"Oh, Bai Xiu is back."
Several women dressed in luxurious attire stepped forward, forcing polite smiles.
Truth be told, they still harbored resentment toward Bai Xiu.
"It's been so long—let your grandmother take a good look at you."
Old Madam studied Bai Xiu's appearance, her eyes suddenly reddening.
"Grandma, why are you crying?" Bai Xiu asked helplessly.
The other noblewomen quickly gathered around.
"What's wrong, Mom?"
"Mom, don’t cry! Today’s your birthday."
Old Madam pointed at Bai Xiu. "Look at him—his eyes are lifeless, and he keeps yawning. He wasn’t like this before!"
Bai Xiu’s lips twitched.
Ever since being bound to that damn "sleep-only" system, he could never return to the spirited young man he once was.
Old Madam tensed. "Tell me, child—are you on drugs?"
Bai Xiu: "..."
"Old Madam Bai, happy birthday!"
Just then, a flamboyantly dressed girl in red walked in from the entrance.
Old Madam’s face brightened. "Ah, the Jiang family’s little girl! My, my, you’ve grown even more beautiful."
"And Old Madam, you look stunning today too!"
Jiang Yingying handed over a gift box. "A pair of jade linglong bracelets—may you grow ever younger and more radiant."
Steward Liu hurriedly took the gift, glancing at Jiang Yingying with a hint of awkwardness.
"Haha, you’ve always had the sweetest tongue."
Old Madam took Jiang Yingying’s hand, then turned to Bai Xiu with a smile. "Bai Xiu, you two are both young—why don’t you chat for a while?"
"And this is…?"
Jiang Yingying frowned slightly at Bai Xiu’s tattered clothes.
Having just returned from the Demon Valley, Bai Xiu was still wearing the same outfit he’d entered the secret realm in—now torn and ragged.
Moreover, his clothes were never high-end to begin with. Combined with his dead-fish eyes, he looked like a complete loser in Jiang Yingying’s eyes.
"This is Bai Xiu. The two of you were betrothed before either of you were even born—twenty years ago!"
Old Madam watched the two youngsters with an amused smile.
"My fiancé?"
Jiang Yingying glanced at Bai Xiu, her lips curling into a mocking smirk.
"This loser? As if."
Bai Xiu discreetly sized her up.
Flat chest, no curves, and a face that was passable but looked suspiciously like a plastic surgery disaster—nose too high, chin too sharp, and her hips were spaced wide apart. Probably slept around a lot.
Marrying someone like that? He’d be drowning in green hats.
"Old Madam Bai, I think you should know—I’ve already called off the engagement," Jiang Yingying said with feigned regret.
Old Madam’s expression darkened. "W-what? How come I wasn’t told? Did Bai Xiu do something wrong?"
Jiang Yingying quickly waved her hands. "No, no! Bai Xiu is a great guy—handsome, talented. It’s just that… I’m not good enough for him."
Bai Xiu nodded. "Yeah, exactly like that."
Jiang Yingying: "..."
You worthless trash—I give you an inch, and you take a mile?
"But… the two of you haven’t even spent time together yet," Old Madam said helplessly.
Arranging this marriage had been her idea.
Bai Xiu’s parents had died young, and she had raised him herself.
Her eldest son’s family despised him.
If she passed away, Bai Xiu would undoubtedly be kicked out of the Bai household.
She had hoped that marrying into the Jiang family would at least ensure his future security.
But who would’ve thought? The Jiang family, once looked down upon by everyone, had grown powerful under the Bai family’s protection—and now they had the audacity to break the engagement.
Jiang Yingying lifted her chin arrogantly. "Old Madam, let me be blunt—I don’t like your grandson. Whether it’s family background, talent, or looks, he’s not even close to my level!"
Her words were merciless, tearing all pretense of politeness to shreds.
Old Madam’s face paled, her body trembling.
"Mom, Mom—calm down!"
One of the noblewomen rushed to support her.
Bai Xiu’s expression darkened as he also stepped forward to steady her.
Old Madam shook her head. "I’m fine… just help me back to my room."
As Old Madam was led away, Bai Xiu turned back, his gaze icy. "Did you really have to say all that in front of my grandmother?"
Jiang Yingying flinched under his murderous glare but quickly regained her composure. "I’m just stating facts. What right do you have to pursue me?"
"I never had any intention of pursuing you. Get out. If you stay here any longer, I won’t hold back."
Bai Xiu’s tone was chillingly calm.
"You—!"
Jiang Yingying’s face twisted in fury. "Little Long—beat him up!"
At her command, a bodyguard behind her charged forward, fists raised.
"Using a Dark Force martial artist as a bodyguard? The Jiang family’s really stepped up."
Bai Xiu’s dead-fish eyes remained indifferent.
To him now, a mere Dark Force practitioner was nothing but an ant.
Thud!
Before Little Long could reach him, he collapsed face-first onto the ground.
Jiang Yingying gasped, staring at An Yi, who now stood behind the unconscious bodyguard.
"A waiter knocked out Little Long… with a tray?!"
But he was a Dark Force expert!
"This is the Bai residence. You don’t get to cause trouble here."
An Yi twirled the tray lazily in his hand.
Bai Xiu raised an eyebrow, studying An Yi with curiosity.
Something’s off.
Why is this guy in my house?
Jiang Yingying snapped out of her shock, fuming. "You dare attack my people?! Is this how the Bai family treats guests? Fine! Go ahead—kill me too if you have the guts!"
An Yi’s brows lifted.
"Well, that’s a request I’ve never heard before."
Just then, Steward Liu hurried into the courtyard.
"Old Madam! Young Master Zheng Yuan of the Zheng family has arrived!"
The announcement sent a ripple of excitement through the Bai household.
The Zheng family was a rising powerhouse in the capital—a martial arts dynasty rumored to have a Grandmaster-level expert backing them.
And Zheng Yuan? He was the most promising heir, potentially the future head of the Zheng family. His presence here was already an unexpected honor.
A bespectacled young man with an average appearance walked into the garden, his demeanor polite yet aloof.
"Old Madam, happy birthday. May your fortune be as vast as the East Sea, and your life as enduring as the Southern Mountains."
"Ah, wonderful! Young Master Zheng is every bit as impressive as the rumors say." Old Madam smiled warmly.
Zheng Yuan smirked, his pride barely concealed.
For the Zheng family to even attend a minor clan like the Bai family’s celebration was already a massive favor.
"Brother Zheng Yuan!"
Jiang Yingying immediately rushed over, clinging to his arm in an exaggeratedly sweet voice.
Zheng Yuan blinked, recognizing her.
They’d slept together before.
Terrible experience. Dry as a stick, no curves—like hugging a wooden plank.
Jiang Yingying, however, preened with pride, rubbing her flat chest against his arm to flaunt their intimacy.
Old Madam’s expression soured further.
She had once seen Jiang Yingying as her future granddaughter-in-law.
Even after the broken engagement, this woman now had the gall to cling to another man right in front of the Bai family?
This was nothing short of a slap to their faces.
An Yi grinned. "Want me to handle it?"
Bai Xiu shook his head. "After the banquet."
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)
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...
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
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."
