After shouting for a while, no one came out.
Tang Yimian anxiously searched around again.
But still, not a single soul was in sight.
With a frown, Tang Yimian regrouped with Lin Yu, and they both shook their heads.
"Junior Lin Yu, could this be an abandoned gas station?"
The answer was obvious—no need to even ask.
It seemed that, subconsciously, Tang Yimian was preparing to trap the two of them in this desolate no-man's-land.
Their only hope turned out to be an abandoned, unmanned gas station.
Such a minor issue was nothing for Lin Yu.
He picked up the nearby fuel gun, ran his fingers over the nozzle, and said,
"Maybe the person running the station just stepped out for a bit. There's still gas here."
"How about we fill up first and leave the cash we owe?"
Tang Yimian’s gift of gab found another opportunity to shine:
"But we’ve already spent all our cash! What do we do now?"
"If we take the gas without paying, wouldn’t that count as theft?"
"Stealing someone else’s property is wrong, don’t you think?"
"Junior Lin Yu, maybe we should just wait here a little longer."
"Who knows? Someone might come back soon."
"That little convenience store up ahead seems empty too."
"I just can’t get past the guilt. What if the owner returns while we’re fueling up? How would we explain ourselves?"
"... (a thousand words of nervous rambling omitted) ..."
Lin Yu: "..."
Such noble principles!
On the brink of dying in the wilderness, and she’s still hung up on moral boundaries.
At least this was "wilderness fiction," not "apocalyptic fiction."
If Tang Yimian were tossed into a post-apocalyptic world, with her mindset, she wouldn’t survive past Chapter 2.
Did a dream really need to be this strict?
At this critical moment, it fell to Lin Yu to patch up the dream’s plot holes.
He rummaged through his pockets and pulled out a thick stack of hundred-yuan bills.
"Lucky me, I still have some cash left."
"Should be around... ten or twenty thousand here?"
Tang Yimian’s eyes widened: "???"
Then—
"Bzzz… bzzz…"
A faint buzzing noise echoed in Lin Yu’s mind.
Lin Yu: "!!!"
A warning sign—the dream was destabilizing?
It was subtle, but unmistakable.
Lin Yu quickly added:
"This is the advance I just got for my writing this week. I figured cash might come in handy during the trip, so I withdrew it beforehand."
As soon as he said it, the faint buzzing faded away.
Lin Yu exhaled in relief, glancing at Tang Yimian.
Too close.
Thankfully, he’d reacted fast enough with a plausible excuse.
Otherwise, after all that effort, the dream would’ve shattered before they got anywhere!
Just one tiny, slightly illogical detail had nearly made Tang Yimian realize she was dreaming.
Since when were web novel heroines this sharp with logic?
This was a wake-up call for Lin Yu.
From now on, he had to make sure everything played out more convincingly.
Otherwise, tonight’s dream infiltration would be a wasted effort.
"That’s amazing, Junior Lin Yu!"
"So that’s how it is. Thank goodness you’re here with me."
"Let’s use your cash to pay, and I’ll transfer my share to you later."
Lin Yu politely declined, but in the end, couldn’t stop Tang Yimian from sending the money.
Not that he didn’t want to—he just didn’t dare drag it out.
They had bigger priorities.
No time to waste on trivialities.
This wasn’t exactly a stable dreamscape.
Lin Yu’s minimum goal for tonight was to close the emotional distance between them—just enough to strike decisively next time.
After refueling, Lin Yu and Tang Yimian "shopped" for supplies, again leaving cash behind.
Clearly, his senior was starving and parched.
She downed three bottles of water, two packs of bread, and a bag of instant noodles before finally sighing in satisfaction.
To avoid raising suspicion, Lin Yu matched her pace, eating and drinking just as much.
Once they loaded the remaining supplies into the car, it was time for the main event!
Lin Yu wiped the sweat from his brow and dusted off his clothes.
While Tang Yimian looked fresh and clean, Lin Yu’s dream-world outfit was pure "desert chic."
But that worked in his favor.
At least it gave him the perfect excuse for what came next.
"Senior, I checked that little motel over there."
"They’ve got showers inside."
"The next stop with supplies might not come until we’re out of this wasteland."
"With all this sand and wind, driving could take days."
"Why don’t we wash off the dust and rest up a bit?"
"Who knows? Maybe the gas station owner will return, and we can ask if there’s a shortcut."
"Even if no one shows, we’ll at least be in better shape before hitting the road again."
"What do you think? Makes sense, right?"
Lin Yu’s lengthy pitch was packed with reasons Tang Yimian couldn’t refuse.
She glanced at the shipping-container-turned-motel and hesitated.
She’d seen the interior earlier.
The so-called shower was just a black water bag mounted on the roof, with a hose leading to a showerhead inside.
As for accommodations?
A bed, a table, and a temporary lamp—that was it.
In the middle of nowhere, you couldn’t afford to be picky.
But taking turns showering with Junior Lin Yu in there…
Awkward much?
But if she let him go in alone…
That’d be worse.
Like she was disgusted by him or something.
So torn!
Lin Yu could guess what she was thinking.
But he also knew her weakness—
Tang Yimian was… a goddess of soft-heartedness!
So—
Thwap! Thwap!
He exaggeratedly slapped his clothes, sending sand flying everywhere.
"It’s fine, Senior. If you’re uncomfortable or think it’s too rough, we can just leave."
"I can tough it out. No big deal."
Then he flashed her a polite, understanding smile.
Nothing was more lethal than weaponized sincerity.
Instantly, Tang Yimian’s resolve hardened.
“Junior Lin Yu, of course I’m not being picky!”
"In a place like this, finding any shower is a miracle."
"Let’s go. We’ll rest inside for a few hours—I saw a chair besides the bed."
"Then we’ll drive out refreshed!"
...
(Second update today. More coming soon! If you’re enjoying this, check the author’s profile for discussion channels. Welcome!)
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?
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?"
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
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.
