“Crazy.”
Tang Yuyao muttered a couple of disgruntled remarks under her breath on the way back, then happily carried her two papayas toward the kitchen.
She squatted in the kitchen with her phone, researching the hundred unspoken secrets of papayas and talent, and the more she read, the colder her back felt.
“What a scheming maid!” Tang Yuyao said fiercely, clenching her fists.
At the doorway, Tang’s Mother still refused to give up and went outside to look around once more, as if waiting for some miracle to happen.
“Huh? Xiaobao, why are you here alone with all these papayas?”
Tang’s Mother widened her eyes, staring at the mountain of papayas almost as tall as her, and fell silent. Her little nephew was still there, desperately elbowing the papaya mountain behind him.
He used every ounce of strength he had, but the papaya mountain behind him wouldn’t budge an inch. Then—thud—he was spent, completely spent. The little nephew collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Tang’s Mother: “???”
A few minutes later.
With Old Master Tang’s help, they successfully moved the papaya mountain back inside.
Old Master Tang’s physique was on full display—he lifted the whole thing with one hand, hauled it onto his shoulder, and started walking toward the yard, asking as he went.
“Gui Lan, where does this go? Why are you into papayas again lately? What do we do if this many goes bad?”
Tang’s Mother: “…”
This hoarding behavior wasn’t just a habit of Tang Yuyao’s—it was also Tang’s Mother’s thing. Whenever she liked something to eat, she’d buy a ton of it at once and stockpile it at home.
Old Master Tang was used to it by now.
As for the leftovers... they all went to Tang Shouye and Old Master Tang.
“Go eat yours.” Tang’s Mother shot Old Master Tang a look, then carried her unconscious grandson inside to rest.
Old Master Tang: “…”
He watched for a moment, then went back to sitting in the yard, staring at the chess puzzle he hadn’t fully cracked yesterday. Almost there—he had a feeling today he’d finally figure it out!
In the kitchen.
Gurgle, gurgle...
The papayas simmered in the pot, and Tang Yuyao moved around like a sorcerer, constantly tossing ingredients in and stirring now and then.
It looked less like cooking and more like brewing a potion. Off to the side lay a knocked-over milk carton, half an egg, and some cream...
“This is exactly how it says to do it, so why does it look so wrong? How can this book just lie like that?”
Tang Yuyao never internalized blame. When she hit a problem, her first instinct was to pass the buck.
It wasn’t her cooking that was bad—it was the author of the book and the recipe who had the problem, which caused her to fail. That had to be it. No, it was definitely it. How infuriating!
Tang’s Mother just came out of the house and caught the smell drifting from the kitchen.
“Eldest daughter, what are you brewing in there?”
Tang Yuyao: “…”
“Cooking. What do you mean ‘brewing’? What kind of talk is that?” Tang Yuyao put her hands on her hips, ladle in hand, looking utterly defiant.
When something’s out of the ordinary, there’s bound to be a reason.
Tang’s Mother knew her eldest daughter’s on-again, off-again nature all too well. She’d been discouraged by cooking just yesterday, so even if she wanted to keep learning, it would probably be days later before she picked it up again.
She hadn’t bounced back yet yesterday, but today she was suddenly all fired up—that was clearly suspicious. She’d definitely been provoked!
Add to that the fact that she went out with someone and came back alone...
Tang’s Mother had pieced together most of it. Not only was she provoked, she was provoked by a girl around the same age—otherwise, she wouldn’t be reacting this strongly.
“What are you looking at!” Tang Yuyao snapped, hugging her two papayas to block Tang’s Mother from coming closer.
Tang’s Mother: “…”
She glanced at the book her eldest daughter was shielding—One Hundred Ways to Make Papaya.
Tagline hints: The secret to women getting bigger and prettier, it’s too late if you don’t try now, from this moment on—long live the papaya...
Tang’s Mother: “…”
Seeming to think of something, she glanced over and said with a strange expression: “Girl, yours are already big enough, aren’t they?”
Tang Yuyao: “???”
She never expected her mom to catch on that fast. Her face flushed crimson at visible speed, turning the color of pig liver, and she quickly hid the book behind her.
“You little old lady, what’s going on in that head of yours? Think cleaner thoughts, okay? This is a civilized society!”
“I’m just looking to switch up my diet lately! I have no idea what you’re talking about!”
Tang’s Mother: “…”
The only thing tough on her was her mouth. Tang’s Mother shook her head: “Alright, Eldest daughter, fine, you don’t understand. There’s too many papayas anyway—I’ll just grab a couple to eat, yeah?”
“Whatever, go on, get lost, you little old lady...” Tang Yuyao shooed her away.
Tang’s Mother: “…”
Before long.
Tang’s Mother and the little nephew, who had woken up after fainting, sat in the yard munching on papayas—one old, one young.
“Oh, so that’s what it was. Grandma was wondering why you came back looking so dazed. And she still won’t admit it.” Tang’s Mother shook her head and took a bite of papaya.
Mm, actually tasted pretty good.
The little nephew, now fully awake, finally got to eat the papayas he’d been craving. But for some reason, they didn’t taste quite as good as he’d imagined.
Every muscle in his body ached, but the moment he thought of Xiao Hong’s adoring expression, he felt energized all over again, and the soreness didn’t seem to matter anymore.
He was ready to become a nuclear-powered donkey.
“Xiaobao, tell grandma—what did that pretty sister look like?” Tang’s Mother asked.
The little nephew thought for a moment and said: “Age-wise, about the same as Little Aunt? No, wait, she seemed younger than Little Aunt. Big eyes, really pretty. Not as tall as Little Aunt, but way better tempered than her—gentle...”
Tang’s Mother: “…”
The more he talked, the darker Tang’s Mother’s face got. This was a complete defeat. No wonder she was in such a panic.
As for the papaya thing, the little nephew was clever. He kept that detail hidden, not saying he wanted the papayas himself—only that Little Aunt saw the other woman buying them and had to have them too.
Tang’s Mother didn’t overthink it. Honestly, that was exactly something her daughter would do—made sense.
“Grandma, is Little Aunt’s husband dumped yet? That maid sister is so pretty and gentle. Little Aunt is like a tyrannosaurus rex... uh...”
The little nephew sighed and took another big bite of his papaya, looking rather reflective.
Tang’s Mother: “…”
If even a kid could see what was going on, how could she, as the elder, keep playing dumb?
There were even more potential rivals than she’d imagined. And now here was another one around the same age as her daughter... Yeah, there really wasn’t much of a chance.
That woman was considerate and gentle, while her own daughter just acted like a tyrannosaurus rex...
Tang’s Mother: “…”
“Grandma, can you make Little Aunt try harder? I really like Uncle-in-law.” The little nephew said offhandedly.
Tang's Mother was taken aback; it was the first time she had heard her little grandson say such a thing.
"Uncle-in-law is good at playing games, he's handsome too, and I can tell Grandpa likes him as well. We'll be family from now on..."
And of course, the most important point—only Uncle-in-law seemed able to control Little Aunt before she turned into a T-Rex. That way, he wouldn't get hit anymore, hahaha!!!
Her younger son's words made Tang's Mother pause for a brief moment.
They had gotten along so smoothly before that she hadn't noticed anything off, not even a single detail worth paying attention to. It seemed... as if this was just how it was meant to be.
Isn't that the most comfortable way for a family to get along?
To feel that way with an "outsider"... perhaps he wasn't really an outsider after all.
"Hmm, Grandma likes him too. So let's step it up and try to win your Uncle-in-law back from those other girls."
"Why do we have to 'win' him? Isn't tricking people a bad thing, Grandma?"
Tang's Mother: "..."
"Hey, look at how clueless your Little Aunt is. If we don't trick him, do we even stand a chance?" the old lady sighed.
The little nephew nodded, half understanding, then as if a thought struck him, he started talking about what had happened with Xiao Hong earlier. After hearing it all, Tang's Mother was left utterly speechless.
"Grandma, do you think I've got a shot?" the little nephew asked, his eyes full of hope as he looked at his grandmother.
Tang's Mother: "..."
So this was it—every single one of them thought they had a shot. A shot, like in a circus act?
This family, without her, would surely fall apart sooner or later...
Tang Yuyao was still in the kitchen, busy brewing her concoctions.
...
Night fell.
Somewhere in the big city, in an abandoned factory.
Screech—a black official car came to a halt. Dongfang family bodyguards brought over a man with blindfolded eyes.
The moment the hood was lifted, a blinding light flooded into the middle-aged man's eyes. He squinted instinctively, then took in the person who had "invited" him here.
A... girl who seemed to have stepped straight out of a comic book sat on a table across from him, arms crossed, watching him with an air of calm confidence.
"Spare me! I've got an eighty-year-old mother bedridden at home and a three-year-old son with dementia..."
He rattled it off without missing a beat—smoother than a tongue twister.
Dongfang Zhixia: "..."
This guy... doesn't exactly seem all there in the head either?
Dongfang Zhixia furrowed her brow. "Shut up."
The middle-aged man immediately fell silent, because the Dongfang family bodyguards had swarmed around him—if he didn't behave, he'd be getting a lesson in fists and feet soon enough.
He knew the drill too well; that's how it always went in the TV dramas.
"You're—Big Smart?"
"Uh, Miss, I'm just plain 'Smart,' not 'Big Smart.'" The middle-aged man tentatively corrected the young woman before him.
A flicker of impatience crossed Dongfang Zhixia's eyes. She waved a hand dismissively. "Your name doesn't matter. What matters is that I have some questions for you, and... you need to keep this quiet."
As she finished speaking, one of the bodyguards stepped forward, carrying a confidentiality agreement.
They also brought out some photos—photos of Ye Cheng, grinning ear to ear.
"Do you know this man?"
Da Congming shook his head. "No."
"Beat him." Dongfang Zhixia's face turned cold in an instant, and the bodyguards dragged Da Congming off to a nearby grove of trees.
Da Congming: "???"
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
lities. One day, Qi Yuan was buying groceries when he unfortunately came face-to-face with a monster. Just when he thought he was going to die on the spot, he suddenly heard the monster's thoughts... "This aura, he's definitely not an ordinary master!" "So terrifying, so terrifying." "A fight with my back against the wall, I can't take it anymore." Qi Yuan: Ah, no one told me that my awakened ability isn't telepathy, but rather the stronger my enemies imagine me to be, the stronger I truly become. PS: Zhou Hai in the first chapter is not the protagonist.
