Lin Yu and Chi Qingchi chose to take the bus to Spring Plaza.
It wasn’t that they couldn’t afford a taxi, nor was the bus more cost-effective.
The main reason was to give the Demon Lord some extra time.
If they arrived too quickly and missed their encounter with him,
wouldn’t the trip be for nothing?
On the way,
Lin Yu withdrew the 210 spirit stones he had just obtained from the system, bringing his bank balance to 2,641 yuan.
The speed of earning money was indeed impressive.
But if he wanted to help Aunt Qimeng alleviate her financial crisis, he was still several times—plus a zero—short.
He needed to figure out a way to speed up his money-making soon.
The urgent mission, 【Protect the Sect’s Grand Plan】, had no time limit reminder.
Recalling his past life, the first time he heard the term "partner" from Aunt Qimeng’s mouth was probably around the end of the month.
To build in some buffer time, Lin Yu had about a week to ten days to maneuver.
"Ding dong…"
The sound of a WeChat notification rang out.
This time, it wasn’t Chi Qingchi’s phone—it was Lin Yu’s.
Unlocking it, he saw a reply from his online girlfriend!
「Dreaming in the Rain: Are you sober now? Does your head hurt?」
So, his secret little girlfriend had finally switched to her alt account.
Now that he had confirmed his target was inside the apartment, Lin Yu wouldn’t risk alerting her during their chat.
Pushing for a meetup now would only make her wary.
First, he needed to reassure his online girlfriend, making her believe the "hidden in plain sight" situation could continue indefinitely.
「Lin Yu: I’m really not good with alcohol. My head hurts so much (crying emoji)(crying)(crying)」
「Dreaming in the Rain: It’s all my fault (sigh)」
「Lin Yu: How could it be your fault? I was the one trying to disrupt the way things are. If anything, blame me. I’ve thought it through—this is fine as it is.」
「Dreaming in the Rain: Really? You really think so?」
「Lin Yu: Really, wifey. When have I ever lied to you?」
「Dreaming in the Rain: Thank you for understanding, hubby! (cute)(cute)(cute)」
[Ding!]
[Brilliant move! Your sincerity has moved your Dao Companion. Strengthening your soul’s connection with your Dao Companion aids in cultivation, bringing you closer to ascending to the next realm!]
[Reward: 50 spirit stones]
Nice~
A Dao Companion really was different.
The rewards were so generous!
Honestly,
in his past life after entering society, whether it was short-term relationships, online flings, or visits to certain establishments,
they only provided fleeting satisfaction—nothing that left him with a strong sense of fulfillment.
This kind of pure, untainted online romance? That was something he hadn’t experienced since his youth.
Calling each other "hubby" and "wifey" online really brought back memories.
But alas…
Lin Yu was no longer that naive, clueless teenager.
He had to uncover her identity—no question about it.
Just calling him "hubby" wasn’t enough!
Adopting a roundabout approach, Lin Yu began probing subtly:
「Lin Yu: Wifey, what are you doing right now?」
「Dreaming in the Rain: Talking to you, of course.」
「Lin Yu: Besides chatting?」
「Dreaming in the Rain: Only focusing on talking to you.」
「Lin Yu: Hahaha (awkward laugh)」
Lin Yu: "……"
He had hoped to deduce her identity based on what she was doing.
Instead,
he got absolutely nothing.
Just as he was grumbling internally, another opportunity arose…
「Dreaming in the Rain: Hubby, what are you up to?」
「Lin Yu: About to go shopping, need to buy some stuff.」
「Dreaming in the Rain: Hehe, we’re so in sync. I’m also heading out soon—got some things to pick up.」
At this point,
Lin Yu shot a suspicious glance at Chi Qingchi beside him.
She was also glued to her phone.
Also about to go out.
Also had things to buy.
Could it really be her?
Her expression gave nothing away, leaving him clueless about what she was doing on her phone.
Maybe he should sneak a peek?
Before he could act,
Chi Qingchi suddenly burst into giggles, muttering to herself, "Hahaha, this is too funny."
Lin Yu: "……"
Definitely not her.
She wasn’t that clever.
Lin Yu continued typing, launching another subtle attack…
「Lin Yu: We didn’t get to celebrate our one-year anniversary properly yesterday. I want to make it up to you with a gift. Even if we can’t meet, can I still send you something?」
The moment he sent this, it clearly caught her off guard.
The chat box repeatedly displayed "The other party is typing…"
But no message came through for a long time.
Finally…
「Dreaming in the Rain: Hubby, how about you send me a song? I’ll listen to it on repeat while I’m out. You can listen to it too—how does that sound?」
Lin Yu: "???"
Was this even an option?
What a poetic soulmate!
She really left no gaps—no weaknesses to exploit.
Pushing further might ruin the pleasant atmosphere.
「Lin Yu: Sure! Give me a sec, I’ll send one right away.」
Immediately,
Lin Yu opened his music app and scrolled through the charts.
The songs in his head were all from over a decade in the future.
What was popular in 2014? He had no idea.
The charts displayed:
"Little Apple," "Bubbles," "Super Happy," "Mistakes…"
After browsing,
none seemed to fit the mood.
Resigned,
he switched to his personal playlist and skimmed through the tracks.
And there it was—one that stood out.
"This one… came out in 2012?"
"It went viral again years later. This’ll do."
「Lin Yu: QQ Music—"Fingerprint"—Old Hu (play button)」
[Ding!]
[Perfect soul connection! Sharing life’s beautiful moments with your Dao Companion, etching the memories of your cultivation journey!]
[Reward: 50 spirit stones]
Sweet!
Two rewards in a row—another thousand yuan in the bag.
If he had a few more Dao Companions, who the hell would still need a job?
「Dreaming in the Rain: Thanks for the gift, hubby! I’ll listen to it on repeat. You should too! (kiss)(kiss)(kiss)」
「Lin Yu: Definitely looping it (kiss)」
「Dreaming in the Rain: Gotta get ready to head out now. Chat later, bye hubby!」
「Lin Yu: Okie dokie, bye wifey!」
「Dreaming in the Rain: (cute)(cute)」
This conversation did yield some clues.
His online girlfriend was likely someone who enjoyed wearing headphones and listening to music.
Based on his past life’s memories, who in the apartment liked wearing headphones?
He couldn’t recall at all!
Who the hell would remember such trivial details from over a decade ago?
"Sigh."
Helpless, he turned to Chi Qingchi.
The little shut-in had her headphones on, bobbing her head to the music.
Lin Yu: "……"
Chi Qingchi noticed his gaze and cheerfully offered one earpiece. "Lin Yu, wanna listen together?"
Lin Yu took the earpiece and put it on:
"~Kawa aade kumo no~ kawaranai mono~"
"~Aki koi wa~ tashinami~"
"……"
Definitely the kind of song a shut-in otaku would listen to.
Sounded like some anime theme—something about platinum whatever.
Honestly, it felt like the next line should be "The Great King sent me to patrol the mountains."
Watching Chi Qingchi sway lightly to the beat, grinning smugly at him, there was something refreshingly pleasant about her.
Chi Qingchi: "Lin Yu, like the song?"
Lin Yu: "Sounds nice, super kawaii!"
Chi Qingchi: "Hehe, of course it does—it’s my recommendation!"
Lin Yu teased her on purpose: "Hey! I noticed you didn’t bring headphones out. Does this outfit have some secret pockets…?"
Seeing Lin Yu’s playful "dragon claw" gesture, Chi Qingchi immediately twisted away: "Dame da yo, no lewdness allowed."
Lin Yu: "Tch, stingy."
……
After arriving at the bus stop near the mall,
the two strolled leisurely into the anime zone of Spring Plaza.
Chi Qingchi’s outfit would’ve turned plenty of heads on the street—it was rare to see.
But at Spring Plaza, especially on the anime floor, she blended right in.
The area was packed with girls deep in otaku culture, some even dressed in hanfu or cosplay outfits for photos and shopping.
This was Chi Qingchi’s turf, and she chattered nonstop, explaining everything to Lin Yu.
Maybe it was because she rarely got to geek out with like-minded friends,
but today, her words spilled out endlessly.
When people talk about their passions, they just can’t help rambling.
Lin Yu wasn’t half-heartedly humoring her, though.
He paid close attention to which shops made Chi Qingchi’s eyes sparkle.
Those glowing reactions? A dead giveaway that the place held something she wanted.
And those were the key items for his daily missions!
They hadn’t come all this way just to take down some "Mr. Evil."
The side quests had to be cleared out too.
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?"
nto another world, I bought a slave for the first time, never expecting the silver wolf girl to be so cute... Lin Feng: I know it's cold, but you don't have to sneak into my bed! Yuna: Just sharing body warmth, if you dare do anything naughty, I'll definitely...
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...
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.
