Pitching a tent and camping had always been something of a mystery to Su Bai. In his memories of high school, those few wealthy classmates would always return from holidays bragging eloquently about where their families had taken them camping.
It seemed like an activity that sounded quite high-status and classy.
In fact, it kind of was. Camping equipment falls purely under consumption for enjoyment, and it requires a fair amount of spare time.
Take high school for example. Where would kids in provinces with fierce academic competition find the time and energy to camp? Their weekends were spent either self-studying or in cram schools.
It felt like the exclusive domain of the rich kids in the international stream; after all, they didn't really need to take the National College Entrance Exam...
Aside from that, Su Bai's entire impression of camping came from an old anime, Laid-Back Camp, a slow-paced, healing slice-of-life show about cute girls camping.
However, after actually getting his hands on the gear, Su Bai discovered that modern equipment from big brands was actually very simple, bordering on idiot-proof installation. To borrow a phrase Chen Yusheng often used, it was "equipment simple enough for a monkey to understand."
Perhaps if a monkey from Mount Emei ran over and fiddled with it a few times, it could get the thing standing upright too.
After laying down the mats inside, it was time to rest.
Zhou Jialu very thoughtfully yielded Su Bai to Xia Lin first, without fighting for him.
The two of them stared at each other inside the tent.
Xia Lin's eyes were beautiful—standard, gentle almond eyes. They didn't actually contain much seductiveness; rather, they were the kind of eyes that made you want to hold her hand and spend a lifetime with her.
Commonly known as the top-tier version of "wife material."
"Do you like camping, Sister Lin?"
"I do. I like camping, hiking, even crossing no-man's lands—I like all of it. It's a pity my parents are always busy and don't have much time to accompany me, and my friends are... well, they can't keep up with my pace."
Xia Lin wasn't lying. In reality, rich young ladies tend to be quite spoiled and incredibly high-maintenance when traveling. She and Xu Xinran were considered rare exceptions.
She didn't have many male friends, and she didn't like going out with strange men.
Naturally, there was a void, a sense of regret.
"Then I'll accompany you from now on, Sister Lin. I want to try these things too," Su Bai said sincerely.
Skiing, diving, wingsuit flying—the trendy trinity on social media for rich guys taking influencer escorts out to play.
Xia Lin was much more fun than an escort.
Su Bai now had both money and leisure, so he could give it a try.
Xia Lin expressed delight at Su Bai's proposal. "Okay! That would be the best. I feel safe with you... Mom and Dad are at ease too."
"What? Uncle and Auntie already know about me?"
"Mm... of course they know. After all, we've already..."
Xia Lin became shy again. Is this part of her underlying code? Whenever the topic touched on that aspect or involved explicit descriptions, it always made her blush and her heart race.
So cute.
Su Bai pinched her soft, elastic cheek and couldn't resist kissing her.
Before long, the two were lying on their sides on the velvet mat that covered the entire tent floor, gazing into each other's eyes from a very, very close distance, fingers interlocked.
"I really never expected that my first love... no, I should say the only lover in my life, would be a younger brother four years my junior~"
"That's a good thing."
"Why is it good? I see that young guys nowadays don't like dating older women."
Bringing this up, Xia Lin's insecurities began to tangle again. She had always been quite mindful of the fact that she was older than Su Bai. It was fine now, but when Su Bai reached twenty-seven or twenty-eight—gradually entering the age when a man is most charming—she would be an old woman in her thirties.
Damn it!
Of course, she was just muttering to herself; she wouldn't annoy Su Bai with it. Xia Lin wasn't the type of woman to whine and cry.
Su Bai smiled. "Incorrect. Older sisters have their advantages. Besides, being my woman, the problem you're talking about doesn't exist."
"Why?"
"I have a way to delay your aging."
"Huh?"
Xia Lin was shocked. Su Bai had that kind of capability?
In the eyes of a woman deeply in love, it wouldn't be strange if her beloved possessed any skill. In her eyes, Su Bai was an existence close to an omnipotent god.
But delaying aging? That was too outrageous; it belonged to the supernatural realm.
One had to realize how many wealthy people there were with more money than they could spend, yet their youth was gone, and their bodily functions had begun to decline irreversibly. In such times, even if asked to cut their assets in half... or cut them down to the ankles, they would gladly do so if it could delay aging.
"The answer is..."
Su Bai began to feed Xia Lin "something delicious."
During the barbecue earlier, Zhou Jialu and Xia Lin had fed Su Bai quite a lot. Girls are like that; doing this and that happily during a barbecue, only to realize they can't eat it all once it's cooked, so they just feed their husband... or their children if they have any.
So now, Su Bai had to give something in return!
In fact, the idea that this stuff could delay aging, improve one's constitution, and beautify the skin was an enduring urban legend. However, for Su Bai, this wasn't a legend, but a genuinely existing effect!
According to the System, this new function appeared after his physical fitness was promoted to the Intermediate level.
Later on, when he draws the Advanced Body Modification Fluid, the effects will be even more obvious.
This made Su Bai very comfortable. Just think about it: raising a harem of beauties, only for them to all get old one day while Su Bai remains young due to the System's boost. What a pity that would be. They are all good girls with many years of affection; wouldn't it be a waste?
Now that he had a way to help them extend their youth, it was much better.
Su Bai had only been grinding this System for a short while and there were already results. After grinding for a few more years, he could definitely ensure they remained eternally youthful.
Nice!
But to Xia Lin, this logic seemed purely like a joke, fitting Su Bai's abstract and slightly unhinged style.
However... she didn't hate it.
She even kind of liked this feeling of being "bullied" by Su Bai.
...
Six o'clock in the evening.
"Junior, you're really something. You played with Xia for so long and didn't save any time for me."
On the drive back, Zhou Jialu teased him with a hint of resentment in her tone.
"How was I supposed to know? Oh well, the mood was just right. You're the Grand Senior, Sister; you should yield to her."
"Hahaha, Grand Senior... you scumbag Junior~"
Zhou Jialu actually quite liked the title "Grand Senior." Come to think of it, based on the timeline, she and Chen Yusheng were indeed at the Grand Senior level. As Su Bai's group of confidantes expanded, feeling her status in the harem rise was actually pretty satisfying.
"But there is one thing you need to learn from Xia Lin," Su Bai said, changing the subject.
"What is it?"
"Her stamina is too good. Unlike you, you piece of trash, begging for mercy after just a few rounds."
"..."
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
