Feng Yue stood dumbfounded, her mind blank and her mouth hanging open wide enough to fit an egg.
She looked down at the gaping hole in front of her—Xu Mu had punched straight through it.
Peering through the hole, she could see the warehouse of her hotel below.
Thankfully, no one was down there, or the falling concrete might have injured a guest.
Otherwise, she’d not only have to pay compensation but also shut down for renovations.
After the initial shock, she raised her head to stare at Xu Mu, feeling an unfamiliarity she couldn’t shake.
Was this really the same good-for-nothing playboy from before?
Though his face was the same, his expression, posture, and aura were entirely different.
Feng Yue began to wonder—when had he started changing?
She wasn’t a martial artist, nor did she understand martial arts, but she could still recognize destructive power when she saw it.
Xu Mu had just casually struck from a distance, effortlessly surpassing anything Lin Yang had ever shown.
Of course, it was possible Lin Yang had merely been holding back, not using his full strength.
"Xu… you’ve hidden yourself well," Feng Yue murmured, still unable to believe it.
She suddenly realized Xu Mu felt like a stranger now.
Yet, she didn’t dislike this version of him. In fact, she found his current demeanor far more dignified.
[Affection +10]
Xu Mu himself was a little stunned. He hadn’t even used his full strength—just a simple demonstration—yet the effect was this overwhelming.
And this was only an Earth-grade technique. What would Heaven-grade or even higher be like?
No wonder Meng Wanyue had been so shocked when he gave her an Earth-grade technique.
Xu Mu forced himself to stay calm. He’d played the part this far—he had to see it through smoothly.
If he got scared by his own power, that’d be downright embarrassing.
Hands clasped behind his back, his expression cool and detached, Xu Mu spoke, "I’ll ask one last time—are you willing to work for me? If you agree, I’ll help you deal with the Feng Family."
"And if I refuse?" Feng Yue studied his profile.
"Then I walk away now. From this moment on, whatever you do is none of my concern."
Xu Mu turned and strode toward the door. "You don’t have to answer now. I’ll give you a few days to think it over."
Without another glance back, he left.
Feng Yue stared blankly at the hole in the floor, lost in thought.
Lin Yang, a martial artist himself, had only dared to send assassins after Xu Mu. Maybe Lin Yang had seen through him long ago.
While she had remained clueless.
Suddenly, Feng Yue snapped her head up, eyes fixed on the doorway.
Had Xu Mu gotten close to her just to extract information?
Had he known all along that she had a spy planted in the Xu Corporation?
Otherwise, why target this playboy after Lin Yang’s failure, instead of going after Xu Shou directly?
"How terrifying…"
Feng Yue sucked in a sharp breath, recalling the surveillance footage Lin Yang had—the very footage Xu Mu had mentioned.
Maybe Xu Mu had let Lin Yang see it on purpose.
A bitter laugh escaped her. So, the one being played like a fool all along… was her.
——
"Brother-in-law! Where did you go?"
Ye Yu had been pulled out of the bar by Xu Mu. The security guards had blocked her from seeing what happened upstairs.
"I saw someone on the second floor taking sneaky photos of you. Went to have a word with them."
Xu Mu tossed out a casual excuse.
[Affection +10]
"What? Someone was taking pictures of me? Brother-in-law, are you okay?" Ye Yu asked, concerned.
"I’m fine."
Xu Mu waved it off with a smile. "Let’s head back before your sister starts worrying."
"Okay!"
Ye Yu nodded cheerfully, clinging to Xu Mu’s arm the entire way.
She didn’t even know why, but holding onto him just felt… inexplicably comforting.
——
Back at the hotel.
Xu Mu pushed open the door to find Ye Tong and Meng Wanyue watching TV.
"Sis! We’re back! Brought you some desserts!"
Ye Yu trotted over, swinging the dessert bag.
Xu Mu chuckled and flopped onto the bed. After a whole day of running around, he could finally rest.
He sat for a bit, then excused himself to the bathroom. Once done, he planned to shoo Ye Yu and Meng Wanyue out.
Just as he stepped out, a knock came at the door.
"Who is it?"
Xu Mu called out before opening it.
Outside stood a woman in her thirties with bleached blonde hair and a long dress.
Her looks were average—neither ugly nor particularly pretty—but her figure was slightly plump.
"Can I help you?" Xu Mu frowned.
"Handsome, could you let me stay the night?"
The woman put on a pitiful expression.
Xu Mu eyed her skeptically. "What’s going on?"
"My boyfriend keeps hitting me. I can’t take it anymore. He’s chasing me, saying he’ll ruin my face. I just need a place to hide for tonight."
As she spoke, she rubbed her eyes as if holding back tears.
"Who’s there?"
Ye Yu bounded over, having heard a woman’s voice.
Ye Tong and Meng Wanyue followed.
When the woman saw the three women behind Xu Mu, she froze.
Damn. Three of them?
Was this guy some kind of superman?
Given the hotel’s king-sized bed, it was safe to assume these four weren’t here for mahjong.
"You said your boyfriend’s hitting you?" Ye Tong asked.
"Yeah. He’s coming after me. I just need to hide, but… looks like you’re all busy here."
The woman turned to leave. Clearly, these people were in the same line of work—no way they’d fall for her act.
"Yeah, not the best timing," Xu Mu said, waving her off before shutting the door.
"We should help her," Ye Tong said suddenly.
Xu Mu sighed. "Odds are she’s trouble—probably a setup. If she were really in danger, she’d call the police first."
"But what if she’s telling the truth?"
Ye Tong couldn’t explain why, but maybe it was because she’d been in a similar situation once.
"Fine. Let’s make a bet. If she’s a scammer, you do whatever I say tonight. If I’m wrong, I’ll do whatever you want."
Xu Mu smirked at Ye Tong.
"Brother-in-law, I wanna play too!" Ye Yu tugged at his sleeve.
"Buzz off. Kids shouldn’t meddle," Xu Mu scoffed, peeling her hand away.
"Humph!" Ye Yu puffed her cheeks and turned away.
"Then Ye Yu and I will team up against you," Ye Tong said, pulling her sister close.
Ye Yu nodded vigorously. She was convinced Xu Mu was just making excuses—afraid they’d compare him to his old self.
"Alright. I’ll let her stay in the other room."
Xu Mu took out his phone, started a video call with Ye Tong, and tucked it into his shirt pocket with the camera peeking out.
Preparations done, he opened the door again.
The woman was now knocking on another door down the hall.
"Hey! Over here! You can hide in my room," Xu Mu called, waving her over before unlocking the door to Ye Yu and Meng Wanyue’s room.
The woman hurried back. "Handsome, you’re not staying in that other room?"
"We’re just tourists in Yang City. Met them on the way. They called me over to fix their computer earlier."
Xu Mu finished speaking and turned to the woman, saying, "Come inside quickly and take shelter."
"Thank you," the woman replied with repeated nods.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the trio were all staring intently at Ye Tong's phone.
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
esick Sect? Well, at least it's considered a respectable orthodox sect. Wait a minute— What kind of vibe are you all giving off? Shouldn’t this be a love-struck, romance-obsessed sect? Why does everyone here sound more like demonic cultivators? "Master, today he’s getting married. This disciple wishes to descend the mountain and crash the wedding, then toy with him to death right in front of his wife..." "Elder, I only got into your sect through connections, so why won’t you teach me anything?" "Because I also became an elder through connections." Thankfully, Su Ji was just an outer sect labor disciple. Surely, nothing too crazy would— "Junior Brother, you’ve broken through to Qi Refining. Once you sever your useless spiritual root, you can officially become an outer sect disciple." "The Great Dao is merciless. Don’t let a worthless spiritual root waste your essence and spirit, hindering your cultivation." Is this really the Lovesick Sect? ... Three years later, Su Ji sat in the seat of the Lovesick Sect’s sect master, sighing with emotion. His rise to this position all started when his junior sister adamantly insisted on preserving his "spiritual root." "Mmm... Senior Brother, what’s our relationship now?" "Stop talking. Keep going." "By the way, that newly promoted top-tier sect—didn’t they come to buy our Love Beans?" "One top-grade spirit stone per Love Bean—is that really so expensive?" "I suspect they’ve eaten too many Love Beans." "Now they’re lovesick." Well, this really is the Lovesick Sect after all.
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
