Xue Tao couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
Su Bai had claimed he’d only just met Wan Xinyan.
But why would someone he barely knew offer to hold onto his personal belongings—and why would Su Bai agree to it?
Something was definitely going on between those two.
Xue Tao wasn’t the type to keep his thoughts to himself. Lacking any real tact, he blurted out, "Did you and Wan Xinyan chat on WeChat before?"
"Oh, a little," Su Bai replied with a cryptic smirk. "What, do I need your permission to talk to her now?"
"...No, hey, that’s not what I meant."
There’d been a hint of accusation in Xue Tao’s tone earlier, but the moment Su Bai pushed back, he instantly backed down.
Su Bai had always carried a rugged, masculine energy, but now, with the "system" backing him, his confidence was off the charts.
With a mischievous grin, he slung an arm around Xue Tao’s shoulders. "Come on, Tao, focus on the game. The girls are watching. You don’t wanna embarrass yourself and have Wan Xinyan ignore you during the trip, do you?"
"...What kind of nonsense is that?" Xue Tao forced a laugh. "That last round was just a fluke. This time, I’m crushing them!"
"Alright, I’m counting on you!"
After that, Su Bai wandered off to chat with Chu Mingzhe.
Classic psychological maneuvering.
Though Su Bai and Wan Xinyan’s strange dynamic had left Xue Tao reeling, he figured this was his chance to turn things around and make an impression.
Look on the bright side—Wan Xinyan was just holding Su Bai’s stuff, not dating him!
Maybe she was just stringing him along because he was good-looking.
A naive, broke guy like Su Bai would probably fall for it.
Sigh. Thank goodness for Xue Tao’s sharp instincts and keen perception.
He knew how to stay in control when it came to relationships.
Total win.
Meanwhile, after getting "handled" by Su Bai, Chu Mingzhe also perked up.
He’d had a realization.
Sure, the Wan sisters were eye-catching, but they probably had terrible taste.
They weren’t on the level of someone like him—a man of many talents: audiophile, amateur host, writer, folk singer, oil painter, hand-drum artist, leatherworker, silversmith, and even a disciple of Linji Chan Buddhism.
Anyway, it was Wan Xinyan who was cozying up to Su Bai.
Not Jiang Qiuran… or Chen Yusheng.
Those two weren’t the type to show up at a basketball court just to ogle guys.
So, win… Well, maybe not a win, but at least he wasn’t losing!
The revitalized trio from Room 510 faced off against another group of nameless randoms.
The local guys and the "Shanghai elite" played to their usual standards.
Thanks to his boosted physique, Su Bai dominated the paint, grabbing rebounds and scoring putbacks.
Somehow, they pulled off a 5-4 victory.
Xue Tao sank the final shot—a wide-open look after Su Bai set a solid screen for him.
As he basked in the glory of his "epic" shooting form, a girl’s voice drifted over from the sidelines:
"Why does that guy in the No. 23 jersey shoot like a bowlegged monkey…?"
Xue Tao nearly choked.
A bowlegged monkey?! That was called hang time—pure elegance!
They played two more games, trading wins.
It was the ideal scenario—both sides were evenly matched, making for intense, back-and-forth action.
Su Bai was having a blast.
Sure, his skills were mediocre, but his body was a beast now!
After an exhausting round of jumping and sprinting, the system unexpectedly chimed in:
[Ding! Host has engaged in reckless energy expenditure. Reward: +¥1,000 cash and full stamina recovery.]
Holy crap, hacks!
Su Bai was stunned. The "Indulgence System" was even more broken than he thought?
So if he burned through his stamina fast enough to trigger his body’s recovery response, he’d get it all back?
He could dominate any sports event.
Sign up for a long-distance race, sprint the first lap like a madman…
Go hard early, stay winning forever!
"Su Bai, I bought some cold drinks. Pick whichever one you want~"
Just as Su Bai was marveling at the system’s absurd mechanics, Wan Xinyan approached, holding a bulging plastic bag.
She’d bought a bunch of chilled beverages from the convenience store near the court.
Meanwhile, Su Bai’s phone and watch had been entrusted to her sister, Wan Xinyue.
She’d somehow procured a large, rigid evidence bag—the kind used at crime scenes—and placed his belongings inside.
The transparent seal made it clear she wasn’t tampering with his stuff while also respecting his privacy.
Damn, this was next-level…
Su Bai was floored. Was this the power of money? Turning every pretty girl into a Zhou Jialu-esque simp, falling over themselves to please him?
He casually grabbed a blue Gatorade, twisted off the cap, and took a few gulps.
The icy drink slid down his throat—perfect.
"Xue Tao, Chu Mingzhe, grab one too," Wan Xinyan called out to the other two.
Both looked surprised, especially Xue Tao, who frowned and stammered, "Uh… you know me?"
"Of course! You’re Xue Tao, the guy with the Magotan."
"..."
"Consider these drinks a thank-you for handling snacks on the trip. But drinks are too cheap, so we’ll treat you to lunch too—the spicy stir-fry at South Campus is great."
Wan Xinyan rattled off her plans effortlessly.
It was all so reasonable that Xue Tao couldn’t argue.
But what he really wanted to ask was: Why haven’t you accepted my friend request?
Yet some primal instinct warned him that voicing that question here would instantly turn him into a clown.
…Whatever.
Su Bai sipped his drink, studying the younger twin.
She was lively, with less of Zhou Jialu’s sharpness and more of a playful, girlish charm.
But she was also shrewd—flattering Su Bai naturally while framing their group as casual friends, never exploiting her looks to take advantage of Xue Tao.
Nice.
The "playful companion" role was still up for grabs, at least for now.
Su Bai mentally cataloged his social circle:
Xia was the face, his senior was the doting girlfriend, Chen Yusheng was the soulmate…
Speak of the devil—a tall, slender figure approached from a distance.
Black stockings, a knee-length knit dress, and a light jacket.
The whole look screamed "elegant Japanese lady," but paired with Chen Yusheng’s icy, intellectual beauty and her silky, straight black hair, she radiated "anime genius scientist" vibes…
Chen Yusheng strode forward, her gaze locked onto Wan Xinyan.
Wan Xinyan shivered, her "buns" trembling.
Yikes.
Scary much?!
The onlookers were pleasantly surprised—who would have thought Chen Yusheng, usually holed up in the lab, would come watch the boys play basketball?
Then they saw her walk straight up to Su Bai, pull a tissue from her pocket, and wipe the sweat from his face.
With a touch of awkwardness but undeniable determination, she said:
"Tonight, let's hang out together."
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!
saw a female celebrity tied up and stuffed in the trunk! Little did he know, countless cameras were aimed at him at this moment - this was a new type of reality show. The first randomly selected passerby was caught in less than an hour. But when Xu Moru was selected, things started to take an unexpected turn. "Damn, this isn't how the script goes. This Xu Moru is too bold, he's not following the rules at all." "Crap, is this guy taking it seriously?" "The female celebrity has been scared to tears!"
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.”
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
