Lin Yu snapped back to reality, his mind now clear.
After conducting a "void divination" in his heart—analyzing his birth chart, the current moment, and his present circumstances—he finally understood.
He had grasped the significance of Shen Buyao, the "Celestial Lone Star," and himself, the "Dominant Fortunebearer."
Before replicating the full skill set, Lin Yu had firmly dismissed the idea of so-called fate.
But after delving deeper and considering his current situation…
He had to admit.
The fact that the I Ching and predictive studies were eventually incorporated into doctoral programs wasn’t entirely without merit.
After decades of denouncing superstition, it had gained recognition within the education system.
True mysticism had triumphed over science!
"You two seemed so engrossed in your conversation, I didn’t want to interrupt."
"All that talk about chasing or not… I really couldn’t follow."
Lin Yu replied offhandedly.
Shen Buyao, however, was quite pleased with his answer.
Now this was a masterclass in playing dumb!
Of course, such matters couldn’t be explained in detail to Big Moo.
Big Moo was also a magnet for romantic misfortune—telling her would yield neither help nor insight.
It’d be like talking to a wall.
Yet.
Lin Yu’s seemingly indifferent response drew a prolonged stare from Shen Jiuyi.
A direct, unblinking, laser-focused gaze!
Lin Yu: "…"
The intensity of her scrutiny made even Lin Yu second-guess himself.
Had he misspoken somehow?
He hadn’t even said anything substantial!
"Buyao, mind if I borrow Lin Yu for a moment?"
"I’d like to have a private word with him before the deal."
Shen Buyao frowned and instinctively retorted:
"Big Moo, are you doing this on purpose?!"
"He’s his own person—what do you mean 'borrow'?"
"Did everything I just said go in one ear and out the other?"
Shen Jiuyi ignored her, keeping her eyes locked on Lin Yu as she said:
"In the past, you would’ve snapped back with…"
"'The hell can’t be said here? Why the secrecy?'"
Shen Buyao: "!!!"
Lin Yu: "…"
Touche.
Family really does know family best.
With just one sentence, Shen Jiuyi had perfectly channeled Antique Sis’s vibe.
Shen Buyao bit her lip, seething internally.
She glanced at Lin Yu, as if seeking his opinion.
Lin Yu, for his part, was curious to hear what this IQ-145 "divination prodigy" wanted to discuss privately.
"Buyao-jie, I’ll go chat with Jiuyi-jie for a bit then."
Shen Buyao had no grounds to object.
She pointed at her own eyes, then at Shen Jiuyi, and warned:
"Big Moo, if you dare badmouth me, you’re dead meat!"
With that, Shen Buyao strode out of the Treasureless Pavilion’s main hall.
Watching her leave, Shen Jiuyi sighed and remarked:
"Buyao may seem domineering, but deep down, she’s quite foolish…"
Lin Yu: "Yeah, I can sense that."
Shen Jiuyi: "Or in cruder terms—a dumbass."
Lin Yu: "Huh?"
Shen Jiuyi: "Just stating facts. Truth often sounds harsh."
Lin Yu: "…"
No wonder Antique Sis always gritted her teeth at the mention of this "Aunt Jiu," ready to throw hands at any moment.
She totally deserves it!
Buyao had literally just finished saying "don’t badmouth me."
Couldn’t she at least wait a beat before insulting her?
And Shen Jiuyi’s poker face made it impossible for Lin Yu to tell whether she was joking or dead serious.
Before he could recover, Shen Jiuyi dropped another bombshell:
"Take a seat. Let’s discuss Buyao’s potential… 'retaliatory tutoring' campaign against you."
Lin Yu: "???"
"W-wait a second!"
"Jiuyi-jie, how can you say something like that so casually?!"
Shen Jiuyi paused mid-step toward the table and turned back:
"Was my phrasing not in human language?"
Lin Yu: "…"
Thank god this was happening inside the Treasureless Pavilion.
If she socialized like this out in the real world, she’d get her ass kicked daily.
Resigned, Lin Yu followed her to the table and took the initiative:
"Jiuyi-jie, let’s get to the point. I’ll treat what you just said as a joke."
"What exactly did you want to discuss?"
"Trying to pry about the antiques in my possession?"
He played along casually.
Though he knew Shen Jiuyi likely wanted to talk about Antique Sis, from an "outsider’s" perspective, he was a player with no visibility.
To maintain his wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing act, he couldn’t reveal too much.
Shen Jiuyi picked up the teapot, skillfully pouring Lin Yu a cup:
"I couldn’t care less about antiques."
"Lin Yu, I only want to talk about Buyao."
"Ever since childhood—"
(Ten thousand words of exhaustive backstory later)
Lin Yu drank cup after cup of tea as Shen Jiuyi recounted every minute detail of Antique Sis’s past.
Despite being several years younger than Shen Buyao, Shen Jiuyi spoke as if she’d "watched her grow up."
The "Celestial Lone Star" fate meant Shen Buyao had never formed deep connections with the opposite sex.
Even with her friend Huang Feirong, Shen Buyao mostly stayed in touch online throughout the year, meeting in person no more than once a month.
There was a time when Shen Buyao naively went to Shen Jiuyi with a question:
If she and her best friend called each other "husband" and "wife" online or in games, would it bring misfortune to others?
After learning it wouldn’t, Shen Buyao remained addicted to gaming up to this day.
"We’ve talked about Buyao for a while now. Let’s talk about you."
"Buyao is like a little girl trapped in a dark place, surrounded by heavy iron doors:"
"The Shen family is one door, her fate is another, her past experiences are yet another, her restricted social circle is another, her self-isolated heart is another, and her lonely future is yet another door."
"But you…"
Lin Yu: "The Imperial Guard?"
Shen Jiuyi: "A window."
Lin Yu: "Oh…"
Shen Jiuyi: "Don’t get it?"
Lin Yu: "Not at all!"
Shen Jiuyi’s gaze shifted slightly as she asked Lin Yu:
"If suddenly, a girl appeared in this world."
"And you could do anything to her without facing moral or legal consequences."
"What would you do?"
Lin Yu’s face flushed red: "…"
However, he quickly snapped out of it:
"That’s… that’s not a proper analogy!"
"What do you mean ‘no legal consequences’?"
"I’d still call the police!"
Shen Jiuyi nodded and continued:
"Then let me rephrase it…"
"Imagine a prisoner who’s been locked up for twenty years is finally released."
"And in the outside world, you’re the only person of the opposite sex."
Lin Yu’s face turned red again: "…"
This "Kingdom of Women" hypothetical was strangely evocative.
"Tsk!"
"Even though I still think your analogy is flawed, I kinda get the gist."
"But mutual feelings matter—forced affection isn’t sweet…"
Shen Jiuyi: "But it quenches thirst. Would a dying man complain if the melon isn’t sweet?"
Lin Yu: "???"
"That doesn’t mean I have to go along with whatever Buyao wants!"
"You should at least ask how I feel about it, right?"
Shen Jiuyi: "I won’t ask."
Lin Yu: "???"
Where’s Shen Buyao… or that antique of a sister?!
Get in here and deal with her!
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?!
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)
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.
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
