In the hotel, room 777.
Ye Cheng stared at the phone that had already been hung up, falling into silence.
"It shouldn't be a problem, right?" Ye Cheng rubbed his smooth chin and spoke somewhat uncertainly, muttering to himself.
"Ah, forget it." Ye Cheng said offhandedly, then exited the chat interface, ready to continue scrolling through those delightfully brain-rotting short videos. No more, he couldn't keep thinking about this, otherwise he might start growing a brain soon.
It was already nighttime, the perfect time to watch brain-rotting videos to make his mind smooth. How could he allow himself to grow a brain?
If he grew a brain now, what would he do if he couldn't sleep later? No way, today he absolutely had to binge-watch a couple more brain-rotting videos to crush any brain cells that were about to sprout back down.
Origin... oh wait, no. Brain-rot videos, activate!
"Mmm... baby... you smell so good... hehe..."
Ye Cheng was watching the brain-rot videos very intently. Tang Yuyao, who had already fallen asleep, was hugging Ye Cheng and babbling incessantly in her dreams, looking utterly gleeful. Even in her dreams, the corners of her mouth were turned up wildly.
All those cheesy romance dramas, brainless short series, and idol shows she'd watched before were now coming in handy, playing and acting out on a loop in her mind after getting drunk.
She became the female lead, the apple of the domineering CEO's eye, the white moonlight of the cold academic genius, the childhood sweetheart of the handsome school heartthrob... She had many identities, but the one constant was that all the male leads' faces were replaced by Ye Cheng's...
"Woman, after drinking my vintage 1982 iced black tea, you are mine from now on. Don't even think about escaping my grasp for the rest of your life..."
This domineering CEO spoke with a distinct whiff of iced black tea. Something felt off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. In her sleep, Tang Yuyao's delicate eyebrows furrowed.
Why did this CEO seem a bit strange... why was it iced black tea...
"Why... iced black tea..." Tang Yuyao murmured in her sleep.
Hearing "iced black tea," Ye Cheng's brain automatically captured the keyword. He stopped his silly, almost simple-minded grinning, perked up, and swayed his head left and right like a radar, as if searching for something.
"Iced black tea? Where's the iced black tea!" His eyes shone brightly, as if looking for a great beauty.
"Go die... mmm..." Tang Yuyao continued talking to herself, mumbling as if she was cursing someone?
Ye Cheng's gaze locked onto Tang Yuyao, feeling like his feelings had just been toyed with. Ye Cheng reached out and pinched Tang Yuyao's cheek, giving it a tug.
Hmm... the texture was quite nice, soft and smooth, like a steamed egg just taken out of the pot.
"Practicing even in your dreams?" Ye Cheng raised an eyebrow, sucking in a sharp breath. He always thought Tang Yuyao was a natural talent at cursing people, but it turned out she was a hard worker, not forgetting to train her trash talk even while asleep. This woman was truly terrifying!
Ye Cheng decided to step up his efforts at fishing in his friend circle later.
This was a rare opportunity. Tang Yuyao was drunk and asleep. If he didn't take revenge now and get a few more jabs in, he wouldn't get another chance after she woke up.
For his own safety, Ye Cheng also needed to record some self-preservation videos. Tang Yuyao's state earlier had been a bit too... "liberated." Ye Cheng hadn't even dared to pull out his phone to film.
If he did, he'd probably be chopped into mincemeat and that would be the end of it.
Now that she was bundled up so tightly, it should be fine. Although... it felt a bit like the proverbial ostrich burying its head in the sand. After all, for Ye Cheng, who had always had exceptional memory since childhood and now possessed a photographic memory, he had already memorized every detail at first glance.
Chanting mantras for a pure mind was useless; he remembered everything clearly. Even worse, in front of Ye Cheng's powerful brain, it could automatically fill in some... rather inappropriate mental images.
To put it simply, one more look and it would be explosive, ooh jiggy bebe...
Anyway, Ye Cheng didn't dare look more. It was better to think less about such adult-only stuff, otherwise he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight. Later, he might feel the urge to become a "Celestial Dragon," and then the young lady would probably perform a cross-dimensional pursuit and toss a "Purify" his way, and he'd be pacified.
Quietly, Ye Cheng opened his camera and began setting up professional poses. First, an appetizer—a funny face, then...
Click, click, click...
A few minutes later, Ye Cheng looked at his phone's photo album, now completely filled, feeling a strange sense of pride. Hmm, satisfied, completely filled!
After doing all this, Ye Cheng admired his work contentedly for a while. He glanced at the time—it was already past 1 AM. Time to sleep. He had to pick up the young lady tomorrow morning and then deliver flowers to the president... thinking about it, there was quite a lot to do.
Ye Cheng got up, click, turned off the room light, and lay back down on the bed, ready to sleep to conserve energy for tomorrow... oh wait, no, it was already today. For today's tasks.
Besides, staying up late is bad for your health...
"Wait, if I pull an all-nighter straight through, does that still count as staying up late?" Ye Cheng suddenly had a "brainwave," turning into a clever little imp.
Silently, the pitch-black room was once again illuminated by the glow of a phone screen, accompanied by... the sound of Ye Cheng's silly chuckling.
"Hehe, nice, love to watch..."
Half an hour later.
"No, can't keep going like this. Sleep!" Ye Cheng, having learned his lesson through pain, resolutely turned off his phone, ready to sleep.
Thirty seconds later, Ye Cheng sat up: "Will it rain tomorrow?"
Half an hour later.
"Hehe, nice, love to watch..." Ye Cheng grinned widely, chuckling. He glanced at the time on his phone—it was already 1:30 AM.
Ye Cheng: "..."
"Dammit, what are you doing? Sleep!" Ye Cheng was furious. He turned off his phone, ready to sleep.
Thirty seconds later...
"Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Let me look it up..."
Soon after, the room was filled with the sound of a very synthetic, robotic-sounding voice from a brain-rotting educational video: "Eggs are one of the most common things in daily life, rich in high protein, an essential food we cannot do without. So the question is, does anyone know which came first in the world, the chicken or the egg..."
One hour later...
"DAMMIT!!!"
"If I don't sleep now, it'll be dawn!"
Ye Cheng was enraged. Once again, he resolutely turned off his phone, ready to sleep. This time he was determined. Not even Jesus could stop him, he said so himself!!!
Thirty seconds later.
"Speaking of which, when Jesus plays hide-and-seek, does covering his eyes with his hands count as cheating?"
3 AM.
Ye Cheng finally put down his phone with satisfaction. His eyes were a bit red and dry from looking at the phone in the dark.
"Alright, sleep." Ye Cheng closed his eyes, turned off his phone, and placed both hands folded on his chest, like a well-behaved kindergarten kid ready to fall asleep.
Thirty seconds later.
"Gurgle—" Ye Cheng's stomach growled.
Ye Cheng kept his eyes closed.
"Gurgle, gurgle—" Ye Cheng still kept his eyes closed.
"Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle—"
Ye Cheng's eyes snapped open.
"Stop gurgling, damn it! Do you have any idea what time it is?!" Ye Cheng's eyes were bloodshot, furious, and he began violently slapping his own eight-pack abs and his exceptionally defined muscle lines.
"Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle, gurgle..."
Ye Cheng: "..."
A few minutes later.
Ye Cheng, wearing a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, left room 777. Bang, the door closed, plunging the room into darkness. By the moonlight from the window, one could faintly see a few more ropes had been added to the sleeping Tang Yuyao.
It was still the Heavenly Emperor Ye taking out his ultimate imperial weapon to suppress and seal the source of the eerie... before heading off to get some grub.
In such a huge hotel, there was damn well nothing to eat, not even a single biscuit. Ye Cheng scrolled through food videos for a while, then finally took a couple of gulps from the tap.
After drinking, feeling slightly fuller, he finally left the hotel to forage outside, searching for wild food... Oh, my goodness gracious, look what I've found, a wild loaf of bread. Shh, keep it down, don't startle it. Oh, my, look how plump and delicious it is...
Ding!
The elevator doors slid open. Ye Cheng was heading to the convenience store outside to hunt for wild instant noodles. The hotel's instant noodles were too expensive, a damn 66 bucks a cup. Not to mention it's quite an auspicious number. Ye Cheng squatted in front of the vending machine, checking repeatedly to see if there was a missing decimal point in the middle.
Your grandmother's triangular basket! The night sky isn't as dark as your pricing!
Damn!!!
Once again, Ye Cheng was moved to tears by his own poverty, swearing that in his next life he'd definitely steal something worthwhile. Wearing slippers, he stepped out of the elevator, yawned, and headed outside.
"What's this..."
After finishing his yawn, Ye Cheng turned his head and suddenly noticed it seemed like some big shot was arriving outside. Rows of cars, a large number of bodyguards and maids were standing at the hotel entrance, apparently waiting for someone.
Click. A car door opened. The head maid, supporting Xia Tongxin who had just returned from the hospital with gauze wrapped around her head, walked carefully.
"Young Mistress, please take it slow, don't fall..." The head maid was full of worry, fine sweat beading on her forehead.
She absolutely couldn't get hurt now. Just earlier, after the head maid reported the bump on Xia Tongxin's head to the Madam, the Madam had already erupted in anger, and it seemed she would be coming personally tomorrow.
The demand on them now was simple: no more incidents involving Xia Tongxin, or they would bear the consequences!
The head maid was under immense pressure. She was the only one who knew this news and didn't dare tell the others below, otherwise the junior maids might burst into tears from fright. The bodyguards probably wouldn't cry, but it would still cause widespread anxiety.
The head maid bore all the pressure alone, just hoping her young mistress wouldn't have any more mishaps now, otherwise... they would really face the Madam's reckoning, driven by her fierce protectiveness.
If Xia Tongxin really had another accident now, the one crying wouldn't be Xia Tongxin this time, it would be the head maid... Wuwuwu, please no, Young Mistress, wuwu...
From leaving the food stall, to going to the hospital, and finally returning, Xia Tongxin had been in a sleeping state, very docile. The head maid also breathed a sigh of relief. The sleeping Young Mistress was the most well-behaved.
If she woke up, then it would really be...
"Wuu..."
Speak of the devil. Before the head maid could even finish exhaling that sigh of relief, her heart leapt into her throat. Their young mistress had woken up.
"Wuwuwu, Grandpa Cow, wuwu..." Xia Tongxin's voice was fragile upon opening her mouth, still that supremely adorable loli voice, looking pitiful. She seemed to have forgotten everything else, only remembering this business with Ye Cheng, and started grieving right there.
Fortunately, with the alcohol still in her system, this state didn't last too long. Soon, Xia Tongxin stopped crying. Although she still looked very sad, it was much better than before.
The only not-so-great part was... their young mistress was becoming rebellious again.
"Young Mistress, shall I carry you?" the head maid tentatively asked.
"No way, I'm not a child... wuwu, you're all evil cows, big idiots, wuwu, you all treat me like a child. I don't want that, I'm not a child, I'm already twenty years old, wuwu..."
Xia Tongxin whimpered and sobbed, her eyes red, her little face flushed, clinging to the head maid, adorable to the point of explosion.
Head maid: "..."
The head maid ultimately couldn't win against her young mistress and had to compromise, letting her walk back on her own. She regretted it; she shouldn't have asked that question earlier. She should have just picked her up directly and carried her back. Their young mistress probably wouldn't have said anything.
Indeed, she had failed again.
The head maid shouldered all the responsibility herself, her eyes becoming much more determined. She swore that this time, she would definitely take good care of their young mistress and absolutely not let any accident happen!
Safely escort her to the hotel where they were staying!
The head maid thought, and after making her resolution, she snapped back to reality to find her young mistress had run off again.
Head maid: "???"
This time, the head maid didn't even have time to let out a sharp shriek. Seeing her young mistress already rolling on the ground ahead, her heart felt like it was being squeezed. She stepped on her maid-specific black high heels, lifted her skirt, and ran swiftly towards Xia Tongxin.
"Young Mistress, get up quickly, the ground is dirty!" The head maid was so anxious she was about to cry. They couldn't afford any more trouble now. Their Madam was probably already on a plane and would arrive before daybreak.
The head maid didn't even notice that her voice now carried a hint of tears and an inexplicable grievance.
Taking care of a child was not easy, especially one like Xia Tongxin, whom Ye Cheng had rated as a "demon pill."
Xia Tongxin lay face-down on the ground, wriggled a couple of times. Feeling the head maid's hands reach under her armpits, Xia Tongxin became somewhat agitated and started acting like a cockroach again, and moreover, like a cockroach that had been sprayed with insecticide.
Her little arms and legs flailed about wildly.
"No, I want to, I want to be on the ground, I want to, wuwuwu... I want to, sniffle, sniffle..." Xia Tongxin's little face was flushed, drunk, and throwing a tantrum there.
Xia Tongxin kept talking to herself while crying, as if she had suffered a great injustice, unaware that the head maid was also about to cry.
Squandered dowry, rebellious young mistress, shattered her... The head maid was about to crack.
Seeing this, the head maid didn't dare to use force anymore. She could only watch her young mistress roll on the ground, silently praying in her heart that nothing else would happen.
Gulululu, Xia Tongxin flailed for a good while, then started rolling, heading towards the front...
She rolled quite fast, at least... much faster than walking.
Thump!
She hadn't rolled for long before Xia Tongxin stopped. The drunken Xia Tongxin was immersed in the world of being a caterpillar. Even after bumping into someone and stopping, she showed no intention of getting up at all.
Instead, she transformed into a stubborn donkey. First, she rolled back a little, as if gathering strength, and then... accelerated to ram the obstacle in front of her.
Thump!
This time, however, it bumped squarely into a slipper—or, to be more precise, onto Ye Cheng's foot. Seemingly unhappy about the collision, the groggy Xia Tongxin didn't even bother to look before giving Ye Cheng a bite...
"Yowch!"
Ye Cheng: "..."
The head maid not far away: "???"
"Ahhh!!! Young Miss!!!"
The head maid's shrill shriek echoed through the hotel lobby.
...
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
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.
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
