An hour later.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host! You have successfully completed the daily quest "Hidden Ailments (Massage Therapy)," earning 100 Sect Contribution Points and 100 Spirit Stones!]
Lin Yu stepped out of the bathroom after washing his hands.
Gazing at Mo Shangying, who lay sprawled on the bed like a limp rag, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride.
His techniques never went easy on anyone who talked big.
The louder they bragged before the foot massage,
the more utterly drained they’d be by the end.
Lin Yu: "I’m done. Take your time to freshen up."
Mo Shangying replied weakly, "Okay..."
Once the sound of the door closing faded, Mo Shangying struggled several times before finally propping herself up against the headboard.
Whether it was because she had been too immersed
or because Lin Yu’s skills had genuinely improved,
this time, his techniques felt even more varied and intoxicating than before, leaving her completely spellbound.
The warmth in her legs and feet gradually transformed into renewed energy.
As the flush on her skin faded, her limbs felt stronger than ever.
Why bother looking for a traditional Chinese massage parlor?
With her master around, as long as she was a little more diligent, couldn’t she easily fix the numbness in her legs?
And most importantly…
It was pure bliss!
……
Back in his room, Lin Yu skimmed through the chat logs between Yi Haizhou and He Jing under a critical eye.
Frankly,
the content was on par with literature from certain adult websites.
Eighty percent of it revolved around… anatomy.
Lin Yu couldn’t help but marvel at Yi Haizhou’s audacity.
The man was practically on the verge of being locked up,
yet despite the massive debt hanging over his head, he was still living by the motto "better to die a romantic than a coward"!
What Lin Yu wanted to see wasn’t the middle-aged lovey-dovey exchanges.
He was looking for clues—
any agreement He Jing and Yi Haizhou had reached about him.
In the rare moments where they discussed serious matters, his name did come up.
He Jing had relayed to Yi Haizhou that they needed to "deal with that novelist" within a week.
The plan was to reel him in "without letting him gain an inch," ensuring a clean catch.
After that,
their scheme targeting Chen Qimeng’s flower shop could proceed as scheduled next week.
As for tomorrow’s secret rendezvous with Lin Yu in the newly renovated apartment—
just as he had guessed,
Yi Haizhou knew nothing about it.
He Jing was already hunting for new prey behind the back of her useless "cuckold."
Since everything was playing out as expected,
Lin Yu could confidently stick to his original plan.
Tomorrow,
he would "teach this pair of troubled lovebirds a lesson"!
……
5:30 PM.
Lin Yu arrived early at the upscale restaurant as agreed.
Pingchuan wasn’t a major city,
and truly high-end dining establishments were few and far between.
The "International Hotel" before him was one of the best.
Business banquets, weddings for the wealthy—anything that demanded prestige was usually held here.
Walking through the parking lot,
luxury cars, both recognizable and obscure, lined the aisles.
In both his past and current life,
Lin Yu had passed by this place countless times.
Never had he imagined that after his rebirth,
someone would actually invite him to dine here.
The agreed time with Maomao was 6:00 PM.
To allow Mo Shangying and Ye Mengfu to enter first, the trio arrived promptly at 5:30.
Mo Shangying had splurged on a private room right next to Lin Yu’s.
Since the two rooms were so close,
she wouldn’t be able to see anything this time—only listen in and offer remote guidance.
Lin Yu let the two women go ahead and settle in.
He lingered in the parking lot, killing time.
Within minutes of separating,
Mo Shangying’s voice crackled through his earpiece:
"Master, Master! That stinky cat might’ve arrived even earlier than us."
"I can hear the waiters going in and out of the next room—they’re talking to someone inside."
"Are you waiting till six, or are you heading up now?"
As the host,
arriving early was only proper.
It also showed their respect for Lin Yu.
"I’m on my way up."
"Ying’er, keep your laptop ready."
"Remember, the moment you get even a scrap of intel on them—dig it up and tell me immediately!"
After Mo Shangying’s eager assurances,
Lin Yu steadied himself and walked into the International Hotel.
……
International Hotel, VIP Section.
Phoenix Hall.
Seated at the head of the table,
Xia Xiashan exuded the aura of a seasoned leader.
Today, she had swapped her usual attire for a sleeveless crop top and high-waisted shorts,
showcasing her striking figure in a way that made her almost unrecognizable from the day before.
Beside her, Maomao’s outfit hadn’t changed much.
At the moment,
Maomao sat with her hands clasped on the table,
muttering under her breath in a barely audible stream.
"Maomao? Maomao!"
Xia Xiashan called out twice before Maomao snapped out of her daze.
"Huh? Xiashan?"
"What’s wrong? Is ZerO here?"
Xia Xiashan crossed her arms, frowning.
"Not yet. It’s still not time."
"You've been muttering nonstop since you got here."
"Reciting something? Computer science stuff?"
Maomao avoided Xia Xiashan's gaze and shook her head.
"Not exactly professional knowledge. Just some... extracurricular material."
Yesterday's encounter with ZerO had left her completely outmatched.
Today was her only chance to strike back.
Maomao had spent the entire day cramming all sorts of "weird" knowledge,
just to seize an opportunity during dinner to reclaim her lost pride.
Xia Xiashan shrugged helplessly.
The world of "gods" was beyond the comprehension of mere mortals like her.
Right now, she was more concerned about something else...
"Xia Yiwei, did you die on the way here?"
"Don't give me any traffic excuses on a motorcycle!"
"If you don’t wanna eat, just don’t come!"
"We’ll have a much quieter meal without you."
Xia Xiashan fired off several voice messages to her younger sister, Xia Yiwei.
Less than a minute later,
a WeChat reply came through.
With no hesitation, Xia Xiashan played it on speaker for Maomao to hear:
"Shut the hell up, you hag. Can’t you wish me well for once?"
"Almost there! Just got in the elevator!"
Xia Yiwei’s words only stoked Xia Xiashan’s fury.
She snatched her phone and barked back:
"Which elevator are you even in?"
"Weren’t you ‘in the elevator’ ten minutes ago?"
"Does it take ten minutes to reach the sixth floor?"
"What, is the elevator stuck in traffic too?"
BANG!
After sending the message, Xia Xiashan slammed her phone onto the table.
Xia Yiwei had a magical talent—
a few simple words were all it took to ignite her temper.
Beside her, Maomao patted Xia Xiashan’s shoulder.
"Xiashan, relax."
Xia Xiashan exhaled deeply, forcing herself to calm down.
Just then,
the restaurant door swung open.
Lin Yu walked in, waving at the two of them.
"Hello, ladies. Seems I’m a bit late."
"Have you been waiting long?"
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...
spital. Good news: I've bound a system. Bad news: I'm still a baby. "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, do not bully the middle-aged for being poor — Divorce Comeback System." "Your marriage may have failed, but your luck in love has never run dry. Your childhood sweetheart, out of contact for twenty years, reappears. Her beauty remains, yet her eyes are brimming with tears." [Listen to the childhood sweetheart's sorrowful story.] Chen Zhi looked down at the diaper he was wearing, then at the little childhood sweetheart crying her heart out beside him, and fell into deep thought. Can anyone relate? I'm having a midlife crisis at an age where even rolling over is a struggle.
