Lin Yu could tell.
Xiang Tiange was simply making small talk to start a conversation, not genuinely suggesting they meet for dinner today.
If she really wanted to meet, she wouldn’t have brought it up at this hour—she would’ve mentioned it earlier.
Right after.
"Ding dong!"
"Ding dong!"
"..."
After Lin Yu had only replied twice, his phone buzzed with a rapid series of notifications.
Xiang Tiange was indeed a cheerful and straightforward girl.
If she wanted to chat, she’d take the initiative to message.
Once she started, it was a rapid-fire burst, unconcerned with overthinking or unnecessary complications.
「Xiang Tiange: (Photo of fried rice)」
「Xiang Tiange: Hahaha, too bad for you—you missed out on the best fried rice in the world today!」
「Xiang Tiange: Busy guy, I heard you still have to film your assignment?」
「Xiang Tiange: Need any extras? I’m fine with playing a corpse.」
「Xiang Tiange: Just tell me where to die, director.」
「Xiang Tiange: Bonus if there’s free food—I’m easy to please.」
Her "heard" naturally came from Little Chi.
Aside from Little Chi, she didn’t have many other sources of information.
Who knew how much Little Chi had told her?
For all Lin Yu knew,
Little Chi might’ve already invited Xiang Tiange to hang out during the shoot.
The best approach for Lin Yu was to be open and not deliberately distance himself.
He quickly typed back, engaging in the conversation.
「Lin Yu: Perfect timing!」
「Lin Yu: I was just worrying about where to find enough students for the classroom scenes.」
「Lin Yu: Everyone in class has their own projects—extras are in high demand. Dinner’s definitely on me!」
"..."
「Xiang Tiange: Playing a student? Easy—I’ll just be myself.」
「Xiang Tiange: Just let me know when you’re filming. I’ve been cooped up lately with nothing to do.」
They chatted for a while longer.
From the filming assignment, the topic shifted to personal hobbies, then anime, and finally post-graduation plans.
Xiang Tiange’s bright, optimistic energy radiated through her messages, putting Lin Yu at ease.
Around 8 p.m.,
the conversation circled back to food.
「Xiang Tiange: You’re so thin, yet you’re into late-night snacks too? How about we grab some tomorrow night instead?」
Reading her invitation,
Lin Yu gave it a brief thought.
Tomorrow night…
Why not?
With the lingering excitement from his "Kaneki Ken" cosplay still fresh, now was the perfect time to bond.
「Lin Yu: Sure! I know a great night market—heard it’s amazing.」
「Lin Yu: Want to check it out tomorrow?」
Almost instantly,
he got a reply.
「Xiang Tiange: Sounds good! I’ll leave the guiding to you, Lin Yu.」
Just as Lin Yu was reading the message,
a lanky guy from the next table suddenly leaned over.
"Hey."
Lin Yu stared at the unfamiliar face: "???"
The guy looked about his age,
but no matter how hard Lin Yu racked his brain, he couldn’t place him.
"Sorry, do I know you?"
Lin Yu asked.
The lanky guy stood nearby and said,
"You’re Lin Yu from the Broadcasting and Editing class, right?"
"I’m from the Lighting program—same school."
Hearing this, Lin Yu shook his hand politely.
But inwardly, he was stunned.
Holy crap!
Am I that famous now?
Even students from other departments recognize me?
Aside from the cosplay video blowing up on social media, there was no other explanation.
Lin Yu: "Hey, nice to meet you."
Lanky Guy: "Never thought I’d run into you all the way out here. So, Lin Yu, your class is filming an assignment soon, right?"
Lin Yu: "Yeah, it’s for the short-term project. Your program must have one too?"
Lanky Guy: "Yep! Actually, I wanted to ask—mind if I join your shoot?"
Lin Yu: "..."
So that’s what this is about!
...
At the bar Fang Xinran had picked,
Lin Yu arrived about ten minutes early.
But Fang Xinran and Tang Yimian were already there when he walked in.
Seeing the two women, Lin Yu’s eyes lit up.
Both teachers usually dressed conservatively.
Who would’ve thought—
today, their outfits were so bold!
Fang Xinran wore a sleeveless red polka-dot minidress.
Compared to the first time he’d met her, she looked even more youthful and vibrant.
But the real shocker was Tang Yimian!
A black cropped top with a sheer neckline, paired with denim shorts.
Her makeup was flawless, and she’d even added a silver necklace.
The usually busy Teacher Tang had transformed into a trendy girl!
Damn!
They were all familiar with each other—this wasn’t their first time sharing drinks.
Was it really necessary to set such a… tantalizing mood?
Meanwhile, Lin Yu’s outfit was no different from usual.
He almost felt underdressed for the occasion.
Fang Xinran waved him over.
"Lin Yu, over here!"
As they approached, Tang Yimian asked with concern,
"Junior Lin Yu, have you eaten yet?"
Lin Yu nodded and sincerely complimented,
"If it weren’t for you two seniors calling me, I’d have been searching for a while longer."
"You’re both so stunning—it makes me look like I just stepped into the city for the first time."
Hearing Lin Yu’s teasing, the two girls laughed along.
The decor inside the small bar was pretty much what Lin Yu had imagined.
Aside from a few signature cocktails, most of the drinks were pre-bottled varieties.
As the organizer of the gathering, Fang Xinran naturally took charge of ordering.
The moment Lin Yu sat down, Fang Xinran declared that she’d be treating tonight and insisted no one else pay.
She had already pre-ordered some snacks and a small beer she highly recommended.
To accommodate Lin Yu and Tang Yimian, she also ordered them each a signature cocktail from the bar.
What they drank didn’t matter much to Lin Yu.
With his physical constitution, getting drunk on beer would be a challenge anyway.
What did concern him was his two seniors’ alcohol tolerance.
During their last gathering, Tang Yimian had barely drunk anything, only flushing slightly without any other reaction.
But Fang Xinran had seemed close to her limit.
Judging by the amount of alcohol on the table tonight…
Was Fang Xinran planning to drink heavily?
She never came across as someone who enjoyed overindulging.
Or was there something weighing on her mind today?
Lin Yu tried summoning Fang Xinran’s information panel.
The intimacy values for [Teleportation Array Attendant] and [Fourth Realm: Silent Understanding] were now visible in the display.
Still, there were no new tasks.
Whatever was bothering her, it seemed he’d have to uncover it slowly over drinks.
...
(Second update for today. Apologies, everyone—we’ll have to stop here for now. Couldn’t manage the extra chapter today, but I’ll make up for it tomorrow. Will stabilize updates soon. Sorry again!)
saw a female celebrity tied up and stuffed in the trunk! Little did he know, countless cameras were aimed at him at this moment - this was a new type of reality show. The first randomly selected passerby was caught in less than an hour. But when Xu Moru was selected, things started to take an unexpected turn. "Damn, this isn't how the script goes. This Xu Moru is too bold, he's not following the rules at all." "Crap, is this guy taking it seriously?" "The female celebrity has been scared to tears!"
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!
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
