The hotel manager was sweating profusely.
"Have you still not found the cause of the power outage?" he snapped.
"Sorry, Manager. It might take us a while longer to troubleshoot," the worker replied nervously.
The wiring was too complex—he had no idea where the problem lay. How were they supposed to fix it in just a few minutes?
"What about the generator? Is the generator working?" the manager pressed.
The worker answered, "Manager, it's not an issue with the power supply. We need to identify which line is broken."
"Then hurry up! We can’t afford any more delays," the hotel manager said anxiously.
In the pitch-black hotel lobby, the noise grew louder.
Butler Wang rubbed his hands together impatiently and asked, "Young Master Lin, when will things officially begin?"
He was eager for the drama to unfold.
After waiting so long, he could hardly contain his excitement.
Lin Xuan checked the time and nodded. "Yes, it's been long enough. It's time to turn on the big screen."
"Got it!"
Butler Wang eagerly turned his attention back to the screen.
Lin Xuan took out his phone and began tapping away.
Click—
A moment later, the sound of a switch flipping echoed through the room, and the big screen flickered to life.
The crowd erupted in excitement.
"It's happening! The screen is finally on! Better late than never—now we get to see the show!"
"I knew it wasn’t just a simple power outage. There had to be more to it."
The attendees of the Jiang Family banquet were all socialites, business tycoons, wealthy ladies, or young masters. Most of them had impeccable manners, but gossip was in every Chinese person’s blood—they were no exception.
Now, every pair of eyes in the room was fixed on the screen.
Lin Li’s legs gave out, and he collapsed to the floor, his face ashen.
Everything was over.
As the screen lit up, two documents appeared.
Gasps filled the room.
"It's paternity test results! One for Jiang Shuqin and Lin Li, and another for Jiang Shuqin and Lin Xuan!"
"So Jiang Shuqin really is the Jiang Family’s daughter, and Lin Xuan is her biological son. That means Lin Xuan is the true grandson the Jiangs are recognizing—Lin Li is just an impostor!"
"Tsk tsk, I thought Lin Li’s mother was the one related to the Jiang Family. Turns out it really was Jiang Shuqin."
"How bold of Lin Li to deceive the Jiang Family like this!"
Lin Li stared at the expressions on the Jiang Family’s faces, his mind buzzing.
Only one thought consumed him: I’m finished.
All his efforts over the past few months had been for nothing.
A complete waste!
This must have been Lin Xuan’s doing.
Jiang Yutong scoffed. "No wonder I never felt any connection to Lin Li. On the other hand, I always had this strong urge to treat Lin Xuan like a younger brother."
So Lin Li wasn’t her cousin—Lin Xuan was.
Still, she was relieved Lin Li was a fraud. She had disliked him from the start, but out of courtesy as family, she had tolerated him. Now, she wouldn’t have to pretend anymore.
"Eldest Sister, I told you Lin Li was up to no good, but you didn’t believe me," Jiang Yutong said coldly.
Jiang Manting’s expression was complicated. "I was wrong about this."
Normally, she would have thoroughly investigated Lin Li’s background. But because he knew so much about Jiang Shuqin’s past, she had taken him at his word.
Their entire family had been fooled by Lin Li.
"What exactly is going on here?" Grandpa Jiang demanded, his face dark.
A man in the crowd spoke up. "Grandpa Jiang, you might not know this, but Lin Xuan went missing from the Lin Family when he was very young. By the time he was brought back, he was already around ten years old—and by then, the Lin Family already had Lin Li."
"After his return, Lin Xuan was neglected. The Lin Family even forced him to cut ties with them. Meanwhile, Lin Li, an adopted son, was treated like their own flesh and blood."
"Lin Li isn’t just guilty of impersonating a Jiang descendant. He’s also cheated on his partners and committed marriage fraud. If you look into it, you’ll find proof."
"Someone with such poor character would never tolerate Lin Xuan returning to the Lin Family and stealing the affection he enjoyed. I strongly suspect Lin Li is the reason the Lin Family treated Lin Xuan so poorly!"
The crowd buzzed with discussion.
"Lin Xuan leaving the Lin Family was probably all Lin Li’s doing. Lin Xuan had it rough—constantly schemed against by someone like Lin Li. Thank goodness he’s resilient, or he’d have been crushed by the Lin Family long ago."
"The Lin Family really is foolish, favoring an adopted son over their own flesh and blood."
"What a spectacle."
Jiang Shuqin’s mind flashed with memories of the past.
Could Li’er really have framed Lin Xuan?
She immediately dismissed the thought.
No, impossible. If Li’er had wanted Lin Xuan gone, he wouldn’t have pleaded for leniency on his behalf so many times.
But then… why had Lin Li betrayed her and gone to the Jiang Family behind her back?
Was it really just for the Jiang Family’s status and wealth?
Jiang Yutong and Jiang Manting exchanged glances, their eyes filled with sympathy for Lin Xuan.
They had no idea he had endured so much…
The man in the crowd smirked.
Back when Starlight Group was still thriving, his family had needed to maintain good relations with them.
Lin Li had bullied him relentlessly.
He had been waiting for revenge.
Now that Starlight Group had collapsed, he wasn’t about to let Lin Li cozy up to the Jiang Family and gain their protection.
When he learned the Jiang Family’s recognition banquet was for Lin Li, he had a hunch—
What if Jiang Shuqin is actually the Jiang Family’s daughter, and Lin Li is impersonating Lin Xuan? What if Lin Xuan is the real grandson?
He wasn’t sure, but he decided to gamble on it.
And he had been right.
Lin Li was a fraud!
Now that he had exposed everything, all that was left was to watch the fallout.
The Jiang Family wouldn’t let Lin Li off easy after this deception.
"Lin Li, can you honestly say everything I’ve said is a lie?" the man sneered.
"No! I didn’t do any of that!" Lin Li shouted, his voice frantic. "You’re lying! Lin Xuan was the one with terrible behavior—that’s why Mom, Dad, and my sisters disliked him! What does that have to do with me?"
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
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)
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
