Soon.
Mao Ruirui handed Lin Yu a pair of clean gloves.
She was wearing a standard pair herself.
But the pair she found for Lin Yu was a thicker, bite-resistant model.
Although the injured stray dog didn’t seem aggressive at all,
safety always came first—there was no room for overconfidence.
Inside the pet grooming room,
a small cage rested on a sturdy rack.
Given what he’d heard—that the dog had been hit by a car and lost its stray companion—
Lin Yu had instinctively assumed the rescued dog would be a larger breed.
But when he saw the small, brown-furred puppy lying weakly in the cage,
he couldn’t help but startle, turning back to say:
“It’s… this tiny?”
Mao Ruirui nodded and replied,
“The one that passed away was about the same size—a mixed breed.”
“They might’ve been two strays born from local dogs.”
“Or maybe someone abandoned them because they couldn’t handle raising too many puppies.”
Lin Yu quickly pieced things together.
If that was the case,
the one that died wasn’t just its companion—it was family.
The feeling of losing family…
Lin Yu’s chest tightened inexplicably.
In his past life, he’d already been approaching forty. Now, reborn into a second life,
many of the unbearable pains of youth, like parting, had faded with time.
But still,
working alone in the city, there were nights when sleep eluded him.
Familiar faces, once as steady as mountains, would appear unexpectedly in his dreams.
Maybe on a drowsy afternoon.
Maybe after a night of empty bottles.
Those wounds he thought had healed would suddenly pierce his defenses and stab straight into his heart.
Some people…
You never consciously think of them, yet you never truly forget.
Lin Yu pulled over a small stool and sat in front of the cage.
Food and water were already prepared inside—no need to fetch more.
All he had to do was convince the puppy to eat.
With the Beast Command in his possession, issuing a direct order wouldn’t be difficult.
Given the dog’s fragile state, obedience was practically guaranteed.
Yet Lin Yu didn’t resort to that. Instead, he spoke softly:
“Hey, little one… It hurts to lose family, doesn’t it?”
“That feeling where sadness chokes your appetite—I get it.”
“I’ve lost family too.”
He leaned closer, addressing the small mutt in the cage.
At the doorway, the three women reacted differently to his words.
Shen Buyao: “Is Lin Yu trying to share his story with the dog? Can it even understand?”
Chang Xiaoxiao: “I never expected Senior Lin Yu to comfort it by talking about his own experiences.”
Mao Ruirui shook her head.
“You’ve both got it wrong.”
“Right now, Xiao Yu probably just wants to share his story with the puppy!”
Shen Buyao: “???”
Chang Xiaoxiao: “???”
So… what exactly had Mao Ruirui thought they said?
The trio didn’t discuss it further, not wanting to disturb Lin Yu.
Because they noticed something remarkable—the puppy was responding to him!
At first,
it simply perked up at the sound of his voice, curious.
But as Lin Yu continued,
the little dog whimpered softly, as if replying to his words.
The grief and pain of the young pup poured out through those sounds, unmistakable to anyone listening.
Lin Yu could feel it too.
His words seemed to be making a difference, however slight.
After recounting his own journey through loss, he concluded:
“Little guy, I know no matter what I say, the pain won’t just disappear.”
“But think of your family, your companion. From now on, you have to live well—for them.”
“We’re the lucky ones, still here in this world.”
“So eat when you’re hungry. Drink when you’re thirsty.”
“Get up. Eat this. Drink that. No more starving yourself!”
At first, the puppy still resisted.
But it could sense Lin Yu’s sincerity—undeniable, especially in his final words.
The almost commanding tone of his closing statement
left the little dog with teary eyes.
With effort, it dragged itself to the bowl and finally began to eat.
[Ding!]
[Masterful move! Your unique beast-taming approach has impressed your Dao Companion!]
[Reward: 50 Spirit Stones.]
[Ding!]
[Masterful move! Your heartfelt words have moved the Spirit Beast Garden’s Elder!]
[Reward: 20 Spirit Stones.]
By the door,
Shen Buyao broke into a radiant smile, barely containing her excitement as she whispered:
“It’s eating! The puppy’s eating!”
“Wow, it’s like it actually understood Lin Yu!”
Chang Xiaoxiao was equally thrilled, clasping her hands together:
“Ruirui-jie, you can relax now!”
“If it’s eating, that means it’s starting to heal emotionally.”
“Didn’t you say? As long as it takes one bite, recovery will follow.”
“Look—it’s eating so eagerly!”
While Shen Buyao and Chang Xiaoxiao celebrated,
they suddenly noticed…
Mao Ruirui standing off to the side, her eyes red from crying.
Her shoulders trembled as she struggled to suppress her sobs.
Shen Buyao: “!!!”
Mao Ruirui: “!!!”
Mao Ruirui: “Sniff… sob…”
Shen Buyao: “Ruirui, why the tears? Is this really that emotional?”
Chang Xiaoxiao: “Ruirui-jie must’ve been so worried about the puppy that seeing it eat made her cry from joy!”
Mao Ruirui waved her hand dismissively.
“Sorry, I’m not in the mood to ‘explain the humidifier’ right now… sob…”
“How could you two not be moved by Xiao Yu’s story?”
“I never knew he was such a sensitive, emotionally deep guy!”
Shen Buyao: “???”
Chang Xiaoxiao: “???”
The two were utterly baffled.
Aside from Lin Yu’s initial words when he sat down—spoken a bit louder—
everything else he’d said to the puppy had been inaudible.
How could Mao Ruirui have gotten so emotional?
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host! Emergency Quest “Starving Spirit Beast” completed!]
[Thanks to your help, the spirit beast has resumed eating, healing its injured body. The Spirit Beast Garden’s Elder is deeply grateful!]
[Rewards: 200 Sect Contribution Points, 400 Spirit Stones, 1 free System Shop draw.]
…

【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)

'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.

d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!

esick Sect? Well, at least it's considered a respectable orthodox sect. Wait a minute— What kind of vibe are you all giving off? Shouldn’t this be a love-struck, romance-obsessed sect? Why does everyone here sound more like demonic cultivators? "Master, today he’s getting married. This disciple wishes to descend the mountain and crash the wedding, then toy with him to death right in front of his wife..." "Elder, I only got into your sect through connections, so why won’t you teach me anything?" "Because I also became an elder through connections." Thankfully, Su Ji was just an outer sect labor disciple. Surely, nothing too crazy would— "Junior Brother, you’ve broken through to Qi Refining. Once you sever your useless spiritual root, you can officially become an outer sect disciple." "The Great Dao is merciless. Don’t let a worthless spiritual root waste your essence and spirit, hindering your cultivation." Is this really the Lovesick Sect? ... Three years later, Su Ji sat in the seat of the Lovesick Sect’s sect master, sighing with emotion. His rise to this position all started when his junior sister adamantly insisted on preserving his "spiritual root." "Mmm... Senior Brother, what’s our relationship now?" "Stop talking. Keep going." "By the way, that newly promoted top-tier sect—didn’t they come to buy our Love Beans?" "One top-grade spirit stone per Love Bean—is that really so expensive?" "I suspect they’ve eaten too many Love Beans." "Now they’re lovesick." Well, this really is the Lovesick Sect after all.