One after another, messages from ZerO relentlessly pricked at Maomao's nerves.
Despite having so many distractions in his daily life.
He had still effortlessly defeated her.
Like an old man toying with a mischievous child.
So effortlessly, so casually.
Even though Little Linyu's everyday life was filled with endless disruptions.
Even though, during their time apart, she had believed she had made significant progress.
How could the result turn out like this?
Maomao's fingers hovered over the keyboard, trembling as she tried to type a reply.
Because she felt… not responding would be impolite.
But after several false starts, she still hadn't managed to type a single word.
At this critical moment.
Xia Yiwei came to her side, gently stroking her little head:
"Maomao…"
Maomao looked up and met Xia Yiwei's tender, comforting gaze, her nose instantly tingling with emotion.
Maomao: "Wei…"
Just as Maomao was about to lean her head against Xia Yiwei's chest—
Xia Yiwei suddenly switched to vigorously rubbing her head with both hands, going "ruffle ruffle ruffle…"
"Ahahaha, I can tell from your expression—Little Linyu absolutely crushed you, didn’t he?"
"You feisty little cat, why don’t you just kowtow to him and admit defeat already!"
After a good ten seconds of ruffling.
Maomao’s disheveled hair blocked her vision: "…"
Sigh.
Well.
How could she have ever believed Wei would actually comfort someone?
She hadn’t spent this much time alone with Wei under the same roof before.
Now, after living together, Maomao had completely revised her opinion.
Before, she always thought Wei was unfairly bullied by Shan, pitiable and innocent.
Now she thought…
Shan didn’t hit her nearly enough.
"Maomao, let me give you some solid advice."
"If all else fails, just do what I did—bow and become his disciple on the spot."
"Then no matter how many times you lose, you won’t feel like crying out of shame."
"Look at you, a big girl still sniffling like a kid, ahahaha—"
"Ow!"
Xia Yiwei’s laughter cut off abruptly.
A sharp yelp escaped her lips.
Maomao couldn’t stand her mocking grin any longer.
Her little claws shot out from under the chair, grabbing Xia Yiwei’s bandaged knee.
Xia Yiwei stared at her in stunned silence: "???"
Maomao braced herself for Wei to pounce on her, ready for another round of their usual "tussling."
But instead, she saw Wei frozen in place.
Suddenly uneasy, she asked:
"Did I hurt you? I’m sorry…"
Xia Yiwei wasn’t one to fuss over minor details.
But she asked in disbelief:
"Maomao… were you just joking with me?"
Maomao fidgeted, glancing at Xia Yiwei’s leg:
"Well… I didn’t hold back enough. But you started it!"
Xia Yiwei shook her head:
"That’s not what I meant. This was… your first time joking with me, wasn’t it?"
A flicker of confusion passed through Maomao’s clear eyes:
"Was it? I thought everyone interacted like this."
Xia Yiwei fell silent.
It suddenly struck her—perhaps bringing Maomao along for this short trip was the perfect opportunity to let her experience a normal life.
And all of it was thanks to Little Linyu.
His presence had unconsciously drawn Maomao into ordinary social interactions.
Little did she know.
Behind Lin Yu, there was another little hacker who played an even bigger role.
……
Inside Mo Shangying’s bedroom.
After wrapping up her work for the moment, she dashed straight to the bathroom.
Who had the luxury of distractions when trying to defeat Maomao?
A fiercely competitive girl like her only grew more relentless once she gained the upper hand.
The only way was to suppress her from the start and maintain that pressure till the very end.
Finding time to send a few taunting messages was already pushing the limits.
If she’d actually been juggling other tasks, Mo Shangying would’ve lost this "battle" without a doubt.
For all her bold trash talk, the sight of her scrambling to the bathroom afterward was downright pathetic.
And yet.
Mo Shangying still found it all thrilling.
Battling heaven and earth paled in comparison to the joy of outwitting another person.
"Phew…"
Only after settling onto the toilet did Mo Shangying finally relax.
She pulled out her phone and immediately reported the results to Lin Yu.
Aside from updating him on ZerO’s debut performance, it was mostly to flaunt her own victory.
Who wouldn’t adore such an exceptional girl, right?
Recalling yesterday’s madness, Mo Shangying felt like she was floating in a dream.
Ever since she was old enough to understand the world, she’d done countless things, played countless games.
And without fail, once she reached the ending, everything became dull.
At first.
She thought her interactions with "Little Yu" were just another real-life game, no different from the rest.
But today, she realized…
Maybe this wasn’t as boring as she’d imagined.
Or perhaps it was because the "grand finale" hadn’t arrived yet, leaving her restless?
Mo Shangying had suppressed her impulses all day.
Now.
With Maomao’s defeat as the perfect excuse, she finally had a reason to message Lin Yu.
……
[Ding!]
[Masterful move—last night’s stars, last night’s wind, your Dao Companion misses you dearly!]
[Reward: 50 Spirit Stones]
Lin Yu sat on Aunt Qimeng’s bed, scrolling through Ying’er’s WeChat updates.
The entire message was filled with glee over defeating Maomao and the exact score of her victory.
Only one line—"You should praise me"—had nothing to do with the girls’ work.
But that single line, combined with the system’s prompt, made everything clear to Lin Yu.
Ah, Ying’er.
Another tsundere girl through and through.
Lin Yu tapped out a concise reply on his phone.
「Lin Yu: (Clapping) (Clapping) (Clapping)」
「Lin Yu: Our Ying’er is the best, undefeated, the true King of Hackers!」
「Lin Yu: But more than your battle, I just want to say…」
「Lin Yu: I miss you. I’ve been thinking about you all day, about last night (Clapping) (Clapping) (Clapping)」
[Ding!]
[Masterful move—your Dao Companion’s heart races at your bold confession, love surging uncontrollably!]
[Reward: 50 Spirit Stones]
「Ying’er: Pfft, Master’s just trying to sweet-talk me again! You didn’t even message me first!」
Reading her reply, Lin Yu chuckled.
Some master must’ve foreseen her fate when naming her.
"Mo Shangying"—literally "Don’t Get Addicted."
A warning she’d clearly ignored!
Then again.
Ying’er was Ying’er.
A girl who never listened to advice.
If she had, she wouldn’t have dropped out of school so young to live her "reclusive genius" life.
Yet even this transcendent little hacker.
In Lin Yu’s hands, couldn’t escape the pull of mortal desires.
「Lin Yu: Not true. I wanted to message you—I just didn’t dare.」
「Lin Yu: Afraid I wouldn’t be able to hold back…」
[Ding!]
[Masterful move…]
With just a few messages.
Ying’er was left flustered, her heart in chaos.
And at that very moment.
The bathroom door creaked open…
……
(Second update today, bonus chapters coming soon—your support is deeply appreciated!)
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
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.
