At this moment, a crowd had gathered around.
Zhang Chen tossed the basketball to Xu Mu. "Young Master Xu, you go first. Like I said earlier, I’ll give you a three-point lead. First to five wins."
"Whether you give me the lead or not, the result will be the same."
Xu Mu dribbled the ball casually.
Truth be told, he enjoyed dribbling—just not this kind of ball.
After becoming a martial artist, his speed, reflexes, and control over his body far surpassed that of ordinary people.
How could Zhang Chen possibly compare?
"Everyone! Young Master Xu and I are having a manly showdown here. The loser has to avoid Ye Yu from now on—otherwise, he’s a dog!"
After saying this, Zhang Chen realized it rhymed. Maybe he had a talent for rap as well as basketball.
He deliberately announced the stakes to ensure Xu Mu wouldn’t back out later.
With so many witnesses, even if just to save face, Xu Mu wouldn’t dare approach Ye Yu again.
"Exactly."
Xu Mu nodded lightly. "Let’s begin."
The onlookers chuckled among themselves. Everyone already knew the outcome.
Maybe this guy was just someone Zhang Chen had brought in to help him show off.
After all, almost no one at school could beat Zhang Chen in basketball.
The two stood at half-court. Xu Mu held the ball while Zhang Chen crouched slightly, ready to intercept.
Xu Mu took two quick dribbles, then suddenly leaped for a shot from mid-court.
Zhang Chen was stunned. A half-court shot?
And judging by Xu Mu’s confidence, was he actually a pro?
Ye Yu’s eyes widened in shock. Had Xu Mu been hiding his skills all along? Was he secretly amazing at basketball?
Then again, it made sense—given how strong he was in that area, his physique couldn’t be weak.
[Affection +10]
But just as the affection points appeared, the ball hit the ground—a complete airball.
[Affection -10]
Ye Yu rolled her eyes. That was just a wild throw. Did Xu Mu even know how to play?
The crowd burst into laughter.
At first, they thought this guy might be a serious challenger, but he was just a rookie.
Zhang Chen smirked, relieved after Xu Mu’s initial scare.
"My turn, Young Master Xu!"
He grabbed the ball, eager to show off a dunk in front of the crowd.
He dribbled low, then suddenly dashed past Xu Mu’s left side.
But at that moment, Xu Mu pulled out his phone—Lu Xueyao was calling.
Ye Yu was furious. What was Xu Mu thinking?
Did he resent her so much that he couldn’t wait to push her away?
They were in the middle of a game, and he was checking his phone?
Then, something unbelievable happened.
Zhang Chen soared for a picture-perfect dunk—only to find Xu Mu suddenly in front of him, casually talking on the phone while swatting the ball away with one hand.
Thud!
The ball bounced off the ground and flew out of bounds.
The crowd was stunned.
What had they just witnessed?
"Did you see that? His head was above the rim!"
"That’s not even the craziest part—he did it while on a call!"
Ye Yu’s eyes sparkled. What was going on?
Xu Mu was actually… kind of cool?
[Affection +15]
Especially in that suit—his movements were even more captivating.
Some women in the crowd started squealing.
Zhang Chen gritted his teeth, his face dark. "Your turn, Young Master Xu!"
He’d been too eager to show off. If he’d just taken a three-pointer, he would’ve won easily.
"Xueyao, wait at the school gate. I’ll be right there."
Xu Mu hung up and pocketed his phone.
Back at half-court, he dribbled a few times before launching another mid-court shot.
Zhang Chen watched coldly. Was Xu Mu just trying to make him fetch the ball?
"Holy—it went in!"
The crowd erupted.
Zhang Chen froze. What?
A fluke?
Most assumed it was luck, but Xu Mu knew better—it was pure control.
His first shot had been to gauge the ball’s weight and distance.
This time, he adjusted slightly, and it went in effortlessly.
"Let’s continue."
Xu Mu’s tone was indifferent.
Zhang Chen took a deep breath. "Young Master Xu, I’m getting serious now!"
He tried to blow past Xu Mu’s left again—but the ball was suddenly gone.
Xu Mu had reached behind him and flicked it away.
"My turn."
Xu Mu caught the ball, dribbled twice, then shot from half-court again.
This time, he didn’t even watch. Hands in his pockets, he walked straight toward Ye Yu.
"With the three-point lead you gave me, that’s five. Stay away from Ye Yu from now on—or you’ll regret it."
As soon as he finished speaking, the ball swished through the net.
The crowd was speechless.
A real man never looks back at his shots?
That was insane.
Zhang Chen stood frozen on the court, head lowered. Was Xu Mu some kind of monster?
[Affection +10]
Xu Mu checked the system. Ye Yu’s affection had turned positive.
As a Level 9 "Destined One," her affection granted him nine times the usual justice points.
Just 10 points of affection translated to 90 justice points—almost enough for a draw.
"Bro-in-law, you’re amazing!"
Ye Yu clung to Xu Mu’s arm, beaming.
The thought of Zhang Chen never bothering her again made her giddy.
"Basic skills."
Xu Mu remained calm. "Let’s go home."
——
At the school gate, Lu Xueyao spotted Xu Mu immediately.
At 6'1", he stood out in the crowd.
Just as she was about to call out, she noticed the petite girl beside him—Ye Yu.
Ye Yu was holding Xu Mu’s arm, chatting animatedly, her dimples appearing as she laughed.
Xu Mu noticed Lu Xueyao and her grandmother.
He quickly whispered to Ye Yu, "Tell them you’re my little sister. Got it?"
"Cheating on your wife?"
Ye Yu squinted, spotting Lu Xueyao in the distance.
"I just don’t want her grandmother to worry," Xu Mu said softly.
If the old lady knew he was married while Lu Xueyao still clung to him, she’d disapprove—and that could drive a wedge between them.
They approached Lu Xueyao and Wang Xiuzhen. Xu Mu spoke first.
"Grandma, sorry for the wait. Let’s get in the car."
Wang Xiuzhen glanced curiously at Ye Yu. "And this is…?"
"My little sister. I was here for her parent-teacher meeting." Xu Mu patted Ye Yu’s head affectionately.
"Hello, Grandma!"
Ye Yu smiled sweetly.
"Oh, I see."
Wang Xiuzhen nodded with a smile.
With Xu Mu and Lu Xueyao supporting her, the old lady took the back seat. Lu Xueyao and Ye Yu followed.
The car ride was silent.
Xu Mu first arrived at Lu Xueyao's home to escort her grandmother back.
Originally, Xu Mu intended to say his goodbyes, but Ye Yu spoke up first: "Grandma, Lu Xueyao and I want to go out together. Is that alright?"
Ye Yu saw this as an opportunity—a chance to make things clear in front of Xu Mu and drive this "other woman" away from her brother-in-law.
"Of course, just come back early," Wang Xiuzhen replied, thinking it would be good for Lu Xueyao to get to know her sister-in-law better.
After the three of them left, Ye Yu clung to Xu Mu's arm as usual.
Not to be outdone, Lu Xueyao immediately looped her arm through his other side.
Sandwiched between two stunning young women, Xu Mu could only feel awkward. He already had a hunch about what Ye Yu was planning.
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!
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)
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
