Fifteen minutes later.
Lin Yu returned to the first-floor hall.
The meal was ready, and everyone was chatting together.
Aside from waiting for Lin Yu,
they were also waiting for Xia Yiwei and her older sister, Xia Xiashan.
Judging by the time,
the two of them, along with Aunt Ruxue, should be arriving soon.
Lin Yu had already run multiple simulations in the past ten-plus minutes based on the scenario.
The focus of these simulations, of course, was no longer about clearing everything in one go,
but rather how to smoothly help Maomao navigate the crisis if she suddenly arrived.
Time was limited,
and Aunt Ruxue’s temperament was so unpredictable.
After several attempts, Lin Yu concluded there were three possible outcomes.
Two of them would lead to a good result today.
But if—
other unpredictable factors emerged, he’d have to improvise on the spot, tackling problems as they came.
After all, humans weren’t rigid, lifeless programs.
This feeling was like…
spending half a day diligently studying the "Underwear Formation" from a Gomoku tutorial, then eagerly challenging an opponent—
only to find they weren’t following the scripted moves at all!
As Lin Yu descended the stairs, he checked the location on the map once more.
And just like that—
a curveball arrived!
Lin Yu: “???”
When he saw the location, he could hardly believe his eyes.
Had Aunt Ruxue… lost her phone?
Why was her signal lingering in the nearby market?!
Sensing something was off,
Lin Yu pulled up Xia Yiwei’s phone number for a location check.
Lin Yu: “!!!”
No mistake?!
The nurse’s phone signal was also in the nearby market!
What in the world was going on?
Had Aunt Ruxue taken the Xia sisters to go grocery shopping?!
No, no, something wasn’t right…
In the "Virtual Aunt Ruxue" persona he’d constructed, there wasn’t a single trait suggesting she enjoyed markets or cooking.
Even if she felt it was impolite to visit a stranger’s home empty-handed and wanted to bring a proper gift—
knowing Aunt Ruxue’s personality, she wouldn’t buy it from a market!
Moreover, during his last-minute preparations upstairs, Lin Yu had confirmed Aunt Ruxue’s location twice.
The last time, she had already passed the street where the market was.
Meaning—
after driving past the market, had something happened in the car?
Something that made them turn back and waste time browsing the market?
It didn’t make sense!
If all else failed, he might have to resort to ruder methods…
Wiretapping!!
Out of self-imposed restraint, Lin Yu hadn’t planned to go this far unless absolutely necessary.
But with the situation spiraling out of control,
it seemed like he might not be able to handle what came next without it.
As his conscience wrestled with the dilemma—
an even bigger twist arrived!
“Ring-ring~ Ring-ring~”
“…”
Aunt Qimeng’s phone rang.
She quickly wiped her hands and picked it up, murmuring to Maomao:
“Hmm? It’s Yiwei calling… probably checking if we’re getting impatient waiting.”
Maomao looked puzzled.
She had tried calling Xia Yiwei several times, but each call had gone unanswered before automatically disconnecting.
Xia Yiwei often kept her phone on silent,
so Maomao hadn’t thought much of it—nor had she called Xia Xiashan.
She figured Xia Xiashan was driving, and calling might distract her.
Road safety came first.
But—
if Xia Yiwei had finally checked her phone, why hadn’t she called Maomao first?
Instead, she’d called Aunt Qimeng?
This genuinely confused her.
Lin Yu was equally baffled.
Hearing Aunt Qimeng’s muttering, he quickly moved closer to the dining table.
Perhaps—
if Xia Yiwei couldn’t directly contact Maomao or Lin Yu to relay information,
she might be using Aunt Qimeng as a messenger to pass along critical "intel."
A classic trope from movies and TV dramas!
“Hello, Yiwei, are you almost here?”
“Huh? Not Yiwei… is this her sister?”
“What? Du… what? I can’t hear clearly.”
“Sorry, it’s noisy here—hold on, let me move somewhere quieter…”
Lin Yu: “!!!”
In the noisy environment, Maomao hadn’t caught the words “Du… what.”
Du what… Du Ruxue!
Two possibilities:
First—
the call wasn’t from Xia Yiwei, but from Xia Xiashan.
Xia Xiashan had used her sister’s phone to call Aunt Qimeng,
hoping to inform Lin Yu and Maomao through her: Du Ruxue is here!
Second—
the caller was introducing herself… I’m Du Ruxue!
The first scenario was understandable, but the second was downright bizarre!
Watching Aunt Qimeng head to the kitchen, half-closing the sliding door behind her,
Lin Yu casually drifted closer, ensuring he could hear the details.
Unfortunately,
in this setting,
he couldn’t make out the voice on the other end—only Aunt Qimeng’s responses.
But—
just five seconds later,
his frustration vanished.
Because the crucial information had already spilled from Aunt Qimeng’s lips—
“Du Ruxue… Little Xue!!”
“Is it really you, Little Xue?”
“My goodness, it’s been so many years since I last heard your voice—it feels like a dream.”
“How did you get my number… wait…”
“This is Yiwei’s phone, so you know her?”
“Oh my, go on, I’m listening…”
“Maomao? Of course I know her—what?!”
“How can such a coincidence exist? Ah, my head’s spinning just trying to process this…”
“…”
Near the kitchen,
Lin Yu crumpled a paper cup in his hand: “!!!”
Aunt Qimeng’s words mirrored his own thoughts exactly!
It felt like a dream!
His head was spinning too!
Aunt Qimeng and Aunt Ruxue… actually knew each other?!
This—
was something Maomao definitely didn’t know.
The "Virtual Aunt Ruxue" simulation could never have uncovered this "hidden route."
Such a bombshell revelation left Lin Yu in a rare state of mental paralysis.
...
(Update complete. Tomorrow officially begins Aunt Ruxue’s arc! Hope you’ll show your support—take a moment to check out a quick ad if you can. Grateful as always!)
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?"
tions: attribute allocation, analysis, proficiency, and simulation. Specializing in mechanical alchemy, from crafting sorcerous battle armor to handcrafting mechanical maidens, his mechanical legion conquers endless realms... Relying on his wits, he begins with a student-teacher romance, wins over a female director, enslaves a female assassin and a underworld queen, becoming the husband of a Grand Duchess... He enslaves the Goddess of Magic from the divine realm, developing his power simultaneously in both the Wizard World and the Realm of Gods...
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...
't think I'm that capable, I'm just trying my best to stay alive. I've been kind all my life, never did anything bad, yet worldly suffering spared me not one bit. The human world is a nice place, but I won't come back in my next life. A kind young man, who wanted to just get by singing, but through repeated deceits and betrayals, has gone down an irredeemable path.
