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?"
le for a sister-in-law. But Xu Mu couldn’t bring himself to rejoice. The reason? He had transmigrated into the brainless villain of a novel—one who abused his wife, forced the Dragon King’s sister to live in a doghouse, and ended up having his ashes scattered upon the Dragon King’s return. Fortunately, Xu Mu awakened the "Justice System," and he was determined to rewrite his doomed fate. A wife should be cherished, and of course, his sister-in-law deserved to sleep in the villa’s cozy bed. When the Dragon King finally returned, he was greeted by a loving and harmonious family. Xu Mu soon realized that aside from the Dragon King, countless other protagonists began emerging—all targeting him—forcing him to fight back. You have a few breathtakingly beautiful senior sisters? Sorry, but they’re my senior sisters now. You’re a retired soldier king searching for your first love? Too bad—your "white moonlight" already sees me as hers. …
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
't think I'm that capable, I'm just trying my best to stay alive. I've been kind all my life, never did anything bad, yet worldly suffering spared me not one bit. The human world is a nice place, but I won't come back in my next life. A kind young man, who wanted to just get by singing, but through repeated deceits and betrayals, has gone down an irredeemable path.
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...
