Inside Xia Tongxin's villa.
Ye Cheng yawned, went to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of papaya milk, and downed it in one go.
"Gulp, gulp, gulp... Ahh, that's refreshing. Want some, Miss?" Ye Cheng blinked, looking at Shen Qinghan who was sitting there intently focusing on her game.
"No. Shut up, you're messing with my play." Shen Qinghan was still opening with her usual quick combo.
Ye Cheng: "..."
Honestly, Miss, the best strategy for you to reliably beat Little Blondie would be to just put the phone down, let the system detect you're AFK, and let the bot take over for you.
That would definitely beat Little Blondie.
Ye Cheng was still the "ultimate technical player," and even he was exhausted, needing to constantly tap skills one and two while throwing in some basic attacks.
Of course, if he got tired, he could just stop tapping—it wouldn't affect his high score anyway... This mechanic was just too great!
They definitely needed to harshly punish those salty players who climbed ranks by grinding and never spent a single cent. Send them on a losing streak, teach them that effort is pointless!
These were exactly the people ruining game balance. All day they thought about getting better at the game instead of making more money and dumping it into the game. Focusing on improving skill? Pfft. They deserved the penalty!
"Beep beep beep..."
"The President is calling..."
Ye Cheng only had Do Not Disturb turned off for one or two people, and as luck would have it, Dongfang Zhixia was one of them.
The moment the ringtone went off, the entire hall went silent. Everyone's gaze snapped to Ye Cheng simultaneously.
Ye Cheng: "..."
"Wh-what are you all looking at me for?" Ye Cheng swallowed hard and silently ended the call from Dongfang Zhixia.
"Wrong number, you heard wrong."
He wasn't stupid enough to pick up that call right now. That would be like turning on a flashlight in a porta-potty to look for crap—asking for disaster.
Meanwhile.
A thousand meters away, on a rooftop.
Dongfang Zhixia: "???"
"Damn it, he actually dared to hang up on me!"
Dongfang Zhixia gritted her teeth. She didn't call him again but sent a message first.
"I know you're awake. I'm calling you again now. I'll pretend you pressed it by accident last time. But if you 'accidentally' press it again, I will come over right this instant. I mean what I say."
"Feel free to test me."
Message sent...
Sending...
Sent successfully.
Dongfang Zhixia was keeping an eye on Ye Cheng's place through her binoculars. Ye Cheng saw the message, and his face instantly twisted like he'd just lost all his save files, a mask of pure agony.
Dongfang Zhixia snorted lightly. But a second later, her smile disappeared.
She watched as Ye Cheng made a strange motion—he touched his head twice... no, several times, then suddenly turned and looked directly toward her hiding spot.
Thousands of meters apart, eyes met.
Dongfang Zhixia: "???"
"No way!" She jumped back half a step, nearly dropping the binoculars from her hands.
When she looked again, Ye Cheng had already shifted his gaze elsewhere, doing the same "staring" in other directions.
"A coincidence?" Dongfang Zhixia's expression turned strange, her voice uncertain as she muttered to herself.
Coincidence... my ass!
Ye Cheng was left with no other choice. He knew using his precognition ability had nasty side effects and could end up screwing him over badly later, but under these circumstances, he had no choice.
There was this weird prickling sensation, like someone was watching him. Not sure what it meant... poke around a bit and he'd find out.
That was why, from Dongfang Zhixia's perspective, Ye Cheng had just randomly started "scratching his head." It was never about scratching—he was tapping on the bubbles forming on his scalp, using his precognition.
He confirmed what was going to happen, and... what the hell, he saw President sitting in another villa with a pair of binoculars, staring at him without moving a muscle.
Jesus Christ...
Was this a setup or what? Who would ever guess that at this hour, the President of all people would still be awake, zooming in on him with binoculars?
Who acts like that? That was just pure psycho behavior!
"Beep beep beep..."
"The President is calling..."
In the hall, another call from Dongfang Zhixia came through. The atmosphere grew even heavier. Six eyes all zeroed in on Ye Cheng simultaneously.
Ye Cheng: "..."
Don't look at me like that. We're not that close yet. Thanks.
"Gulp."
Ye Cheng swallowed again and, with a look of resigned determination, picked up the call.
"Why didn't you answer just now?"
The President's questioning voice echoed through the hall. Not far away, on the sofa, Shen Qinghan's brows furrowed slightly as her attention shifted from her phone.
Ye Cheng: "..."
She already saw everything. Making excuses now would just get him killed. Might as well be a man and own it... Yeah, I just didn't want to answer, what about it?!
"I accidentally pressed the wrong button. Seems like I've been low on calcium lately—guess I didn't drink enough milk as a kid—my hand cramped up. Aw, President, my other hand is cramping too—"
Ye Cheng clutched his hand and put on a whole performance in the middle of the hall, screaming like he was in real agony. Anyone who didn't know better would think he genuinely pulled a muscle.
Dongfang Zhixia: "???"
"Enough. Shut up. Come by tomorrow, I'll buy you some milk."
Dongfang Zhixia's voice came through the phone, and this took an unexpected turn. No scolding. No criticism.
Instead, she gently offered to buy milk for the "cramping" Ye Cheng.
Wait... this can't be right?
A giant question mark popped up over Ye Cheng's head. When did the President suddenly change her tune? Why was she being... so gentle?
A rare opportunity like this—time to test the waters some more.
"Agh—" Ye Cheng let out another scream.
Dongfang Zhixia: "???"
"What is it now?"
"I think my bank balance is running a bit low. My heart hurts." Ye Cheng clutched his chest.
Dongfang Zhixia: "..."
Head Maid: "..."
Shen Qinghan: "..."
Xia Tongxin: "I have money! I have money! I have money! Cheng, I'll give you some!"
Enter Xia Tongxin's gold zone... Open!
She grabbed another phone and started furiously transferring funds to Ye Cheng. The cold, mechanical notification... oh wait, no, the warm, loving notification sounds started ringing!
"Green Bubble: You have a pending transfer of 100,000 yuan!"
"Green Bubble: You have a pending transfer of 100,000 yuan!"
"Green Bubble..."
Dongfang Zhixia: "???"
Head Maid: "..."
Miss, there's a chance—just maybe—they were joking and didn't actually want money?
"Who was that talking?" Dongfang Zhixia's confused voice came from the other end of the line.
Ye Cheng: "..."
Great. Look what you've done now. Are you happy, Little Blondie?
"Uh... I think you must have misheard?"
"Do I look like I'm some dumb rich girl you can fool?" Dongfang Zhixia's voice was calm and flat as she spoke.
Shen Qinghan: "..."
Shen Qinghan, who had been silent all along, stood up. A cold aura emanated from her, and without saying a word, she simply stood there, quietly watching Ye Cheng make his phone call.
From a rooftop a thousand meters away, Dongfang Zhixia could see all of this clearly through her telescope and was stifling a laugh.
She was doing this on purpose. The point was to punish Ye Cheng. Who told him to run off today, and also... this morning, when she came out of the bathroom—
"Don't treat me like her, and don't think I'll believe everything you say," Dongfang Zhixia snorted coldly over the phone.
"Yes, yes, President is incredibly sharp-witted," Ye Cheng flattered.
Thump.
Without any warning, his foot got stepped on—softly, actually... not bad, 666, even got a free massage out of it.
Dongfang Zhixia narrowed her eyes, watching the scene through the telescope. "Come with me to the hospital tomorrow."
"I'm not sick, President?"
"I know you're not sick. It's just a check-up."
"Oh, oh, I see. No need, President. I'm in pretty good shape," Ye Cheng declined.
"If you're in good shape, then a check-up shouldn't be a problem, right? You're not feeling guilty about something, are you?"
Dongfang Zhixia gripped the railing tightly.
She couldn't handle Ye Cheng on her own anymore. If she tried to talk to him one-on-one, he would most likely run off again, and today's scene would just repeat itself, plus she'd get attacked by a certain problem child.
But if she changed her approach and pulled Shen Qinghan into this with her, the two of them could corner Ye Cheng and drag him to the hospital for a check-up.
Once the truth came out...
Even if it turned out that nothing was seriously wrong, and she was just overthinking things, at least she wouldn't be on edge every single day. And on this matter, she was willing to give up part of her say to Shen Qinghan.
Compared to winning arguments or losing face, what she cared about more was the state of Ye Cheng's health.
What she wanted right now was exactly this situation—creating the impression for Shen Qinghan that she, Dongfang Zhixia, knew nothing. In this kind of conversation, Ye Cheng would be caught off guard, and Shen Qinghan would be forced to step in.
On the other end of the line—
Ye Cheng's expression shifted, his heart sinking. He seemed to realize what the President was about to do... no, no, no, that kind of thing is forbidden!!!
Oh no. He had to hang up the phone, fast!
The moment this thought crossed his mind, Shen Qinghan moved. She snatched the phone from his hand, locked her arm around his throat, and pinned him to the ground.
The whole sequence was so smooth it was almost excessive. Ye Cheng was subdued before he even realized what hit him.
Ye Cheng: "..."
Miss, you...
Miss, wake up! The President is the enemy! She's tricking you, Miss! Don't fall for it!
The brilliance of Dongfang Zhixia's plan was that once it started, it couldn't be stopped. At the very least, the power to stop it wasn't in Ye Cheng's hands.
It was in Dongfang Zhixia's hands, in Shen Qinghan's hands—just not Ye Cheng's.
Dongfang Zhixia could choose not to say anything more and stop pressing the issue. Shen Qinghan could hang up the phone, or pretend she hadn't heard, or interrupt the conversation... everyone except Ye Cheng.
If he spoke up and revealed that the Miss was listening too, he'd be dead. If he hung up, it would confirm that he had something to hide, which would also be death.
There was no dodging this open scheme!
Oh, and one more thing... well, the Miss was more talented than she looked, the kind with hidden depths, and as for how Ye Cheng knew that—
Well, with the position he was in right now, it was kind of impossible not to notice.
Ye Cheng: "..."
Damn it. President, stop it! I won't run anymore! Shut up, don't say any more!!!
Shen Qinghan placed the phone next to Ye Cheng's ear and pinched him hard, making it clear—keep talking.
Ye Cheng: "..."
I'm not saying anything!
A thousand meters away, watching everything through the telescope, Dongfang Zhixia had seen it coming. If she hadn't witnessed this, she might have asked if there was anyone else around, or gone back to fixating on the Xia Tongxin situation.
But now... her target was clear!
She would temporarily borrow the strength of a certain problem child to join forces and subdue a certain bastard who refused to get himself checked!
He wouldn't talk? She'd expected that. She'd just say it herself!
"This morning, you suddenly collapsed and coughed up a lot of blood..."
The moment those words came out, the Head Maid shot to her feet, disbelief and shock in her eyes as she stared at Ye Cheng... His condition had already gotten this bad? He hadn't even been honest with her about that?!
Ye Cheng: "..."
No, Xiaxia, don't fall for it, the President is trying to ruin me, it's not true!!!
Shen Qinghan, pressed against Ye Cheng's back, suddenly stiffened. Her pupils shrank sharply as she trembled, ever so slightly...
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?!
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
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!
