Dinnertime.
[Ding!]
[God-tier move! An exquisitely delicious spirit cuisine has conquered your dao companions' taste buds! (2 repeats)]
[Reward: 50 spirit stones (2)]
Chen Qimeng: "Xiao Yu, this is amazing! The food outside can't even compare to what you make."
Shen Buyao: "Lin Yu, when did you secretly learn to cook like this? Can I get a second bowl of rice?"
Lin Yu had merely performed some casual culinary maneuvers.
Yet it had already pushed both girls' tastebuds to their limits.
"I just never had much chance to cook before. Summer break is still long though."
"If you ladies would grace me with your presence, I'd be happy to cook daily when we're free."
[Ding!]
[God-tier move (2)...]
Another effortless verbal play, easily netting him another hundred spirit stones.
...
After dinner.
Chen Qimeng insisted the other two rest while she handled cleanup.
As if not contributing would make her die of guilt.
This time Lin Yu didn't argue, letting Chen Qimeng take charge.
He and Shen Buyao went to the first-floor lobby, whispering closely.
Lin Yu: "Yaojie, how's the money preparation going?"
Shen Buyao: "Relax, we've got the full amount ready. We'll meet Big Moo face-to-face at Ghost Market Street tonight."
Lin Yu: "In-person transaction is best. Thanks, Yaojie."
Shen Buyao: "Tch. If you can't trust me, who can you trust?"
Lin Yu: "Fate."
Shen Buyao: "!!!"
[Ding!]
[God-tier move! A soul-piercing coded phrase leaves your dao companion utterly shocked!]
[Reward: 50 spirit stones]
Shen Buyao quickly regained composure:
"W-what nonsense? Such an awkward joke."
Lin Yu secretly reveled in his victory.
Could she even speak properly with her tongue tied in knots?
Awkward? Sure.
But timing and audience made all the difference.
Maintaining perfect seriousness, Lin Yu gazed at Shen Buyao:
"I'm not joking. Dead serious."
"The fortune teller said I'd meet a benefactor this year with great financial fortune."
"Then... I met you."
"Seems pretty accurate to me! As a college freshman, this is definitely a huge windfall!"
"So Yaojie..."
"You must be that destined benefactor!"
[Ding!]
[God-tier move...]
Shen Buyao: "!!!"
What the hell was up with this brat?
Did... did he actually believe in fate too?
Benefactor...
No one had ever called her that before...
Forcing calm, Shen Buyao retorted:
"Pfft, benefactor my ass! Next you'll call me Imperial Concubine!"
"Stop studying that superstitious crap. Modern youth should read more, sleep early, snack less, stay woke."
Lin Yu: "Oh."
Shen Buyao: "That stuff's all scams. Wake up."
Lin Yu: "Oh."
Shen Buyao: "Your jiejie would never believe that."
Lin Yu: "Oh."
A vein throbbed on Shen Buyao's forehead: "You 'oh oh oh', oh your—"
She barely swallowed the impending "mother's head" curse.
Lin Yu internally: Oh?
She actually restrained herself.
Rare indeed!
Seems their relationship upgrade raised her tolerance threshold too.
Regaining her poise, Shen Buyao studied Lin Yu's impassive face, finding him particularly punchable today.
Yet she surprisingly offered:
"We're going to Ghost Market Street later anyway. Wanna come to my room first?"
Lin Yu blinked innocently: "Do what?"
Shen Buyao: "The fuck you think? Wanna do IT? Just chat, dumbass!"
Lin Yu mused:
Whoever did this antique sister's fortune clearly sucked.
Her self-guided romance route was completely off-track—looked like he'd need to handle the follow-through.
After token resistance, Lin Yu followed the antique sister inside.
Contrary to expectations, her room wasn't some classical antique showcase.
Just your standard young woman's quarters.
Except...
Since when did she own lingerie?!
And it was just hanging there—right between the chair and the disciplinary ruler!
Practically spotlighted for maximum visibility!
"Eyes! I'll gouge them out! Rip your head clean off!" Shen Buyao threatened fiercely.
Yet her flustered hands betrayed her, desperately snatching the garment.
First she tried stuffing it in a drawer...
Nope.
Then under the blanket...
Still nope.
Finally securing it beneath her pillow, she scanned the room like a bomb squad technician.
Couldn't blame her really.
Since renting this place, she'd never envisioned male intrusion.
She was practically an anti-man forcefield!
What reckless beast would dare enter her sanctum?
Yet fate works mysteriously.
Who knew the first boy to breach her private world would be... invited by her own hand?
Shen Buyao eyed him suspiciously: "Cat got your tongue?"
Lin Yu murmured: "Pretty."
Shen Buyao: "..."
Lin Yu: "..."
Suddenly Shen Buyao stormed toward him with terrifying momentum, making Lin Yu's heart skip several beats.
Scolding is one thing, but actually hitting him is out of the question, right?
After all, he might not hold back from retaliating.
In the end, Shen Buyao marched up to Lin Yu, hands on her hips, and demanded:
"Hey! You little pervert, be honest… are you trying to hit on me?"
Lin Yu: "…"
What a fierce opening move.
If he said yes, it was definitely a spur-of-the-moment thought.
If he said no, the mood was already set.
According to the usual hierarchy of romantic prospects,
a domineering, hard-to-handle antique of a woman like her should rank outside the top ten.
Who would’ve thought?
Fate had other plans!
Now she was suddenly among the frontrunners.
Since she was so good at rationalizing things on her own, Lin Yu didn’t need to put on an act.
He glanced at Shen Buyao’s "landing strip"…
Sigh.
This would require some long-term nurturing.
Shen Buyao followed his gaze and looked down at herself:
"You bastard, Lin Yu! Your eyes just gave you away!"
"Tell me, were you already scheming when you brought up those three conditions?"
"Spit it out!!"
"Now, tell me—what exactly are these three things?"
Lin Yu furrowed his brows: "I…"
Before he could answer, Shen Buyao cut him off:
"Hold on, let’s get one thing straight."
"If you dare suggest anything involving taking off pants, I’ll yank your tongue out and roll it up like a Fruit Roll-Up!"
Lin Yu sighed in disappointment: "Huh? I can’t suggest that?"
Shen Buyao’s mind short-circuited: "Wha—? You… you can’t just jump straight to… to that… ugh!"
Lin Yu thought to himself:
Yikes!
This antique sister is dead serious, huh?
She’s really ready to taste the bitterness of love!
Whoever did her fortune-telling—Lin Yu ought to go kneel before them in gratitude.
Lin Yu asked earnestly:
"Then… can I suggest a date instead?"
"Or maybe just a walk in the park together?"
Shen Buyao tilted her chin up:
"Fine. Since I agreed to your three conditions, I have no choice."
"But listen—this is my first time going on a date with a guy, so you better be gentle!"
Lin Yu patted his chest reassuringly:
"Don’t worry. So, should we pick a day?"
Shen Buyao was about to respond when she suddenly tensed up:
"Wait a second…"
"You little punk—are you planning a wild night?!"
…
and couldn't return to the real world. Finally, I gave up and decided to go with the flow, only to discover that writing a diary could make me stronger. Since no one could read it, Su Luo wrote freely, daring to pen anything and everything. Female Lead #1: "Not bad. This diary helped me steal all the protagonist's opportunities. I just want to get stronger." Female Lead #2: "I don’t care about reaching the peak of the cultivation world. Right now, I just want to enjoy the chaos." Female Lead #3: "What? Everyone around me is a spy? I’m the Joker Demon Lord?" ... It’s so strange. Why is the plot completely off track, yet the ending remains the same? Are you all just messing with me?!
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
