"Little Yu, now... that girl must believe we're a couple, right?"
"Ha, we played the part of lovebirds pretty well, didn't we?"
Given Mao Ruirui's emotional intelligence, she couldn't think of a better way to phrase it.
She said this purely to spare Lin Yu the awkwardness of not knowing how to react.
It was also her way of giving the impulsive young man plenty of leeway.
Unexpectedly.
This lifeline landed right in the depths of Lin Yu's heart.
Lin Yu looked at Mao Ruirui with a stunned expression.
He froze for a few seconds.
Then, lowering his head dejectedly, he murmured:
"Yeah... yeah, I guess we fooled her..."
"Seems like I still..."
At this point.
Lin Yu deliberately paused, leaving an unspoken ellipsis for the regret in his heart.
Mao Ruirui’s heart suddenly clenched: "!!!"
From Lin Yu's reaction, she realized she’d said the wrong thing!
How could she be so dense...
Little Yu must have been serious just now, right?
He was trying to express his feelings through action.
A guy his age would only act on impulse for a girl he really liked!
And yet she’d said something like that...
Dismissing all of Little Yu’s actions as just "helping out" or "playing pretend lovers."
No wonder he was upset!
Mao Ruirui visibly panicked.
She had to clear things up.
She couldn’t let Little Yu think this was just some casual favor.
She... she was serious too!
Mao Ruirui: "Little Yu, I just—"
Lin Yu: "Ruirui-jie, let’s keep running."
Not giving Mao Ruirui a chance to explain.
Lin Yu stood up straight and issued his "command."
Being too eager to show all his cards wasn’t a good thing.
Sometimes, leaving things hanging worked better than rushing into a relationship.
After all, he’d already made his feelings clear through action.
Letting Mao Ruirui nurse a little guilt.
Would only make her easier to handle later.
As usual, Mao Ruirui couldn’t "defy" Lin Yu.
She could only suppress her guilt for now and focus on finishing their morning jog.
She’d find another time to explain things properly to Little Yu.
But how should she explain...
Admit she wasn’t just pretending but had genuinely lost herself in that kiss?
How embarrassing!
Even if she wanted to explain, it wasn’t easy to put into words!
......
In the time that followed.
The two continued their morning run, each lost in their own thoughts.
Mao Ruirui’s mind was entirely occupied by what had just happened.
Between savoring the memory and scolding herself for failing to respond properly.
Meanwhile, Lin Yu.
Was busy preparing for the routines of a brand-new day.
A lottery draw and some shopping!
He opened the familiar system interface:
[Sect Contribution: 1280]
[Spirit Stones: 4950]
[Free Draw Attempts: 2]
Today’s sect contribution and spirit stones showed little change from yesterday, with only a slight increase.
Nowadays, Lin Yu had numerous skills at his disposal.
Plus, he had backup antiques ready to cover any financial needs.
Food, drinks, daily expenses—he lacked nothing.
Refreshing the lottery a few times a day and saving up spirit stones to buy novelties had become his greatest joy.
With sect contributions and free draws combined, he had eight attempts in total.
Lin Yu input the number into the virtual wheel and quietly waited for the results.
[Void Formation Talisman ×3]
[Ghost Hand Talisman ×2]
[Red Canopy Dragon-Tiger Pill ×1]
[Mundane Worldly Item ×1]
Out of the seven draws, the prizes were all familiar items.
Lin Yu was especially pleased with the three [Void Formation Talismans].
Back at the Shen family’s old residence, he’d already experienced the power of the Void Formation firsthand.
With it, he essentially had an ultra-fast computer no one else knew about!
Any unexpected situations could be handled anytime, anywhere!
Aside from these rewards.
Lin Yu turned his attention to a newly acquired skill.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host! You have obtained the secret technique: Extreme Dao Heavenly Formation!]
[Description: "Awakened by the abyss of ten trillion rays, quantum soul-fire etches the steles. This formation belongs only to the scrolls of the stars—mortals need not ask its secrets."]
The moment the skill merged with him.
Lin Yu instantly grasped its nature from the cryptic description.
A formation ability!
Translated into reality, it meant computer skills.
A network technology surpassing even the [Thirty-Six Heavenly Constellations Formation] and [Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends Formation]!
Previously, after assimilating the combined skills of Maomao and Ying’er.
And with all his various buffs.
Lin Yu’s computer skills had already far surpassed both girls.
Now, with the Extreme Dao Heavenly Formation in hand.
"Surpass" felt like an understatement.
Even if the legendary Aunt Ruxue were to face him.
Lin Yu dared to declare she’d be no match!
His confidence wasn’t in his own abilities but in the system’s power.
With this skill now his.
Lin Yu almost wished Aunt Ruxue would show up sooner.
Just to see what kind of figure she really was!
With the lottery concluded, Lin Yu opened the system shop.
Checking if there was anything worth buying today.
Yesterday’s spirit stones had all gone into new talismans.
Today’s talisman section had nothing fresh to offer.
Another [Void Formation Talisman] had restocked.
But with four already in storage.
He wasn’t in urgent need of more.
Better to save his spirit stones for something truly worthwhile!
Today’s shop, however, wasn’t completely devoid of treasures.
[—Indoor Equipment—]
[(Mermaid Attire) Price: 3000]
[(Spring Canopy for the Wilds) Price: 4000]
[Available Spirit Stones: 4950]
Lin Yu still had one "X-clan attire" in his inventory.
But the right occasion for it hadn’t come up yet.
The name [Spring Canopy for the Wilds] was oddly contradictory.
Logically speaking.
Items under "Indoor Equipment" were explicitly meant for room use only.
Yet "for the Wilds" clearly implied the outdoors.
Wasn’t that a conflict?
The more contradictory it seemed, the more Lin Yu wanted to try it!
Fortunately, his current spirit stone reserves were just enough—otherwise, he’d be scratching his head in frustration.
Daily life demanded as many spirit stones as possible.
[Ding! Purchase successful: Spring Canopy for the Wilds...]
[Spring Canopy for the Wilds (Room-use only, Dao Partner required)]
[Description: "The canopy gathers mist where cranes alight; gauzy veils half-shroud the moon’s pale light. Not for hiding golden valley’s fair guest—once it waited by Blue Bridge for jade’s behest."]
The poetic description was beautiful.
But Lin Yu gleaned almost no practical information from it!
Seemed like mere observation wouldn’t reveal its purpose.
Only by finding a Dao partner and testing it in a room could he uncover its effects!
......
Beside him, Mao Ruirui only saw Lin Yu’s silence.
Unaware of all the scheming happening behind the scenes.
After wrestling with her thoughts for a long time, she finally settled on an explanation that didn’t sound too awkward.
As they slowed at a turn.
Mao Ruirui spoke up again: "Little Yu, I—"
Lin Yu: "Ruirui-jie, what time are we heading to Xiaoxiao’s place this morning? I don’t think we ever settled on that."
Once again, her carefully prepared words were cut off.
Did she really think turning the tables would be that easy?
Lin Yu wasn’t about to let that happen.
......
(Here's an extra update for today. I'll keep working hard tomorrow. I sincerely hope you all can spare some time to watch an ad or two to support this little author.)

saw a female celebrity tied up and stuffed in the trunk! Little did he know, countless cameras were aimed at him at this moment - this was a new type of reality show. The first randomly selected passerby was caught in less than an hour. But when Xu Moru was selected, things started to take an unexpected turn. "Damn, this isn't how the script goes. This Xu Moru is too bold, he's not following the rules at all." "Crap, is this guy taking it seriously?" "The female celebrity has been scared to tears!"

u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.

reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?

ither go to a cultivation world where a single sword strike can defeat ten thousand enemies. Or they travel back to historical dynasties to alter history and wield imperial power. At the very least, they'd go back a few decades to get rich using their future knowledge and build a harem. Who the hell would transmigrate here!