【When I was little, my parents told me that home was a mountain village, where beyond one mountain lay another, with nothing in between.】
【Yet I still wanted to see it for myself.】
【I told myself, it’ll be better when I grow up.】
【When I grow up, I’ll leave these mountains behind.】
【In college, my advisor told me that learning is like climbing mountains—beyond one peak lies another, with no end in sight.】
【Yet I still wanted to see it for myself.】
【I told myself, it’ll be better after graduation.】
【After graduation, I’ll leave these mountains behind.】
【After starting work, my friends told me that life itself is a towering mountain—beyond one hurdle lies another, an endless chain.】
【Yet I still wanted to see it for myself.】
【I asked myself, is it time to leave?】
Before reading, Lin Yu had braced himself for something like a "cold joke compilation."
However.
After finishing, he stood frozen in thought for a long while.
Strictly speaking,
the draft in Lin Yu’s hands wasn’t quite prose.
It leaned more toward modern poetry.
Presumably,
the article meant for Lin Yu tonight wasn’t just this one.
Perhaps due to the late hour, Fang Xinran had shared a freshly written modern poem instead.
How was Lin Yu supposed to critique this?
To call the language exceptionally beautiful or profoundly moving?
It wasn’t quite at that level.
Yet these unadorned words, when read slowly and attentively, did carry weight.
Especially since the author was someone Lin Yu knew in real life.
It inevitably stirred deeper associations.
Lin Yu turned to look at Fang Xinran.
By now,
the familiar information box had appeared beside her.
【Fang Xinran】
【Age: 23】
【%￥&%-@@￥！#……】
【……】
【(Prerequisite task incomplete. Details unavailable.)】
Like the other girls not staying overnight, she was recognized by the system as a fellow sect member.
Perhaps Fang Xinran’s so-called 【prerequisite task】 was simply to seek guidance on her writing.
Lin Yu began by asking:
"Senior Fang, do you often feel…"
"that your current life isn’t what you wanted? Or that it’s not the ‘escape’ you imagined?"
"That the world is vast, and you still want to explore it?"
【Ding!】
【Brilliant move! Accurately deciphering the inner thoughts of the Teleportation Array Attendant has left her deeply moved!】
【Reward: 20 Spirit Stones】
Hearing Lin Yu’s words, Fang Xinran’s eyes lit up.
【Teleportation Array Attendant】!
So this was Fang Xinran’s official sect role.
In other words—free to go wherever she pleased.
It suited her personality perfectly.
With the system already announcing the reward, Lin Yu expected Fang Xinran to eagerly respond.
Yet,
she remained unusually calm, asking:
"Junior Lin, can you… can you really sense that from this poem?"
Perhaps due to the alcohol or her overwhelming emotions,
her voice carried a hint of tremor.
Lin Yu nodded firmly.
"The words have power. The feeling is unmistakable."
"How to describe it… Let me think…"
"Ah!"
"It’s the confusion of our generation—about the world, about life itself."
"You’re probably not the only one wrestling with these questions."
"I haven’t entered society yet, but I’ve also wondered… what’s the meaning of living."
Lin Yu was being honest.
Though such thoughts usually surfaced during… less dignified moments.
Still, having lived two lives, Lin Yu had some perspective.
The idea of "the world is vast, go explore" was somewhat illusory.
Only a select few could truly live that way.
Most people should focus on finding their own light in the world.
Of course,
sharing this with Fang Xinran now would be… less than helpful.
Like trying to convince your younger self to quit skipping class for the arcade—
pointless as a stranger’s advice.
Young people at this stage rarely heed "wise elder" clichés.
If they could, their parents and teachers would’ve gotten through already.
Fang Xinran nodded vigorously—a dozen times at least—murmuring:
"Thank you… really, thank you for understanding…"
"Junior Lin, do you think I should go see the world?"
Lin Yu replied evenly:
"Senior Fang, you’ve experienced more than I have."
"This isn’t something you need my input on."
"When you ask others, haven’t you already decided in your heart?"
Lin Yu wasn’t about to shoulder responsibility for someone else’s life choices.
Fang Xinran clearly wanted validation—
"Yes, go explore!"
From anyone.
But Lin Yu wouldn’t be that person.
Tang Yimian, sensing the tension, interjected gently:
"Xinran… weren’t we discussing feedback on the poem?"
"How did we end up on life directions…"
Fang Xinran snapped back to reality.
"Right, yes! Junior Lin, what flaws do you see in this piece?"
"Please be direct. No need to soften it."
Lin Yu: "……"
It wasn’t that he refused.
He just didn’t know!
Beyond grasping the "endless mountains" metaphor, he had no expertise.
He read more web novels than modern poetry—
he could ramble about those.
But who studied contemporary verse unless they were into literature or grad school?
After deliberation, Lin Yu opted for diplomacy:
"Senior Fang, there’s honestly little to critique."
"Even the word ‘critique’ feels misplaced."
"Modern poetry is about conveying emotion and thought."
"It has no rigid structure or fixed rules."
"If your words resonate with readers, isn’t that good poetry?"
"You’ve already achieved that."
Tang Yimian nodded in agreement.
Her reaction to Fang Xinran’s work mirrored Lin Yu’s—
any attempt at critique would’ve rung hollow.
Fang Xinran suddenly stood, declaring with fervor:
"Junior Lin, thank you. Your words today helped me immensely."
"Are you free this Saturday afternoon? I’d like to invite you and Sister Yimian to the tavern!"
Lin Yu stared at her abrupt energy: "……"
This girl—so unpredictable!
...
(Bonus chapter delivered! Will try to write more tomorrow. Your support through free "power stones" is deeply appreciated!)
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!
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
] [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!"
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?!
