Two aunties and two older sisters entered the kitchen.
After standing dazed for a long while, the Xia sisters finally washed their hands and joined in to help.
They had arrived late to begin with.
Now, because of them and Aunt Ruxue, everyone had to wait even longer.
They ought to at least do what little they could to contribute.
In the living room, Maomao needed no help from Lin Yu.
With a guardian auntie who radiated charisma suddenly appearing, there was no shortage of people eager to chat with her.
Huang Feirong: "Maomao, your aunt seems to know so much about the Shen family and ours—does she also deal in antiques?"
Maomao: "Sorry, Rong. As far as I know, she’s never been involved in the antique trade."
Chi Qingchi: "Maomao, Aunt Ruxue has such an elegant presence. Did you really not know about her connection with Aunt Qimeng before?"
Maomao: "Nope, I had no idea. I found out at the same time as everyone else."
Chi Qingshui: "Haha, Maomao, you and Lin Yu wouldn’t happen to have an arranged marriage, would you?"
Maomao: "Umm… I don’t know anything about the adults’ affairs."
Chi Qingshui: "…"
Shen Buyao: "Arranged marriages are so outdated these days. Even we antique dealers aren’t that old-fashioned. Aunt Ruxue seems way too stylish for that, haha!"
Maomao: "Well… Aunt Ruxue is actually pretty traditional."
Shen Buyao: "…"
Ye Mengfu: "Ma… Maomao."
Maomao: "What’s up, Little Fufu?"
Ye Mengfu: "N-nothing."
Lin Yu, who had been keeping his distance, silently watched from afar.
The awkward laughter of his companions felt like heavy blows to his heart.
Aunt Ruxue’s move was ruthless!
They had just met, and she had already handed him such a "gift."
If he spent more time around her, wouldn’t the whole sect descend into chaos?!
This was starting to feel like some cheesy novel plot—
The sect’s holy maiden returns, only to find her beloved adopted daughter being forced into menial labor by the newly ascended holy son.
In her fury, she vows to make her enemies pay and reclaim everything that’s rightfully hers!
After all the effort Lin Yu had put in these past days…
Had he somehow become the villain?!
Not even his encounters with He Jing and Yi Haizhou had left him this unsettled.
Who would’ve thought?
In the midst of peaceful times, the biggest boss had only just appeared.
Before long—
Whoosh…
The sliding kitchen door opened.
Du Ruxue, wearing an apron, stepped out carrying a freshly prepared dish.
"The food is almost ready. Everyone, please take your seats."
"My apologies for making you all wait so long again."
"Xiao Yu, could you tell me the Wi-Fi password for the apartment?"
"My data plan’s almost used up. I’d like to connect to Wi-Fi to save some."
As she passed by Lin Yu, she wiped her hands on her apron and pulled out her phone from the pocket, looking at him expectantly.
Her demeanor was no different from that of any ordinary homemaker who frequented the kitchen.
Yet, it clashed starkly with the fiery red dress she wore.
Lin Yu: "!!!"
Elegant in the parlor, skilled in the kitchen, and…?
What kind of useless AI had Maomao invented?!
So far, it hadn’t been the slightest bit helpful.
What surprised Lin Yu even more was Du Ruxue asking him for the Wi-Fi password.
What kind of mind game was this?
Even someone with basic computer knowledge could easily retrieve a Wi-Fi password, let alone a cybersecurity expert like Du Ruxue.
The real issue was—
Connecting to a public network meant her phone’s data could potentially be exposed.
As someone who valued digital security, she should’ve been extra cautious, right?
Especially knowing that ZerO was in the apartment, along with that mysterious person who had once outsmarted her…
Lin Yu’s heart pounded: "!!!"
This was deliberate!
Du Ruxue was absolutely doing this on purpose!
Aunt Qimeng was right there in the kitchen—why not ask her instead?
There was only one explanation…
From the moment she stepped into the apartment, she had already suspected Lin Yu was the one who had doxxed her.
Asking for the password now was just a test.
Trying to lure him out, huh?
Fine.
Very well.
Bring it on.
She had already confronted him head-on earlier.
Hiding in the shadows any longer was pointless.
Lin Yu understood one thing clearly:
Once the seed of suspicion was planted, it could never be uprooted.
At this point, whether he was the mysterious person or not didn’t matter objectively.
If Du Ruxue believed he was, she’d keep pulling little stunts like this.
"Aunt Ruxue, the password’s a bit complicated. Let me help you connect."
Lin Yu reached out, ready to take her phone.
Du Ruxue glanced up at him but didn’t refuse.
As she handed it over, she casually remarked:
"Did you set up the apartment’s Wi-Fi too, Xiao Yu?"
"Weiwei mentioned you’re quite skilled—even bought a high-performance computer."
"Maomao likes tinkering with tech as well. You two must have a lot in common."
Lin Yu: "…"
Here we go again.
Fortunately, this time the voice was quiet, and no one around heard it.
Otherwise,
his relationship with Maomao would be impossible to explain, no matter how hard he tried.
And then there was Weiwei...
Seriously, was there nothing they couldn’t talk about?
Even mundane details like buying a computer—was that really necessary?
No wonder Du Ruxue had grown suspicious.
If he were in her shoes, he’d be suspicious too!
While typing in the password, Lin Yu said:
"Aunt Ruxue, connecting to Wi-Fi at home is pretty safe."
"But when you're outside, it's best not to connect to public free Wi-Fi."
"These days, there are a lot of scammers who steal personal information through Wi-Fi connections."
"Always be careful about protecting your personal data. Alright, you're connected now."
[Ding!]
[Masterful move—remaining calm under pressure and countering skillfully, earning the admiration of the Joyful Sect’s Holy Maiden toward the Holy Son!]
[Reward: 50 Spirit Stones.]
Lin Yu: "..."
As expected.
The system’s explanation confirmed his suspicions.
From the moment she entered, Du Ruxue’s actions had all been provocations.
If he kept pretending to be an innocent, harmless college boy, it would only encourage her behavior.
Rather than that,
he might as well counter her with actions of his own.
"Oh, I see. You really know your stuff when it comes to the internet, Xiao Yu."
"Thanks for the warning. I’ll be more careful next time."
Du Ruxue curled her lips seductively.
After taking back her phone, she didn’t even glance at it before slipping it into her apron pocket.
"Xiao Yu, after dinner, how about we all play a board game together?"
Ying'er’s cheerful interruption cut short Du Ruxue and Lin Yu’s conversation.
Lin Yu: "A board game? With so many people, wouldn’t it be a bit crowded?"
Ying'er tugged Ye Mengfu along as she trotted up to Lin Yu:
"It’s perfect! More people make it even more fun!"
"The board game I designed really shines when there’s a big group."
"Little Fufu can vouch for me—she drew all the character art, skill cards, and mission cards herself!"
"My game is called 'The Fractured Three Kingdoms: Genesis of a New Era'!"
Lin Yu: "???"
...
(First update of the day—and there’ll be more to come!)
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?"
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...
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
