"Oh, seems like I never mentioned it."
"Would 10 AM work? Xiaoxiao will be home all morning and won't be going to the shop."
"If it's too early, we can adjust to whatever time is convenient for you, Little Yu."
Mao Ruirui replied helplessly.
She completely failed to bring it up!
This wasn’t what she wanted to talk about at all!
"10 AM is fine!"
"Ruirui-jie, I’ll wait for you at the side entrance of the complex then?"
"It’s easier to get a taxi there. What do you think?"
Lin Yu said with a smile.
Mao Ruirui nodded repeatedly in agreement.
Judging by Little Yu’s tone,
it seemed like he had completely shaken off the earlier gloom.
He looked no different from when he’d arrived.
Bringing it up again now probably wouldn’t do any good.
What if…
it just made things awkward between them? Wouldn’t that mean she’d hurt Little Yu twice in a row?
Mao Ruirui suppressed the stubborn thoughts in her heart and decided to drop the subject for now.
But as they ran,
the memory of the two of them hugging and kissing just moments ago—now acting as if nothing had happened—
inevitably made her feel a little aggrieved.
That… had been her first kiss!
And it must have been Little Yu’s first kiss too, right?
Her clumsy words had completely ruined the experience for both of them.
How could she not feel frustrated and wronged?
In truth, Lin Yu understood exactly how Mao Ruirui felt.
Having dealt such a harsh blow earlier, he knew he had to offer some sweetness in return.
How could he let the kind-hearted "oxygen sister" start her day weighed down by guilt?
On their way back after the run,
most of the street vendors had already set up their stalls.
"Ruirui-jie, wait here for a sec."
"I’m going to buy something. I’ll be right back."
Mao Ruirui obediently stood by the roadside, watching.
She noticed Lin Yu heading straight for a small shop across the street that sold homemade burgers.
Eating a burger right after exercising?
She rarely saw anyone do that.
Personally, she would never eat such a high-calorie breakfast.
But…
if Little Yu bought one for her, she’d definitely eat it today.
Before long,
Lin Yu came rushing back.
To her surprise, he hadn’t bought any food.
Instead, he returned with two drinks—one cold, one warm.
Oh.
They’d finished the water they’d brought.
Little Yu must be thirsty.
"Ruirui-jie, this is your lemon water, no ice."
"I prefer mine cold—it’s more refreshing."
"Their lemon water is really good. I drink it often."
"It tastes a lot like the one you brought. Give it a try."
Mao Ruirui took the plastic cup with a smile.
"Thanks, Little Yu. I should’ve brought some lemon water for you to try today."
"I wasn’t sure if you liked lemon, so I just brought plain water for you."
"My thermos… huh?"
Mid-sentence,
she realized something odd.
Her thermos was an opaque sports bottle.
During their entire run, she’d never mentioned the lemon water.
So how did Little Yu know she was drinking lemon water?
And that it tasted similar?!
Could it be…?!
[Ding!]
[Masterful move! Such an ambiguously flirtatious remark has stirred your dao companion’s heart once more!]
[Reward: 50 Spirit Stones.]
Lin Yu was secretly thrilled.
Indeed,
Mao Ruirui wasn’t wrong.
After such a long, intimate exchange,
the distinct taste of lemon would naturally linger.
Mao Ruirui might seem a bit slow, but her mind worked fast.
If not for the system’s notification,
Lin Yu had another script ready to keep dropping hints until she caught on.
Seeing Mao Ruirui freeze on the spot, her brain short-circuiting again,
Lin Yu took the straw from her hand, peeled off the plastic wrapper, and gently inserted it into her cup for her.
"Ruirui-jie, thank you for giving me a lemon-flavored memory."
"I think I’ll remember it for a long time."
"You shouldn’t forget it either. Make sure to revisit it often."
As he spoke,
Lin Yu held Mao Ruirui’s hand and guided the straw to her lips, feeding her like a doting caretaker.
Seeing Lin Yu’s radiant smile,
Mao Ruirui couldn’t help but smile back.
Today’s lemon water…
wasn’t sour at all.
It was sweet.
……
After returning to the apartment,
Lin Yu didn’t rush to prepare breakfast today.
Aunt Qimeng had specifically reminded him yesterday—
she’d be making breakfast and wanted him to come downstairs at 7:30 AM to eat.
Lin Yu wasn’t the type who loved cooking.
Though he’d mastered quite a few recipes, he was still too lazy to bother most days.
Only when everyone was around would he occasionally whip up a dish to earn some Spirit Stones and sect contribution points.
If he had to be a full-time househusband, he’d rather become a "Rainy Night Butcher" instead.
After showering, the timing was perfect.
The familiar chime of the system rang out beautifully once more.
[Ding!]
[Today is another day full of hope!]
[Host, continue exploring the Path of Dual Cultivation! Strive to become the pillar of our sect!]
Lin Yu blow-dried his hair halfway and comfortably browsed through the system interface.
Compared to the previous day,
there were quite a few changes.
The most noticeable were three new missions:
[1. Solo Challenge (Urgent Mission New): The elder of the Medicine Hall is deeply concerned about the impending visit of a formidable enemy from an external sect. The Holy Son’s assistance is required to devise a strategy and safely navigate the crisis.]
[2. Oath of Loyalty (Urgent Mission New): An outer sect disciple understands that the impending enemy’s visit is her fault, yet she remains utterly loyal to the sect. She beseeches the Holy Son for protection to overcome this trial.]
[3. Ailment of Weakness (Urgent Mission New): The Talisman Master of the Harmony Sect, Ye Mengfu, worked late into the night drawing talismans and caught a chill from the rain. Her condition stems from weakened qi and bodily coldness. The Holy Son is requested to aid her recovery.]
The first two missions,
though originating from Xia Yiwei and Maomao respectively,
actually pertained to the same event.
Handling both at once meant double rewards—definitely a good deal.
But what truly caught Lin Yu’s attention was the third one!
Little Fufu caught a cold?!
Stayed up too late drawing last night?
At this revelation,
Lin Yu couldn’t be bothered with the other details.
He immediately rushed to his bedside, grabbed his charging phone, and video-called Little Fufu.
"Ring-ring-ding-dong, ring-ring-ding-dong!"
"……"
The call rang for a long time before it was finally answered.
On the screen, Little Fufu was wrapped in a blanket, propped up against the headboard.
Her slightly disheveled hair suggested she’d just tried to tidy up.
"Little Fufu, what’s wrong?"
"I was going to ask you to come downstairs for breakfast, but you look… unwell?"
Lin Yu’s approach was perfectly natural.
Noticing Ye Mengfu’s discomfort first
would make his visit to her room seem entirely reasonable.
……
(First update of the day! 401 more "Power of Love" votes needed for the next bonus chapter. After reading, take a moment to cast a free "Power of Love" vote—it doesn’t cost a thing! Your support is deeply appreciated!)
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
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?"
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!
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...
