Here we go again.
Elder Tang is on a roll!
Once more, he starts with the classic "Humans are born from human mothers, demons from demon mothers," and somehow segues into "So, what’s your mom’s surname?"
The one listening to this is Fang Xinran, and Lin Yu naturally doesn’t dare interrupt.
Since these are heartfelt words meant to move her, Fang Xinran wouldn’t cut him off either.
The two of them silently endure Tang Yimian’s monologue.
From moved to zoning out, then back to moved again.
It’s not that they don’t want to pay attention—it’s just that the speech is so long their focus inevitably wavers.
Tang Yimian: "A future as bright as brocade!"
Lin Yu: "Boundless possibilities ahead!"
Fang Xinran: "Thank you, truly!"
"Ding…"
Finally.
Tang Yimian finishes, and the three clink glasses, downing their drinks in one go.
After several rounds,
the two less-outgoing girls start loosening up, their words flowing more freely.
Fang Xinran has been watching Lin Yu the whole time while drinking.
Her gaze is direct and bold.
With Tang Yimian present, Lin Yu can’t exactly respond openly.
He pretends not to notice, deliberately avoiding Fang Xinran’s eyes again and again.
He thought he could slip past unnoticed.
But no.
Fang Xinran actually speaks up first:
"Junior Lin, I just mentioned resigning and moving south. Even Sister Yimian says she’ll miss me."
"But you? All you said was 'have a smooth journey.'"
"Don’t you feel even a little reluctant to see me go?"
Lin Yu: "…"
That’s way too forward, isn’t it?
Aren’t you worried Sister Yimian might get the wrong idea?
Lin Yu instinctively glances at Tang Yimian.
Tang Yimian’s face is flushed red: "Yeah, exactly!"
Overthinking it.
Right now, Tang Yimian’s eyes are glazed and unfocused.
Clearly, she’s entered the stage of drunken metamorphosis—no longer in control.
By tomorrow, she probably won’t remember a thing.
And she hasn’t even finished three beers.
Her tolerance is seriously lacking.
Fang Xinran’s question clearly stems from dissatisfaction—Lin Yu didn’t express any sadness over her departure.
It seems
their dream encounter must have left some impression on her.
Lin Yu meets Fang Xinran’s gaze and answers earnestly:
"Of course I’ll miss you. It’s rare to make such a good friend."
"Senior Fang, you’re not planning to cut ties after leaving Pingchuan, are you?"
"No matter where you go, friends stay friends."
"I might even head south after graduation, or visit my hometown."
"Having people to care about, no matter how far apart…"
"That doesn’t sound so bad."
Lin Yu still keeps it vague,
skillfully deflecting Fang Xinran’s question.
[Ding!]
[Masterful move! The Saint’s sincere words resonate with the Teleportation Array Attendant’s heart!]
[Reward: 50 Spirit Stones.]
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host! Your relationship with the Teleportation Array Attendant has deepened, reaching the fifth tier: "Inseparable!"
[Reward: 50 Spirit Stones.]
Hearing the system’s dual notifications, Lin Yu understands—
his tactful response hit just the right note.
Seems Senior Fang was equally satisfied with his answer.
But wait—
the system isn’t done yet!
[Ding.]
[The Teleportation Array Attendant holds a unique status!]
[Your current intimacy level has reached the threshold for "Union of Joy and Dao"!]
[Now issuing the trial quest…]
[Farewell’s Embrace (Trial Quest): Seize a moment of solitude to accept the Teleportation Array Attendant’s feelings!]
Lin Yu freezes: "???"
Trial quests aren’t new to him.
With all his previous partners—aside from the two Shen sisters—
each progressed step by step, from soul-bonding to physical union.
Along the way,
he faced trials of varying difficulty.
In short:
complete the trial, board the train.
But the trial quest now emerging from Fang Xinran… judging by the wording…
doesn’t require him to overcome any challenge—just "accept"?
And it’s not Soul-Bond Union or Twin-Pact Union, but straight to Union of Joy and Dao?
Damn this system!
Just how many secrets is it still hiding?!
So Senior Fang’s intention is…
to burn passionately once before leaving Pingchuan?
With the system’s hint, Lin Yu can no longer look at Senior Fang with ordinary eyes.
"Glug glug… glug glug…"
Fang Xinran cracks open two more beers.
This time, Lin Yu doesn’t wait for her to pour.
He takes the initiative, filling both their glasses, and giving Tang Yimian just half a cup.
Better go easy on Senior Tang.
They still have to head home together later.
If Tang Yimian gets too drunk, Lin Yu might end up carrying her back.
Tonight, the apartment will likely be full of people.
Best play it safe—no room for weird mishaps.
"A toast to our glorious friendship!"
"Junior Lin, I’m holding you to your words."
"No matter which city I’m in…"
"Once you graduate, you better come visit."
"Even if you have to cross oceans!"
Fang Xinran excitedly raises her glass overhead.
Lin Yu quickly stands to clink with her, worried she might wobble and spill it all over herself.
……
Later in the conversation,
the topic shifts to their apartment mates.
Fang Xinran and Tang Yimian bring up today’s shopping trip for Maomao.
The trial deadline is now just over two hours away.
Lin Yu still hasn’t received any distress signal from Maomao.
Meaning:
everything’s still under Maomao’s control—no surprises yet.
With such a detailed plan, mishaps were unlikely anyway.
Aunt Ruxue probably never realized:
Maomao’s lack of exposure to the outside world doesn’t mean she’s incapable of independence.
Lin Yu can’t wait to see Aunt Ruxue’s reaction when Maomao completes the trial tonight.
Even more, he’s curious—what will Aunt Ruxue’s next challenge be?
A woman who defies all logic could conjure any trial imaginable.
"Here are the six extra beers you ordered, ladies and gentleman."
"Pardon the interruption—for orders over 300, we offer a free song request."
"With these six bottles, your total exceeds 300. Would you like to pick a song?"
The server sets the drinks down and politely addresses the trio.
Lin Yu doesn’t answer, instead glancing at tonight’s host.
Given how she was humming along earlier, maybe Senior Fang has a song in mind.
Fang Xinran hesitates, then looks straight at Lin Yu.
Lin Yu: "???"
That look in her eyes… feels dangerous.
"Actually, could one of us go up and sing instead?"
Lin Yu: "…"
Called it!
He knew it!
……
(Second update today—more coming tonight! The short drama adaptation of this novel, Shared Apartment: My System Glitched, is now available for pre-order on Red Fruit. Check it out if you’re interested!)
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!
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...
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
