As dusk fell,
Lin Yu returned alone to the apartment.
Shen Buyao, despite being "severely injured," insisted on reopening her shop at Ghost Market Street.
She knew Shen Jiuyi was there.
If she didn’t open for business today,
Shen Jiuyi would undoubtedly assume Lin Yu had "broken" her.
To salvage what little remained of her dignity, Shen Buyao had no choice but to tough it out despite her injuries.
Meanwhile, back at the apartment, Lin Yu didn’t even have time to retreat to his room.
Parked outside the courtyard gate was a familiar vehicle—
A black Mercedes G-Class.
Lin Yu recognized the license plate.
It belonged to Museum Director Xia Xiashan!
Since delivering Maomao,
Lin Yu hadn’t seen this "defeated elder sister" visit in days.
Had she deliberately chosen this time, knowing he wasn’t home, just to check on Maomao?
As he entered the first-floor lobby,
Lin Yu was still pondering how to casually drop by her room.
But then—
Right there on the communal sofa, Xia Xiashan, Xia Yiwei, and Maomao were chatting away!
"Well, well, Director Xia! What a rare guest!"
"Welcome!"
Lin Yu greeted Xia Xiashan the moment their eyes met.
Today, the museum director was dressed in a crisp white bandeau top and form-fitting black athletic shorts.
The moment she stood from the sofa, her outfit radiated cool, effortless charm.
Xia Xiashan’s response was awkward—a stiff nod and a half-hearted wave.
Then,
she shot a glare at Xia Yiwei and Maomao.
Her eyes screamed:
You two tricked me!
Didn’t you say Lin Yu wasn’t home?!
Why is he here?!
Xia Yiwei and Maomao instantly averted their gazes, refusing to meet hers.
As the man who had once reduced her to tears,
Xia Xiashan had spent the past few days haunted by "that humiliating defeat."
In all her years, no one—not even her uncle—had ever beaten her like that.
Proud and headstrong, she still couldn’t face Lin Yu calmly.
That’s why she always checked if he was home before visiting Maomao.
This was only her second visit since moving in.
The first time,
Lin Yu hadn’t even known.
"Big sis, my little master is greeting you so warmly," Xia Yiwei teased, grinning.
"Why that look? Like you’ve seen an enemy."
"What, itching for another fight?"
She taunted her sister boldly, knowing Xia Xiashan wouldn’t dare act up here—this was their turf.
Besides,
her sister genuinely feared Lin Yu now.
"Shut it. Don’t stir the pot," Xia Xiashan snapped back.
"Or I’ll deal with you first."
When she turned to Lin Yu again, her discomfort deepened.
She couldn’t decide whether to force a smile or maintain her aloof expression.
Lin Yu stepped closer, extending a hand with a warm smile.
"Yiwei, stop teasing your sister."
"There’s no bad blood between Director Xia and me."
"Last time was just me helping you out. It won’t happen again."
Seeing his politeness, Xia Xiashan reluctantly reached out to shake his hand.
The moment their hands touched,
both froze.
Xia Xiashan: "!!!"
Trembling…
She was trembling uncontrollably…
The fear of being overpowered seemed to surge through Lin Yu’s grip, flooding her body and mind.
This wasn’t the first time she’d felt it.
During training lately,
whenever Lin Yu crossed her thoughts, her muscles would tense involuntarily.
She’d even consulted the martial arts center’s physiotherapist, desperate for a solution.
The diagnosis?
Yips.
A common sports disorder among professional athletes.
Psychogenic cases often stem from subconscious trauma—reliving past failures mid-action,
rendering them unable to perform specific movements.
For golfers, baseball players, tennis pros—once the yips strike,
it’s practically a career death sentence.
Xia Xiashan had brushed off the diagnosis…
Until now.
That handshake convinced her—
This was pathological fear.
Meanwhile, Lin Yu’s surprise came from—
[Ding!]
[Xia Xiashan]
[Age: 29]
[&%¥#@¥¥……]
[…]
[(Prerequisite quest incomplete. Details locked.)]
Well, well.
Turns out the museum director was another long-lost "sect sister"!
Before the system’s prompt, Lin Yu had felt a twinge of guilt over their clash.
After all,
Director Xia had never provoked him.
Yet he’d shattered her pride with a single flick, reducing her to tears.
But with the "Lost Sect" label in play?
Everything changed.
What made it worse—
That evasive gaze…
That uncontrollable shudder…
Director Xia was terrified of him.
When you suddenly realize
a woman you once tread carefully around
now fears you yet can’t resist you…
That’s when the other beast awakens.
Especially when she’s a renowned
martial arts heir!
Avoid her?
No chance.
He’d seek more contact.
"Director Xia, how’s the injury from last time?"
Lin Yu kept his tone gentle, masking his excitement.
Xia Xiashan’s eye twitched.
Lin Yu really knows how to pick his words, huh?
Salt in the wound—intentional or not?
His face gave nothing away.
At least he seemed concerned.
Gritting her teeth, she suppressed her dread and replied:
"Fine. It healed the same day."
"Maybe… we’ll spar again sometime."
Just uttering "spar again" took immense courage.
Xia Yiwei, oblivious to her sister’s turmoil, pounced on the opening:
"Spar? Sis, taking turns hitting each other is a spar."
"One hit from him and you’re down—that’s called fraud."
Xia Xiashan’s brow furrowed: "..."
If she couldn’t teach Lin Yu a lesson,
she could at least discipline her little sister.
Just wait—Xia Yiwei’s reckoning would come.
Lin Yu stayed out of their squabble, his gaze shifting to Maomao.
Throughout the exchange, Maomao had stayed silent, her brows knitted with worry.
Not just silent—she seemed detached,
as if mentally absent from the conversation.
Something’s wrong.
Definitely trouble brewing.
...
(Extra chapter delivered! More tomorrow. Hope you’ll support this little author with ads or power-ups!)
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
shall grant"] ["Inscribing the glory of our race upon tombstones"] ["All that is threatened, I shall protect"] How his younger sister sees her brother: A brother who only makes eye contact once a day, mostly fading into the background as he tinkers with who-knows-what in his room all day. Their life paths should have remained largely separate. Until one day. Su Qi created an equipment card for his never-met "online girlfriend." His sister fell into silent contemplation upon receiving the "white stockings." [Card can be upgraded] [Upgrade by fulfilling any of the following conditions] [Condition ①: Consume one hundred higher-tier cards] [Condition ②: Complete one 'Heart-Pounding Adventure'] What constitutes a Heart-Pounding Adventure? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Beginner Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to admire it.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Easy Level): Equip the card, invite 'Su Qi' to touch it, and analyze the equipment's texture.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Entry Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to...] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Challenge Level): Freely combine the words 'Brother' 'Out' 'Brother' 'Me' 'Please' into a complete sentence...] "Please help me analyze both teams' mistakes in this match, brother..." His sister exhaled in relief—surely... surely there couldn't be anything more difficult? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Suicide Mission Level): Sneak a peek at the names of the galgames in 'Su Qi's' hidden E-drive folder]
u serious?" Chen Feng watched helplessly as his painstakingly trained disciple, fresh off a championship victory, publicly abandoned him. "You had your chance, but you didn’t appreciate it. Now, face the consequences of your choice!" Chen Feng possessed the "Master System," a treasure trove of supreme martial arts techniques, capable of molding ordinary individuals into peerless prodigies. "Legs like yours? A shame not to train in the Crippling Kick." "Ever heard of a palm strike that descends from the heavens?" "Auntie! I see extraordinary bone structure in you—a martial arts prodigy, one in ten thousand." The once-defiant senior disciple, now watching her juniors rise to fame one after another, dominating the internet, was consumed by endless regret.
or! A blessing for those who struggle with love, a guidebook for dating novices. Quickly match with your dream goddess! Complete walkthroughs earn rewards, and perfect walkthroughs unlock limited achievements!】 Shen Yi, an ordinary office worker, accidentally downloads a mini-game called Dating Simulator. The mini-game is simple: randomly search for dating targets, simulate dates, and receive rewards upon successful confession. Rewards include but are not limited to money, attributes, and skills. The higher the evaluation, the better the rewards, with perfect ratings unlocking mysterious achievements. Shen Yi plans to use this mysterious mini-game to continuously pursue targets and improve himself, making his life better and better. ...... However, after several successful walkthroughs, Shen Yi suddenly notices something strange - the targets he previously simulated dating seem to be searching for him in real life?