Inside the apartment.
Lin Yu smoothly joined the conversation between the Xia sisters and Maomao.
Sitting on the same couch as Lin Yu, Xia Xiashan looked particularly uneasy.
This awkward situation was entirely due to her own pointless politeness.
Earlier, in the midst of the awkwardness,
Xia Xiashan had casually asked out of courtesy: "Do you want to sit with us for a while?"
Normally, in such a situation,
wouldn’t any reasonable person politely excuse themselves to avoid interrupting the sisters’ chat and go about their own business?
However,
she never expected
that Lin Yu’s thought process couldn’t be judged by normal standards!
He casually replied, "Sure,"
and then
joined them without hesitation—even sitting right next to Xia Xiashan!
Lin Yu completely ignored Xia Xiashan’s discomfort.
Instead, he straightforwardly asked Maomao, who couldn’t lie to save her life:
"Maomao, why do you look upset?"
"Did the two sisters bully you before I got here?"
The moment those words left his mouth,
the Xia sisters’ gazes immediately locked onto Maomao.
Judging by their reactions,
something had indeed happened—
and it was probably about Maomao.
Maomao, unfazed by their stares, answered bluntly:
"It’s not because of Shan or Wei…"
"Aunt Ruxue is coming!"
If not for the dream he’d had earlier, Lin Yu would have been shocked by this news.
But ever since seeing Aunt Ruxue’s true self in that dream,
he had a feeling she would show up eventually.
In fact,
he was even curious—would the real Aunt Ruxue be just like the one in Maomao’s dream?
"Aunt Ruxue… is that your guardian, the one you mentioned before?"
"Since it’s your private matter, I never asked."
"Did she find out you’re staying in the apartment Weiwei rented?"
Facing Lin Yu’s questions,
Maomao held nothing back and continued:
"Yeah. While making the software for our showdown, I got impatient and used some online backup resources."
"Even though I used a virtual IP, Aunt Ruxue still tracked me down…"
Lin Yu nodded silently,
processing the implications of Maomao’s words.
Using a virtual IP meant Maomao hadn’t acted recklessly—she’d taken precautions to hide her location.
But the fact that Aunt Ruxue still found her suggested she was a cybersecurity expert—
likely even more skilled than Maomao.
Maybe even more skilled than Ying'er, who wasn’t far behind Maomao.
No wonder
she’d been able to raise someone as talented as Maomao.
Noticing Maomao had stopped talking,
Lin Yu pressed further:
"So what happens next? Is Aunt Ruxue coming to take you back?"
Maomao shook her head, then glanced miserably at the Xia sisters.
Xia Yiwei stepped in to explain:
"That question’s a bit tough for Maomao to answer."
"Let’s have our big-mouthed sister repeat what was actually said on the phone."
With that,
Xia Yiwei made a "go ahead" gesture—
only to pull her hand back just as Xia Xiashan looked ready to break it.
Xia Xiashan quickly defended herself:
"Maomao already explained the reason!"
"It’s not like I leaked anything!"
Lin Yu also believed Xia Xiashan wasn’t the type to betray Maomao.
Maomao’s explanation had been logical and straightforward.
His gaze settled on Xia Xiashan, waiting for her to elaborate.
Since Maomao had already brought up the topic with Lin Yu,
Xia Xiashan saw no reason to hold back.
"The moment I answered the call, Aunt Ruxue immediately asked me—"
"‘Is Maomao settling in okay over there? Has she gotten into any conflicts? Has she met her little online comrade-in-arms yet?’"
"What was I supposed to say? It was obvious she already knew everything!"
Lin Yu: "…"
"Little online comrade-in-arms"?
Even someone as formidable as ZerO only rated that kind of description from Aunt Ruxue?
This only reinforced Lin Yu’s suspicion—
Aunt Ruxue’s hacking skills were on another level.
"So at that point, I had no choice but to answer her questions."
"In the end, Aunt Ruxue said she had some free time and would come to Pingchuan to visit Maomao."
"That’s it."
"That’s where the conversation ended!"
"Whether she plans to take Maomao back or just visit, I really don’t know."
"Aunt Ruxue’s way of doing things… I can’t even begin to guess."
By the end,
it was clear Xia Xiashan genuinely had no idea what to expect.
After hearing everything, Lin Yu reassured them:
"So that’s how it is."
"Maomao, don’t worry too much."
"Since Aunt Ruxue mentioned me, I’ll meet her with you when she arrives."
"You’re an adult now—maybe she’ll even consider letting you grow independently."
Maomao: "Absolutely not!"
Xia Yiwei: "Absolutely not!"
Xia Xiashan: "Absolutely not!"
Lin Yu: "???"
Where did this sudden unity come from?
It’s just meeting Aunt Ruxue—
why the panic?
It’s not like Lin Yu is some embarrassment!
Maomao hurriedly explained:
"Lin Yu, seriously, no."
"The truth is, Aunt Ruxue still thinks…"
"ZerO is a girl!"
"If she actually wants to meet ZerO and finds out it’s you…"
"I might…"
Lin Yu: "…"
So that’s the issue.
It probably wasn’t just Aunt Ruxue making wild guesses—
Ying'er might have been exposed without even realizing it.
Yikes.
This was getting complicated.
Judging by Maomao’s unfinished sentence,
this "control-freak" aunt probably didn’t allow her to interact with guys.
Xia Yiwei’s eyes suddenly lit up, and she excitedly grabbed Maomao’s arm:
"Hahaha, I’ve got an idea!"
Maomao gave her a skeptical look.
The three of them had been sitting there, brainstorming for ages—
even considering sending Maomao back to the martial arts hall immediately.
But the moment Lin Yu showed up,
Xia Yiwei suddenly had a solution?
Even Xia Xiashan couldn’t believe her mischievous younger sister.
Xia Yiwei stood up, pointing at Lin Yu:
"Only the three of us know ZerO is my little shifu, right?"
"Didn’t you guys use a ‘switch-the-cat’ trick when you first met him?"
"We can find a girl to pretend to be my little shifu!"
"And guess what—hahaha…"
"There’s a perfect candidate right here in our apartment!"
Lin Yu: "!!!"
Xia Xiashan and Maomao might not have understood Xia Yiwei’s ridiculous plan,
but Lin Yu immediately saw the brilliance of it.
They could really pull this off?
Playing both the "good sister" and "good little sister" like fools?
Before, it was the fake pretending to be the real one.
Now, the real one would pretend to be the fake!
...
(Second update today! The next bonus chapter is coming soon—just 292 more "powered by love" supports to go! Keep the encouragement coming, everyone!)
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...
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?"
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
nce】【Lighthearted Comedy】【Ultimate Gentleman's Novel】【Viewer Discretion Advised for Under 16】 The mightiest human hero, Sharen Morian, is resurrected after a thousand years by his wife—the Demon King. This is not your typical hero-vs-demon-king tale.
