicker.
"Xiao Yu, I... I really can’t figure it out..."
"Did I do something wrong? Was I not good enough as a friend?"
"So... that’s why she..."
"If it weren’t for you noticing, Xiao Yu..."
The tissue was already in Chen Qimeng’s hand,
but she didn’t even think to use it.
Lin Yu took out two more, gently wiping her tears as she poured out her heartache.
This time, the pain was even sharper than yesterday,
when she had spoken about her ex-husband.
She started talking about her life after the divorce,
how she had lived alone,
the female friends she had met,
and the many times she had been deceived.
Only then did Lin Yu realize—
he knew far too little about this woman who had given him her whole heart.
He Jing wasn’t the first.
She was just one of the rare trusted friends in a life filled with distrust.
And when a friend like that betrayed her, the wound cut deepest.
"Xiao Yu, I know I’m not a smart person. I rarely trust others..."
"Do you understand? I’m not afraid of being deceived..."
"I’m just afraid that the one person I finally let myself believe in... was lying to me all along."
"I’m sorry, Xiao Yu... I was supposed to buy you clothes today, but..."
Hearing her last words,
Lin Yu almost laughed in exasperation.
"Chen Qimeng, is this really the time to worry about that?"
"Can’t you start thinking about yourself for once?"
Chen Qimeng froze. "...Huh?"
Being called by her full name suddenly
actually made her stop crying.
Seeing that she had finally calmed down, Lin Yu quickly changed the subject to keep her from sinking back into sorrow.
"What I mean is, you’re always worrying about what others think, what others need."
"But have you ever stopped to ask yourself—are you happy? What do you need?"
Chen Qimeng lowered her head in confusion.
After a moment,
she looked back at Lin Yu:
"Xiao Yu... do you think I’m too meddlesome?"
Lin Yu: "???"
Was that what she got from what he said?
How did she even interpret it that way?
At first, seeing her so heartbroken today,
Lin Yu had planned to quietly stay by her side, offering comfort when needed.
But now he realized—
Aunt Qi Meng didn’t seem to have any concept of "thinking for herself."
Her self-sacrificing nature was practically carved into her bones.
And wasn’t that exactly why every opportunistic leech came sniffing around?
"Aunt Qi Meng, that’s not what I meant. What I meant was... are you done crying?"
Chen Qimeng hurriedly wiped away her lingering tears and nodded firmly.
These past two days had been strange.
She kept tearing up in front of Xiao Yu.
And then... out of nowhere, he called her by her full name.
The next moment,
Lin Yu continued:
"If you’re done crying... how about a foot soak?"
"Let our ever-giving Chen Qimeng experience what it’s like to be pampered for once."
With that,
he slipped into the same pink size-37 slippers from yesterday and headed to the bathroom to fetch hot water.
Soaking their feet together was something they had agreed on the day before.
Hearing this, Chen Qimeng quickly stood up:
"Let me do it, Xiao Yu, you shouldn’t—"
Lin Yu cut her off. "Sit. Wait for me."
His firm tone left no room for argument, and Chen Qimeng obediently sat back down on the bed.
Watching Xiao Yu shuffle uncomfortably in the too-small slippers,
Chen Qimeng quietly thought to herself:
Maybe... she should keep a pair of slippers in her room just for him?
But then she hesitated—
Wouldn’t that be a little... odd?
A few minutes later,
Lin Yu returned with the foot-soaking tub and set it by the bed.
Chen Qimeng, out of habit, moved to fetch the chair—
only for Lin Yu to say:
"I’ll get it. Today, you stay on the bed."
Chen Qimeng: "Xiao Yu, there’s no need, I— Wait, the stool is too low."
Mid-protest,
she noticed Lin Yu had brought out the small bathroom stool
and was already seated across from her, perfectly positioned.
Lin Yu tested the height of his hands in the water.
Just right.
"Aunt Qi Meng, put your feet in."
"I told you—today, you get to be the one taken care of."
"I’m not soaking mine today. This is just for you."
Chen Qimeng: "!!!"
Xiao Yu... washing her feet?
This was unacceptable!
How could she let him do something like this?
"No, no, Xiao Yu, you sit here instead!"
"I’ll get the chair, you really shouldn’t—"
"Xiao Yu, my— my feet!"
Lin Yu wasn’t about to let Chen Qimeng escape.
The [Joyous Phoenix-Toe Technique], tailor-made for the "acting sect master,"
would never see the light of day if he waited for the "right moment" with someone like her.
With Chen Qimeng’s personality...
he might as well wait for the next lifetime.
Sometimes, a little firmness was necessary.
And besides—
After crying for a long time, Chen Qimeng felt restless and decided to relax in a rather unconventional way...
Not something to be encouraged, but based on his past experiences, it did work.
"Auntie Qi Meng, don’t blame me later if you end up sitting in a bucket, okay?"
"I’d rather not change clothes. I think staying steady on the bed is better."
"You know I’m pretty good at massaging, don’t you?"
"After worrying about others for so many years, can’t I just indulge a little?"
Chen Qimeng’s feet were suddenly grabbed, and her cheeks flushed instantly:
"X-Xiao Yu… You really don’t have to massage me. Just soaking in hot water is fine."
No massage?
Since when do you call the shots?
He hadn’t actually planned to massage her at first.
But since she complained about him being too controlling…
Well, now he had to offer the gift of love…
And if that didn’t work? Then worship it is!
As soon as her feet touched the water,
Lin Yu made sure Chen Qimeng had no intention of running away.
He wasn’t in a hurry to start.
There’s a reason foot spas have you soak first before the massage.
If he was going to provide the ultimate indulgence, every detail had to be perfect.
Watching her fair ankles peek above the water’s surface,
Lin Yu couldn’t help but fall into thought…
Back when Little Chi teased him about his peculiar tastes, he’d stubbornly denied it.
But ever since acquiring the skill [Pleasure Steps to Attract the Phoenix],
He’d gradually come to realize…
The feet of his fellow sect members—iiOiiO—were actually quite aesthetically pleasing?
Damn it.
System, give me back my dignity!
Chen Qimeng had no mind to guess what the silent Xiao Yu was thinking.
Right now, she was preoccupied with another question:
Was there something wrong with her?
She’d been so heartbroken just moments ago.
Yet the second Lin Yu grabbed her feet, she…
…
't think I'm that capable, I'm just trying my best to stay alive. I've been kind all my life, never did anything bad, yet worldly suffering spared me not one bit. The human world is a nice place, but I won't come back in my next life. A kind young man, who wanted to just get by singing, but through repeated deceits and betrayals, has gone down an irredeemable path.
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.”
] [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!"
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
