Xia Xiashan and Maomao noticed Lin Yu entering.
They politely rose from their seats to greet him.
Xia Xiashan spoke with cheerful confidence:
"Welcome, ZerO."
"You're not late—we just arrived early."
"You're more punctual than I imagined."
Maomao didn’t say anything, merely nodding in acknowledgment.
The poise of a well-bred lady was evident in her demeanor.
Lin Yu approached the table but didn’t immediately sit down.
Instead, he addressed Xia Xiashan:
"Stand-in sister, you’re the host today, right?"
"Thanks for the invitation. May I ask… how should I address you?"
Maomao spoke up first:
"ZerO, she’s Shan."
Lin Yu: "…"
And I’m the ocean!
Sitting at the same table for a meal, yet even a name has to be kept secret.
Maomao’s vigilance is off the charts.
Well, let her be as guarded as she wants.
Xia Xiashan, however, didn’t share the same sentiment.
She strode confidently toward Lin Yu and extended her hand:
"Maomao, no need to hide it for me."
"Unlike you all, I don’t need any virtual identities."
"My name is Xia Xiashan—‘Xia’ as in summer, ‘Shan’ as in the character with ‘woman’ and ‘book.’"
This formal introduction was bold and domineering, carrying the air of a true leader.
But that name… seriously strange!
Xia Xiashan?
Might as well call me "Up Uphill"!
Whoever came up with that name must’ve had a few screws loose.
Still, it made things easier for Lin Yu and Mo Shangying.
With such an unusual name, finding a duplicate would be nearly impossible.
The moment the real name reached their earpieces,
Mo Shangying would have all the details in minutes.
"So it’s Sister Xiashan. I could tell you had presence when we met yesterday."
"This outfit suits you even better. Pleasure to meet you."
Lin Yu shook her hand without hesitation.
Maomao’s gaze remained fixed on the door.
After a long wait with no one else entering, she asked curiously:
"ZerO, where’s the apprentice you mentioned? Didn’t she come with you?"
At the question,
Lin Yu recalled the string of excuses Mo Shangying had fabricated.
Among them, the classic "she’s sick" seemed the most reliable.
After all, Mo Shangying wasn’t the focus today.
Dodging the question shouldn’t cause any issues.
Lin Yu calmly prepared to explain: "My apprentice, she—"
Click!
Before he could finish,
the private room’s door swung open again.
Before even turning, Lin Yu recognized the voice.
"Whoo~ I’m here!!"
"Surprise, surprise!"
"Long time no see, Maomao, sis!"
After the lively outburst, Lin Yu finally turned to look.
Black leather jacket, white tank top underneath.
Black leather shorts, fishnet stockings, helmet in hand.
The cool, edgy girl standing there was none other than Xia Yiwei—the nurse who’d "treated" him.
Xia Xiashan… Xia Yiwei…
Are we in a novel or something?
How is this even possible?
Meanwhile,
in the neighboring private room,
Mo Shangying’s laptop had successfully retrieved Xia Xiashan’s personal information.
As she scrolled, one detail after another flashed by.
When the name "Xia Yiwei" appeared,
Mo Shangying and Ye Mengfu exchanged glances.
Ye Mengfu: "We’ve got a problem!"
Mo Shangying: "We’ve got a problem!"
Mo Shangying immediately relayed the urgent update through Lin Yu’s earpiece:
"Master, breaking news—critical intel incoming…"
"Xia Xiashan, age 29, family runs a chain of martial arts schools across northern China."
"Plenty more details, but I’ll save them for later."
"The key point? She has a younger sister—Xia Yiwei!"
"The nurse from our apartment!"
After delivering the message,
Mo Shangying cut the audio feed to avoid further distraction.
She slumped in her chair, muttering:
"Pingchuan is way too small. How did we run into someone we know here…?"
Beside her, Ye Mengfu: "Hic…"
Extreme nervousness triggered uncontrollable hiccups.
Just imagining Lin Yu’s cover being blown on the spot
sent Ye Mengfu into a premature panic.
"Ying’er, wha—hic—what do we do?"
Mo Shangying crouched on the chair, steeling herself:
"Looks like there’s no way out. I’ll head over soon."
"Can’t let Master face their interrogation alone."
"This is my mess—I’ll handle it myself."
Ye Mengfu clutched her sleeves: "Then I’ll—hic!"
She wanted to say she’d go with Mo Shangying,
but the sheer thought of the impending confrontation sent her into another hiccuping fit.
Mo Shangying took her hand:
"Heh, you’re the best, Fufu."
"Stay here and wait for me. They only asked for me anyway."
"No need for you to show up. I’ll send Master back to keep you company."
Ye Mengfu: "…"
Mo Shangying: "Why do your hiccup stop the moment I mention Master?"
Ye Mengfu: "Huh? D-do they?"
——
Back in the disaster zone—er, private room—
Lin Yu: "…"
Confirmed.
The official hacker’s intel checked out.
Inside the room,
Xia Yiwei finally noticed Lin Yu standing by the table.
"Whoa?!"
"Little Master!!"
Her shock quickly turned to delight, and she blurted it out without restraint.
Xia Xiashan’s eyes widened: "Little what? Little Master?!"
Maomao’s surprise doubled: "ZerO’s apprentice is… Wei?!"
Lin Yu: "…"
Maomao’s hired stand-in was Xia Xiashan—Xia Yiwei’s sister.
Xia Yiwei had gone as far as becoming his apprentice to fight Xia Xiashan—her own sister.
Maomao had invited him and the Xia sisters to dine at the International Hotel.
Xia Yiwei had persistently invited him… also to the International Hotel.
Maomao didn’t know ZerO was Lin Yu—Xia Yiwei’s roommate.
Xia Xiashan didn’t know Xia Yiwei’s "Master" was ZerO, who was also Lin Yu—Xia Yiwei’s roommate.
Xia Yiwei didn’t know the person Maomao and Xia Xiashan had invited was her Master, who was also Lin Yu—ZerO.
Maomao only knew…
Xia Xiashan also knew…
Xia Yiwei definitely knew…
If they started comparing notes,
Lin Yu’s fake ZerO identity would be exposed in seconds.
The gazes of the three women were like three razor-sharp swords,
each pointed at Lin Yu’s throat from a different angle.
Right now,
those "three swords" were a mere 0.001 centimeters from his neck.
But in the next fraction of a second,
these three heroines would place their full trust in him.
Because he had decided to keep blowing up this lie into an even bigger bubble!
Though he’d told countless lies in his life,
this one, he believed, was his masterpiece.
A lie, as long as it remained unpopped,
was a dazzling, multicolored illusion…
Lin Yu steadied his breathing, controlling his expression.
With practiced calm, he turned to Xia Yiwei and said:
"Apprentice, what took you so long?"
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)
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?!
saw a female celebrity tied up and stuffed in the trunk! Little did he know, countless cameras were aimed at him at this moment - this was a new type of reality show. The first randomly selected passerby was caught in less than an hour. But when Xu Moru was selected, things started to take an unexpected turn. "Damn, this isn't how the script goes. This Xu Moru is too bold, he's not following the rules at all." "Crap, is this guy taking it seriously?" "The female celebrity has been scared to tears!"
ose... to cooperate with the protagonist! Shen Yuan: I have a system! Protagonist: What? System: Holy crap, you're just spilling it out like that? Shen Yuan: Let's team up, we'll split the system rewards! Protagonist: Fifty-fifty split? Shen Yuan: No way! Protagonist: What!? I'm the one getting beaten up, and I don't get half? Shen Yuan: Forty-sixty split, I get forty, you get sixty! Protagonist: Deal! Big brother, come on, hit me! As long as it doesn't kill me, beat me like you mean it! Shen Yuan: Don't worry... I will definitely protect all of you! No one but me can lay a finger on you! Guard our Heaven's Chosen Ones! I'm the only one allowed to bully them!
