Lin Yu tilted his head, staring at Chi Qingchi with a heart full of bewilderment.
The world of anime and manga was truly hard to grasp.
Today was just a brief attempt to infiltrate their circle.
Becoming a full-fledged otaku was still far too difficult for Lin Yu.
“Let’s not keep saying ‘a long, long time’...”
“Didn’t you say the shuttle bus would arrive at the neighborhood gate by six-something?”
“If we keep chatting here, walking to the convention venue will actually take a long, long time!”
Lin Yu tightened his grip on the two large bags, looking ready to set off.
Chi Qingchi nodded eagerly, like a chick pecking at rice:
“Right, right! The bus is coming soon—we need to hurry. It’s still a long walk...”
Lin Yu: “???”
A long walk?
How far could the neighborhood gate possibly be?
Only after stepping out did Lin Yu fully grasp the cunning meaning behind her words.
First, they reached the main gate of their complex. Then they crossed the street.
After another hundred meters, they found an alley cutting through a row of storefronts.
They trekked two hundred more meters along the narrow path, emerging onto another street.
After five minutes of brisk walking, they finally paused to wait at the entrance of a nearby residential complex.
Lin Yu set the two heavy bags down on a stone pillar by the gate.
He fixed Chi Qingchi with an incredulous stare.
Squirming under his gaze, she scratched her cheek awkwardly:
“Gotta keep people from knowing where I live, you know...”
“You understand, right, Xiao Lin?”
Lin Yu let out two cold, mocking laughs:
“Ha! Ha!”
“Chi Qingchi, you’re something else!”
“Your club friends pour their hearts out to you, and you play mind games with them?!”
Halfway through their journey, Lin Yu had already sensed something off.
He’d figured out the calculations running through her head.
No wonder!
No wonder, after renting a place for so long, none of her admirers knew her address.
Unless they stalked her to and from school, they’d never find out!
Chi Qingchi pouted, putting on a pitiful act:
“Two girls living alone is risky.”
“Sorry for making you walk so far. But you’re the best Xiao Lin in the world...”
Lin Yu: “...”
So she’d slapped a flattering label on him to shut him up?
Fine, fine.
At least he didn’t have to worry about some delinquent sweet-talking her.
With her scheming mind, she’d have any punk spinning in circles before he knew what hit him. He’d eat his hat if she didn’t.
But then another thought struck Lin Yu, and he pressed further:
“Wait, hold on!”
“You’re worried about people knowing where you live...”
“But here we are, waiting for the bus together with all these bags...”
“Aren’t you afraid they’ll think we live together?”
Chi Qingchi took a deep breath.
Then she sighed heavily:
“Ah...”
Lin Yu: “???”
What kind of reaction was that?
What did that even mean?
Just as Lin Yu grew suspicious, a shuttle bus pulled up in front of them.
At the passenger-side window, a familiar face appeared—a hand deftly adjusting black-framed glasses...
Lin Yu: “!!!”
Holy—!
Isn’t that Hao-ge?!
Zhao Yuhao, the anime club’s vice president!
Lin Yu’s very first “Outsider Demon” in life!
It had only been a few days since they last met.
Yet to Lin Yu, it felt like an eternity.
Like a reunion after years apart.
Zhao Yuhao leaned an arm against the window, his expression stern and composed as he waved at Chi Qingchi.
His gaze then shifted to Lin Yu, offering a polite nod and wave.
Ah...
A pang of melancholy hit Lin Yu. He even felt like humming a line:
Brother, you’ve lost weight~ You look exhausted~~
“Pssht!”
The bus stopped, its door sliding open.
Zhao Yuhao stood on the steps, his full appearance gradually revealed.
Lin Yu smiled appreciatively, mentally tipping his hat.
Tsk, tsk, tsk!
Only the world’s first Outsider Demon could pull off such style.
Even his entrance was meticulously staged—angles, sightlines, the whole “curtain rise” effect.
Whether he was the protagonist or not, he demanded that grand reveal.
But when Zhao Yuhao stepped off the bus alone, Lin Yu finally understood the meaning behind Chi Qingchi’s sigh.
Apart from the driver, Zhao Yuhao was the only one on board.
No wonder she wasn’t worried about people misunderstanding their living situation!
Hahahaha...
Because in Hao-ge’s mind, they were already living together.
What was left to worry about?
“Hello, Lin Yu. I’m not sure if you remember me—I’m Zhao Yuhao, the anime club’s vice president.”
“Thank you for helping us with this convention.”
“On behalf of the entire club, welcome.”
Zhao Yuhao approached Lin Yu first, extending a hand.
Lin Yu: “!!!”
Putting everything else aside, this opening line alone earned Lin Yu’s respect.
Who knew if Hao-ge still held any lingering feelings for Chi Qingchi?
Even a sliver would make Lin Yu a “love rival” or even a “homewrecker” in his eyes.
Yet here he was, setting aside personal emotions and grievances, acting purely as the club’s representative.
A true “second-in-command.”
If Lin Yu had a vote, he’d ditch A-Le and Big D next time.
Hao-ge all the way—a man of magnanimity, capable of tolerance!
Other demonic factions would still bring trouble upon second encounters.
But Hao-ge’s return triggered no “danger alert” from the system.
What did that mean?
It meant Hao-ge no longer held any hostility toward him—at least not today.
Lin Yu shook his hand courteously:
“Of course I remember!”
“No need for thanks, Vice President.”
“I’m looking forward to the convention too.”
Zhao Yuhao: “No, gratitude is necessary.”
Lin Yu: “Haha, no need to be so formal.”
Zhao Yuhao: “Let’s hope for a pleasant day.”
Lin Yu: “Absolutely.”
Beside them, Chi Qingchi watched as the morning sunlight spilled over the two young men, their smiles not quite reaching their eyes.
The scene...
Why did it somehow give off a weirdly harmonious vibe?
Chi Qingchi: “Gentlemen, mind the time? We’ve got more people to pick up!”
Only then did the two break their handshake and start loading the bags onto the bus.
When Zhao Yuhao saw Lin Yu’s heavy load, he moved to help.
Lin Yu declined: “I’ve got it. Maybe... help Qingchi instead?”
Zhao Yuhao paused, adjusting his glasses solemnly:
“Wouldn’t that be... overstepping?”
“I’ll take yours. You help her.”
Lin Yu: “!!!”
Overstepping.
A word rarely used in daily life.
Yet from Hao-ge’s mouth, it carried an inexplicable sorrow.
...
(Bonus chapter delivered! There’s a discussion spot on the homepage—the first one’s full, so a second’s been set up. Feel free to check it out. Goodnight, everyone!)
lan, the Luo family, tracked him down - along with the babies in their arms. Mo Xuan stared pensively at the paternity test results from over a dozen top institutions, both domestic and international, showing a 99.99% match between himself and the two baby girls. At 23, Mo Xuan, a doctoral student, had become the father of two three-year-old children. The kicker? The mothers weren't even the same person! He gradually realized he was being lured step by step into an elaborate trap designed by these two yandere sisters. "Be good, little Xuan. Sister's life belongs to you entirely." "Brother, if you try to run away, I'll have no choice but to tie you up." Mo Xuan: "Do whatever you want, ladies. I give up."
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
ose... to cooperate with the protagonist! Shen Yuan: I have a system! Protagonist: What? System: Holy crap, you're just spilling it out like that? Shen Yuan: Let's team up, we'll split the system rewards! Protagonist: Fifty-fifty split? Shen Yuan: No way! Protagonist: What!? I'm the one getting beaten up, and I don't get half? Shen Yuan: Forty-sixty split, I get forty, you get sixty! Protagonist: Deal! Big brother, come on, hit me! As long as it doesn't kill me, beat me like you mean it! Shen Yuan: Don't worry... I will definitely protect all of you! No one but me can lay a finger on you! Guard our Heaven's Chosen Ones! I'm the only one allowed to bully them!
