People are, by and large, visual creatures.
Some claim they don’t judge by appearances, but that’s just their rationality elevating them beyond superficiality—when emotions take over, looks still sway judgment.
As a mother, Chen's mother was overjoyed the moment she saw her daughter walking arm-in-arm with a tall, handsome young man.
Especially since she’d already guessed this young man had covered a significant portion of her medical expenses.
A double dose of goodwill, stacked to the brim.
"Mom, I didn’t see you in the room earlier."
"Haha, the weather was just too nice—I had to take a walk." Chen's mother’s eager gaze shifted to Su Bai. "And this is…?"
"Um… my boyfriend."
Chen Yusheng remained her usual stoic self, though her grip on Su Bai’s arm trembled slightly—nerves, plain and simple.
What girl wouldn’t feel tense introducing the love of her life to her parents?
Even though Su Bai was exceptional in every way, Chen Yusheng still harbored a tiny fear that her mom might dislike his… well, style.
Middle-aged women could find countless reasons to disapprove of a young man.
Some downright bizarre.
Maybe Chen Yusheng saw Su Bai as flawless simply because love is blind.
But as it turned out, Su Bai really was that good!
Chen's mother nodded approvingly, grinning from ear to ear.
After exchanging a few words with Su Bai, she clasped his hands and spoke earnestly.
"You and Yusheng are classmates? That’s wonderful…"
"Yes, same class."
"Where’s your family from, Xiao Su? Your accent sounds local."
"Mm, from Ancheng."
"Perfect! That’s close to Jiangcheng—easy to visit each other once you settle down."
Wait, Auntie.
Are we skipping straight to the settling-down talk?
Blushing, Chen Yusheng quickly interjected, "Mom, let’s head back to the room. Su Bai brought food."
"Alright, alright."
Chen's mother turned to her wardmate. "I’ll head upstairs now. See you later."
"Ah, sure."
The wardmate was stunned.
This was nothing like she’d imagined!
In her mind, Chen Yusheng’s boyfriend should’ve been average-looking, if not plain, and probably older.
Helping with Chen's mother’s treatment? Clearly, he was serious about Chen Yusheng—no one would spend that kind of money otherwise.
By conventional wisdom, a man like that would have little to offer beyond financial stability.
Otherwise, why resort to such extreme measures to win a girl over?
Her guess? A local nouveau riche with some flaws, drawn to Chen Yusheng’s beauty, poise, and elite academic pedigree.
A girl like her would be highly sought-after in the marriage market—perfect for "upgrading the family genes," as they say.
But reality was the opposite!
He was young—Chen Yusheng’s college classmate, no less—and handsome enough to be a celebrity.
How did Xiao Chen get so lucky?
Thinking of her own daughter’s lackluster college boyfriend, the wardmate’s face fell.
Comparisons are truly the thief of joy.
It wasn’t just the wardmate.
Even Chen's mother was taken aback by Su Bai’s looks.
Not that their reactions were unreasonable.
Earlier that day, Su Bai had burned through his accumulated lottery spins out of boredom.
His luck was terrible—few worthwhile rewards.
Aside from some cash, he’d netted two attribute boosts: [Looks +3] and [Looks +5].
His original 78-point appearance stat had jumped to 86.
The system graded looks harshly: 80+ was influencer-tier, 90+ was flawless, and beyond that bordered on the mystical.
In that sense, it mirrored the charm stat.
An 86? Frankly, he was now one of Jiangcheng University’s top-tier heartthrobs.
True beauties are rare among ordinary folk.
So Chen's mother’s awe was understandable.
As for why Chen Yusheng hadn’t noticed the change? She had—she’d just chalked it up to love goggles.
Once she’d committed to Su Bai, he was the handsomest man in her world, period.
Back in the private hospital room, Chen's mother stared at the elaborate takeout packaging, perplexed.
In her experience, restaurant leftovers came in plastic containers and bags.
What was this ornate faux-antique wooden box?
Obviously a modern replica, not worth much—but "not much" only compared to real artisanal pieces.
As takeout packaging, it was absurdly extravagant.
"Mom, Su Bai specially brought Cantonese dim sum—light and tasty. Let’s eat while it’s hot."
"Thank you, Xiao Su. Auntie won’t stand on ceremony." She hesitated. "This must’ve been expensive?"
"Not really. I forgot the price, but it’s within my usual budget."
Su Bai’s reply sounded like polite reassurance, but he genuinely couldn’t remember.
He’d been distracted chatting about games with Chen Yusheng when he paid at the teahouse.
Even now, he had to check his system logs to recall the cost.
A few hundred—no big deal.
Outside Guangdong, Cantonese cuisine leans upscale, so prices skew high.
But skip the exotic seafood, and it’s manageable.
Not every meal costs thousands.
Still, Su Bai’s spending habits unsettled Chen's mother.
It also answered her unspoken question:
A catch like Su Bai wouldn’t need money to attract girls.
He’d funded her treatment because (1) he truly loved Chen Yusheng, and (2) a few million was just pocket change to him.
After the meal, while Su Bai washed up, Chen Yusheng explained his investment background.
"So he’s self-made wealthy!" Chen's mother’s delight deepened.
"Mm… his parents passed away early."
"Ah. Maybe relatives abroad? Hard to believe he’d have no backing in finance."
"Good point!"
Chen Yusheng agreed, though she didn’t really care about Su Bai’s origins.
She only cared about him.
As for Su Bai? Let people speculate—better yet, imagine some shadowy overseas dynasty.
The truth was just his system’s doing anyway.
The more they speculated, the more respect and wariness he would garner from the crowd, sparing him unnecessary trouble.

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!

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!

ver to a world of cultivation and returned invincible. Modern medicine is child's play compared to elixirs; technological might crumbles before true cultivation. My name is Qin Ning, Earth's sole cultivator!

transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”