Shen Jiuyi looked at the effect of the archer's ring on Lin Yu's hand.
Her expression remained calm as she said:
"Lin Yu, you might not know its origins."
Lin Yu agreed, saying:
"You can skip that kind of obvious nonsense."
"If I knew its origins, why would I even ask you?"
"If I actually knew the history of your family's things, wouldn't that be even stranger?"
Hearing Shen Jiuyi say this, Lin Yu knew his guess was correct.
This jade-inlaid-with-gold archer's ring had more to it.
It most likely had intricate connections to Ghost Market Street or the Shen family.
Shen Jiuyi pointed at the ring and said:
"Lin Yu, do you see it? There's a golden bean on the jade archer's ring."
"This craft is called 'jade inlaid with gold.' It's different from the commonly heard 'gold inlaid with jade'—the techniques are not the same."
Lin Yu responded:
"Understood. The craftsmanship is much more complex. I've heard of that little bit of common knowledge."
Shen Jiuyi: "Oh, so you have heard of it."
Lin Yu: "Mhm. Get to the point."
Shen Jiuyi: "That's it."
Lin Yu: "That's it?"
Shen Jiuyi blinked: "Yes."
Lin Yu blinked back: "Yes... So it's just a plain archer's ring."
Shen Jiuyi fell silent for a moment, then asked in return:
"Does it have some other fancy name in your hometown?"
Lin Yu raised his voice, saying with annoyance:
"In anyone's hometown, it's called an archer's ring! A big ring!"
"No backstory?"
"Then why were you being so mysterious, saying 'you might not know its origins'?"
"You had me thinking this thing was some kind of token."
Shen Jiuyi gave a thumbs-up, gripping it with her other hand, and said:
"It's not a token. The reason I chose to give you this archer's ring is..."
"I thought its size would fit your thumb perfectly."
Lin Yu: "..."
That reason was very much in Shen Jiuyi's style.
Especially paired with her poker face that showed no change in expression no matter what she said.
The effect was instantly maximized!
Lin Yu's temper was also about to max out!
With too many girls around lately, it's really hard to keep the fire in check!
"Xiao Jiu, please stop that unseemly gesture."
"Anyway, thank you for the gift. The size really does fit me perfectly."
"I'll wear it often. Thanks, thanks."
"Now it's my turn to return the favor!"
As he spoke.
Lin Yu squatted down, stacked the two boxes together, and began writing a greeting card for Shen Jiuyi.
...
[Are you a clear spring in the vast world, or that mysterious peacock by the spring?]
[Before meeting your soul, let greed take advantage of the fire.]
Shen Jiuyi looked at the words on the card, wanting to ponder their meaning.
Little did she know.
Years later, this would become a somewhat popular song, though not widely sung.
Back in elementary and middle school, Lin Yu had copied lyrics into his notebooks plenty of times.
Who would have thought.
He'd still be copying lyrics in university!
"Xiao Jiu, where is your companion hiding on the third floor?"
"She's not in a dangerous place like the small balcony, is she?"
Lin Yu pointed towards the direction of the small balcony outside the corridor.
That could be considered one of the apartment's few "forbidden zones"!
Because the space was small and the railing was somewhat loose, it had never been repaired.
So, the door to the small balcony was always closed, and no one ever went up there.
Just because people usually didn't go didn't mean no one would today.
Shen Jiuyi averted her gaze and said:
"Companion? I don't have a companion. I don't know what you're talking about."
Lin Yu couldn't help but complain:
"Xiao Jiu, if you can't lie, just don't lie next time."
"Your lying skills are truly terrible."
"Or do you really think I'm an idiot?"
"You didn't have a companion helping you? Did the two boxes fly up there by themselves?"
Shen Jiuyi knew Lin Yu would bring this up and hung her head in shame.
She just had to make one attempt for the sake of her "teammate."
What if Lin Yu didn't notice?
Seeing Shen Jiuyi's reaction, Lin Yu knew his judgment was correct.
There really was someone bold enough to go to the dangerous small balcony.
Come to think of it.
There weren't many people in the apartment with that kind of courage!
"Technician Xiao Jiu, go wait for me on the first floor."
"I'll take responsibility for bringing the person back safely. I won't let anything happen to her."
Lin Yu pointed towards the staircase and swaggered off.
Leaving Shen Jiuyi alone in a state of disarray.
...
Arriving near the small balcony.
Lin Yu didn't need to search very carefully at all.
The unlocked door... the deliberately drawn curtain... the clearly outlined silhouette of an airport behind the curtain...
Every detail exuded the foolish aura of "protesting one's innocence too much."
This wasn't hide-and-seek; it was an intelligence test!
"Ahem, I'm here. Some people should be careful, try not to get scared."
"It's best to come out right now, and everyone will be happy!"
Lin Yu walked step by step, deliberately raising his voice to make noise.
He was afraid the genius behind the curtain might get a sudden fright and have some kind of extreme reaction.
The third-floor balcony was no joke!
Even if it wouldn't kill someone, the possibility of causing a serious injury was still high.
Lin Yu's "kind reminder" seemed, in the other person's eyes, more like "bluffing."
Because through the shadow, Lin Yu clearly saw the girl covering her mouth, laughing!
She showed no intention of coming out and was still watching the show?
Lin Yu was baffled.
Who should be laughing at whom here?
Why is she laughing?
It seemed the indirect approach wouldn't get her to come out.
So.
Lin Yu switched to another tactic...
He went to the balcony door and took a photo of that large, clear silhouette.
Then, quickly sent it to Shen Buyao.
"Ding!"
The WeChat message notification sounded incredibly clear.
Lin Yu: "..."
Playing this kind of game and not even setting the phone to vibrate.
So unprofessional!
Immediately after.
"Buzz!"
The vibration sound came from the balcony again.
Lin Yu: "..."
What's the use of setting it to vibrate now?
You're already exposed!
Lin Yu didn't do anything extra, just stood there waiting.
Because from the shadow's feedback, Shen Buyao was already looking at her phone.
"Wow! That clear?"
"The sunlight is totally cheating right now, it completely gave me away."
"Lin Yu, I'm telling you, if it weren't for the sunlight betraying me, you absolutely would not have found me."
Shen Buyao said this as she walked back from the balcony.
Lin Yu didn't refute Shen Buyao's words, simply reminding her:
"Can you not go to such dangerous places next time?"
Shen Buyao spread her hands, completely unconcerned, and said:
"Dangerous? Just how big is your courage, Lin Yu?"
"It's just an ordinary balcony. I'm not scared at all."
Lin Yu cut in:
"You're not scared, but I am!"
Shen Buyao was stunned for a moment, then gradually blushed...
...
shall grant"] ["Inscribing the glory of our race upon tombstones"] ["All that is threatened, I shall protect"] How his younger sister sees her brother: A brother who only makes eye contact once a day, mostly fading into the background as he tinkers with who-knows-what in his room all day. Their life paths should have remained largely separate. Until one day. Su Qi created an equipment card for his never-met "online girlfriend." His sister fell into silent contemplation upon receiving the "white stockings." [Card can be upgraded] [Upgrade by fulfilling any of the following conditions] [Condition ①: Consume one hundred higher-tier cards] [Condition ②: Complete one 'Heart-Pounding Adventure'] What constitutes a Heart-Pounding Adventure? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Beginner Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to admire it.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Easy Level): Equip the card, invite 'Su Qi' to touch it, and analyze the equipment's texture.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Entry Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to...] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Challenge Level): Freely combine the words 'Brother' 'Out' 'Brother' 'Me' 'Please' into a complete sentence...] "Please help me analyze both teams' mistakes in this match, brother..." His sister exhaled in relief—surely... surely there couldn't be anything more difficult? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Suicide Mission Level): Sneak a peek at the names of the galgames in 'Su Qi's' hidden E-drive folder]
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...
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...
