"Could I get one of these too, please?"
The little secretary blinked at the cafeteria staff behind the counter.
"Alright, Miss! Let's go eat!" Cheerfully balancing a lavish meal for two, she headed toward the nearest table.
Once seated, she realized her young mistress hadn’t followed.
"Huh? Miss Dongfang?"
A giant question mark practically floated above her head.
She turned to see Dongfang Zhixia standing frozen in place, her gaze locked on another serving window across the cafeteria.
The secretary scrambled up and trotted over. "Miss, what are you looking at?"
Dongfang Zhixia narrowed her eyes but stayed silent. Following her mistress’s line of sight, the secretary spotted Ye Cheng holding an enormous crab—her eyes instantly sparkled.
Oh!
The young mistress must be craving crab!
"Wait right here, Miss! I’ll go grab one!" The secretary dashed toward the neighboring window.
And then... she brushed right past Ye Cheng without a second glance.
She leaned eagerly over the counter where he’d just been. "Hello! I’d like one of those crabs, please. The same kind as before!"
Dongfang Zhixia: "???"
She was utterly baffled.
Was there any chance she’d been staring at Ye Cheng—not the crab?
Sometimes, Dongfang Zhixia seriously considered cracking open her secretary’s skull just to see what was inside. How could anyone be this clueless?
Moments later, the secretary returned triumphantly with a hefty crab, beaming.
"Hehe, Miss! I picked a plump one! Not as good as that guy’s earlier, but still pretty great!" She looked like she’d scored a bargain.
Dongfang Zhixia: "..."
"Come on, Miss! Crab’s best eaten hot. I’ll shell it for you."
Pulling her mistress along, the secretary happily settled at their table and got to work.
"Oops! Forgot the tools."
Staring at the crab, she smacked her forehead—no utensils.
"Miss, wait here! I’ll grab the tools real quick."
She bolted back toward the counter, but just as she reached it, a gust of wind rushed past—someone cut in front of her.
Ye Cheng leaned halfway through the window, practically sticking his rear out.
"Hey, could I get a crab-cracking set? Yeah, the whole thing."
"Lucky you—last one left. You sure you know how to handle it, kid? Want me to crack it for you?"
The staff member eyed him. Unlike the usual proud young nobles who dined here, Ye Cheng seemed oddly down-to-earth, chatting like they were at a market stall.
Like a husky loose in a pack of wolves—out of place, but not unlikable.
Ye Cheng took the tools with a grin. "Nah, I prefer doing it myself."
Truthfully, he was worried the staff might skim a claw or two. He wouldn’t notice missing meat, and since he couldn’t afford crab often, he’d never memorize the proper portions.
The worker shrugged and let it go with a smile.
Ye Cheng thanked them and was about to leave when, after just a few steps, he felt someone tugging at him.
"Jerk! Give that back to me!"
The little secretary grabbed Ye Cheng’s arm with both hands, putting on her fiercest expression in an attempt to mimic her young mistress’s icy demeanor, hoping to intimidate him with some kind of domineering aura.
That way, Ye Cheng would obediently hand over the item.
Unfortunately, the little secretary had a pair of harmless almond-shaped eyes—big and doe-like, making her look like an easy target.
Though already in her twenties, she appeared much younger than those around her. At first glance, Ye Cheng had already "locked onto" her.
Hmm… so this was the legendary youthful face with… ahem?
Noticing Ye Cheng sizing her up, the little secretary shuddered and quickly covered her chest with both hands.
"Y-you jerk! What are you looking at?!"
Ye Cheng glanced around, as if confirming something.
"What are you looking for?" she asked, slightly confused.
Ye Cheng nodded to himself.
Good, the president isn’t here.
If the boss isn’t around, how dare a little secretary like you pick a fight with me?
Haven’t you heard the saying? Even when beating a dog, you have to consider its owner!
Right now, he was Young Mistress Shen’s number one lackey!!! (Extremely proud, extremely loud.)
Not just anyone could mess with him—his status had undergone a qualitative leap. Nowadays, he could even drink yogurt without licking the lid!
Could you even imagine such luxury?!
A "devilishly charming" smirk spread across Ye Cheng’s face, his eyes brimming with three parts recklessness, three parts arrogance, three parts… cough—anyway, he looked every bit like a protagonist ready to show off.
"You want my UZi’s jump shot—ahem—my crab-opening tool?"
"Do you think you’re wor—ah, never mind. Not giving it to you. It’s mine."
Ye Cheng had originally planned to unleash a smooth combo of internet troll moves to tease the little secretary.
But after a second thought, it might be too harsh. The little secretary seemed naive and clueless, clearly untouched by the cruelty of society. If he made her cry, it’d be hard to clean up the mess.
Besides, last time when he was tied up in the factory, it was this same little secretary who came back to untie him. There was still some "human decency" between them.
"Give it to me! It’s supposed to be mine!" The little secretary puffed up her cheeks, refusing to let go.
"You said it yourself—supposed to be. But now it’s in my hands. What are you gonna do if I don’t give it to you? Bite me?"
Ye Cheng wore a shameless grin.
The little secretary was stunned.
A delicate girl like her had never encountered someone as shameless as Ye Cheng.
Her lips quivered, on the verge of tears. "Give it back…"
"Metropolis doesn’t believe in tears. Cry all you want—it still counts as time wasted!" Ye Cheng played the villain mercilessly, showing no pity.
The little secretary had been about to cry, but hearing his words, she swallowed her pride and held back her tears. Mustering her courage, she glared at him.
"Jerk!"
After hurling this "vicious" insult, she tightened her grip on Ye Cheng’s hand, lifted it, and bit down hard!
Ye Cheng: "…"
Before he could curse, the little secretary ducked her head and bolted toward her young mistress.
"Hey, my temper—ow!"
Ye Cheng had initially planned to corner the little secretary and tease her mercilessly, but then he met Dongfang Zhixia’s icy glare.
Despite it being the peak of summer with temperatures outside nearing forty degrees, Ye Cheng suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
Oh no—it was a trap!
Ye Cheng bolted, grabbing a crab-cracking tool nearby before darting toward Shen Qinghan.
He ducked behind her, clutching her arm tightly.
"Miss Shen, save me!" Ye Cheng’s heart rate was practically hitting two hundred.
Shen Qinghan: "…"
Ye Cheng peeked sideways and saw the little secretary pouting as she whispered something to Dongfang Zhixia, whose expression darkened. After scolding the secretary briefly, Dongfang Zhixia stood up and strode toward Ye Cheng and Shen Qinghan.
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!
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?!
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
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?!
