Ten minutes later.
At the dining table.
A group of people stood around the table, busily focused on the task at hand.
Chen Qimeng: "It looks like all the sequins have been picked out, right?"
Du Ruxue: "Who knows? I reckon we'll just spit them out if we happen to eat one later, don't you think?"
Xia Yiwei: "Maomao, my dear, we really should have planned the location for the confetti poppers somewhere else."
Maomao: "It's my first time being a host, I lack experience. My apologies."
Mo Shangying: "It's my first time playing with these things too."
Ye Mengfu: "Second time for me. The last time... was when Lin Yu won his competition."
Chi Qingshui: "Little Chi, follow everyone's lead and pick up the confetti sequins first. Don't steal food."
Chi Qingchi: "Sister, you saw wrong, I didn't eat... mph..."
Shen Buyao: "Hahaha, I can testify! Little Chi still hasn't touched a few of the dishes!"
Shen Jiuyi: "Three dishes."
Huang Feirong: "Impressive, impressive, impressive."
Lin Yu: "..."
As touching as the chorus of blessings had been a moment ago, the cleanup now was equally disastrous.
Even Lin Yu hadn't realized in the moment what the result would be of firing confetti poppers over a table full of food.
Now, everyone had to wear disposable gloves and pick through the meal on the table.
If they didn't clean it up, there was simply no way to eat!
After fussing over it for quite a while, Lin Yu and the others came to a clear realization about one thing...
Freshly cooked food is actually really hot to the touch!
Maomao: "If we use chopsticks, would it be less hot?"
Lin Yu: "Oh great host, I suggest we hurry up and use our hands. If we use chopsticks, we won't be eating until past midnight!"
...
Finally.
After a bout of persistent cleaning, the scene was restored roughly to its original state.
Under the guidance of host Maomao, the group placed candles on the cake for Lin Yu.
They deliberately turned off the lights in the main hall and sang the birthday song together.
Wearing the birthday hat prepared for him, Lin Yu closed his eyes and made a wish.
As for what he wished for...
He couldn't say!
If a wish is spoken aloud, it won't come true.
"Hoo..."
He blew a breath, but the candles didn't go out.
"Hoo..."
Lin Yu blew again, but they still didn't go out.
"Hoo..."
By the third breath, Lin Yu realized what was going on.
It wasn't a matter of luck!
There was a problem with the candles!
Looking at everyone trying to hold back their laughter, Lin Yu couldn't help but say:
"You guys like eating spit-cake? You even tampered with the candles?"
Host Maomao quickly interjected:
"According to the procedure, the birthday boy must blow out the candles before he can distribute the cake to everyone."
Lin Yu held his forehead helplessly:
"Maomao, what on earth did you buy?"
"Was this also part of your shopping spree?"
Maomao replied:
"I bought them specifically for today. I didn't expect them to actually come in handy."
Listening to Maomao, Lin Yu helplessly pulled the candles out of the cake.
If he kept blowing like this, no one would be able to eat.
A cake this big would turn into his exclusive spit-flavored dessert.
Even though most of them had shared kisses, he couldn't pull something this gross.
He held the candles in a line in the air, aimed at an empty space, and took a deep breath...
"Hoo!!"
A sharp blade of air exhaled from his lips, instantly extinguishing the candles.
Even trick candles are still just candles.
With his current skills, dealing with them wasn't difficult at all!
This sharp maneuver immediately earned him a round of applause and gasps.
Of course.
There was no shortage of questioning voices from the haters.
Xia Yiwei: "Little Lin Yu, did you spit a little bit just now?"
Huang Feirong: "Definitely, it splattered on me!"
Xia Yiwei: "Referee, I suggest we do it again."
Huang Feirong: "Yes, I also suggest that. I didn't see it clearly just now before it went out."
Lin Yu: "You two give it a rest and zip it! Where would we get a referee?"
Everyone: "Hahaha..."
Just when Lin Yu thought dinner would finally arrive amidst the joyous atmosphere...
Maomao just had to continue with the procedure!
"Congratulations to the birthday boy for successfully blowing out the candles."
"According to tonight's banquet procedure, the birthday boy is now invited to distribute the cake in order."
"The order of distribution depends entirely on the birthday boy's personal feelings!"
Everyone immediately went: "Oooooh~"
Lin Yu: "..."
During the game earlier, Lin Yu had relied on a stack of skill cards to barely survive the pressure all afternoon.
He had finally made it to the meal, yet there was still trouble waiting for him.
Distribute the cake in order?
Isn't this purely trying to get him killed!
Who gets it first, who gets it later—it was bound to cause overthinking!
The lights were turned back on.
Looking at everyone's expectant eyes, Lin Yu knew in his heart that he couldn't dodge this segment!
Picking up the plastic knife, Lin Yu first cut a large piece and handed it to Auntie Qimeng.
Giving the first piece to Auntie Qimeng was a given.
Likewise, it was the one move that wouldn't cause any controversy.
When it came to the second piece, Lin Yu cut it slightly smaller than the first.
Who to give it to...
This was truly a dilemma!
If he tried to be clever and hand them out according to the game numbers from earlier...
It wasn't that the method wouldn't work.
It was just that in the minds of many, it would certainly generate other thoughts.
They would suspect Lin Yu was guilty of something and intentionally hiding his true feelings.
By the same logic.
Going by age would produce the same effect.
If only each person could believe that the one being hidden was themselves, perhaps Lin Yu wouldn't have to worry so much.
Unfortunately.
Everyone has their own mind. It is so hard to stabilize everyone with a single method!
An obvious trick definitely wouldn't work.
He had to take a gamble on a lateral approach.
He couldn't just get stuck on this step; everyone was waiting to eat!
"I have decided to give the second piece to tonight's 'Empress'!"
"You all lost points in the game, right?"
"In terms of IQ, Sister Little Fu absolutely crushes the rest of you!"
Since age and numbers wouldn't work, he might as well rank them by "seniority."
After all.
This status was the result of their own drawing in the game.
Who could object?
...
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...
transmigrates into the role of a villainous rich second-generation kid in an urban fantasy novel, and gets bound to a god-tier choice system. Right at the start, he catches the female lead stealing exam papers! This triggers the villain's choice options! [Choice 1: Pretend you didn't see anything] [Choice 2: Loudly call her out, drawing everyone's attention] [Choice 3: ...] And thus, a twisted villain is born. To avoid getting killed by the protagonist, he has no choice but to take down all the protagonists first. Jiang Che: Nobody understands being twisted better than me!
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.
