In the taxi.
An Yi was driving while Lin Chen sat in the back, neither speaking.
Lin Chen gazed out the window, his already cold expression growing even more stern.
An Yi hummed a tune, glancing at Lin Chen through the rearview mirror before smirking. "What, still sulking?"
Lin Chen remained silent for a long moment before finally murmuring, "Thanks."
They both knew why.
If An Yi hadn’t stopped him, he might have made a decision he’d regret for the rest of his life.
An Yi waved it off with a chuckle. "You’ve got a real problem. You act all cool and collected, but the moment you lose your temper, you’ll say anything."
Lin Chen didn’t respond, continuing to watch the scenery flash by outside.
"So… are you from the Underworld?" An Yi probed casually.
The mission for the Asura’s Legacy was only 2/9 complete.
In just a few months, he’d already secured Zhang Fan and Fang Jueming.
Bai Xiu was just waiting for his Destiny Points to rise, and Shangguan Qianqian had already become his subordinate—so she shouldn’t be too difficult either.
Compared to them, Lin Chen was the real challenge.
Their relationship wasn’t as hostile as when they first met, but getting this stubborn soldier to willingly call him "Boss" wouldn’t be easy.
An Yi had a hunch that the key to Lin Chen’s main quest, [Wolf King’s Revenge], lay with the Underworld.
Lin Chen replied flatly, "Stop prying. It’s none of your business."
"Come on, I won’t tell anyone!" An Yi said with a grin.
Lin Chen simply closed his eyes and refused to speak.
"Tch, what a poker face."
An Yi sighed and slammed on the brakes. "We’re here."
"Thanks."
Lin Chen opened the door and stepped out without another word.
An Yi glanced up at the brightly lit room on the second floor, lost in thought.
That must be Qin Yao’s room.
Wonder what she’s doing?
Tap tap!
The sound of knuckles rapping on glass snapped him out of it.
An Yi rolled down the window to see Lin Chen’s icy face staring back at him.
"Why aren’t you leaving?"
An Yi:
Back at the rental apartment.
The bedroom light was still on.
Curious, An Yi pushed the door open and couldn’t help but smile wryly.
Shen Muxuan was curled up on his bed, fast asleep, looking as adorable as a kitten.
"This girl… why does she keep sneaking into my bed? And she didn’t even change out of her hanfu—how is that comfortable?"
An Yi scratched his head and sighed before expertly pulling out his inflatable mattress.
Just then, the system notification chimed.
Ding! Side Quest [Scumbag’s Desire]! Reward: Evil Power Value +50!
"Scumbag?!"
An Yi was furious.
This damn villain system had no bottom line—how could it assign such a shameless quest?!
But the real kicker? 50 Evil Power Value.
An Yi swallowed hard.
Evil Power Value was the foundation of his strength. His resolve wavered.
[Scumbag]
Objective: Hold hands with a target for 12 hours!
Penalty: Shorten by five centimeters!
An Yi:
"Holy hell!!"
Five centimeters?!
If he failed three times, would it just… disappear?!
"SCREW THIS DAMN SYSTEM!"
It had crossed a line he couldn’t ignore!
Cold sweat drenched his back as he glanced at Shen Muxuan on the bed. Without hesitation, he lunged over and grabbed her hand.
"Mmm…"
Shen Muxuan stirred, blinking sleepily before her eyes widened in surprise. "An Yi? You… you’re back?"
"Uh, yeah. Back."
An Yi held her hand awkwardly.
"Where’ve you been? You didn’t come home for two days."
She pouted slightly, but her eyes sparkled like stars.
An Yi deflected, "More importantly, why are you sleeping in my bed instead of your own room?"
"B-because it’s hot! My room doesn’t have AC," she answered matter-of-factly.
An Yi smirked. "Really? It’s almost October. And the AC isn’t even on."
"It is hot! It just is!"
Shen Muxuan’s cheeks flushed as she lightly punched his chest in protest.
"Alright, alright. You’re burning up. Go back to sleep."
Still holding her hand, An Yi teased before whispering soothingly.
"Mm."
She smiled, biting her lip before snuggling closer and drifting off again.
As he watched her sleep, hand in hand, thoughts of Lan Ruoxi surfaced, leaving An Yi conflicted.
Was he a scumbag?
No, no.
By the rules of his homeland, the Ancient Continent, this didn’t count! He wasn’t even from this world!
With that rationalization, he fell asleep guilt-free.
The next morning, sunlight streamed in.
Still half-asleep, An Yi felt his nose tickling unbearably.
"Achoo!"
He sneezed awake to find Shen Muxuan grinning mischievously—she’d been teasing him with a strand of her hair.
"Lazybones, wake up! It’s already 10!"
An Yi yawned.
He’d only gotten back at dawn, severely sleep-deprived. Four hours of rest wasn’t nearly enough.
"My hand’s numb… you’ve been holding it all night," Shen Muxuan said, lifting their intertwined fingers.
"Absence makes the heart grow fonder."
She’d thought it was just a saying, but after two days apart, he’d become so clingy he wouldn’t even let go of her hand.
The moment Shen Muxuan tried to pull away, An Yi’s eyelid twitched violently. "DON’T LET GO!"
Five centimeters were at stake!
If she let go now…
His future happiness would be gone forever!
"Fine, fine. I won’t let go."
Shen Muxuan’s lips curled into a sweet smile.
Who knew this blockhead could be so romantic?
An Yi exhaled in relief, sweat beading on his forehead. Seven hours and twenty minutes left. Almost there.
Still drowsy, he focused and activated Mind-Calming Technique!
After one cycle, his mind was crystal clear!
"As expected of a technique passed down by Elder Cheng, a top-tier expert. Impressive!"
"Um, An Yi…" Shen Muxuan hesitated.
An Yi blinked. "What’s up?"
She pointed at the blanket. "You… lost a lot of hair."
An Yi’s eyes nearly bulged out of his skull at the sight of the strands scattered across the sheets.
"GODDAMMIT!
MY LUSCIOUS LOCKS!"
Still gripping Shen Muxuan’s hand, he scrambled into the bathroom in a panic.
"Wait, why are you dragging me along?!"
Shen Muxuan yelped as he hauled her inside.
After checking his reflection—still handsome, with sharp brows and bright eyes—An Yi sighed in relief.
Phew. Even with hundreds of hairs gone, it’s not noticeable. My face is still flawless.
"That sleazy Elder Cheng, tarnishing the reputation of top-tier experts.
Trash Mind-Calming Technique!
I’m giving it to Bai Xiu!"
"An Yi… can you step out for a sec?" Shen Muxuan whispered, face burning as she pointed to the door.
"Huh? Why?"
She squirmed, voice barely audible. "I… I need to use the bathroom."
An Yi:
"Uh… can you hold it for a bit?"
The moment the words left his mouth, even he felt like a scumbag.
But the thought of five centimeters steeled his resolve.
Seeing the desperation in his eyes, Shen Muxuan softened.
But then, her beautiful eyes brimmed with a hint of grievance, those glistening orbs fixed on An Yi as she pleaded in a pitiful tone, "You—could you please go out? I—I really can't hold it anymore."
--

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!

grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)

young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."

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!