[Note: The previous chapter has been updated—please check it out if you missed it.]
Ma Yunfang carried herself with an air of dignified grace. Even with the wrinkles on her face, one could tell she must have been quite the beauty in her youth.
Tall and exuding the bold temperament of a northern woman, her voice was deep and powerful—nothing like the delicate, timid tones of a pampered socialite.
The moment Qu Hongzhuo saw Ma Yunfang, his stern expression softened, and his tone gentled.
"Darling, this is Dr. Zhou Yi, here to treat Dad. He’ll be staying with us for a while—could you prepare a room for him later?"
"Zhou Yi, this is Auntie Ma."
Ma Yunfang’s eyes lit up as she stepped closer to scrutinize Zhou Yi.
"My, what a handsome young man! And a doctor, no less. Zhou Yi, are you seeing anyone?"
Qu Hongzhuo sighed, rubbing his forehead before shooting Zhou Yi a look—likely signaling him to find a polite way to decline.
Was Qu Hongzhuo... a little henpecked?
Zhou Yi offered a warm smile. "Hello, Auntie Ma. My name is Zhou Yi. As for a relationship... I haven’t really thought about it yet."
He flashed a bashful grin, perfectly playing the part of a shy college student.
Just like any matchmaking auntie in real life, Ma Yunfang immediately launched into a lively spiel, eager to set him up with someone.
Qu Hongzhuo had already instructed his assistant to fetch the medicine, so the three of them sat in the hallway chatting.
When Ma Yunfang excused herself to make tea, Qu Hongzhuo explained, "Your Auntie Ma doesn’t get many visitors, so she tends to get a little overexcited. Don’t mind her."
Zhou Yi couldn’t help but ask, "The two of you... don’t have children?"
Qu Hongzhuo smiled wistfully. "We had a son once. He passed away at ten. If he’d lived, he’d probably be around your age now."
Zhou Yi frowned and apologized, but Qu Hongzhuo just waved it off, quickly changing the subject.
When Ma Yunfang returned with tea, she asked curiously, "Zhou Yi, you’re so young—can you really treat illnesses? Will Dad make it through this winter?"
"Zhou Yi says he can live another two or three years. This kid’s got talent."
Ma Yunfang looked surprised. "Two or three years? Zhou Yi, you shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep. If it doesn’t work out, Old Qu has a terrible temper—he’ll curse you out."
Straightforward as ever, she assumed Zhou Yi was exaggerating to save face and kindly warned him against it.
Zhou Yi chuckled. "It’s true, Auntie Ma. Don’t worry."
Ma Yunfang burst into laughter and plopped down beside him, pulling out her phone to flip through an album of young women’s photos.
"This one in white was my former student—very gentle personality."
"This one’s the daughter of an old friend. She studied abroad and is still single."
"And this one in pink is my niece. What do you think? Pretty, right? Hmph, Little Jia’s got a bit of a temper, but she’s not a bad person."
Qu Hongzhuo sighed and tugged her arm. "Stop meddling in Zhou Yi’s love life. He’s only a sophomore—these women are all older than him. It’s not a good fit."
Ma Yunfang glared. "What do you know? ‘An older wife brings fortune,’ haven’t you heard? Besides, a catch like Zhou Yi would be snatched up in the dating scene in no time. There’s no such thing as ‘not a good fit.’"
"Our Little Jia isn’t lacking either! Back in the day, she’d have been a noblewoman. Look how pretty she is—and her hips are perfect for bearing children."
Zhou Yi nearly choked on his tea.
Internally, he marveled at Auntie Ma’s unfiltered boldness.
Perhaps because she favored her niece, Ma Yunfang added Zhou Yi on WeChat and sent him Little Jia’s contact.
"My niece’s name is Aisin-Gioro Little Jia. Our family were nobles back in the day—you wouldn’t be losing out with her, Zhou Yi."
Qu Hongzhuo scoffed. "The Qing Dynasty’s been gone for ages. Stop flaunting that ‘nobility’ nonsense."
Ma Yunfang huffed and rolled her eyes before launching into a proud recount of her family history.
Given her marriage to Qu Hongzhuo, her background was anything but ordinary.
Her ancestors were Qing Dynasty princes—if titles still held, she truly would have been a noblewoman.
Her family was influential, though she disliked the surname Aisin-Gioro and had changed it to Ma.
Her younger brother’s family now lived in a princely estate in City A, where any single artifact from their collection could fetch a fortune.
When she married Qu Hongzhuo, the dowry procession stretched for miles, with hundreds of chests of treasures in tow.
To her, the coveted courtyard homes others envied were no different from rural houses.
After hearing all this, Zhou Yi mused that if Little Jia really looked as stunning as her photo, getting to know her might not be so bad.
Still, he hesitated before adding her on WeChat.
What if this was all just Auntie Ma’s wishful thinking? He’d look like a fool.
Besides, he was busy lately—he’d deal with it later.
While Zhou Yi brushed it off, Ma Yunfang took it seriously.
The moment he left to brew medicine, she video-called Little Jia.
"Hello?"
A lazy, melodic voice answered. The screen revealed an exceptionally beautiful woman—Little Jia herself.
"Auntie, are you coming home for dinner?"
"It’s not about dinner. Little Jia, come over tonight. I’ve got a handsome guy to introduce you to."
"Auntie, who’s the unlucky guy this time? If it’s just dinner, fine. If it’s a setup, I’m not coming."
"Come on, trust me! This one’s seriously good-looking. If he’s not, I’ll never play matchmaker again."
"Really? How handsome? Handsomer than Third Cousin?"
"Your Third Cousin’s nothing! This guy’s not just handsome—he’s talented. He can cure Grandpa Qu’s illness, and he’s still in college. You like them young, right? A college boy’s young enough for you."
Little Jia sat up slightly from her reclined position, interest piqued. "A college student? Fine, since you’re so insistent, I’ll take a look. Dinner tonight?"
"Yes! I’ll be waiting. Dress nicely!"
"Sure thing, Auntie."
After hanging up, Little Jia smirked.
Then her gaze fell on the young man kneeling at her feet, and her expression soured.
She wrinkled her nose. "I told you to massage my legs, not tickle them. Are you useless? Pathetic freeloader."
She delivered a light kick—her feet pale and flawless, like carved jade.
The boy’s eyes lingered on them before he bowed his head. "Sorry, Sister Little Jia. I’ll practice more."
Little Jia smoothed her long, silky black hair, her eyes glinting with something dark.
"If you don’t improve, should I break your hands? They’re useless anyway."
The boy shuddered. "I won’t disappoint you. I’ll go learn right now."
Little Jia sneered. "Then get out. Did you think my money was that easy to take?"
The young man crawled out the door, and only then did Little Jia simmer down.
When Ma Yunfang sent Little Jia the photo of Zhou Yi brewing medicine, her eyes lit up.
Well, looks like a new toy has arrived.
and couldn't return to the real world. Finally, I gave up and decided to go with the flow, only to discover that writing a diary could make me stronger. Since no one could read it, Su Luo wrote freely, daring to pen anything and everything. Female Lead #1: "Not bad. This diary helped me steal all the protagonist's opportunities. I just want to get stronger." Female Lead #2: "I don’t care about reaching the peak of the cultivation world. Right now, I just want to enjoy the chaos." Female Lead #3: "What? Everyone around me is a spy? I’m the Joker Demon Lord?" ... It’s so strange. Why is the plot completely off track, yet the ending remains the same? Are you all just messing with me?!
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?"
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...
tions: attribute allocation, analysis, proficiency, and simulation. Specializing in mechanical alchemy, from crafting sorcerous battle armor to handcrafting mechanical maidens, his mechanical legion conquers endless realms... Relying on his wits, he begins with a student-teacher romance, wins over a female director, enslaves a female assassin and a underworld queen, becoming the husband of a Grand Duchess... He enslaves the Goddess of Magic from the divine realm, developing his power simultaneously in both the Wizard World and the Realm of Gods...
